Barely Legal by erro
Summary: "It had started out innocently enough..."
Categories: AU, X1 Characters: None
Genres: Adult, Angst, Shipper
Tags: None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 20 Completed: Yes Word count: 37494 Read: 57550 Published: 11/03/2020 Updated: 11/22/2020

1. Prologue by erro

2. Chapter 1 by erro

3. Chapter 2 by erro

4. Chapter 3 by erro

5. Chapter 4 by erro

6. Chapter 5 by erro

7. Chapter 6 by erro

8. Chapter 7 by erro

9. Chapter 8 by erro

10. Chapter 9 by erro

11. Chapter 10 by erro

12. Chapter 11 by erro

13. Chapter 12 by erro

14. Chapter 13 by erro

15. Chapter 14 by erro

16. Chapter 15 by erro

17. Chapter 16 by erro

18. Chapter 17 by erro

19. Chapter 18 by erro

20. Epilogue by erro

Prologue by erro
It had started out innocently enough.

Logan had returned, about six months after he'd left. The first thing he did on riding in at five in the morning was seek her out. He was surprised to find that the room his nose tracked her scent to - the dorm room she shared with three other girls - didn't contain the one he was looking for. Instead, a fresher trail led him away and down another hall, directly to the room that had been his when he was there last.

Laid out, fast asleep, under a thin sheet, was the girl he had been searching for. She looked like an angel, hair fanned out around her, white streaks stark against the remainder of her dark locks, pale skin a siren call to any man with a pulse.

The Wolverine growled appreciatively to find the girl exactly where he wanted her. Logan quickly kicked him back down, he knew what Wolverine wanted. Truth be told he wanted the same thing, so it wasn't easy tamping down on their shared desire, but Marie was too young, too innocent, far too sweet for the likes of him. That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy her attention and company though, he'd told himself, as he dropped his bag, kicked off his boots, stripped off his belt, and crawled under the sheet with her. Moments later he had his arms full of the soft sleeping girl when she rolled over, seeking out his warmth, and plastered herself to his side.

When she had woken two hours later, she panicked on waking pressed up against another person, demanding assurance she hadn't accidentally hurt him in her sleep. Once he had assured her adequately, she threw herself back into his arms, hugging the living daylights out of him, and began bombarding him with questions.

They chatted for about another hour, Marie filling him in on the goings on he'd missed, what she had been studying, the latest pranks the students had pulled and who had gotten caught and blamed for them. Marie proudly revealed she had managed to avoid detection, despite being one of the main instigators. Logan couldn't help being proud of that, his girl was remarkably astute for her age. A good trait for a mate, Wolverine pointed out, gaining himself another mental smack, it didn't have the desired effect though, he just chuckled knowingly and sunk back into the mire of his mind.

At around eight they both decided to head down for breakfast, and Logan was surprised it didn't require a trip to Marie's room for her to dress. It turned out she had a small stash of clothes hidden away in his room. The nightmares, she told him, often drove her out of her own room, when she was afraid of waking or harming her roommates, and she had been spending a lot of nights here. After waking late a few times, by the time she had snuck back to her own room to dress she had been really late for class, so this had been saving her some time. They headed down to breakfast, arms slung around each other in a friendly manner, after Logan left an open invitation for her to come to his room whenever she needed to.

And so began, or rather continued, their easy camaraderie.

--

For three months nothing much happened. Marie spent her evenings doing homework in Logan's room, slipping back to her own at curfew. More often than not coming back to his room later in the night, with the excuse of nightmares. If anyone else noticed they didn't say anything.

On the weekends Logan would take her out on the motorcycle he continued to commandeer, they would drive for hours. Sometimes short trips to enjoy the wind in their hair, sometimes longer trips that would see them stay out until late on Sunday night or early Monday morning. They went camping in the Adirondack's, watched the sun rise over Niagara Falls, and a trip to Rhode Island that came about after Marie’s request to 'go to the beach'.

Everyone at the school seemed accepting of the friendship. Storm and Jean noted how much more content and confident Rogue was. Scott was just happy it was taking Logan's attention off Jean - even if he did flirt with her on occasion just to piss Scott off. Her friends were happy to have the untouchable girl out of their hair, so they didn't have to feel bad about doing things they couldn't include her in, like pool parties and sunbathing.

No one noticed the subtle shift soon after.
Chapter 1 by erro
They were flying down a highway, enjoying what was left of the fall sunshine, when Logan suddenly slowed and turned the bike down a side street towards a lake. Assuming they were making a touristy stop, Marie just enjoyed the scenery and let Logan drive, shrugging off her surprise when they passed a lakeside carpark without even slowing down. A short time later he turned again, this time into a dead-end street, before pulling into a driveway.

He nudged her to get off the bike, waiting for her to move out of the way before dropping the kickstand and pulling himself off too. He led her up the front stairs of the large multi-level house, before sliding a key into the front door. After turning off the burglar alarm he motioned her to follow him in.

She looked around confused for a few minutes before spotting the amused look on Logan's face where he stood just watching her.

"So, this is...?" she prompted.

"Ours," Logan replied, "It's going to be winter soon, too cold for camping, and I'll go nuts if I can't get out of that teenage hell hole every now and then, running off to Canada isn't an option right now so, I bought us this place."

Marie smiled at the thought that he wouldn't be disappearing for months up north again this year when she caught the end of his comment. "Bought!?" she exclaimed.

"Yep, bought and paid for, all ours. What, you don't like it?" Logan asked, feigning concern.

"No, I don't like it," Marie replied, "I love it! But how did you afford it, these places must cost a bomb."

Logan shrugged. "Beating the shit out of rednecks and truckers pays well," was all he said before he began to show her around the house.

The house was very sparsely furnished, aside from an enormous television, bigger than the rec room TV at the mansion, and a very comfortable leather sofa in the lounge the only other room that had any furnishing was the master bedroom, which had an enormous bed but not much else. There were three bedrooms, living room, kitchen, dining room, and underneath the house a double garage and a large basement workshop.

"It's kind of empty," Marie commented, once she'd finished exploring, "Did you forget houses are supposed to have furniture?"

"Smartass," Logan replied, with a grin, "We're going to have to go shopping I think, need a fridge for sure, got to have somewhere to keep my beer."

"Ah, I see, the world according to Logan; bed, check, TV, check, beer fridge, oh my God the world is going to end!!!" Marie screamed in mock fear, leaving them both laughing.

Eventually Logan sobered up. "Alright then, smartass, what do we need to go out and buy to get this place liveable according to Marie?"

"Uh... a fridge," she commented after a moment.

"Is that all?" Logan teased.

"Probably not, I just totally mind blanked. What are you doing with all the bedrooms?" she asked.

"We," Logan clarified, "We need to set you up a room..."

"What's the point?" Marie asked, "I usually end up in your bed anyway."

"We at least have to make a show of it," Logan mumbled, before continuing, "You still need your own room, don't want all your girly shit cluttering up my space," he joked, getting a sarcastic 'ha, ha,' in response.

"Okay then, bedroom set, times two because your room only has a bed. Dining table, lounge suite, stereo... what about the other bedroom?" she rattled off a few more big purchases.

Logan just shrugged again. "Also need bedding, towels, dishes, and dinner. Let's go spend more dough."

Instead of leading outside to the motorcycle, Logan led her down to the garage where a beat-up older model SUV was parked. At Marie's curious look he shrugged and answered her unasked question, "If it's going to be too cold for camping, it’s going to be too cold for the motorcycle. Also, this has more luggage space."

They spent the rest of the day shopping, which neither of them particularly enjoyed, though Marie was excited about being given almost free reign to pick furniture and decorate the house. Logan's role was limited to standing near her looking unapproachable, scaring other customers away to give her space, and flashing the plastic when money was required.

Smaller purchases were stashed in the truck, until the boot, and the back seat were full.

"How many damn pillows do you need kid?" He groused, trying to shove the pile of pillows back through the gap they were trying to escape out of, so he could shut the door again.

"At least four," Marie replied, "And there's two beds, so that's eight, plus I got cushions too, for the couch, so I have something to throw at you when you make fun of my team choices. We still need the big furniture stuff but I didn't like anything they had in there," she added, again consulting her list.

"I know a place," Logan said, helping her into the truck.

Five minutes later they pulled up in front of a warehouse that was packed to the brim with furniture if all shapes and sizes. "Go nuts kid," Logan commented, as he opened the door and ushered her in.

An hour later she'd spent several thousand dollars, and furnished the whole house. They had similar tastes, both preferring the simple, rustic look and darker wood tones. They didn't have a truck big enough to haul all the furniture, so Logan paid extra to have their purchases delivered the following Friday, when Marie had the day off classes. Logan never had classes scheduled on Friday, due to his students rebelling against the idea of forgoing their pre-weekend social engagements; his classes were all after school.

"I think we have enough left for dinner, what do you want, and should we eat out or get take out?" he queried, once they were ready to go.

"Let's pick up take out," Marie answered, smothering a yawn, "I'm beat, if I'm going to fall asleep in my dinner I'd rather you were the only witness."

Logan chuckled, he took her lack of suggestion of what to aim for food wise as her hinting she didn't care, and pulled into the first place that advertised a take away option. "Japanese it is, anything in particular you want, or should I surprise you?" he asked, noting she made no effort to move from her seat.

"Mm, surprise me, I like your surprises," Marie answered, though she added with a shout after his door slammed, "Get dorayaki if they have it."

He waved to let her know he'd heard her as he continued inside. Twenty minutes later he made his way back to the truck, to find Marie asleep. He didn't bother trying to be quiet when he got back into the vehicle, Marie was just as light a sleeper as he was so there was no point. True to form she jumped awake at the click of the door catch popping open, stretching sleepily before taking the bag of piping hot food.

"They didn't have dorayaki, I got you daifuku instead," he said, as he watched her scan through the bag.

"Close enough," she shrugged, watching the darkened scenery pass by as they headed back to their home away from home.

Dinner was eaten on the floor in front of the fire place, though Logan insisted it was too warm to light a fire he did so anyway when Marie turned puppy dog eyes on him, compensating for the extra heat by opening windows and stripping off his shirts; a perfect compromise as far as Marie was concerned.

They ate slowly, he'd got a lot of food, chatted about nothing much, and after a couple of hours Marie finally fell asleep, her head resting on his thigh from where she had laid down beside him while he had stared into the flickering flames. Eventually he carried her to bed, the only bed in the house, lying down beside her and falling into a contented sleep, the lack of night noise a welcome relief from the continual hum of living at a school full of teenagers.
Chapter 2 by erro
They had been coming to their second home every weekend for several weeks when Marie asked suddenly one trip, "Where exactly is this place?"

"Ridgefield, Connecticut," Logan replied, not looking up from the parts he was working on.

"Wow, I didn't realise the school was so close to the state border," Marie commented airly, before turning back to the tools she'd been sorting through on the work bench.

Logan was working on the bike in the garage, Marie had been in the garden but had come to join him when the rain started. It was still warm enough to have the garage door open, and they were both enjoying the gentle patter of the rain through the trees outside.

A metallic clinking and scraping drew Logan's attention, he watched as Marie pushed all the tools aside and jumped up to sit on the workbench. He busied himself with the bike, keeping an eye on her in his peripheral vision. She had a look on her face he had come to realise could mean either entertainment was ahead, or trouble. Being he was the only one around he had a suspicion he was in for trouble.

He finished his work a short time later and cleaned up his tools, before returning them to their places on the workbench where Marie was still seated. It took him by surprise as he turned, when he realised she was wearing a short skirt, a very short skirt, over a pair of sheer tights... Her skirt was so short, and her tights so sheer that he could clearly see she was not wearing underwear.

He quickly diverted his attention and moved to stand beside her, where he wouldn't be able to see straight up her skirt, even if he wanted to, which he definitely didn’t... mostly... a bit. Unfortunately, his new position wasn't much better, she was also wearing, unusual for Marie, a very low-cut shirt... and no bra. He kept his gaze firmly diverted for as long as he could, and when he couldn't any longer, he muttered, "I'm going to get a beer, put those away for me will you," before stalking out of the room and leaving her behind.

He didn't look back. It was that resolve that missed him the smug smile on Marie's face. She knew Logan had feelings for her, the him inside her head had admitted it, though he seemed confused about what exactly those feelings were or meant. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe, he loved her smile, and hated her tears, and he'd never felt like that before. The other side of him, the Wolverine side was a whole different story, he wasn’t confused at all, he wanted her, he called her his mate, and made no secret about what he wanted to do to her, and with her.

When Logan had returned, he'd been a lot more comfortable around her but had not made any indication of wanting anything more than to be friendly with her. Even if his hands did linger on her waist, and very occasionally slip over her ass, when they were together. Both Wolverine and Logan had replied 'jailbait' when she'd asked why he'd been so reserved in his attention. That had led to her looking up the relevant consent laws, much to her annoyance she'd discovered that the age of consent in New York was seventeen. Unlike literally every state around, and the entire country of Canada above, where the age of consent was sixteen. Wolverine had found her displeasure at that fact highly amusing.

She had begun to suspect on their many recent trips however that they were not in New York here, which technically meant she was not jailbait. Logan had just now confirmed that fact for her, and her internal versions of him had suddenly gone very quiet. She wanted to test the waters, so to speak, and see if she could get a better read on where Logan was at in his thinking regarding the two of them. He definitely noticed her, the fact that he had opted to leave was a little disheartening, though he hadn't told her off or to cover herself up, so that would work in her favour. She'd give him a while to get himself back under control... then she'd try some subtle flirting.

After dinner, which Logan cooked, they retired to the couch to watch TV, as usual the sports channel. She was lounging on Logan like she usually did when she decided to try a little direct action. She had her head resting on his shoulder, and let her hand come to rest on his thigh, very high on his thigh. He didn't react. After a few minutes, her hand wandered a little higher, until she was tracing the waistband of his jeans. Still no reaction. It wasn't until her hand got directly over his crotch that she felt him tense, just the tiniest amount. His hand reached for hers suddenly, threading his fingers through hers and moving their now joined hands away from him. "Watch the game Marie," he mumbled gruffly.

So, she did, and the moment the game was over she swiped the remote and switched the TV off. When she turned to Logan, he was watching her, with an unfamiliar intensity. She didn't waste any time in quickly straddling his thighs, as she moved forward to press soft, quick kisses against his lips. He didn't stop her, which she took as encouragement to continue. It wasn't until she had the ever present sheer scarf she always wore untied, that he hesitated for the first time.

"You're sure," he asked softly, holding her back so he could look into her eyes.

"I'm sure," she replied resolutely, unfurling the dark green silk scarf. She bought the material up between them before kissing him again, she had no idea what to really do from here so she was hoping he'd take the lead.

He didn't disappoint, and for the next twenty minutes they sat on the couch making out. Marie had already divested him of his shirts, he had likewise removed hers, and she was moving onto his jeans when his hand closed over hers again. He shifted her off his lap, and she whined in disappointment, before he grinned at her wolfishly and whispered in her ear that he wasn't ‘taking her for the first time on the couch’.

The next thing she knew they were in the bedroom, her laid out on the bed as Logan stripped off her skirt, leaving her naked but for her sheer panty hose and her gloves. She supposed she should be a little embarrassed, being essentially naked, but this was Logan, he'd seen naked women before, plenty of them, and if he was still looking at her the way he was, well, she figured she didn't have much to be embarrassed about.

He settled the scarf over her, covering her from nose to hips, before he moved over her. "Last chance Marie, if this goes any further, I won't lie, I won't be able stop," he whispered, holding himself in check with visible effort.

She reached for him, running one gloved finger from his temple to his jaw, before replying, "Don't stop Logan, please, don't stop." She couldn't have said any more if she'd wanted to, his lips claiming hers in a fierce kiss then, all coherent thought fled soon after.
Chapter 3 by erro
Wolverine had been on high alert since Logan had stalked out of the garage, leaving an aroused and willing Marie behind. He was annoyed with his human side; she was his mate, and she wanted him. He'd taken care of the man's issues with their sexual relationship, the girl was old enough here, and that was literally, once he'd broken his objections down, the only issue that was a valid concern, being the only thing that could see them separated. Still the man was stalling.

Thankfully he didn't think Marie was going to let that stop her, she had been getting bolder in her flirting, and doing less to hide her arousal when around them for some time now. For now he would bide his time, wait for her to make her next move, and stop the man from interfering and shutting her down.

He didn't have to wait long.

They were sitting on the couch, Marie pressed up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder, when he scented her arousal increase. The man lay his head back against the couch and closed his eyes, fighting against their body's reaction, he was distracted enough not to notice Marie's movement.

Quickly and silently Wolverine slipped passed him to assume control, he quickly blocked Logan; he knew how to do it, Logan had done it to him enough times. It resulted in a state akin to a deep dreamless sleep, where the psyche was not aware of anything happening outside the block. Logan used it for delicate situations where he didn't want Wolverine popping the claws or growling at the wrong moment, he hated it, and on the one hand he would enjoy giving Logan a taste of his own medicine.

Marie's small hand coming to rest on his thigh, right next to his crotch, was enough to refocus him on his objective. He let her explore for a while, before stilling her hand when she got too bold, for now. Taking her hand in his, he gently massaged her hand while they continued to watch the game, his other hand, absently drawing circles on her covered hip where it had come to rest, and drawing her arousal higher.

When the entertainment came to an end, he was pleasantly surprised when Marie turned off the distraction and turned her attention fully to him. A determination in her countenance that let him know, under no uncertain circumstances, that she was going to get what she wanted. As she positioned herself on his lap he felt the warmth of her core over his crotch, he'd have growled to express his pleasure at her actions but her lips were on his, raining quick butterfly kisses on his face, so her skin didn't have time to zap him.

He felt her pull away as she pulled the sheer scarf away from her neck, and he held her hands to still them momentarily. "You're sure?" he asked, the man would find out about this eventually, and even though her body was screaming at him she was, the man would want to hear her say it.

When she replied with a soft, "I'm sure," it was all Wolverine could do to hold himself back long enough for her to move the scarf into place over her delicious lips. The feel of her tentative kisses was driving him mad and he quickly assumed control, kissing her deeper and harder, showing her what he liked but still leaving her the ability to withdraw if it became too much for her.

His hands joined the action shortly, after he felt her small, silk gloved hands, slide up under his shirt. He wasn't sure how exactly it happened but her roaming hands managed to peel off his shirts, turnabout was fair play and he smoothly slid hers off too. When he felt her hands working on undoing his jeans, he decided it was time to move this act off the couch. She murmured her complaints when he shifted her so he could stand up but they didn't last long when he lifted her with him, wrapping her legs around his waist as he walked them to the bedroom.

Once she was laid out on the bed, he set about divesting her of as much clothing as he could. He left her gloves on, so she could continue running her hands all over him, and the tights would have to stay to protect them both from her skin. He settled the sheer scarf over her upper body before moving over her, noting how her legs fell open naturally to accommodate him.

She was beautiful, gorgeous, and she was going to be his. Finally! He knew he had to go slowly with her, gently this first time, and it was all he could do to hold himself back as he gave her one last out. "Last chance Marie, if this goes any further, I won't lie, I won't be able to stop."

He watched the emotion play across her face, a devotion he never would have deemed himself worthy of was shining in her eyes, as she tenderly ran a soft gloved finger down his face. As her breathy, "Don't stop Logan, please, don't stop," was heard, he claimed her lips again, determined not to stop until they were both satisfied.

From her lips he ran his own down the pale column of her throat, kissing and nipping as he went, before joining his hands on her breasts. She had an impressive rack, a good solid handful of C's, at least, and they were incredibly sensitive, though that shouldn't really be too surprising. Given the lack of contact she had become adjusted to over the last year, she was amazingly sensitive everywhere.

While his mouth continued to work on her breasts one hand worked its way downward between her legs, his gloved fingers working over her tights to stimulate her. It wasn't long before she was bucking her hips against his hand as she moaned encouragement for more.

"Hold still," he mumbled against her lips, sliding out the tip of a claw to split the centre seam of her tights. His fingers delved through the new opening to fondle her slick flesh, his thumb pressing and circling her clit as he eased one long leather clad finger into her body.

"God, Logan! Don't stop!" she exclaimed, as she bucked up against his hand, arching her back to thrust her breasts into his face.

It wasn't long before he had her panting and shuddering, ready to come at the slightest nudge. "Come on baby, come for me," he whispered in her ear, as he moved his hand against her. She gasped as her body tightened, pleasure burst through her, she moaned loudly as her inner muscles clamped around his finger, and her body shuddered uncontrollably.

"That's my girl," Logan mumbled, as he moved back to claim her lips again while she slowly came back to awareness.

"More... more Logan, I need you... inside, please," Marie begged, rocking her hips against his hand that had stilled against her. He was only too happy to oblige, quickly fishing out a condom from the bedside table - where he'd stashed them weeks before when Logan hadn't noticed - before wrapping himself and shifting into position at her entrance. He slicked his shaft in her juices, before slowly easing into her channel. She was so tight he had to stop for a moment, while his fingers went back to stimulating her clit as he kissed her deeply. Slowly he pushed into her, a little at a time, until he felt her tense as he reached her virginity.

He stilled for a moment, watching her face as he withdrew slightly before thrusting forward, through her barrier, to seat himself deeply inside her. "Breathe darlin'," he whispered, as he softly kissed her face, to encourage her to relax, stilling his lower body while she adjusted to the unfamiliar invasion of her body.

After a few moments she began to relax against him, the scent of a new wave of her arousal overwhelming the scent of her blood. She shifted against him, her breathing hitching at the brief sting the movement triggered. He took over again, now that she was more comfortable, and gently rocked into her, slowly increasing the depth of his thrusts. It wasn't long until she was again teetering on the edge of orgasm, he nipped at her neck as he thrust into her again to push her over the edge, withdrawing quickly before her orgasm triggered his own. He wasn't done yet.

As she came back to him, gentle tremors continuing to run through her channel, clutching at the head of his cock that was waiting just inside of her heat. He worked his lips against her neck and breasts until she was panting against him, whimpering her requests for him to enter her again. Sliding his arms under her thighs he pulled her knees up and open before he slammed into her, with a growl. She cried out in pleasure, encouraging him to do it again.

He was trying to be gentle, but her cries and the feel of her clenching around him, was pulling him towards taking her hard and fast. He raised himself up to get more leverage as they both were closing in on bliss.

"Marie... fuck Marie... so good, come on baby you can do one more..." he panted, as he slammed into her hard and fast.

"Yes... yes Logan... harder, please..." Marie cried, as she began to crest a new wave of pleasure.

He thrust into her twice more before exploding into her with a roar that he thought was supposed to be her name. He was vaguely aware of her responding shout, before he collapsed on top of her, bracing himself on his elbows to keep most of his weight off of her. When he finally came back to her, he could feel her fingers gently massaging his scalp as her breathing slowly returned to normal. She giggled a moment later.

"What's so funny?" he asked, when he could get his voice to work again.

"You're purring," she replied, sleepily, "I like it, sugar."

It took a moment for him realise he was indeed making a deep rumbling growl that could quite accurately be called a purr, so long as she liked it, he couldn't care less. He listened to her breathing even out and her heart rate slow as she fell asleep, he was about to join her when he remembered the condom needed to be dealt with. He gently eased out of her, took care of his clean up, hiding the condom where he knew Logan wouldn't spot it, before returning to bed with Marie to sleep.

He'd have to figure out when and how to let Logan back out without tipping him off but that was a problem for another day, he quickly decided, as he fell asleep with an armful of warm satisfied mate.
Chapter 4 by erro
Logan watched Marie closely at breakfast, a confused and mildly concerned frown marring his brow. Something was off with her; he had noticed it on the weekend but had yet to be able to pinpoint exactly what it was. Whatever it was, was changing her scent too, not in a bad way, in fact the change made him feel... comfortable, happy, and made the Wolverine purr in silent contentment.

But as he watched her at breakfast, he began to notice other subtle changes. She was holding herself differently, moving slower, and, though she had a full plate of food in front of her as she conversed with her friends happily, she was barely picking at it, focusing mainly on the glass of ice tea she'd fixed herself.

That was another change, the tea, for the last couple of weeks she'd been chugging that stuff. She didn't try and beg a beer off him while they were watching games anymore, in fact, she'd glared at him and answered with a sarcastic 'very funny Logan,' when he'd offered her one only a few days before. The spicy tea, ginger if he had to guess, had become a permanent fixture, she'd even taken to carrying a water bottle loaded with the stuff around with her during the day.

He was distracted from his Rogue musings when Jean and Ororo, sat down at the opposite side of the table, discussing the latest mansion gossip in hushed tones. When he turned his attention back to Marie, she and her friends were all on their way out of the room, off to start their school day. Rogue caught his eye and offered him a wave and a smile as she left, which he returned with a grin and a nod, watching as she walked out of sight, before returning his attention to his now cold breakfast.

"Is everything alright with Rogue?" Jean asked suddenly, the question directed at him, rather than her conversation partner.

"As far as I know," Logan replied, nonchalantly.

"You seem to be watching her awfully closely for someone who thinks she's alright," Ororo added, with a mildly concerned smile.

"Nothing wrong, I don't think," Logan said, "Just something different, can't put my finger on it though." He shrugged, and continued to eat his cold eggs half-heartedly.

"I think you should talk to her," Jean spoke again, "One of the girls called me to the downstairs bathroom yesterday, after lunch, saying someone was throwing up, it was Rogue. I didn't think much about it at the time but then last night at dinner I noticed her clothes were looking at little... baggy..."

When Jean paused Logan turned his attention fully toward her. "What are you getting at Red?" he asked, mildly annoyed.

"Well, she's the most common age for an eating disorder, and her mutation makes her more self-conscious... weight loss, throwing up after meals... I really think you should talk to her, see if you can get her to open up, I tried yesterday but she just brushed me off and claimed she must have a mild stomach bug... she trusts you Logan, and she's more likely to tell you the truth because she knows you know when she's lying."

"Maybe she wasn't lying," Logan commented, though, on further consideration, Rogue hadn't smelled sick at any point that he'd caught. "I'll talk to her though, just in case," he added, he was going to have to anyway, one way or another he needed to figure out what was going on with her, it was driving him nuts.

--

He didn't see Marie again until about nine pm that night, she'd had classes all day. Then he had had to head into the city to pick up some things for Chuck, before being occupied for the rest for the afternoon, and well into the evening, with his 'extra-curricular' defence classes, which Marie hadn't shown for; her friends claiming she had a migraine and permission from Jean to sit the class out. Given that, he was surprised to eventually track her down to the couch in the teachers lounge. Beer at the ready for him, snacks laid out for both of them, and remote in hand, settling in to watch that nights hockey game.

"Where have you been?" she asked, munching on what appeared to be beef jerky, her ever-present bottle of tea swapped for ginger ale.

"I was looking for you, figured you'd be in your room sleeping off your migraine," he commented, sitting down on the couch beside her. She looked at him funny for a moment before burrowing against his side as he draped his arm across her shoulder.

The game started then, interrupting further attempt at conversation, though through the first period Logan increasingly found his attention drawn back to the girl in his arms. As the teams left the ice at the end of the first period, he muted the droning commentary before turning to her.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right Marie?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I just didn't feel up to all that exercise today, I've been a little extra queasy is all, it'll pass, the ginger ale works better than the tea I've discovered," she replied, as if her comments were perfectly normal and made sense.

"Queasy?" Logan queried, "You sick? You don't smell sick..."

She shot that same odd look at him again before clarifying, "Not 'sick' sick, just changes, we did already talk about this, remember?"

It was Logan's turn to shoot her an odd and confused look. "... Uh, no, I don't remember. What did we discuss, and when?"

"It was only two weeks ago Logan, come on, I know your memory's not the best but even you should be able to remember that," Marie snapped, suddenly sounding, and scenting, mad, as she landed him with an incredulous look.

Logan looked confused. "You're going to have to jog my memory kid, I'm drawing a blank here," he answered honestly.

Marie pushed herself away from him and stood up, looking angry as she turned on him, mouth open as if she was about ready to chew him out. His perplexed expression must have filtered through to her then as she suddenly stopped, anger disappearing to be replaced by confusion.

"You remember when I got sick a few weeks back, right?" she asked.

"The stomach bug that went through half the student population," Logan replied, nodding in uncomfortable remembrance.

"And that I kept feeling sick even after all the others got better?" she added.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Then we were at the house a couple of weekends ago and you walked in with a pharmacy bag... pregnancy test, little pink plus sign... discussing morning sickness, mood swings, cravings, etcetera," she continued.

Logan froze for a moment. "P-pregnancy test... you're pregnant!?" he hissed, jumping to his feet, clamping down on the urge to shout at her. Strangely enough the idea of Marie being pregnant wasn't as surprising as his brain was telling him it should be. "Who to!?" he demanded.

Marie just stared at him in open mouthed shock for a few minutes, until they were both interrupted by a voice and approaching footsteps behind them.

"Damn, missed first period," Scott lamented, as he strode into the room, pausing at the sight of Logan and Rogue, standing toe to toe, looking unusually agitated. "Uh, am I interrupting?" he asked confused, as he took an empty seat well away from the pair.

Logan seemed to snap out of his thoughts then and replied gruffly, "Nope," as he sat heavily back down in the couch. Marie remained where she was for a few moments before sitting stiffly back down beside him.

Second period started but Scott noted, watching the pair from the corner of his eye, that it took a few minutes, and some eventual prompting from Logan, before Rogue relaxed into her normal game time position, cuddled up to Logan. She still looked distracted, hardly paying attention to the game, brow furrowed as if deep in thought.

To Logan's annoyance, Scott stayed for the rest of the game, which meant he didn't have the opportunity to press Marie for more information on her revelation. He wasn't sure why exactly but the idea that he couldn't remember a very important 'Marie' discussion, was bothering him immeasurably more than the fact that she'd just told him sixteen-year-old Marie was pregnant.

Once the game was finished Rogue stood hurriedly, gathering up the left-over snacks and empty beer bottles. "I'll see you later Logan," she said, the hint of a question in her tone. Logan just grunted and nodded in his typical caveman fashion.

"Everything okay?" Scott asked, once Rogue was out of earshot.

"Don't know, someone kind of interrupted," Logan replied irritably, before standing up and walking out of the room too.

He heard Marie heading upstairs as he headed for the kitchen. Stepping through the patio doors he made his way to the bench where he usually sat to enjoy a cigar on crisp clear nights like this. Tonight, he wasn't going to be doing that though, his mind was still a confusing jumble of thoughts.

So, it took him a few minutes to realise, Wolverine had been unusually quiet.

Wolverine had essentially claimed Marie as his mate, they both knew that, hell, he was pretty sure even Marie knew it, though he'd worked damn hard to see that no one else had figured that out. Logan was all that had stopped Wolverine from making that claim physical, insisting she was too young, not to mention, currently illegal. So why was Wolverine not furious that his unclaimed mate was pregnant... unless...
Chapter 5 by erro
"Motherfucker! You goddamn son of a bitch, what the fuck were thinking!" Logan exploded, a wave of fury pushing him to his feet to pace the garden path. He felt Wolverines sullen resolve to neither apologise, or feel even the slightest bit sorry for what he'd done.

'She's a goddamn kid you fucker, she's fucking illegal, you want to land us in jail, and leave her alone to deal with a fucking kid,' he mentally raged, struggling to comprehend how Wolverine had taken over, not only taken over but hidden that fact from him.

'She wasn't illegal where we were fucking,' Wolverine replied smugly, 'Besides, words on paper don't change the fact she's fertile and willing, can't get any more grown up than that.'

'What do you mean, where we were fucking?' Logan demanded, before a picture of the Connecticut house flashed before his mind's eye, along with a memory reminding him the age of consent in Connecticut was sixteen, rather than New York's seventeen. 'You sneaky fucker! That's why you insisted on that property?' Logan demanded, shaking his head in amused frustration at the smug confirmation from his alter ego. 'You planned this from the fucking beginning, didn't you?'

Wolverine paused before admitting, 'Not really, no... but I knew the option needed to be there, that it happened, and when it happened, I didn't plan, she made that move.'

'Prove it,' Logan responded, clearly disbelieving. A moment later Wolverine fed him a memory of Marie, coy smile on her lips, as she climbed onto his lap, straddling him, before pressing her lips to his, softly and gently, as her tongue flicked out to lick at the crease of his lips, while she rolled her hips against his groin... He hurriedly slammed a lid on the memory as he felt himself getting hard. 'Shit!' he commented, only getting a satisfied chuckle in return from Wolverine.

He was torn between, demanding Wolverine show him the rest of the memories he'd hidden from him, and going inside to search out Marie. 'What do I need right now, this conversation I somehow got left out of for example,' he eventually demanded.

Memories of conversations relating to their relationship, Marie's pregnancy, and the necessity for it all to be kept in confidence when in New York, quickly flooded into his mind, along with the assurance that the pair had not engaged in any illegal acts in New York state. He also got a dose of exceptionally detailed memories of their first night together, as well as the night Wolverine was convinced was when Marie conceived, along with a promise to share the rest of the memories at a later date. Wolverine was eager for him to go and find Marie, explain to her what had happened and reassure her, as was Logan.

He headed inside, taking the stairs two at a time as he headed directly to his own room, he had no doubt Marie would be waiting for him there. Sure, enough she was seated cross legged in the middle of the bed, a thoughtful frown on her face.

"How do you not remember," she demanded, as soon as the door was closed.

"I was wondering that same thing," Logan told her, intending to start gently, no need to worry her even more. "... You know how Wolverine and I are two separate entities, inside my head, right?" he asked, as he took a seat on the bed beside her.

"I've got you both in my head," she confirmed with a nod.

"It turns out he figured out how to take over, not just take over but how to stop me from figuring out what's been going on--"

"What!?" Marie demanded in fury, jumping up off the bed and beginning to pace. "Why would he do that?"

"Because I told him he wasn't allowed to claim you," Logan admitted.

Marie paused in her pacing before turning to him, a wary, almost fearful look on her face, as her scent shot through with nervousness. "Why did you tell him that?" she asked softly.

Logan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he moved to the side of the bed and motioned for Marie to stand in front of him.

"I knew he wanted you, hell, I want you, from the minute I laid eyes on you in that bar, but you're young, too young even according to the law here... I know, I know, we've had this conversation, Wolverine filled me in, and everything that was done happened outside of New York where it was legal at least - you have no idea how grateful I am for that. None of that changes the fact you're sixteen, enough of your childhood was lost ending up on the road, and then that shit with Magneto... I just wanted you to be able to be a kid for a while, finish school without any other worries, hang out with your friends, that sort of shit."

"So, this isn't going to, drive a wedge between us or anything?" she clarified.

"Nah darlin', you thought you were stuck with me before, you aren't ever getting rid of me now," Logan replied, pulling her closer to wrap his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her still flat belly.

“Good, I don’t ever want to get of you,” Marie replied, threading her fingers through his hair and leaning down to place a kiss on top of his head, drawing a chuckle from him.

"So... how do we stop Wolverine from taking over like that again? I don't like the idea of you not knowing everything that happens between us," Marie stated.

"I think you should probably tell him exactly how you feel about that, I have a feeling it'll be enough," Logan grinned, mentally shoving Wolverine to the front of his mind to face Marie's wrath.

She watched as Logan's expression changed minutely, a guarded edge entered his countenance. Marie raised one brow, a frown on her lips, a perfect imitation of him. Wolverine growled, uncomfortable with the fact that his mate was angry with him.

"You lied to me," Marie spoke eventually, "I'm not going to deny I definitely wanted everything that happened to happen but you mislead me by implying that Logan consented too, when you knew he didn't, and why he didn't, can't say I agree with Logan's reasoning but that is something that should have been worked out beforehand, not addressed as an afterthought after you already knocked me up without his knowledge. What else are you hiding from him? What else are you hiding from me? Trust is important Wolverine, you know that, better than most, and what you did broke that trust."

Wolverine broke eye contact, bowing his head in shame, he didn't like Marie being mad at him, and she was right, this could have ended very badly. The express reason Logan had for not wanting to allow their relationship with Marie to progress to sexual was because he didn't want her to get pregnant so young, admittedly that hadn't been his intention but he had played off Logan's honour code to not allow him to leave her on the off chance it did happen, and now it had.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, eyes still lowered in submission, he deserved her ire. The fact she was holding herself in check enough to just verbally berate him made him feel even worse than if she'd have struck him. "It won't happen again," he added.

"Tell me that to my face," Marie demanded.

It took him a moment to look back up, cautiously he met her eyes, she was still mad but at the same time accepting. She would forgive him, he knew that but it would take time before she would trust him again, and that, unfairly, meant trusting Logan too. For that he felt even worse.

"I swear it'll never happen again Marie, I won't lock him out, I'll show him everything, I'm sorry, I just wanted- no, I won't make excuses, I'm just sorry and it won't happen again. I fucked up; Logan was right. I'm not going to say I regret what happened, because I don't, you know I don't... but I'm sorry for what's going to happen next," he said, as honestly and sincerely as he could.

"What's going to happen next?" she asked, tensing again nervously.

"He means we have to tell them," Logan replied, "They've already figured out something's up, and we're not going to be able to hide it much longer, if Wolverine's right you're about three months along, you're going to start showing soon, and you really should be toning down the activity level, if not completely opting out of, phys ed and defence classes," he added.

Marie looked worried, as she turned, and sat herself down in his lap. "What do you think they'll do?" she asked softly.

"I honestly don't know, it's going to be a shock to them, I'm expecting to get kicked out at least, not a good look for a school to have an adult on site who's sleeping with a student," he admitted.

"I won't stay here without you," Marie announced determinedly.

"You need to finish school, darlin--" he started to argue.

"I'm not having this baby without you Logan, I can't, you being here with me is the only thing that stopped me from freaking out when I found out," Marie said firmly.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, I suppose we could move to the Connecticut house and I can drive you in for classes so you can finish up school here, is that an acceptable compromise?" he asked.

"That could work," Marie agreed. "Does this mean we can get started on the nursery now?" she added as an afterthought, a smile suddenly lighting her face.

Wolverine chuckled, and pushed the memory of an excited Marie discussing baby preparations, and his own attempt to delay the inevitable discovery of his actions by discouraging her from nursery decoration plans by pointing out, that they wouldn't know for months whether to decorate for a girl or a boy.

Logan chuckled. "I think Wolverine has a point about waiting until we know what it is first," he commented.

Marie let out an excited sigh. "Fine! We should be able to find that out in a few weeks."

"We don't need to rush," Logan added, kissing her hair softly, "Right now you need to be more concerned with eating properly and studying, you hear me."

"Yeah, that studying is a real pain," she added.

"You've got to sleep too, so off to bed with you," he said, lifting her onto her feet.

"Can't I stay here tonight?" she asked.

"Not a good idea darlin, not if we're going to be trying to convince them tomorrow that nothing's happened here, best for you to go to your room," he stood up, before pulling her back to him for a hug, pressing another kiss to her hair.

"Do we have to tell them tomorrow?" she asked, chewing her lip nervously.

"The sooner it's out of the way, the sooner we can stop worrying about the ifs buts and maybes, you don't need to be doing any extra worrying at the moment," he reassured her.

Logan the door open then and held it for her. "Off you go, back to bed, we'll talk more in the morning," he told her, spying Scott in the hallway watching as Marie hugged him tight before returning his direction with a 'Thanks Logan, goodnight'. She added a 'Goodnight Mr Summers', as she made her way down the hall back to the girls dorm.

"Everything okay now?" Scott asked curiously, once she was around the corner.

Logan shook his head with a grim frown. "I'll explain tomorrow, can you get Xavier and the rest together for a meeting tomorrow at ten?"

"Sure," Scott replied, looking puzzled.

Logan left him to stew and shut his door. He had no doubt all hell would break loose tomorrow, and the fall out would not be pretty. The tension and worry were not going to let him sleep tonight, so he busied himself stripping his room and packing all his belongings, ready to light out at a moments notice come morning.
Chapter 6 by erro
Marie spent a restless night tossing and turning, worrying over what could happen in the morning. When her roommates finally woke and began to get up for their day, she feigned sleep, waiting for the last teenage girl to make her way out of the room and downstairs for breakfast.

Once she was alone Marie pulled out her old duffel bag that she had arrived with only fifteen short months ago. She quickly packed the sum total of her belongs into the bag, she didn't think today would end well, if she needed to make a quick getaway she needed to be prepared. If, on the other hand, they didn't get turned out, well, she could unpack again later.

At nine when there was a knock on her door. She had a feeling she knew who it was before she opened the door, so she wasn't surprised when she saw Logan standing on the other side. Offering up a shy, nervous smile she left the door open, a wordless invitation for him to enter, as she moved back to her bed. Zipping the last of her belongings into her bag, she set it on the floor and slid it out of sight but in easy reach.

When she turned back to him Logan was still standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the jamb. You had to know him well to be able to see the tension in his body. The sorrowful look in his eyes as he watched her pack her life in a bag, ready to run again, wasn't so hard to miss.

"You missed breakfast," he stated gently, as she approached him again.

"Yeah, I figured I should get the packing out of the way first," she replied, with forced cheer. "I'm going to skip first period and go get some now, want to come with me?" she asked.

"You read my mind darlin," Logan replied, tucking a loose fall of hair back behind her ear. He pulled her close for a hug, before wrapping his arm around her and leading her down to the kitchen. They didn't have to worry about sneaking around as everyone else was already in classes for the morning.

Logan sat her down at the kitchen table before he cooked her up french toast and bacon, which he piled onto a plate and drowned in maple syrup. As she began to eat, he whipped up a small bowl of fruit salad, with strawberries, blueberries, and banana, topping it with whipped cream. She grinned as he set it too down in front of her, along with her drink bottle, which he had filled with ginger ale.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to eat all this," she told him, trying not laugg. She had to wonder how much of this behaviour was Logan and how much was Wolverine, now that she thought back on their time together the times Logan had waited on her previously, before Logan knew she was pregnant, must have been Wolverine. Now that Logan knew though, was he just as sensitive to her needs, or was Wolverine just able to influence his behaviour more openly?

"We don't have to meet the Professor until ten, so you have an hour to eat, slow and steady and hopefully it doesn't decide to make a repeat appearance," he replied, though he did help himself to some of it.

At about half past Jean came along, obviously looking for Rogue, making an excuse that she was just checking on her as she hadn't shown for class. She didn't make her leave though, seeming almost relieved that she was with Logan, Jean instead told her to take all the time she needed before heading back to what she had been doing.

When the hall clock struck ten Logan silently met her eyes, as he gathered up the now mostly empty dishes. He took her gloved hand in his, and led the way to the Professor's office. Surprisingly, he even got to knock on the door before he was called to enter. Opening the door wide, he ushered Rogue into the room before closing the door firmly behind them.

Also present in the room were Scott, Jean, and Ororo; it saved explaining what was happening multiple times but he couldn't help but feel just a little uncomfortable at being so outnumbered. He knew he could take them all if he had to but the small guilt-ridden portion of his brain, that was telling him he was a piece of shit for knocking up a sixteen-year-old, was also telling him he deserved whatever instant karma they handed out.

He sat down next to Marie in a pair of chairs that were set slightly off to one side. Ororo was seated in the sunshine on the window seat, Scott and Jean were on the couch, the Professor, as commanding as always, seated in his wheeled chair behind his desk.

"You called this meeting Logan, perhaps you could inform us all the purpose?" Charles asked, pleasantly but with an underlying concern.

Logan took a deep breath, glancing at Marie who looked nervous but resolved, and he said simply, "Rogue is pregnant."

The room erupted in surprised exclamations as everyone threw out their own immediate questions; How? To who? Is she sure? And more. The Professor signalled for quiet, waiting for everyone to calm down before he began with the most logical questions, was she sure, and how far through was she?

"Positive," Rogue replied, "We did three pregnancy tests, and by now I'm fourteen weeks."

"Wait... how long have you known?" Jean asked, puzzled why the girl hadn't said anything in all this time.

"Since I was about six or seven weeks," Rogue admitted.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Ororo asked gently.

With a worried glance at Logan she all but whispered, "It was safer that way."

"What do you mean safer?" Jean asked, as Scott’s scowl etched even deeper before he asked tersely, "*Who* is the father?"

Everyone watched as Logan laced his fingers through Rogue's before the pair replied simultaneously, "I am/Logan is."

This time the room erupted in shocked and furious shouts as people jumped to their feet, such was their outrage. The Professor was again the voice of calm, calling for silence as he turned his attention back to Logan. All semblance of congeniality was gone, replaced with a simmering rage, topped with a still adequate dose of concern.

"Please could you explain Logan, how one of my students, my underage student, is pregnant and believes you are the father," he stated bluntly.

"Well, it happened the old fashioned way, something went in, something came out, ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, she's pregnant," Logan replied, he knew he was stalling and would have to give the full story eventually but he still hadn't quite managed to figure out how to word it.

Rogue stifled a chuckle next to him as the Professor's scowl deepened. "This is no joking matter Logan..."

"If it makes it any better, I only found out about all this last night, so, I'm kind of still a little in shock myself," Logan interrupted him.

"How is that possible," Scott scoffed disbelievingly.

Jean felt her concern grow even more as she asked, "Rogue didn't even tell you she was pregnant?" What reason would the girl have had not to tell Logan, unless she was afraid of him, or his reaction. Had they been reading their relationship that badly wrong this whole time?

"Not Rogue, Wolverine," Logan replied, as he set about some sort of explanation. "Charles can confirm this, Wolverine is essentially a separate personality inside my mind, a split personality if you will. I know how to block him out from seeing what is happening out here, to use in situations I don't want him reacting - popping the claws, and the like. Turns out, if I can do that to him, he can do it to me too. I had no idea our relationship had stepped up a level, didn't know he was having sex with her, didn't know she was pregnant, until last night."

"Why would he suddenly tell you last night?" Scott demanded.

"You two noticed too, how Rogue was acting a little... off lately," he said, nodding to Jean and Ororo. "Well, I talked to her, Wolverine knew, now that I was noticing, it couldn't be hidden much longer so he didn't try and interfere when I asked Rogue what was going on. She thought I was joking, about not knowing, when she realised I was serious she told me that she was pregnant, that's when you came in to watch the game last night Scott. After the game I went to process that information and suddenly realised Wolverine was awful quiet over the news his mate was pregnant, that's when I put two and two together. I found Rogue and she confirmed what I managed to get out of Wolverine."

There was silence in the room as everyone processed the bizarre tale they'd just been given.

"So, your split personality was statutorily raping a teenage girl?" Scott asked snarkily.

"No," Logan and Rogue both replied. "Wolverine's not some dumb animal," Logan added, "No sexual activity took place anywhere where Rogue was not legal, I got that assurance from both of them, it seems everything happened at the Connecticut house." Rogue nodded in agreement, before adding that they were always very careful to make sure of that.

"I don't see how that makes any difference," Scott snapped, still looking furious. "We need to get the police involved," he demanded.

"Why? You really think that's going to help?" Rogue snapped back angrily. Logan could scent her fear, bordering on sheer terror, but she was covering it with anger. He gently set his hand on her thigh, trying to encourage her to calm down, it wasn't healthy for her, or for the baby, for her to be this worked up.

"I am minded to side with Rogue at this point," Charles replied thoughtfully, "Though we cannot have you remain at the school Logan."

"I understand," Logan assured him, "I'd like Rogue to keep attending classes here though if you'll allow that?"

"Rogue is welcome to remain--" the Professor began.

"I think you misunderstood, I won't be living here, just coming in for classes," Rogue clarified.

"Where do you plan on living?" Jean asked, with a tolerant chuckle, as if she were talking to a small child who had threatened to run away but wouldn't get further than the end of the driveway.

"We're moving to the Connecticut house, Logan's going to drive me in for school--" Rogue explained, before being interrupted herself.

"No, I won't support that," Scott said, beginning to pace the room, "Professor you can't seriously consider allowing this!"

"That is not up for your approval, nor subject to your support," Logan replied in a dangerously calm tone, "You are not Rogue's guardian, she is not yours to command, if she chooses to leave you can't stop her, that would be kidnapping, and she can live with whoever she chooses to."
Chapter 7 by erro
"You leave this property with her and I will call the damn cops on you myself," Scott declared, "They'll arrest your sick fucking ass before you're over the state border!"

"Curious what they would be more interested in, a guy from out of state with an, in that state legal girlfriend, who is being threatened and extorted by the people with top secret military grade equipment in a secret underground bunker under their 'school'?" Logan casually commented with a smug grin. "You fuck me over Scooter, I will bury you, you are running a very fine line here threatening the safety of my mate, and my child," Logan finished the sentence in a harsh growl, Wolverine simmering barely leashed under the surface of deadly calm.

"You wouldn't," Jean replied condescendingly, trying to call his bluff.

"Is that so?" Logan asked, a dark smirk growing on his face, "Want to try your luck?"

"Enough. Unfortunately Logan is correct, we cannot prevent Rogue from leaving, we cannot prevent her and Logan from living together out of state, we could refuse her attendance at the school but I do not believe that will be in Rogue's best interests, Logan will not be permitted to enter school grounds however, at all, for any reason, including to drop Rogue off or pick her up, you will need to do so outside the front gate," Charles stated forcefully.

"You expect me to make her walk, the half mile drive, pregnant? What if it's raining? What if it’s fucking snowing!?” Logan asked incredulously.

"It's okay Logan, if I need to Jubilee could give me a ride up the drive," Rogue replied with a shrug, this one detail wasn't a hill worth dying on.

"Have you ever driven with Jubilee?" Logan asked, with a roll of his eyes, earning a giggle from the girl.

"To answer your earlier question, yes, once you leave following this meeting, you step one foot on this property and I will have you arrested, is that clear?" the Professor interrupted.

"Crystal, unnecessary but clear," Logan replied.

"Unnecessary!?" Scott fumed, still furious, "How many other girls have you taken up to your sex shack huh? Didn't you take a group of Rogue's friends to have a sleepover weekend up there a month or so back?" Scott reminded the other parties to the discussion.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Yes, Rogue's friends came up for a sleepover, they stayed in her room, nothing happened. Rogue is Wolverine's mate, he has no interest in any other female, full stop, end of story, and neither do I."

"So you hit on Jean because...?" Scott added smugly, believing he had found a loophole in Logan’s argument.

"It pisses you off," Logan admitted, with a shit eating grin. Rogue sniggered, even Ororo looked mildly amused by that comment, Jean though only got more pissed.

"Alright, enough. Rogue will be excused from classes for the rest of the week, admittedly that is only the rest of today and tomorrow, to relocate and settle, she will be due back for class on Monday. Jean, I trust you will be willing to take on Rogue's maternity care?" the Professor asked.

Before Jean could respond, Logan turned to Rogue. "Is that alright with you kid?"

"Um, I mean, if there's an emergency I don't have a problem with Jean treating me or checking on baby but for day to day stuff I'd rather have an offsite maternity provider, I'm going to need ultrasounds and stuff soon and I want you there for that, won't be able to do that if I'm here with these rules," Rogue replied with a shrug.

Logan nodded in agreement before turning back to Charles. "I'll drop Rogue off at ten to nine and pick her up at three thirty, Monday to Friday, from off campus, additional medical care won't be needed, is there anything else we need to discuss?" he asked curtly.

Charles looked even more annoyed as he replied tightly, "No, that is all, if you need to speak about anything, specifically relating to Rogue, going forward, you may ring my personal line, other than that no contact with the school, or any of our students, will be tolerated, any breach of this agreement will result in a trespass notice being issued against you, and the police being involved, solely in regards to trespass," he said, glancing pointedly at Scott. "Now, Ororo will escort you to your vehicle in the garage for you to depart, you may wait there for Rogue while she collects her personal belongings, your own will be packed and delivered to your residence over the weekend," Charles continued.

"Won't be necessary, everything's packed, if you won't let me grab my bag Rogue can get it when she grabs hers," Logan replied, turning on his heel to head for the door. In a scene reminiscent of his first encounter with the little twerp, the slightly shorter Summers immediately placed himself between him and the door. "I'm on my way out of here, for the very last time Summers, you really want to be getting in my way?" he growled menacingly, the threat to the younger man clear enough that he barely hesitated in stepping out of his way, even though he scowled like a petulant child.

Rogue followed him out, her hand still clasped in his until they reach the stairs. "Be quick, we don't know what they'll try," Logan whispered to her, not even loud enough to be heard by Ororo, who was following along several feet behind them. With a nod of understanding Rogue dashed up the stairs, heading for Logan's room first.

Ororo gestured for Logan to keep moving once Rogue had disappeared from view. When they got to the garage Logan pulled his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the truck ready for his passenger, he wasn't getting in himself until Marie was safely stowed in the vehicle.

"I'm confused, surely 'Wolverine'-" Ororo sneered mockingly- "Would have been intelligent enough to use protection so you didn't risk getting caught."

"The pill made Rogue sick, and the night he thinks she got pregnant a condom tore, despite the getting sick she did take a morning after pill on that occasion 'to be safe', I guess our kid's pretty damned determined and resilient," Logan answered gently, he liked Storm, though she could be an epic bitch when you pissed her off. "I don't know if you believe me, I don't know if you care, but I told Wolverine he wasn't allowed to take Rogue yet because I specifically didn't want this to happen, it has happened though, all we can do now is pick up the pieces and make the best of the situation. Rogue was going to be mine eventually, does it really make much difference if it's now, or in a year? She'll be legal in New York in a week, in a year we can get married, how old does she have to be before you stop having a problem with us?" he asked, the questions were largely rhetorical, he wasn't really expecting an answer but Ororo surprised him.

"Just don't run again Logan, she needs you now, I just hope you realise what that means," she responded softly.

"No more driving aimlessly around frozen wasteland, no more fighting rednecks for shits and giggles, no more screwing barflies in dirty alleys from sheer boredom, no more lying alone at night trying not to sleep because the sleeping hours are worse than the waking... staying in one place, routine and consistency, falling asleep every night wrapped up in the same woman, sleepless nights for a whole different reason, and a miniature human who looks at you like you're their whole world, because as far as they know, you are..." Logan smiled softly, "Yeah Ro, I know what this means, and death himself couldn't drag me away even if he ever stood a chance to begin with."

Rogue rushed into the room then, out of breath and obviously crying, two bags clutched in her hands. "Hey kid, what's wrong," Logan asked worriedly, catching hold of her as she almost collided with him.

"Let's go," she said firmly, as Logan noticed a fuming Jean follow her into the room. Without another word Logan gently boosted her up into the truck, taking the bags from her before he closed her door, which she locked before she put her seatbelt on. He dumped the bags in the backseat as he moved around to the driver's side and climbed aboard.

Without another word he turned over the engine, before pulling out of the garage and rolling down the driveway. He flipped off the security cameras as he pulled through the gate for the last time, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that Scott was watching. As they pulled onto the road, he heard the shaky exhale Rogue released as they left the mansion behind.

"You okay?" Logan asked, reassuringly squeezing her hand as he glanced at her momentarily.

For the first time, in what he suddenly realised was quite a while, her face broke into a brilliant smile. "Yeah, yeah I am, you were right, I am so glad that is done."

"It's not going to be too hard for you, coming back for classes?" he queried, the last thing he wanted was for her to be any more stressed in her current condition.

"It - it should be fine," she replied hesitantly, even as he noticed the brief flicker of doubt pass over her face.

"What is it Marie?" he pressed, but she just shook her head and mumbled that it was stupid. "Whatever it is, it's upsetting you Marie, that's not stupid, you got to tell me if things are upsetting you babe, if I can I'll make it better, if I can't I'll help you through it, but you aren't in this alone Marie, I'm here and I've got your back, no matter what," he told her, squeezing her hand again.

She smiled as she teared up. "Jean said I was making a mistake,” she began in barely a whisper, “You just wanted me because I'm the forbidden but as soon as I'm fat and all stretched and saggy with a baby in tow, you'll leave, and I'll just be a ‘used-up, leftover, whore’--"

"Never on your life Marie,” Logan interrupted with a disgusted snarl, “You hear me, you're mine, and I'm yours, nothing could ever break that... if she says anything like that again you tell me straight away, you don't have to tolerate that shit, and I won't be either, that's going to be their first warning. You are there to learn, not to be harassed by a jealous bitch who can't get the boy toy who's been hanging off her for half a decade to marry her, that's all it is babe, jealousy, she was scanning my mind like crazy in that meeting, she knows I would never leave you," he announced emphatically.

Marie smiled, grateful for his reassurance. She knew he was telling the truth, Wolverine had told her often enough, and even the him inside her head knew it. She hugged his arm with a satisfied sigh, as she settled in for the short trip to their new permanent home.
Chapter 8 by erro
Today found Rogue in the nursery. Since moving fulltime into the Connecticut house two months earlier they'd done a bit of redecorating, and moving things around. Now that they weren't hiding their relationship from anyone, including Logan, they were openly sharing the master bedroom. She'd found it so freeing to not have to be constantly 'hiding', even her closest friends at school - the ones that would still talk to her at least - had commented on how much more relaxed and happier she was; Logan had brushed it off and said it was just pregnancy hormones. She had been annoyed with him, until she had seen the teasing twinkle in his eye, and promptly hiffed a pillow at him as they both laughed.

Rogue's room had been left as a spare bedroom-slash-study, and the third room, that had been more or less unused, had been redecorated for their baby’s nursery.

They had gone ahead with the anatomy scan at the earliest date, eighteen weeks, and discovered baby was a girl. Marie had been a little worried Logan might be disappointed; daddy's wanted boys to teach all those manly things to, like pulling apart engines, and playing contact sports, right? Turned out this daddy was proud as punch to be having a little girl, if the grin on his face was anything to go by. He had confirmed later, in private, that he was indeed ecstatic, and that there was no reason he couldn't teach his little girl to pull apart engines and play sports too if that's what she wanted.

He'd let Marie pick out colours for the nursery after she'd gagged at his choices of overly bright and girly pinks and glitter, and he had later admit that the pale greens and purples she had picked worked well together. He had painted one wall purple, one wall green, the window wall had also been purple with green curtains, and then the last wall had been green on the bottom and purple on the top.

On top of all that, it turned out Logan had been hiding a secret artistic talent, Marie had discovered when he finally let her see the painted room. There were hand painted daisies, on the green 'field' wall, and glittery pink butterflies, painted on the purple. There was a tree painted in one corner with a net strung between two hooks screwed into the walls where its painted branches were, a teddy bear hammock Logan told her, as he sat the stuffed animal he had bought when they went for the scan, in the little hammock. There were little red apples painted on the tree, and here and there black and yellow bumblebees were flying around the butterflies and daisies on the mural wall.

For a moment Logan had worried Marie didn't like it when she started tearing up but she assured him that *was* the hormones. She loved it!

Next they'd moved in the nursery furniture; they'd picked out neutral dark wood stained furniture, that would be suitable for either a boy or a girl, but Logan wouldn't move it into the nursery until he was satisfied all the paint fumes had dissipated. Then he refused to let Marie help move any of it, just in case she over did it and hurt herself or the baby, he was getting so overprotective already and she was only halfway through the pregnancy.

Once that was all done the next step was the soft furnishings, which is what saw Marie in the nursery now, sorting through the freshly laundered bedding and clothes they had already procured. She made up the crib, and the bassinet, before neatly folding the extra bedding sets and putting them away. Sorting the clothes, and folding, and putting them all away too. Neither were sure just how much baby would need in the way of clothes, but knowing Logan they would likely end up with far more than they actually needed, Marie decided with a chuckle.

The sound of a vehicle turning into their semi-private road caught her attention, from pure oddity; they didn't get many visitors down here. The neighbours who owned the house at the end kept it as a holiday house so were very rarely there, and the other neighbours house was accessed from the next street over. She shrugged her thoughts away though, if it was someone for them Logan was in the garage so would see to it. A minute later she heard loud footsteps, as people walked up the porch stairs and into the house.

"Rogue, you in?" was called up the stairs.

Curiously Marie wandered out into the hall, what was Scott doing here? He had barely spoken two words to her since the day she and Logan had moved out of the mansion, she didn't know he even knew where their home actually was. She came down the stairs just as a pissed off looking Logan walked into the house behind him.

"Just because your home has an open-door policy Summers doesn't mean ours does, knock next time, or better yet, fuck off without getting out of your car,” Logan snapped, "What the hell do you want?"

"My business is with Rogue, so if you don't mind Neanderthal wander off back to your cave and leave the more evolved homo sapiens to hold a conversation," Scott snapped back.

"Enough," Marie stated firmly, glaring at Scott, "If you want to speak to the occupants of this house, you'll show appropriate respect to them."

"I am showing appropriate respect for pedos like him," Scott replied, ignoring Logan. That was yet another error in the clusterfuck of errors he'd made since arriving. He didn't see Logan step up behind him, only felt the sudden grip on the back of his jacket as he was grabbed and thrown bodily out the front door, narrowly avoiding flying down the stairs by catching hold of the porch railing as he collided with it. Before Logan could advance on him again Marie ran down the last few steps and stood resolutely between the two men.

"That was out of line Scott, I trust our point has been made that it is time for you to leave, whatever you want to discuss I will be glad to meet with you at lunchtime on Monday," she stated, keeping a calming hand on Logan's arm.

"Look Rogue, I didn't come all this way to get turned out by your keeper, you don't have to do what he tells you all the time, and--" Scott started.

"Oh good, I'm glad you feel that way, in that case, I won't see you on Monday, seeing as how I'm only going to school because Logan tells me I have to," she replied sarcastically. "Get over yourself Scott, we aren't going to break up just because you don't like our relationship, now unless you actually have something to say, that isn't shit stirring, and you can deliver in a way that isn't meant to offend and insult the person whose property you are standing on, I suggest you leave."

--

Scott and Logan were still staring each other down in mutual dislike, when a siren whooped from the street and a patrol car pulled up to the curb outside the house.

"Great, just what we need," Marie groaned. She had hoped the busybody neighbour across from them was out but it looked like no such luck.

"Afternoon folks, we received a report of a domestic disturbance, is everything alright here?" The officer enquired, as he made his way towards the group on the porch. The answers didn't help the situation any when Marie answered 'yes' but Logan and Scott both replied 'no'. "I see," the officer replied, "Ma'am would you be able to come down here? I don't like the idea of you and your baby being in the middle of this face off," he said, with a grim chuckle.

"No, she's fine," Logan replied, "It's this asshole who needs to move on." He nodded at Scott, who glared at him, before turning to the officer.

Marie finally felt the tension in Logan's forearms begin to ease, as Scott walked down the porch steps to stand on the driveway next to the officer.

"And you are, sir?" the officer asked.

"Scott Summers, I'm one of Rogue's high school teachers, I needed to speak with her about a school related issue when her ... *boyfriend*-" he sneered in Logan's direction- "Decided it would be a good idea to take cheap shots at me."

The officer turned to Logan who was now standing on the porch with Marie, an arm wrapped protectively around her waist. "And your side?" he asked.

"Was working in the garage when I heard the car pull in, he raced up the stairs and barged into the house and started hollering for my girl, I followed him in and clued him in on proper etiquette for visiting people's homes, he took offense at being schooled by someone he deems to be beneath him and got shitty, Marie told him quite plainly to watch his mouth or leave, he wouldn't watch his mouth, or leave, so I threw him out, he wouldn't take the hint and leave the property though, if you've got the paperwork I'd like him to be formally trespassed if you don't mind," Logan stated.

"And you Miss, anything to add?" the officer turned to Marie.

"Logan summed it up, in the interests of everyone's safety a trespass would definitely be a good idea," she replied with a shrug, Scott was making it pretty obvious he didn't plan on leaving, and fair was fair, they trespassed Logan from their home, they could trespass him from theirs.

"You can't be serious!?" Scott scoffed, when the officer returned from his patrol car with a trespass notice, filling in the paperwork before handing Scott the notice and a copy to Marie. "But- but," he tried to add as the officer directed him to leave the property, "You can't seriously be okay with this!?" he asked incredulously.

"With what?" the officer asked, "Turfing trespassers off private property is in the job description sir, now if you don't mind--"

"She should be removed too, she's not safe here, not with him, look what he's already done to her for god's sake, knocked up a teenager, a high school student, isn't protecting the public in your job description too, what about protecting her!?" Scott babbled, grinning triumphantly at Logan when the officer frowned and turned back to the couple on the porch.

"Miss, Marie was it?" the officer said as he walked back toward them, "What's your date of birth?"

She gave her birthdate and added, "I’m seventeen, which is even legal in the state he's from but he just won't let it go that I'm old enough to make my own decisions, if I didn't know better I'd think he was jealous with the way he's obsessing over our relationship," Marie stated, loud enough for Scott to clearly hear her where he was still standing by his car.

"I see, well, have a nice day, I'll get this guy out of your hair and file the notice when I get back to the station, if he turns up again call nine-one-one and we can come back and arrest him," the officer stated plainly, as he turned again to leave. It was Logan's turn to shoot Scott a shit eating grin.

Scott just stared between the couple and the cop, mouth agape like a fish out of water, as the officer again repeated his instruction for him to leave. Fuming he got back in his car and left, the officer quickly jumped in his own car and followed.

"Well, Monday's going to be fun for you kid," Logan said apologetically, as he led her back into the house.

"No, didn't you hear Logan, I don't have to do what you tell me so I don't have to go to school," she replied cheekily.

"Nice try darlin," Logan chuckled in response.

--

It turned out Monday was 'fun' for both of them. Marie found out as she worriedly rushed down the driveway after she got within view of where Logan waited for her out on the road, only to find two patrol cars there too. Thankfully, as she got closer, she was confident whatever was happening was under control, Logan appeared to be just talking with the officers.

"What's going on?" she asked, as she reached them, noting Logan's murderous scowl.

"That fucking asshole tried to sick the cops on me for ‘breach of trespass’, told them I was 'watching the kids' and making them uncomfortable, which is an even bigger fucking joke because you can't even see the damn school from out here anyway, that's why I don't like you walking all that way by yourself," Logan muttered angrily.

"You're Marie?" one of the officers asked her.

"Yes, and to no doubt confirm what he's already told you, he's my boyfriend, he got trespassed because the bunch of do-gooders in there don't approve of our relationship, they won't even let him drive in to pick me up, so he waits for me here, on public property, like they told him he would have to do, I'd have no other way to get home otherwise," Marie responded.

"And where do you live?" the officer asked, jotting down notes on an incident report.

"Connecticut," Marie answered, before being prompted for an address, which she gave.

"Alright, that all appears to be in order, you are correct that this is public property so there's nothing they can do to stop you waiting here, we'll let them know, and make a note in the system about malicious complaints," the officer stated, before advising them they were free to leave.

One patrol car waited to see them off, while the second pulled into the driveway of the school and headed for the main building. Without a second thought, Logan spun the truck around, as soon as Marie was safely buckled into her seat, and headed back for home. He noted the second patrol car follow them for a time, until it was obvious they were indeed on their way back to the Connecticut state border.

"So, how was your Monday?" Logan asked amused as he drove home.

"Scott got a speeding ticket and a dangerous driving ticket after leaving our place on Saturday," she replied with a grin.

Logan laughed outright in response. "I thought that cop was in an awful hurry to follow him."
Chapter 9 by erro
Marie was talking animatedly with her friends, those who would still talk to the social outcast of the freak school at least, when the Professor telepathically paged her.

"Uh, I've got to go," she told her friends, beginning the process of manoeuvring her massive baby bump into the correct position to stand, when Pete hurriedly stood and offered her a hand up. "Thanks," she beamed at him, in response.

Her friends had accepted her relationship and pregnancy without a second thought, they all knew she was head over heels in love with Logan, and, though none would say it to his face, that he obviously was with her too. The school administrators were still a different story, they had lost count of the number of times Rogue had left the Professor's office in tears, a conversation with a teacher after being kept after class had ended in a shouting match, and there was the time she almost got suspended when Dr Grey had suggested Rogue should have an abortion. She'd actually hit the woman then, shouting at her that if she dared come near her again, or did anything to harm her child she would drain her dry. That had been followed up by a phone call from Logan, in full Wolverine mode, to reinforce that Rogue's pregnancy was under the care of another doctor and Jean's input was not needed. Of course, in true Wolverine fashion all that was conveyed with a lot more growling, profanity, and threats of bodily harm, should any of them harm Rogue, or the baby. Kitty had been listening in to that call and recorded it for posterity.

"No problem, is everything okay, do you need us to come with you?" Pete asked, remaining standing.

"You guys have classes to get back to, I don't want to get any of you in trouble," Rogue replied. In all honesty she would prefer the company, if only for the safety of having witnesses.

"Don't worry about it girl, what's the worst they could do for a late class, come on, I'll come with you," Jubilee spoke, jumping to her feet and taking Rogue's arm. "Besides, I'll do anything to get out of the last class of the day,” she reminded her with a grin.

The rest of the group bid them goodbye, and Rogue good luck, as the pair left the room, heading for the Professor's office, which was located near the front of the building. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, it had been a surprisingly long time since she'd been called to the Professor's office, she reached for the handle, jumping in surprise when the door opened before her. She was immensely grateful Jubilee was with her when she saw the door had been opened by Jean.

Warily entering the room at Jean and Jubilee's prompting Rogue was surprised to find that, along with the Professor, Jean, and Scott, there was another couple in the room. They were facing away from Rogue but even so they were still familiar, though she couldn't immediately place them, until the woman turned around.

"Momma?" Rogue murmured in shock. The woman before her was a little greyer, and a litter sadder than she remembered but it was definitely the mother she hadn't seen in two years.

"Marie!" Her mother cried, jumping to her feet and rushing to wrap her daughter in a careful hug, careful of both her skin and her giant belly. "Oh Marie, we've been so worried about you..." her mother broke off, as she began to weep as she gently pet her daughters hair.

Her father approached then, looking equal parts relieved as concerned. He reached out to hug her also, without a word.

"I did write you," Marie whispered, "After I arrived here... you didn't reply, I thought..." her mother's emotion was getting to her now and she began to tear up.

"We had to move," her father replied, "Not long after you left, we had the mail redirected but some busy body at the post office was stealing it and burning it, we never got your letters, we'd have been here so much sooner if we had," her father assured her.

"I'm so sorry," Marie sobbed, "I thought they would leave you alone if I was gone," she admitted. The attacks against her home had been bad enough, from the rocks thrown through the windows at all hours of the night, to the burning effigy on the front lawn. The final straw however was when a group of teenage boys doused her and her mother in milk when they went grocery shopping, that had finally prompted Marie to run from her childhood home.

"How did you find me?" she eventually asked, dabbing at her tears as she was tenderly led to a seat.

"We hired a private investigator," Marie's mother answered, "He managed to trace you to Canada but then the trail disappeared, with the stories going around in the area of a- a crazy wild man with knives he was... he thought it might have been... he said it was likely you were dead..." her mother broke out in sobs again.

"We heard about this place a few weeks ago, a haven for runaway mutants, we thought they might be able to help us find you, we weren't ready to give up yet," her father added, clutching his daughters gloved hand.

Marie laughed, once she'd processed the information she'd been given. "Logan's hardly a crazy wild man, well, maybe before he's had his coffee," she conceded, "And he only popped his claws because the other guy pulled a knife on him first, fair is fair after all. I hitched a ride with Logan at a place called Laughlin City, don't let the name fool you, then we got attacked by this creepy mutant named Sabretooth, and then these guys turned up and rescued us and I've been here since, I lived on site for the first year but now Logan and I have our own place while I'm finishing school here."

"Logan?" her father asked, glancing pointedly at her swollen abdomen.

"Yes dad, I'm not going to lie, you probably won't like him purely on principle, but I like him, he's a good man and he loves me, a lot, you don't put up with the shit he's had to put up with," she paused to glare pointedly at Scott in particular before continuing, "If you don't love the person you're doing it for."

The class bell rang mutedly from the hallway then.

"I apologise for the brevity of this reunion but perhaps Rogue and Jubilee could return to their classes now, there will be plenty of time for reacquainting after class is finished. Mr and Mrs D'Ancanto, I will open a room on our guest wing for you to stay as long as you wish, Rogue I will also open a room for you..."

"That won't be necessary," Marie replied, "Momma and daddy can stay with Logan and I, that won't be a problem," she stated, her southern fire leaving no room for argument.

"Shouldn't you check that with Logan first?" Jean asked snarkily.

"Logan trusts my judgement," Marie replied sweetly. "He'll be here after my class, you can come with us then, or follow us if you brought your own car?" Marie posed her parents.

"That sounds good, sugar, we'll follow you," Marie's mother replied with a smile. "Now you get to your class," she added, helping Marie out of her seat and hugging her again, before ushering her out of the room.

"Wow chica," Jubilee, the usual loud mouth, spoke for the first time. "I was not expecting that!" she exclaimed, "You okay?"

Rogue's eyes were welled with tears but she had a massive smile on her face. "I am fantastic!" she replied enthusiastically. "Come on, let's get this class over with!"
Chapter 10 by erro
Logan was parked on the side of the road waiting for Marie, as had become their routine over the last five months. Now that she was heavily pregnant Logan had extracted a promise from her friends - one afternoon when they had snuck over to visit unknown to their teachers - that one of them would drive Marie to and from the roadside, so she didn't have to walk. Her doctor had prescribed bed rest but Marie, being her usual stubborn self was refusing to bow out of school just yet, she was confident that, as she still had a month to go, she was going to see out the couple of weeks until the end of the term.

The car that was coming down the driveway now, at the time he was expecting Marie, was unfamiliar though. So he was surprised when the car stopped, and Marie got out, waving back into the vehicle before she rushed across the road with a beaming smile lighting up her face.

"Hey babe," Logan greeted her, with a quick kiss, before he helped her into her seat, the truck wasn't the easiest vehicle to get into when you had a massive baby belly he had noticed. He made his way back to the driver’s seat, and waited until Marie had her seatbelt on, before he swung the truck around and pointed it in the direction of home. The car that had dropped Marie off pulled out too, heading in the same direction.

"Who's that?" Logan asked curiously, nodding behind them.

"Okay, don't freak out... that's my parents," Marie said, so nervous she was holding her breath waiting for his reaction.

Logan paused for a moment. "Uh, okay... they're coming back to our place I take it?" he clarified, as calmly as he could. Meeting his teenage baby mamas' parents had been the last thing on his mind today, actually ever, but it looked like he'd have to get used to the idea quickly.

"Yeah," Marie replied, still nervous, "I'm sorry, I know I should have asked, but the Professor was all like, 'you can move back in and stay with your parents', and Jean was being a bitch, and I just blurted out that they could stay with us while they're in town, and--"

"It's okay Marie," Logan interrupted her with a soft smile. "Baby, they're your parents, they're welcome at our home, and you are welcome to invite them, and anyone else you want, I'm not your keeper for gods sake, you don't need my permission," he added with a wink, reminding her of the time Scott had used that exact same line but for literally the opposite reason.

"So, you're okay with it, you're not mad?" she asked, starting to sound relieved.

"I am perfectly okay with it, it's going to be an interesting dinner but I'm definitely not mad," he assured her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

They made the trip at a slightly slower pace than usual; Marie's dad was a slow driver and Logan didn't want them getting lost and thinking he was trying to ditch them on purpose. When they got to the house, he pulled the truck into the garage, watching as the silver sedan pulled into the space on the driveway. He headed inside to unlock the house, while Marie went out to start showing her parents around. She had a thriving vege garden that she was immensely proud of, and they had already earmarked a spot for a future playground for baby once she was old enough. Logan was in the process of fencing the little play yard with a pretty white picket fence, not the type he ever thought he'd own but Marie had giggled and called it cute, so he gave in.

Once they had seen the outside of the house, Marie led the small group insid, via the patio off the living room. Logan was waiting in the kitchen, where he had completed his usual afternoon routine of fixing Marie a snack, to get his first good look at them. They looked older than he had been expecting older, probably mid-fifties. Both well on their way to grey, the womans long dark hair had been braided before being arranged in a low bun, the man was very obviously balding.

"So, um, that is the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and... this is Logan," Marie was saying, interrupting his musing by tucking herself under his arm as she nervously chewed her lip. "Logan this is my momma, Eileen, and my daddy, Owen," she added for his benefit.

"Nice to meet you," Logan greeted politely, the odd feeling of nervousness punching him hard in the gut, as he tried to ignore the evaluating stare of the man he was offering his hand. He almost breathed an audible sigh of relief when his handshake was accepted; so far so good.

Marie's mother on the other hand was regarding him with an odd look, somewhere between critical and amused. She raised an eyebrow when he in turn offered his hand to her, before with a quick glance at Marie she laughed brightly, knocking his hand aside and hugging him. "That's the proper way to greet your momma in the South," she informed him when she pulled away.

Marie audibly sighed, sagging against him heavily in relief when she realised her mother at least hadn't written him off immediately. She was terrified her parents would object to Logan too, she had just gotten them back, she didn't want to lose them again over this. Tears pricked at her eyes as Logan pulled her tight against his chest, murmuring to her that everything was alright.

"You worry too much baby," he said with a grinned, knowing she could probably tell that in spite of his light tone he was still easily as nervous as she was. "Now eat your snack so you've got room for dinner later," he added, nudging her toward the table.

"I am totally going to blame you for me being fat once this baby is born, you're overfeeding me Logan!" she laughed, though she accepted the plate of food too; she was a little peckish.

Once everyone else had drinks, and Marie had directed him to bring a plate of cookies she had baked on the weekend, they began catching up, and getting to know each other. They chatted surprisingly contentedly, and politely, Marie doing most of the talking as she recounted her trip north from her former home. She opted to give her parents the full details of her trip, hoping that what came after wouldn't seem like such a monumental event. After hours of meticulous detail, she finally got to the part of her story where she had met Logan, he held his breath and as discretely as he could watched for their reactions.

"... I finally get woken up by the door I'm leaning on getting yanked away from me, and getting smacked in the face by air so cold it froze the spit inside your mouth, and the truck driver’s like 'hurry up and get out'. I'm confused as all heck and I say to him, 'I thought you were taking me to Laughlin City' - where we were was literally an old barn surrounded by beat up trucks and stumbling drunks, in the middle of the forest, I swear the builders had forgone nails and stuck the shack together with ice - and he replied 'this is Laughlin City', like I'm the dumbest chick he's ever met, which let me tell you, right then I was definitely feeling like that, along with a healthy dose of 'I'm going to freeze to death in probably the sorriest excuse for a town I have ever seen'.

"So, I drag my sorry butt inside the one and only building in this seriously confused 'city', only to find the place crammed full of people, which I suppose made sense bring the only building, until you consider it was kind of in the middle of nowhere, mostly everyone is drunk, and it's freezing because there's holes in the ceiling, which I thought was great because it was really smoky, until I realised the smoke was coming from the 'heaters', which were literally barrels full of god only knows what, set on fire, but I guess when you're cold anything will do. It was really noisy too, everyone was yelling and screaming, I managed to squeeze my way through the crowd, which was pretty scary but no one really seemed to notice me, they were all distracted by... someone else..." here she paused and glanced over at Logan with a grin, "Got to admit, I kind of got distracted by him too."

"I take it he wasn't cleaning house in a poker game or clearing a pool table like you'd find in a normal bar?" Eileen asked, trying to remain amused by her daughter's tale, there was no point dwelling on the danger the girl had been in then, it was in the past and she was safe now.

"Uh no, can I tell them?" Marie asked Logan with a grin.

"They probably already know if they spent the afternoon with the geeks," Logan grunted.

"I like the way you tell this story," Eileen added, encouraging Marie to continue.

"Well in that case, he was standing in the corner of chain link cage, knocking back whiskey like it was water, all bare-chested and sweaty, and looking like literally everything you ever warned me against momma," Marie replied, with a giggle at Logan's uncomfortable grin and chuckle, "But then the next challenger climbed in to try and knock the king off his throne, man was a god damn cheat but boy did he ever get what he deserved... he still tried to knife Logan later that night though."

Eileen's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Knife!?"

"Mmhmm, after the fights were over, Logan was sitting at the bar, minding his own business, when the guy came up behind him trying to act all tough, behind him mind you, then tried to stab him in the kidneys," Marie said, shifting around in her seat trying to find a new comfortable spot now that baby had moved slightly.

"Tried to?" Owen asked, intrigued in his own way by his daughters story, even if he still wasn't one hundred percent certain how he felt about the man in front of him.

"Had my angel watching over me that day," Logan replied, with a grin at Marie.

"And I quote, 'No you didn't'," Marie replied blushing as she smiled back.

"Yeah, ignore that asshole, he was just pissed a little girl managed to sneak up on him," Logan replied, recognizing his own words when Marie had been trying to beg a ride from him after he found her hiding in his trailer. Marie laughed, while her mother encouraged her to continue.

Logan noted the fast fading light outside and silently left the group to continue to entertain Marie, albeit indirectly, while he cooked dinner. He also didn't want to be around for the part of the story that involved Marie dying, he could have done without that part.

They ended up talking until well after the time Logan usually coaxed Marie into bed, she was so far through her pregnancy that she was having trouble sleeping. Combined with spending days studying, he was careful to make sure she got as much sleep as he could encourage her to get. Tonight, he was content to let her stay up later, it wouldn't matter if she was late to school tomorrow, Chuck would understand, if he didn't, he could go fuck himself. It wasn't until she yawned, for the third time in half an hour that he finally hinted she really did need to get to bed.

"You sound like my mother," Marie teased.

"Hardly, given your mother's sitting right across the room from you and she didn't say anything," Logan returned, "But seriously darlin, you've got school tomorrow, it's time for you to turn in, your parents will still be here tomorrow but you falling asleep in class is not going to be helpful, on any level."

"Logan's right," Owen said, standing himself, "We really should turn in too, it's been a long, emotional day for all of us, we'll see you in the morning pumpkin." He hugged Marie, as best he could around her belly, before she hugged her mother too, and they made their way to their respective rooms for the night.
Chapter 11 by erro
Owen and Eileen woke late the next morning, they expected to find the house empty, with Logan already having taken Marie to school, they were surprised however to find him in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Eileen engaged him in small talk as he worked, after her offer to help was declined, and about ten minutes later, a fresh from the shower but rather flustered looking Marie, rushed into the room.

"Damn it Logan, why didn't you wake me up, I'm going to be late!" she complained exasperatedly.

"Yeah, you are,” Logan confirmed with a grin, “I've already let Chuck know, he was surprisingly understanding given the circumstances, you're only going to miss first period, which is English today, a class you are well ahead in so there's no problem with that, your sleep was more important, so is your breakfast, I made your favourite, eat up," he said, planting a soft kiss on her lips, as he handed her a plate and sent her off to join her parents at the table.

"Why am I not surprised you've memorised my entire class schedule," Marie replied, with a happy smile.

"Not just your schedule, your progress reports too, you definitely can't miss calculus," he added with a chuckle.

"Yes, I can," Marie replied with a roll of her eyes, "It's stupid anyway, I'm never going to use any of that rubbish ever in my life, it's such a waste of time, I could be learning useful stuff instead."

"Useful stuff like what?" Logan teased, as they all dug into their breakfast.

"Well if I knew that I'd already know it and then I wouldn't need to learn it," Marie returned with a cheeky grin, "I'm sure there are plenty more useful things than calculus, and algebra."

"So, what about after high school, have you thought about college, what major you're going for?" Owen interjected curiously, and calculatingly, when the playful banter began wind down.

"I'm not going to college," Marie replied decisively.

"What?! Why not and since when?" Logan asked immediately in surprise. Admittedly they hadn't moved on to the college discussions yet, Marie still had another year left of high school, but he was surprised all the same, he had just assumed she would attend. There was a local college he knew several of her friends were going to, they could make it work.

"There's no point, it would be a huge waste of money for no benefit, I want to be a momma, a real momma, not one that dumps her kids in day-care and goes off to work for six hours a day," Marie answered plainly, "It's going to be bad enough having to be away from her so much to finish school but I know you won't let me out of that, no way am I going to sign up for another four years of studying for a stupid piece of paper that doesn't mean anything useful."

Logan was quiet as he thought over her response, as usual it was well thought out, logical, and reasonable. "Fair enough," he eventually replied in acquiescence to her wishes. "You know you can if you want though, right? The money's not a problem, I understand what you're saying about the time commitment but we can make that work," Logan assured her.

"I know," Marie replied, smiling back at him lovingly. She knew he would try his best to rearrange the stars in the sky if she asked him to but she had already thought about it and made her decision.

Owen still looked unconvinced. "So you don't want to be a veterinarian anymore, huh?" he asked, trying to sound light and teasing.

"Nah, going to have my own little critters to worry about," Marie replied with another bright smile. "Don't get hung up on it daddy, momma doesn't have a college degree, or a job, she spent all her time raising me and looking after the both of us, are you saying there's something wrong with that? Why is that good enough for momma but not for me?" she asked, pointedly but gently.

Logan tried not to grin too broadly at her response, goddamn his little woman was a spitfire! Eileen on the other hand burst out laughing, as Owen looked simultaneously amused and chastised.

"Touché," he replied good naturedly, "I'm just your dad, I'm allowed to worry about you, it's kind of my job, you are well within your rights to forgo college, I just don't want you missing out on anything."

"Neither does Logan, plus he worries about me enough for both of you so you don't have to worry there. As far as I see it, I'll be missing out on more by not getting to watch my baby grow up than by not studying for a piece of paper - speaking of studying for pieces of paper, I'm stuffed, let's go?" Marie suggested, turning to Logan as she pushed her mostly empty plate away. She hadn't told him yet but she was working with Storm to get ahead on her studies, in the hope she could sit her final exams, and graduate, early.

"Why don't we drive you to school today?" Eileen asked cheerily.

"If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it, I don't have a problem taking her except that her friends usually pick her up at the end of the drive and they'll all be in class by now, I don't really want her walking all that way," Logan admitted.

"I was thinking much the same thing," Eileen replied with a grin, "Is that okay with you Marie?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Marie replied, with a sad smile directed at Logan. He helped her out of her seat, accepting the quick kiss she stood up on her tiptoes to press to his lips, before she hugged him tight.

He had already packed all the books she needed for class today, and the essay that was due for handing in for English, she may have missed the class but she could still hand in the assignment, technically it would be on time so long as she got it to Ms Munro before the end of the day. Her coat was also ready and waiting for her, and her boots, which Logan put on for her. She had tried to give up the boots, in favour of flats she could slip on and off easily but he had insisted she didn't need to do that, and took it on himself to manage her shoes for her.

Logan carried her bag for her to the car, before kissing her goodbye as he held the car door for her. He was unusually tense but when she asked if he was okay, he just shrugged it off and said he'd see her after class, giving her an extra kiss when her parents weren't looking.

It didn't take long before the questions started once she was alone with her parents, obviously her mother had been busting to grill her.

"So, how long ago was it you met Logan again?" Eileen asked, turning in her seat to face, where Marie was sitting in the backseat.

"It was almost two years ago that we met, then after the whole 'let's kill Rogue' thing he left for a while, headed back to Canada for about six months, we kept in touch on the phone a lot," Marie smiled fondly at the memories.

"How old is he?" Eileen asked next, noting the instant negative reaction Marie had to the question; she had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer to this question.

"He doesn't know," Marie answered softly, turning away to look out the window. She hated thinking about the massive black hole that was Logan's past, mostly because it affected him so badly and her own empathy wouldn't allow her to ignore that.

"... How does he not know?" Owen asked curiously, glancing at his daughter in the rear-view mirror as he drove, catching the tear she quickly swiped away before she answered.

"When Dr Grey tested him, to try and figure out what was done to him, how old he is, to try and give him some answers... she determined his body as at the approximate developmental age of an average thirty-five year old male... but Logan doesn't age, he hasn't since he woke up naked in the snow with no memories, he's been 'thirty five' for at least seventeen years now, that he remembers. Before that... no one knows, not anyone he's been able to track down at least," Marie answered.

"So, he could be at least fifty-two?" Owen asked, in uncomfortable shock.

"Or he could be several hundred years old, there is literally no way to know without finding someone who remembers him from before," Marie steeled herself as she answered, if her parents were going to have an issue, now was going to be when.

"Before what?" Eileen asked quietly, noticing her daughters distress.

"... Logan was experimented on, because of his mutation, by government, or military, or some combination of the two, something they did during that process damaged his brain, his mutation basically means he can grow his brain back but, obviously, it couldn't grow back the neural pathways that were his memories. The few memories he does have of before he woke up in the snow... they did horrible things to him, removed organs, tested chemicals, and the most horrific was when they coated every bone in his body with metal, they did it all while he was awake, probably because it was too hard for them to knock him out, not even a local or pain relief, nothing, it was sheer agony," she shared quietly, swiping away several more tears.

"How does he remember that if he doesn't remember anything else?" Owen asked confused.

"Memories born out of fear or trauma are stored in a different area of the brain to regular memories, just like memories that control basic functions like talking, eating, using tools, even things like reading and math, are stored in another area, so whatever they did was specifically targeted at erasing his memories of his life, they were probably trying to make him controllable- if he didn’t know any other life he wouldn’t fight them," she said. She'd had much the same thoughts early on, wondering if it was possible that the rest of Logan's memories were still in his head somewhere. Back when she had still been on friendly speaking terms with Jean, the doctor had given her a full rundown on brain functions, to help her understand what she had gained from Logan's healing touch.

"Why did he tell you about such horrible things?" Eileen queried worriedly.

"He didn't, when he healed me, I absorbed so much of him - he almost died - and I got so much from him that I got all his memories, and nightmares- and before you say he feels bad about that but there was no other way for them to save me... it was a cheap trade off really, and the little bit I have of him inside my head helps, he hides the nightmares and memories as best he can, so I don't have to see them," she explained.

"You have his nightmares?" her mother asked next.

"At the beginning, yeah, every night, sometimes a couple in the same night, the Professor thought it was just because it was new and fresh, and I was really stressed, you know, just about dying, and then waiting for Logan to wake up, it kind of does that to you," she chuckled grimly, "But I haven't had one for about six months now, even Logan doesn't get them so often anymore."

"Mr Summers, one of your teachers... he said there was suspicion that your relationship with Logan started back before you came to the school, that the two of you might not be being truthful about what was going on, that there might be some... manipulation, and... isolation..." Eileen looked uncomfortable as she informed her daughter of her worries.

Marie rolled her eyes, with a tolerant grimace, before replying, "I'm sure in the interests of full disclosure he also mentioned that he got trespassed from our home after the neighbours called the cops on him, and that he called the police on Logan when he was parked out front of the school waiting to pick me up, that him and his girlfriend have suggested multiple times I should murder my baby, and that they've forbidden me from having any contact with my friends outside of school, right?... Out of curiosity, what was their suspicion founded on?"

Eileen smiled as her daughter detailed her own allegations against the school staff, given their attitudes it wasn't a stretch to believe all her claims were true. "Apparently, the first night you and Logan were at the school you were found in his room in the middle of the night, doing 'something' that resulted in your mutation knocking Logan out," she answered. She and Marie had always had a very open mother-daughter relationship, and she trusted her daughter to tell her the truth.

Marie laughed. "Yeah, that was a pretty stupid thing to do, in hindsight, I went to Logan's room because I wanted to talk to him, he was the person I knew the best at that stage and I hadn't gotten to see or speak to him after he woke up from being attacked by Sabretooth. Logan was having a nightmare when I got there, I tried to wake him up, it worked, he woke up, unfortunately he didn't wake up fully until after he had accidentally stabbed me..."

"Stabbed you!" both her parents turned to her shocked.

"Yes, stabbed me - please focus on driving daddy - Logan has metal claws, they're kind of complicated so I think they are actually a part of his mutation and were just metal coated like the rest of his bones. He lashed out at the nightmare and I just happened to be there in real life, it wasn't intentional on his part, that was the first time I used my mutation intentionally though, I figured if I could suck in his healing I would be fine, and I figured he would too, I mean by this stage I'd seen him get wailed on by a half dozen guys, almost knifed, almost shot, shoot knifes out of his hands, get thrown through the windshield of a car sixty feet, get smashed through the trunk of a tree, then t-balled with a tree trunk... I figured if he could survive all that he could survive me, and he did."

"But... he stabbed you," Owen repeated.

"Yes, accidentally, and he totally freaked out when he realised what happened," Marie replied again.

"And now you sleep in the same bed as him... what if he stabs you again?" he asked.

"Yes, we sleep in the same bed, it's perfectly safe, Logan knows my scent now, he knows I'm safe and doesn't react around me anymore," Marie answered, she was starting to get sick of the conversation now. "Logan would never hurt me intentionally and he does everything in his power to avoid hurting me accidentally, I can't ask more than that, and if he does accidentally stab me again I'll just suck his healing out again," she replied, with an exaggerated grin, as they turned onto the schools driveway.

Eileen was still chuckling as she hugged Marie and wished her a good day, before the girl hugged her dad and walked off down the hall. The bell was just ringing for the next class to start but Marie was not hurrying, one of her friends spotted her and slowed down to keep her company on their trek to class.

"Mr and Mrs D'Ancanto, so you good to see you," the redheaded doctor they had met the day before greeted them, "Professor Xavier asked if you had a few minutes to chat?"

"Of course," Eileen replied, taking her husband's arm, so he couldn't say otherwise, as they followed her to the Professor's office.
Chapter 12 by erro
It was midday when the silver sedan pulled back into the driveway of the Connecticut house. Logan was in the garage working on an old motorcycle he was rebuilding, it would be his second bike, the first he'd finished fixing up several months earlier. Marie had looked at him oddly when he'd brought the second home, asking why exactly he needed two motorcycles. She'd almost looked disappointed when he had admitted he was fixing the second one up because; one, he had nothing better to do with her at school all day; and two, he planned to sell it once it was done. Seeing as how he wasn't intending to return to cage fighting, he needed some level of at least intermittent income to keep their cash reserves up.

He waved to the couple as they pulled up, he had expected them to stay out most of the day, do some shopping, sightseeing, something. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of having to entertain or socialise with them alone, not that he had anything against them, they seemed nice, but he couldn't help the feeling of judgement he got from Marie’s father every time he was in view. It was probably because he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, if it was his daughter in Marie's situation, he would not be handling it anywhere near as well.

He was relieved when the pair simply waved back before heading inside the house, it looked like they had gone shopping, for groceries. About an hour later he heard the sound of footsteps approaching down the stairs, a gentle tap on the door told him when his visitor arrived, the scent telling him it was Marie's mother. He dropped his tools, having finished fitting what he needed to, and pulled a grease stained rag out of his back pocket to wipe the worst of the smudges off his hands.

"Lunch is ready," Eileen said to him, trying to stifle a chuckle, she couldn't hold it for long before she pointed to his face, "Your war paint's spreading."

A quick glance into the nearest reflective surface showed a grease smudge across his forehead and a little sweat infused trickle running down his temple. Grabbing a second rag he scrubbed it off as best he could, he'd shower later.

Once Eileen was satisfied he was clean enough to eat her meal, she made her way back up the stairs, Logan following behind her. Owen was in the living room, thumbing through a book with interest, until his wife harassed him to the table as well.

"We spoke to Professor Xavier when we dropped Marie at school," Eileen began as they started their meal. "He said he would ring you but I assume he hasn't yet, we added our voices to Marie's current situation, specifically that she's pregnant and can't be expected to walk up and down that driveway twice a day, poor girl can barely make it to the end of the hallway, she really should be on bed rest," she huffed, getting temporarily side-tracked.

"The doctor has suggested that but I'm sure you know your daughter well enough to know how stubborn she can be, thankfully the school year ends in a couple of weeks, I'm hoping to get her to take it easy after that," Logan responded with an amused chuckle.

"Boy do I ever know how stubborn that girl can be, ever since she was a tiny little thing, so independent, made everything take three times as long as it needed to all because she insisted on doing it alone, you better hope you get one of the sweet easy little ones," she replied.

"Yeah, I'm going with 'there's no chance in hell' on that count," Logan laughed, "We're both a little too hard-headed to make a kid that's anything but."

"Marie mentioned you stabbed her one night while you were asleep," Owen stated suddenly, bulldozing his way into the conversation... it was still bugging him.

Logan grimaced uncomfortably. "Yep, that was the first night at the school, she tried to wake me from a nightmare, I didn't wake up until my claws were through her chest... good thing she was thinking because I totally froze - I've always worried something like that might happen, it's why I used to always sleep alone behind a locked door, unfortunately that particular door didn't have a lock. She reached out and touched me and I was thinking 'what the hell, she's dying and her last thought is to get all handsy', then it hit me, then I hit the floor, woke up the next day to be told she was okay... then she promptly ran away, then she got kidnapped, then she died... she really is a handful," Logan chuckled softly and affectionately.

"I - I don't mean to offend but ... what do you mean by 'claws', I'm having trouble picturing that..." Eileen asked nervously.

With a sigh Logan moved his fist to a position it would be at peak visibility, and slowly slid a handful of sharp, shiny metal into view.

"Oh dear lord, that must hurt!" Eileen barley breathed, eyes wide at the sight of the three wicked looking blades now protruding from his clenched fist.

"You know, that was one of the very first things Marie asked me-" he commented, regarding the sharp shiny blades- "No one ever gave a shit before, most people still don't, so long as you follow their rules, slice and dice the things they want you to, they'll tolerate you but that's about as far as it ever goes, until Marie. Marie's always been different though, when most people would have gone screaming in the other direction that crazy girl thought it would be a swell idea to follow me and try and steal a ride, she didn't have a clue where I was going, who I was, what I would do when I found her, just jumped in my trailer as I was pulling out; she's lucky I found her when I did, another twenty minutes all exposed like she was and hypothermia would have set in.

"I hauled her out of the trailer when I found her, she must have moved or something and the trailer shifted, knew something was going on, I was going to leave her standing on the side of the highway, stupid kid thinking she could steal a ride from a stranger in the middle of nowhere, underage runaway spelling all kinds of trouble - I was right there - but I couldn't do it, hell I'll be the first to admit I'm an asshole on the best of days but leaving little girls to freeze on the side of the highway... that's too low even for me apparently, so I picked her up, and everything promptly went to shit. Best decision of my life," Logan finished decisively with a satisfied grin, snapping the claws away suddenly, causing both guests to jump. "You still do that though," he added, "Sorry, they hurt less the faster they go in and out."

"Marie says that, despite you already having stabbed her once, you wouldn't ever do it, again," Owen posed next.

"That's correct, I'd know Marie's scent anywhere, even in my nightmares now, if I scent her it's enough to wake me up and calm me down, it will never happen again," Logan assured the older man, "I would die for your daughter, I have died for your daughter, I never want to hurt her, in any way--"

"Except getting her pregnant at sixteen?" Owen pointed out tersely.

"I'll admit, that wasn't intentional, none of it was intentional, we did take precautions, it happened anyway, neither of us are upset about though, it's not ideal but it's our life, we plan to make the best of it, it's not all been sunshine and rainbows and it's not going to be from here either but that's just life in general, we've both had enough shit thrown at us that we can handle that," Logan replied. With a sigh he added, "I know you probably don't like me much, not least of all for 'what I've done to your little girl', but it means a lot to Marie that she sees us getting along, so please, for Marie's sake at least play the part, hate me on the inside, fine, just don't let Marie see."

"Maybe I'll just pack her up and take her home with me instead?" Owen suggested.

"No, you won't, you wouldn't have come back if you were even considering that idea, besides, even if you did, you know as well as I do that Marie would come straight back here, you won't do that to her," 'I hope,' he added silently.

Owen sighed in resignation. "As much as I would love to have her back home, with her family, where she belongs... you're right. We spoke to Professor Xavier and he's agreed for you to drop Marie off and pick her up at the front door of the school, provided you don't leave the driveway or talk to any of the other students," he informed Logan.

"Thank you," Logan replied, truly grateful.

"And I don't hate you, you saved my little girls life, on more than one occasion by the sound of it, I'm a little annoyed with you but like you said, what's done is done, I'm just glad you're man enough to stick with her, she loves you, and you love her too, even I can see that," Owen relented.

"But... maybe when Marie's done with school... we live in Colorado now," Eileen said hintingly.

Logan grinned, catching her hint. "That's all up to Marie," he replied, "I don't think we'll have a hard time convincing her."

--

Marie’s parents stayed for the rest of the week, eventually heading home happy, satisfied their daughter was safe and happy. That her parents hadn’t kicked up a stink about Logan and Rogue’s relationship annoyed the X-Men immensely but they could do nothing but ignore Logan for the next few weeks. A task he made as difficult as possible by dropping Rogue off right outside the front door, and picked her up from the same place, every day until the end of the term. Making sure someone saw him, but not his smug grin, helping her in and out of the truck, and kissing her tenderly every chance he got.
Chapter 13 by erro
"Goddamn-it girl, get back on the couch!" Logan called as he walked into the house. Eileen followed him in, chuckling as her daughter just stuck her tongue out at him and continued what she was doing in the kitchen.

Baby had been due a week earlier, and Eileen's trip back from Colorado had been supposed to be meeting baby and helping the new parents get settled and catch up on sleep. So far baby had made no indication of being on board with that plan, as Marie's still bulging belly attested to. Thankfully, she was staying for a month so that should be plenty of time for baby to come along in her own good time.

"You okay? I did leave you with snacks," Logan pointed out, as he moved over to Marie in the kitchen, intent on taking over whatever it was she was doing and sending her back to rest.

"I'm fine, just hungry, I ate all the snacks," Marie replied.

"So, baby's not coming today then?" Logan chuckled.

"Doesn't look like it, though maybe we should have a spicy chili for dinner, then go for a walk?" Marie suggested with a grin.

"Baby will come when she comes, don't rush her," Logan added, pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he tried to usher her out of the room.

"I have to rush her or she's going to end up too big to get out!" Marie replied exasperated. She was sick of being pregnant, sick of not being able to lie down comfortably, or sit comfortably, or stand comfortably. Sick of bumping into things, not being able to see her feet, and struggling to get in and out of bed and off the couch unassisted. Her vege garden was looking sad, though Logan was doing his best to help out there he just wasn't doing it right as far as she was concerned. Mostly though, she just wanted to finally hold her baby!

"I take it you haven't picked a name yet?" Eileen asked, taking a seat in the living room as the pair joined her.

"No, we've got some ideas but we want to meet her first, hold her, get to know her," Marie said, once she had finally managed to sit down. She rolled her eyes as Logan fussed over her, moving this and that, propping her feet up, and getting her a glass of water before he finally took a seat too. She could tell he was stressed as well by the situation, not least of all worried about the baby for taking so long to arrive, and just as eager to finally get to hold her. "First of all she has to hurry up and come out though!" Marie added, poking gently at the foot she could feel pressed against the top of her belly, baby had been in position for some time, all they were waiting on now was contractions.

--

"Uh... Logan!" Marie yelled from the bedroom suddenly.

She had been having tiny contractions for almost two full days, and everyone was waiting with bated breath for something to happen. It sounded like that something had just happened.

Logan jogged up the stairs to find Marie standing in the middle of the room, with her legs pressed together.

"I think my water just broke, grab a towel," she told him, waiting uncomfortably for him bring a towel. With a short count down they worked together to get the towel between her legs to catch as much of the fluid as possible.

"Oh well, it's just carpet, it can be cleaned," Logan commented with a chuckle, as half the gush of liquid that followed ran over the towel faster than it could be absorbed and puddled on the floor.

Marie started to laugh before catching her breath suddenly. "Oh wow, I think that was an actual real contraction!" she commented, when the pressure eased off a bit.

Slowly and surely Logan helped her down the stairs to the living room, before darting back to the bedroom, to grab the overnight bag she had prepared months ago for what would hopefully be only a short stay in hospital. By the time he got back downstairs Marie was panting heavily, having just finished another contraction; in less than a minute she was trying desperately to breathe through another.

"You two had better get going, this baby’s decided she wants out right now," Eileen told Logan with a grin, as she grabbed the bag off him and made a beeline for the car, making sure doors were open and ready so Marie would be able to get to the car as quickly as possible. "You go Logan, I'll lock up and follow in the other car," Eileen commented, handing a somewhat shell shocked Logan the truck keys and waving him off. The truck slowly, but hurriedly, rolled out of the driveway moments later, heading in the direction of the birthing centre.

With an excited grin Eileen hurried inside, she quickly cleaned the mess on the upstairs carpet so it didn't have time to set. Then she grabbed her purse, and the keys to the house and spare car Logan had set her up with, before hurrying to join the couple.

--

"You're doing great baby, keep breathing," Logan was murmuring gently, as he stood beside Marie, who was leaning over the side of the hospital bed panting hard.

She was naked but draped in a dressing gown, rather than a hospital gown, which in a normal hospital situation would be a little odd. Logan was glad he had insisted they go for a private room at the birthing centre, so Marie could be comfortable to do whatever she wanted. Though in this case she simply wasn't able to get the gown on between contractions.

"Is that doctor coming yet?" Logan irritably snapped at Eileen, as she entered the room and sat down in one of the armchairs across the space.

"The nurse asked me to pass on that the doctor should be along shortly, she's just finishing up with another new momma," Eileen replied, with trying to smother her smile at Logan’s behaviour.

Marie began to giggle hysterically, gasping out between heavy breaths, "I think that's a record ... we've been here ... twenty minutes ... and you've scared off evr'one... didn't even have to claw anyone," she said, giggling right up until another contraction ripped through her.

"Yeah, that's what you get for being a smartass when you're supposed to be helping the baby out," Logan chuckled in response, even as he gently massaged her lower back, and placed a tender kiss on her shoulder.

A minute later, Marie turned around, leaning forward over her belly, and wrapping her arms around his chest she mumbled a request for him to hold her. Hugging her gently, and soothingly running his hands up and down her back, they stood like that for some time. The doctor eventually quietly slipped into the room, and smiled at the sight in front of her, before addressing both of them.

"I'm just going to check and see how everything's going Marie, you can stay like that for now, I'll let you know if I need you to move," she advised, before getting on with her checks. Before she got very far Marie had another contraction, huffing uncomfortably at the end.

"Daddy if you want to catch this baby, you'd best get down here," the doctor spoke a moment later.

Pulling back slightly but holding Marie in place, Logan moved a hand down until the doctor guided his hand to the right spot, a damp, slightly squishy object, that definitely wasn't normally in that place, fit into his hand. Another contraction, and a pained whimper from Marie, and he felt baby's head slide out.

"Keep going baby, you're doing it, you're doing great Marie," he murmured in her ear, nerves and excitement putting a tone to his voice she had never heard before.

With one final contraction baby quickly slid into Logan's waiting hands, the doctor made sure he had a steady grip before she moved away and let him lift baby up towards Marie's chest.

Marie stood with her eyes closed, still leaning against his chest, as he cradled the squalling baby in between the two of them as she screamed her lungs out at the world. "Shit Marie, she's beautiful," Logan whispered into her hair as he placed a soft kiss on her temple.

"Right, should we get mommy on the bed now?" the doctor commented a few minutes later, leaving Logan to help Marie climb onto the bed. The centre staff had been fully briefed on Marie's mutation and the importance of not touching her un-gloved, it seemed they were taking the 'no touching except when necessary' stance; though that may have had more to do with the fact Logan had growled at one of the nurses when she had offered to help Marie change when they first arrived.

Once Marie was settled on the bed, Logan shifted baby to place her in Marie's arms. "No! What about my skin, what if--" she immediately objected.

"Marie, she's already touched your skin and nothing happened, your body knows her, she's part of you, it'll be fine," he coaxed, encouraging her again to hold the tiny baby.

"Well... don't just stick her on me, let me touch her first, so you can pull her away quick if anything happens," Marie replied uncertainly.

"Alright, hold out your hand then," Logan replied, holding baby close in front of her so Marie could get her first good look at the tiny, squashed, goopey, little girl. Slowly and gently Marie ran her finger over baby's feet, and hands, and eventually her face. As her eyes welled with tears, at the feeling of her child's skin on her own, Logan gently settled baby into her arms.

In the background Logan could hear Eileen's phone, digitally beeping as it took photos but all he had eyes for was the girl in front of him. Marie was gorgeous, her hair plastered with sweat to her forehead, her face still flushed from exertion, tears running down her cheeks, and a brilliant smile on her face, as she marvelled over the tiny naked human in her arms.

The doctor gave them ten minutes before suggesting it was time to cut the umbilical cord. It had stopped flowing, and gone pale, though she still clamped it securely before offering Logan a pair of scissors. It turned out the rope of tissue was a lot tougher than it looked, either that or they'd given him a blunt pair of scissors, but eventually the job was done.

A nurse came in with a blanket and some towels then, she took baby for a moment to wrap her up snugly before handing her to Logan, before she and the doctor bustled him out of the way to see to Marie. Ten minutes later the placenta had been delivered and Marie had been left to relax and recover. The doctor had given her the all clear to shower as soon as she was ready, but she was exhausted, shaky, and not confident her legs would hold her up for long enough, so instead she opted to try to feed baby.

Logan sat close by watching as both Marie and baby slowly fell asleep, before she was completely out, he gently slipped baby out of her arms. "Go to sleep, baby, she'll wake you up soon enough," he said, as he kissed Marie’s forehead and tugged her blankets higher.

--

Several hours later, Marie had slept, showered, and fed baby a second time before falling asleep again. Logan lounged in one of the cosy armchairs in the room, baby lay, sleeping soundly, on his chest. Her tiny little lips puckered cutely by her cheek pressed up against his chest, her eyes closed as she breathed steadily, her tiny little fist resting up beside her still squashed nose. He rubbed his nose against the soft dark hair on her head, she had a surprising amount of hair, thick and dark, with a tiny white tuft on the top of her head. He gently stroked her hand with one finger, watching enthralled as her tiny fist unclenched and her tiny fingers reached for, and grabbed onto his finger.

It was a few minutes before he realised someone had entered the room, the sound of a camera drawing his attention. Eileen stood in the doorway, her phone out to capture the image. She was grinning brightly - he knew now where Marie had gotten her smile from - she had yet to be able to hold the baby, not wanting to encroach on the new parents finally meeting their little one, so she had gone to get them both a late lunch instead.

"Grandma's turn to hold baby?" he offered, as she sat down in the other chair across from him.

"Ooh yes please, we can swap, I'll hold her, you eat," she proposed, setting down the bag of food she had procured.

Logan gently eased baby into her arms, being very careful to support her tiny head. At the same time as he was happy to hand his daughter over to family, he didn't want to let her go. He had teasingly commented to Marie several weeks before that when baby was born she was his for the first six months, to make up for the fact that Marie got to carry her around for so long. Marie had laughed in response and replied cheekily, 'I'm going to hold you to that when she's screaming her lungs out at two in the morning!'.

"LOGAN!" Marie shouted suddenly, sitting bolt upright in the bed with a gasp, before she quickly scanned the room.

"It's okay baby, you're safe, we're all good. What was that all about?" he asked, as he moved to her side, and gently held her while she hugged him.

"God, that was one hell of a mash up," Marie sighed, as her heart rate slowly returned to normal. "A concentration camp lab where they took my baby... how long until I can go home, I don't want to wake up in a hospital again," she murmured with a shudder.

Logan looked uncertain for a moment before relenting. "I'll check with the doctor to make sure we're all good to go, but you have to eat first." He handed her some of the food Eileen had brought, adjusting the bed so she could sit comfortably to eat. Marie settled back to eat, glancing over at the plastic crib that has been brought in for baby.

"Where's baby?" she asked, immediately alarmed.

"She's with Grandma," Logan replied soothingly, pointing across the room, relieved when Marie immediately calmed, even smiling at the sight of the two.

After they had all eaten, baby included, Logan called the nurse, who called the doctor, and an hour later Marie and baby were discharged and they were on their way home in time for dinner.

Later that night Marie and Logan lounged in bed, baby between them, sleeping soundly with both her parents watching over her.

"We still haven't picked a name," Marie whispered, while she watched the baby tiredly. "What do you think about Sophia?" she asked.

"I like it, and Elizabeth for her middle name," Logan responded, a slight frown on his face as he was obviously thinking about something, he ran a finger over the little girls pouty pink lips as he did, grinning when she began to reflexively suckle on her own lip.

"Sophia Elizabeth Logan... it's pretty, it suits her, I like it," she smiled sleepily.

"Well, if you still like it in the morning we'll lock it in," Logan replied with a grin, before he pulled the blankets up higher to cover Marie snugly. Once Marie was asleep, he slid smoothly out of bed, gently scooping up baby before carrying her to the waiting bassinet, he didn't want to fall asleep and either of them to accidentally smother her.

Three days later, sparkly pink letters were mounted on the blank space on the nursery wall spelling out baby's name.
Chapter 14 by erro
By the time school restarted in early September, almost 2-month-old Sophia was fairly settled in a routine. Marie had packed, and repacked her school bag, a repurposed baby bag, half a gazillion times to be sure she didn't forget anything. She was more concerned about forgetting the breast pump, bottles, breast pads, and change of clothes, than she was about forgetting her books, pens, and laptop.

When the morning finally dawned for her to head back to school, Logan made sure to have her up in plenty of time so she could get ready and say goodbye to baby. He had finished cooking her breakfast before he noticed, she still hadn't come downstairs from where he had left her to shower. Wandering upstairs he was debating whether she was held up because Sophia pee'd, pooped, or puked on her... but she wasn't in their bedroom getting changed like he assumed. The next logical place of course was the nursery.

"Marie, baby what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, as he rushed into the room to where Marie was standing sobbing over the crib.

"I can't - I can't do it Logan, I can't be gone all day every day, I need to be here, I'm going to miss so much, what if I miss the first time she rolls, or when she starts to crawl, or..." Marie sobbed against his chest as he pulled her close.

"You're not going to miss anything babe, if she tries any of that shit I'll growl at her and tell her she has to wait until mommy gets home, okay?" Logan replied, trying to tease a laugh out of her.

It worked; Marie giggled as she wiped her eyes. "You know as well as I do that that won't do anything, she'll do a stink eye and stare you down while she keeps going," she commented.

"Now that will be a sight, my two girls, the only ones that can get away with sassing me, god I've turned into such a pussy, " Logan chuckled in return. "I know it's going to take some getting used to," he added in a more serious tone, "But it's not for long, and it's for the best, I'll keep you updated on every goofy little thing she does, and if you miss the first time of something, there will be plenty of other times, just focus on your studying and you'll be done with school before you know it, and know this, I am so, so proud of you Marie, you are stronger than anyone, even me, gives you credit for, and you can do this, I've got your back. "

"Thanks sugar," she mumbled, voice scratchy from her tears and muffled where her face was buried in his chest as she hugged him tight.

"Now come on, baby and mommy need to be fed before you go, your breakfast is downstairs," he let Marie go with a final kiss on the end of her nose, which always made her scrunch up her nose and giggle, before she turned to pick up and gently wake up Sophia.

Marie ate one handed while she fed baby, finishing both meals at about the same time. Logan burped baby, so just in case she puked she wouldn't mess up Marie's clothes, while Marie tidied her hair, braiding it loosely to fall over her shoulder. Her hair had gotten quite long since they had first met, and now hung almost to her hips when loose, but she hadn't mentioned cutting it, which Logan was happy about; he loved her hair.

When they got to the school Logan decided to push his luck and turned into the driveway, after all, at the end of last term the agreement was that he dropped Marie off at the front door, so long as he didn't leave the driveway, or talk to the students. He had no doubt Marie's friends would all be eager to meet Sophia, not all of them had been able to stop by their home, in secret, to meet her over the summer, but every other condition he could keep.

As they pulled up to the front door, sure enough, a small crowd was gathered and waiting, several girls began jumping up and down squealing when they saw them coming.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Jubilee announced as soon as the truck came to a stop. "Oh! She's so little!" she squealed, from where she had her face pressed up against the window, looking into the back seat of the vehicle, where a surprised looking Sophia stared back at her mutely.

Logan spied Scott approaching so leaned over to quickly kiss Marie goodbye, he wasn't going to push his luck too far by getting out of the vehicle just now.

"See you at three thirty, bang on, right here?" Marie asked worriedly.

"That's the plan, unless he changes it," Logan replied, minutely inclining his head in the teachers direction. "If anything changes, I'll call you," he added, as she hopped out of the car.

Moments later the back door of the truck popped open, as Marie gave in to the begging to introduce baby. She obliged, gently extracting Sophia from the car seat and lifting her out of the car so everyone could get a better look. Scott, who was by now standing right behind the group, allowed this for several minutes before announcing classes were about to start and everyone should head in. Most of the group scattered but a few of Marie's braver friends waited for her to resettle Sophia in her car seat.

"Bye-bye baby, mommy will see you this afternoon, okay, won't be so long, you'll see, you'll spend most of that time asleep you lucky little thing," Marie chattered cheerily to Sophia, despite the fresh wave of tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, as she buckled her into the seat. With a final strained smile at Logan she shut the door and waved to him, before turning and hurrying inside, her friends close beside her, a couple of whom waved to Logan as they led Marie inside.

"You're supposed to drop her off at the gate," Scott snapped angrily, as soon as Marie was out of sight.

"My most recent arrangement with the Professor was for me to drop Marie to the door, if that's changed, though I don't see any reason why it should have, he can tell me that himself, otherwise, I'll be back to pick her up this afternoon," Logan replied bluntly, "Besides, she wanted to introduce her daughter to her friends, or is our child a pariah too? You bitch on one hand about Marie being 'isolated' with me, then at the same time you isolate her from interacting normally with her friends, make up your mind. Now if you don't mind Summers, Sophia has to get home to bed."

He wound the electric window up in Scott's face before he could say another word, and the truck began to roll back down the driveway. He had no doubt Summers would head straight to the Professor's office, and demand he inform Logan, immediately, to stay off the property. He would wait, with bated breath, all day for the phone call, he knew it.

--

Scott stalked into the foyer, intent on giving the Professor a piece of his mind about Logan. The guy was pissing him off even when not here, whether it was his team mates suggesting they bring Logan in on missions, or him turning up to drop off the poor girl he still felt guilty about not realizing the man was corrupting, or how he had won over said girls parents in less than twenty four hours. Mostly though, it was the fact he had been proven wrong. Not only was Logan still happily around, not having ditched Rogue and taken back off to Canada, as he had been certain he would, but he seemed to be thriving in the role of fatherhood from what Scott had heard through the gossip mill.

A brief thought, that all may not be well in paradise, gleefully shot through him when he spied Rogue standing off to the side of the hall crying, a couple of her friends and her first period teacher standing with her.

"... and it's the first time I've been away from her for more than a nap, I feel like a horrible mother for abandoning her... what if she needs me, what if she doesn't like the bottles, what if Logan runs out of milk, what if--" Rogue was sobbing between sniffles.

"Rogue, what you are feeling is perfectly normal, you are a great mother, an absolutely fantastic mother, Logan is right, this is a small sacrifice that needs to be made, for your good and for Sophia's, she will be fine while you're away, it's only for a few hours, and you've said what a great father Logan is, trust him," Ororo interrupted gently, as she hugged the girl before her.

"I do trust him, it's me I'm upset with..." Rogue admitted.

"And why are you upset with yourself?" Ororo asked softly.

"I feel like I've let Sophia down, I should have worked harder and graduated earlier, and then I wouldn't have to leave her," Rogue answered, the pain of separation being lessened by the hint of bitterness in her voice.

"You're almost there Rogue at the rate you're going you are going to graduate with the winter class, so it's only a few more months, and don't be upset about that, you spent half a school year on the road and not only managed to catch that up but get ahead an extra six months, two years work in only a year, that's impressive Rogue, not many people can do that, and you did it all for Sophia, didn't you?" Ororo replied, releasing her from her hug so she could look her in the eyes.

Rogue smiled and nodded in reply just as the bell rang, and the small crowd moved on to their respective classes, with final hugs and words of encouragement to Rogue, promising to meet up at lunch before they split up.

Scott stood silently, contemplating what he overheard, could it be true that Logan was the one making Rogue continue with her education? With how hard Rogue was working Scott had just assumed Rogue was one of those rare kids that enjoyed school. He had assumed Logan was only allowing her to continue with school to keep up appearances, and to get her out of his hair when he wanted a break from screwing her. Was it possible that he had misread the situation, that maybe Logan was actually somewhat decent?

"Is everything alright Scott?" the Professor's voice came from his left, he realised then he was standing right outside the Professor's office, his legs having moved of their own accord to his target destination.

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine," Scott answered after a pause. What could it hurt for Logan to drop Rogue off at the door really. With a final goodbye he continued on toward his own class.

--

At lunch Jean spotted Rogue out on the lawn with her friends, enjoying lunch in the sunshine. She was on a cell phone, which reminded Jean that the school didn't have a policy on phones. She was too far away to hear what was being said, so she sneakily eavesdropped telepathically through one of the other students. Irritatingly it turned out Rogue was talking to Logan, getting updates on the baby Jean had yet to meet.

Poor Logan, was the next thought that occurred to her, the guy was being given the third degree by the young mother about when baby ate, how much she ate, when she slept, had she pooped. Instead of getting angry at being second guessed though, Logan just chuckled, answered all her questions tolerantly, and even texted her some photos of baby. Maybe Ororo was right and Logan really was serious about being content with this situation, it just seemed so unlike him...
Chapter 15 by erro
After classes were done for the day Rogue was hurriedly packing her bag, so she could run for the kitchen and collect the milk she had expressed through the day, and be waiting for Logan when he arrived.

~"Rogue, could you stop by my office on your way out please,"~ the Professor requested telepathically.

With a weary sigh Rogue replied, ~"Sure, I'll be there in a minute."~ Just what she needed after a long day, more harassment about her relationships. Okay, that was probably a little disingenuous, she decided with a chuckle, let them talk before she started judging their intentions. She hurriedly hugged her friends goodbye and took off for the office, stopping by the kitchen on her way.

She wasn't surprised to find the welcoming committee waiting for her.

--

Jubilee spotted the green SUV she'd been waiting for rumbling down the driveway. She'd seen Rogue dart off in the direction of the Professor's office, and figured someone had better give Logan a heads up when he arrived, so he didn’t worry. The vehicle rolled to a stop in front of her moments later.

Logan rolled the window down but didn't say anything, just glanced at her with an eyebrow cocked questioningly. Everyone in the school knew that Logan had been forbidden from speaking to any of them, Rogue had made no secret of that, or the reason why, most of the student body shared her scorn at that decision. Jubilee personally liked Logan, and liked even more how devoted he was to Rogue, sure no one expected him to make a move on her so soon but anyone with two eyes and a handful of brain cells to rub together could have seen they were meant for each other.

"Rogue got called to the Professor's office but she shouldn't be long, thought you'd like to know so you don't sit here worrying about her," Jubilee informed him with a grin.

Logan looked simultaneously relieved and worried, and looked like he was seriously considering flouting 'the rules' and speaking to her. Quickly Jubilee racked her brains to try and figure out what Logan might want to say or ask, to save him the trouble; she didn't want to be the reason he or Rogue got in trouble.

"She had a pretty good day, she had a good cry after you left, about leaving Sophia behind, but Ms Munroe helped calm her down, she was okay for the rest of the day, she really enjoyed the photos you sent, and after talking to you at lunch time she had the biggest smile on her face for about an hour, then we had calculus-" Logan chuckled at that- "She's not in trouble or anything, with the Professor, I think he just wanted to check up on her, make sure she didn't need anything," Jubilee stood and glanced up at Logan, she should go before someone came out and caught her talking to him, she didn't know if that would get him in trouble.

"I'll see you around," she smiled at him, catching the nod and grateful look he shot her way, the man could say everything he needed to with a single look, it was almost scary. Smiling to herself at a job well done she headed inside, intent on blobbing in front of the TV for a while before Ms Munroe chased her off to do homework.

--

"Hi Professor, is everything okay?" Rogue asked, as she shut the office door behind her. The smile on his face indicated she wasn't in trouble, at least she hoped it did.

"I do hope so," the Professor replied jovially. "How have you been, and how was your first day back?" he asked.

"I've been good," she answered with a smile, "Summer was fantastic, lots of changes, a lot of adjusting, lots of sleepless nights, though Logan's taken most of those. Today was hard, not going to lie, I'm looking forward to going home," Rogue added, with a wobbly smile.

"And how is your daughter?" Xavier asked, smiling softly at her.

"Sophia's growing like a weed, almost out of her new-born clothes already, eats a ton, and I seriously didn't believe babies could poop so much, but she's great," she filled them in, she hadn't officially shared baby's arrival with the staff, except for Ororo, she assumed the info had been passed on.

"Such a pretty name, who picked it?" Jean asked, sickly sweet with a fake smile on her face.

"I suggested Sophia, Logan picked Elizabeth, which is her middle name," Rogue answered, trying for polite, though she felt like she got a barely passable tolerant.

"That's not the kind of name I would have expected Logan to suggest," Jean replied with a chuckle.

"Let me guess you'd have expected a Brandi or a Candi, or some other quintessentially stripper name?" Rogue asked sarcastically. "Elizabeth is familiar to him, it triggered a memory that wasn't there, kind of hard to explain that one, he assumed it was a female relative's name, probably his mother, so... he felt like that was a way to recognize the past he can't remember. Anyway, speaking of baby, Logan is probably waiting for me, I should go, if there's nothing else?"

"Of course," Xavier replied, "Let us know if you need anything, we will see you tomorrow, perhaps you could bring young Sophia for a meet and greet one day?"

Rogue smiled tightly, that wouldn't be happening, not while she was here alone. She wasn't leaving Logan hanging around outside while she went to show his child off, he would be there too for that, or it wouldn't happen. The look that crossed Xavier's face told her he got that thought loud and clear. "Sure, maybe one day," she answered verbally, softening her smile and putting the proverbial ball back in his court, before she waved goodbye to everyone and headed out of the room.

She noticed she didn't leave the room alone, Scott followed along behind her. "Hey Rogue?" he called out, continuing when she stopped to face him. "If you need any help with studying, or more study time or anything, let me know, even if you just need some time to hang out off baby duty we can help you out, make sure you keep on top of everything..." he faded off at the unamused look Rogue was shooting at him.

"I know you don't think very highly of Logan but let me make this very clear, I am only here because he has insisted that I finish high school, he will make sure I get plenty of time to study, plenty of sleep, plenty to eat, and any help I need, you continually trying to undermine our relationship by insinuating that he doesn't care for my future, and for my needs, does not help anything, it doesn't help my education, and it doesn't help my state of mind at being here, separated from my child, if you want to help me, be supportive of me, not just of what you want from me. We clear?" Rogue replied confidently.

Scott smothered a grin before responding, "I understand, my offer is still open, if you need anything, let me know, if you want extra homework let me know too," he added, before wishing her goodbye and letting her hurry off toward the front entrance.

--

"Oh sorry!" Rogue said, sliding to a stop after bumping into someone as she rushed around a corner, not watching where she was going. She didn't bother to look to see who it was, she didn't want to see the look of fear on the face of whoever just realised they almost died from coming in contact with the human leech.

"Hey, hey ma belle, what's your hurry? No harm done, maybe we could bump into each other more often, oui?" the guy she had bumped into replied, grabbing hold of her arm.

Rogue jumped, twisting her arm out of his grip and knocking his arm away in a move Logan had taught her a long time ago, as she spun around to face him. She'd never seen this guy before, he must be new. He'd be thanking his lucky stars later to have escaped with his life, once the rest of the students filled him in on who she is, for now, she'd be polite. "I'm late, I have to go, maybe I'll see you tomorrow, sorry again, bye." She skipped out of his reach, and continued on her way quickly.

When she stepped out the front door, she was annoyed to note the guy was following her, thankfully Logan was already there waiting. Without a seconds pause she jumped into the truck, leaning over to give Logan a quick kiss before she pulled on her seatbelt. As Logan rolled down the driveway, Marie turned around to say hello to Sophia. She was disappointed to find she was fast asleep.

"See, I told you she'd be fine," Logan grinned over at her, as she turned back to face the front of the truck with a pout.

"She could at least pretend to be excited to see me," Marie exaggeratedly lamented.

"She'll be happy to see you in about twenty minutes, when she wants more food," Logan replied, with a chuckle.

--

"Don't even think about it 'Gambit'." A voice said from behind him, as he stood on the driveway watching the SUV drive away with that hot little number he'd been hoping to get more familiar with. Not that this place wasn't crawling with eligible, and mostly interested, female residents, but there was something about the girl with the two-tone hair that attracted him, a ferocity and spark he hadn't felt before but was enticing.

"Think what Miss Lee?" he queried teasingly.

"Stay away from Rogue, she's not interested in what you have to offer," Jubilee answered, turning on her heel and walking away.

"But I have so much to offer, I'd be happy to give you a private demonstration if you'd like," he winked suggestively, as he fell into step beside her.

"Ugh, no thank you, my standards might not be as high as Rogue's but they're higher than you," she replied disgustedly, before she left him standing alone in the hall.

Time to get to know his next conquest, at least now he had a name.
Chapter 16 by erro
School had been back in session for a month, and Marie had more or less settled into a routine. Sophia handled her absence like a champ, though she learned quickly that getting in the car in the afternoon meant mommy was coming home, and she was usually awake and waiting for her with a brilliant beaming smile by the time Marie got out of class. Nothing was said about Logan continuing to drop off and pick up at the door, whether it was because the administration was no longer worried about him, or they just didn't want to risk her parents getting involved again, they weren't sure but it worked.

The only dark spot in her school experience was the new kid, the guy she had bumped into the first day back, his name was Remy, he was from the South too. He was a budding womanizer and for some reason he had set his sights on her, and wouldn't take a hint. He would try to follow her between classes when she went to express milk, he would try and sit with her at lunch, even going so far as to try and get her friends to leave, or cut her off before she could get to them. Jubilee seemed to know what he was up to, and she thankfully made sure Rogue was never actually alone with the guy.

It didn't help that some of the more self-righteous - read petty and jealous - female students made snarky remarks around her about him being 'her type', while simultaneously 'warning' Remy away because of 'what she did to the last guy she fucked with'.

She hadn't yet complained to a teacher, though she had irritably told Logan her complaints about the guy. He wasn't amused, well not by the harassment, he was amused at the fact the poor kid seemed to think he had a chance, to which Marie rolled her eyes and called him a smug bastard. He had agreed, when it came to her, wholeheartedly. At the same time, he'd offered to come set the guy straight, which had been Marie's turn to laugh, bloodshed was not what this situation required, yet. He had also encouraged her to tell the staff, she had mentioned to Ororo that he was annoying her, but so far it was only at the stage of the guy being irritating so there wasn't much that could be done, until...

--

Marie was hurriedly collecting books from the library, that she needed for an essay assignment, when the library door opened and softly closed. She didn't think anything of it until she heard the lock click.

Great, someone must think this place was good for an afternoon liaison... should she say something to let them know they weren't alone, or should she just sneak out quietly and leave them to it. Before she could decide, someone stepped into the aisle she was in, crouched down where she was sliding her books into her bag.

"Can I help you?" she asked irritably, of the tall, dark-haired boy now standing blocking her exit. She hadn't said anything, because her momma always taught her not to say anything if you couldn't say something nice, but his black and red eyes creeped her out.

"Actually, you can ma belle, you can stop hiding from me, we both want this, I know it and--" he started.

"Look, I have a fair idea what you want, I am not interested, I am not hiding from you, I just want you to leave me alone, I'm not sure how many more ways there are for me to say it. Go. Away." She moved to hoist her bag, now heavy with books, and push past him. In a split second, and with a startled squeak, he had her pushed up against the nearest bookshelf.

Recovering quickly with an angry growl, she lashed out. Simultaneously kneeing him the groin, and jabbing upward with the heel of her hand, catching him in the nose. As her leg came down she made sure to stamp on his instep.

"Final warning," she all but snarled, as she shoved him stumbling out of the way, and stalked out of the room.

"There you are, I wondered why Logan was still out front... what’s going on?" Jubilee trailed off at the furious look on her face.

"That goddamn creep tried to feel me up after locking me in the library," Rogue snapped.

"Oh, please tell me the inner Wolvie roughed him up a bit!" Jubilee replied, chuckling darkly at the thought.

"You could say that," Rogue replied, with a predatory grin.

As they both stepped out the front door they came face to face with Logan, he was walking in circles on the drive, bouncing Sophia gently as she grizzled. "See little one, there's momma, I told you she was just running a little late," he cooed to the baby, who stared at Marie with her big blue, tear filled eyes.

"Did mommy take too long to get her books, did she sweetie," Marie asked the mute child, before kissing her gently on her tiny nose. The little girl calmed quickly and began to coo and gurgle happily.

"You've got blood on you," Logan stated with a concerned frown.

"Oh, don't worry, it's not mine," Rogue replied, noting the red drips on her sleeve. She probably broke Remy's nose, oddly she didn't feel the least bit sorry for that.

"I think I'm more concerned that you have some else's blood on you, to be honest," Logan replied in almost amusement, as Jubilee sniggered behind her. His lopsided grin morphed into a dark scowl as she told him what had happened in the library. "Is the Professor in his office?" he asked Jubilee.

"Yeah, they're having a teacher meeting or something," Jubilee replied, not the least bit surprised that this situation tipped him over the edge to flout the Professor's imposed rules. She had a feeling he was about to blow every single one of them, simultaneously, in epic fashion.

"Go find this Remy kid and get him to the Professor's office," Logan told her, as he moved to the front door, Sophia still securely cradled in his arms.

"No, Logan!" Rogue said, tugging back on his arm as she shot him a worried look.

"Marie if they're going to try and fuck me over, over this, I will take it, this is unacceptable and needs to be stopped, now, it's gone too far, what if you didn't know those moves, what if the next girl doesn't, just how far do you think he would have taken it?" Logan asked her, gently but firmly.

"Yeah chica, I have to agree with Logan, the guy’s been a menace since he got here, though this is the first time he's laid a hand on a girl who said 'no', unless everyone comes down on him like a ton of bricks though it probably won't be the last," she added, she had had to live with the guy for months now and even she was ready to take her problems with him to the Professor, she knew a few girls who would say the same.

"Alright, okay," Rogue finally acquiesced, though she still looked worried as Logan took her hand and walked her inside. Jubilee scarpered to find Gambit, hopefully he was still hiding out in the library nursing his wounded pride, she also stopped by the rec room to send runners to urgently find several other students.

The sight of Logan stalking through the halls of the school brought everyone they passed up short, to stand staring wide eyed and open mouthed. The baby peering over his shoulder cooing and giggling happily as she watched faces pass by.

Stepping up to the Professor's office, Logan rapped twice before opening the door and walking straight in, Rogue following along behind him. "Chuck, we need to talk," he stated.

"I have a phone, as do you," the Professor replied, eyeing him warily, the fact Logan was holding his child put him at ease to a degree, that he had so openly flouted the rules almost fully counteracting the ease.

"This is not an over the phone kind of issue," Logan responded, gesturing Rogue forward.

"What seems to be the problem Rogue?" Xavier asked, turning his attention to the girl.

As she explained what had been happening in the lead up to this afternoon's library incident, she observed the faces before her growing grim. The Professor stopped her when she explained she had told Ms Munroe, who confirmed Rogue had told her, and that she had spoken with the boy and advised him to leave her alone. Rogue continued her story, getting to the part where he had shoved her up against the bookshelf, when, with Hollywood timing, the young man in question entered the room.

Rogue didn't need to explain what she had done to him, though she did, the two black eyes, swollen lip and cheek, bloodstained face, and slight limp the boy was walking with made it clear she wasn't playing around. Logan chuckled where he was standing next to her, grinning broadly, proud of his little mate for being such a fierce fighter.

Moments later the office door opened again and Jubilee, along with four or five other girls, walked in. "We heard that Gambit had finally taken it too far and was going to get a dressing down, we came to lend our own sorry tales to the mix," Jubilee announced.

Rogue moved off the floor, letting the other girls step forward and tell their stories. While they did, she collected her again grizzling infant from Logan and settled into an armchair tucked away in the corner to feed her. Logan stood protectively in front of her, blocking her from the view of the rest of the room.

Once the girls had finished their stories of harassment, the Professor repeated Rogue's briefly, before asking the boy to explain himself. He just stood mutely in the corner of the room with his head bowed, as he realised how much trouble he was in.

"What made you think it was acceptable to lay your hands on a young woman, even after she had very clearly advised you she wanted you to leave her alone?" the Professor pressed angrily.

"I figured she was just playing hard to get, the other students said she put out if you got her alone, I knew everyone was afraid of her because of her skin but she had a baby so I figured that was true..." the boys comments were cut off by the metallic rasp of Logan's claws sliding smoothly into place. The boy gulped nervously, realizing he'd made another mistake when all the other students in attendance, who had all trained with Logan at one point, stepped back, leaving plenty of room for whatever carnage the Wolverine saw fit to unleash.

With a deep menacing growl Logan spoke for the first time to the boy. "You didn't stop and think maybe the fact that she didn't want anything to do with you, and had a baby, might mean she was happily involved with someone else?" he pointed out, definitely the most logical conclusion in the circumstances.

"Not really, I mean, who would want that long term, you can't even touch her, it's fun for the thrill but..." the boy stuttered nervously, albeit obliviously. Rogue couldn't help marvelling at how Logan could make people spill their guts, figuratively in this instance, just with a look and a growl.

"So, what you're saying is you wanted to have a little fun at her expense, is that accurate?" Logan replied, menacingly stalking up to the boy before Scott, or anyone else, could get between them. Marie wasn't worried, Logan wasn't going to hurt him, he would want him to live with the humiliation of having been bested by a girl, the Wolverine's girl. He was just going to scare the shit out of him so Remy knew he'd gotten off lightly between what she had done to him, and whatever punishment the Professor was yet to hand down.

"Listen here and listen well boy, my girl is no shrinking violet, she knows what she wants and she takes it, that's how she got me, and because she got me, she's not interested in you, you pull any shit like that again and it won't be her defending herself you have to worry about-" he paused for dramatic effect as he raised a fist full of claws to prove his point, all three razor sharp ones- "Now, you owe these girls all an apology, and that goes double for Rogue."

Remy meekly, and hurriedly, apologized. Even though Logan backed off, and moved back across the room to stand by Rogue, he refused to move from where he was standing flat against the wall, and wouldn't take his eyes off Logan. It seemed Logan had gotten his point across.

"Thank you Mr LeBeau, that will be all for now, you will be recalled later," Xavier stated coolly, watching almost amused as the boy raced out of the room faster than he had ever seen him move, followed by a low growl from the feral on the other side of the room.

Before anyone could speak, once the door had closed behind the boy, Jubilee jumped across the room and wrapped her arms around Logan. "Thanks Logan," she grinned up at him.

With a chuckle, Logan ruffled her hair playfully. "You don't have to thank me kid, you still remember those defence moves I taught you?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, and now I know how well they work I'll have to 'practice' some more," she added with a laugh.

"Alright girls," the Professor interrupted, he made a show of apologizing as well, assuring the girls that action would be taken on their behalf. They were encouraged to bring any other issues to the attention of their teachers as promptly as possible in future, before they were allowed to leave.

By the time the girls were all dismissed Sophia was back in Logan's arms, dozing lightly as her daddy rocked her gently. Rogue had retrieved her bag and was ready to leave too. She was hoping that they could leave quickly without anything said about Logan 'breaking the rules'. Unfortunately, that wasn't about to happen.

Logan felt Marie tense when the Professor spoke, he squeezed her hand gently before he turned back to the older man to acknowledge him.

"Given the circumstances I agree wholeheartedly with your flouting of the rules, excluding threatening one of my students, that was excessive," Charles ignored Logan's chuckle in response, he knew there was no way Logan would agree with that assessment so there was no point pushing the argument. "However, the rules still apply going forward, you will be permitted to drop Rogue off, and collect her, nothing more," he advised.

"Understood," Logan replied, before following Rogue out of the room and away.

"How many times do I have to tell you darling, you worry too much," he told her, pulling her closer as they walked out of the building.

"How did you know?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes at him calculatingly.

"He won't want a sexual assault complaint laid against his school any more than he'd want complaints about an inappropriate teacher-student relationship," Logan pointed out. "He knows better than to try and piss me off, I'll make sure he goes down for it, and he knows it," Logan grinned at her, as he boosted her into her seat in the truck, planting a quick kiss on her lips, before he went to strap a peacefully sleeping Sophia into her car seat.
Chapter 17 by erro
It was the last day of school before the Christmas break, Rogue had sat dozens of exams over the preceding weeks, and was anxiously awaiting her results to see if she had managed to graduate. She was over school, over being away from her baby, over the constant 'encouragement' from her teachers to continue on to college.

School was out early today but Logan had suggested she stay on to spend some time with her friends, he'd also suggested it would keep Sophia's routine which was the argument that finally won her over. So, right now, she was lounging on Jubilee's bed while the girls all chattered busily around her, she was trying to pay attention to the conversation but it felt so immature.

"Alright chica, we are clearly boring you, so tell us, what are you going to be doing now that you are free of the shackles of the education system?" Jubilee asked, flopping down on the bed beside her.

"Well I don't know if I'm free yet, I'm trying not to get my hopes up," Rogue answered with a chuckle.

"Assuming you are then?" Jubilee tried again.

"Honestly, I'm going to be really boring, go home and play with my baby, that is all, that's it, be mommy," Rogue replied with a teary smile, she wished she was home right now.

"Aww, that's so cute!" one of the other girls replied.

"Yeah, wish I could find a guy who could set me up like that," someone else added, which caused everyone to crack up laughing.

"Speaking of setting you up like that, do you know how much money Logan actually has?" Jubilee asked curiously. She had been so jealous the week before when Rogue had joined them for a spot of Christmas shopping, and been able to buy some incredibly pricey gifts without even batting an eye, all paid for with a piece of plastic in joint names.

"No idea," Rogue replied, "Whenever I mention it he just shrugs it off and tells me not to worry about it, or jokingly asks if I've maxed out my debit card, which I have not done, ever, not that I ever spend that much, I have no idea how much money is on that thing, we're comfortable so that's all that matters. It's not like we're completely without income though, Logan hits the fights when they're nearby every now and then, and he's been rebuilding motorcycles which sell for a pretty penny, he's even picked up a few custom detailing commissions from the local motorcycle club..."

"What, like painting... Logan paints?" Several people interrupted to ask, surprise the reigning emotion.

"Uh, yeah, the mural in Sophia's nursery, I showed you the picture right, Logan did that, he's drawn a couple of pictures of Sophia too, honestly you'd think they were photographs with a pencil art filter. Anyway, he did some detailing on one of the bikes he sold, and when he took it to the sale a woman asked if he did custom work and commissions, he said he could give it a shot and next thing you know he had half a dozen pieces lined up, I suggested he should customize his own bike, he said he would if I could come up with a concept he liked,” she informed her enraptured audience.

"Wow, I didn't expect that," Jubilee replied after the revelation had sunk in, "Any idea where he learned that?"

"It's probably from before, he said he just picked up a pencil one day and started doodling cause he was bored, he didn't realise it was anything special when he did it, he just drew what he could see, but the waitress at the diner he was in went kind of gaga over it, telling him it was really good, and asking if he was an artist and all that, so it's just something he knew how to do," Rogue explained, showing the picture she took of one of Logan's drawings of Sophia that she also had set as her phone wallpaper.

The girls spent a few minutes giggling over Logan being a series of contradictions, all wrapped up in a perfectly delicious package. Rogue tried to ignore them, she knew Logan was attractive, hell, he'd had his pick of women for as long as he could remember, but it still made her a little uncomfortable that they were talking about her boyfriend. Should she play along and agree - because she did - or should she shut them down and tell them to watch what they were saying, that was her man they were talking about.

Before she could decide what or whether to say something, a brief telepathic message was passed through to her. "Sorry guys, I have to go," she interrupted the giggles, as she rolled off the bed and grabbed her bag.

"Oh, come on Roguey we were just joking, well not about Logan being hot cause, duh, true, but we know he's yours," Kitty giggled.

"Huh? Oh, it's not that, the Professor just asked me to come down," Rogue replied with a grin, "I know I don't have anything to worry about from any of you, I'm the one with Logan's baby after all." With that said, she skipped out of the room as quickly as she could.

--

"You wanted to see me?" Rogue queried, sticking her head into the Professor's office as she tapped on the open door.

"Yes, indeed, please come in," he greeted, with a welcoming smile, as he waved her in.

Rogue closed the door softly behind her as she entered, all her teachers were also present which she hoped was good news. Taking a seat she nervously smiled back, "So, what's the news?" she asked hopefully.

"The news is congratulations, you passed every exam, with quite high marks in most subjects, not calculus, though I'm sure I don't have to tell you that," the Professor chuckled, Rogue joining in.

"That's great, so, I'm officially graduated?" Rogue asked hopefully.

"You will be once you are handed your diploma," the Professor confirmed, "The graduation ceremony will be held on the thirty first of December, followed by a New Year's Eve party..."

"Oh that's okay, if you can just post me the diploma that will be fine," Rogue replied, with a shrug.

Her teachers looked confused for a moment, before Ororo softly asked why she didn't want to be part of the ceremony.

"The ceremony is for celebrating, I have no interest in taking part without the people I would want to celebrate that achievement with being present," she stated plainly, she didn't need to say who exactly it was she would want there.

With an accepting grimace Xavier reached into the top drawer of his desk and withdrew an envelope with Logan's name on it. "I thought you might say that, I prepared this in advance, will you see he gets his invitation to your graduation ceremony?" Xavier asked, holding the envelope out to her.

Rogue sighed. "I should have expected that, you realise this means he's going to make me go now," she tried to sound annoyed.

"I know," the Professor replied with a broad smile. "And he knows that invitation is coming home with you so don't think it can go missing between here and there," he added.

"Damn," Rogue replied with a laugh, before asking, "Is that all?"

"No, as a matter of fact," the Professor continued, drawing out a slip of paper. "Your results were quite high, as I said, so high in fact that you have easily qualified for our college scholarship and--"

Rogue interrupted, watching the hopeful smiles on her teachers faces promptly disappear. "I have no need of a scholarship, please give it to someone else," she stated plainly.

"Rogue, you have such a promising future, your grades are fantastic and--" Jean tried to interject.

"Yes, Dr Grey, I have a very promising future, as a mommy, I don't need a college degree for that, I have no interest in spending any further time away from my daughter to get a useless degree, and it would be a waste to take scholarship funds for unnecessary study," Rogue stated plainly.

It was Scott's turn to take another shot at convincing her. "It may not seem like a big deal right now but one day you'll need to get a job or something and need a degree--"

"If that day ever comes I will go to college then if I can't find a job that doesn't require a degree," Rogue replied. "Look, I know you all want me to do something fantastic, to prove to the world how great mutants are and all that, but as far as I am concerned, there's nothing better I could do than raise the next generation of freaky mutant kiddos."

"But don't your parents want you to--" Scott tried again.

"My parents want me to be happy, my parents have accepted my decision, Logan has accepted my decision, if I had decided to go to college I still wouldn't need the scholarship because Logan already put funds aside for me to go to college--" This time it was her turn to be interrupted.

"Logan set aside funds for you to go to college?" Ororo asked surprised.

"Yep, over a hundred grand, he set it aside not long after he left me here back at the very beginning, and he's still accepted my decision not to go to college," she added.

"How do you know that? Did he tell you that? Was it some kind of attempt to manipulate--" Jean began to ask, in righteous indignation.

"I know because he touched me after Sophia was born - I cheated to get rid of my baby weight - I admit, it did make me feel bad for a while, even though I'd already made my decision by that point - Logan went to all that trouble, literal blood and sweat, to make sure I would have anything I wanted - I felt ungrateful for turning it down but I also knew from his memories that he had accepted my decision, as do my parents, I already discussed it with all of them before Sophia was even born, I thought about this a lot, and I'm confident in my decision, you won't change my mind." With her piece said she hoped they would finally drop the subject.

"Very well," Xavier said after several moments of silence, "We will also accept your decision, and we look forward to seeing the three of you at the New Years Eve party, I believe the students have set a theme but that will be set out on the invitation. Now, it is three thirty, Logan is arriving as we speak, we will let you go. Until next week, my dear, have a wonderful Christmas, and this is a little something for your family, and a special gift for young Sophia on her first Christmas," the Professor finished, after he wheeled around his desk and handed her two packages wrapped in gold and red Christmas paper.

"Thank you, Professor," Rogue responded with a smile, before she hugged him. Picking up the packages, she thanked her other teachers also, before leaving the school, for almost the last time.

Sure enough Logan was parked up on the driveway, laughing at Jubilee as she tried to lift a sack of gifts into the back of the SUV, she and Logan bickered good naturedly – given he didn’t need to worry about following any stupid rules anymore – before Jubilee eventually relented and accepted Logan's help with the packages.

"What the hell did you get the kid for Christmas, bricks?" he asked teasingly, as he hefted the heavy sack.

"Close but no cigar, well, actually I can neither confirm nor deny re the cigars, I guess you'll just have to wait until Christmas, good thing that's only two sleeps away," Jubilee said, more to Sophia, who was grinning and gurgling at her in her car seat as she kicked at the seat back in front of her while gumming her rubber teething ring; she hadn't sprouted her first tooth yet but it wouldn't be long now.

Logan added the gifts Rogue had brought out to the stash in the trunk, while Rogue hugged Jubilee goodbye. As they drove away from the mansion Marie felt the weight of stress she hadn't realised she was carrying, lift from her shoulders.

"What are you thinking?" Logan asked, spying the happy smile on her face.

"I am so glad that is over and I don't have to go back," she admitted.

"Well, you do still have to go back..." Logan said, prompting Marie to groan.

"You're not going to make me go to that stupid ceremony, are you?" she asked incredulously. "You know that means you have to dress up, right?" She added, hoping to put him off the idea.

"Yes ma'am, you are going, I am going, Sophia is going, and your parents extended their trip so they can be there too," Logan informed her. "There's no way out of it kid," he added, with a chuckle when she groaned again.

By the time they got home Sophia was loudly demanding her afternoon snack, so Logan left Marie to feed baby while he brought in the fresh wave of Christmas gifts to add to the substantial pile under their tree. Marie's parents were flying in for Christmas - they arrived the following day - but hadn't wanted to risk being delayed, or possibly losing any of the multitude of gifts they were spoiling their granddaughter with, and had already couriered everything to them.

Christmas was going to be insane this year, Marie realised, especially in comparison to the last several Christmases she had had.
Chapter 18 by erro
Marie woke Christmas morning to the feeling of movement on the bed behind her, rolling over she came face to face with her daughter, sitting on the bed looking confused while she sucked on a little paper wrapped box.

"Aww, daddy dressed you so pretty!" Marie smiled over at her, the puffy lacy red and green dress was gorgeous, and Sophia had a little sprig of holly pinned in her thick curling hair.

"Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas," Logan commented, from where he had just walked back into the room, dressed in a pair of comfortably worn blue jeans and a red and white Santa hat, with breakfast. "Hey, get that out of your mouth," he added to the little girl, who promptly removed the box from her mouth and began waving it around, while she yelled loudly.

"Nice hat," Marie giggled.

"Thanks, I thought it suited the occasion," Logan replied with a grin, as he slid Sophia over so he could sit on the bed on the other side of her. "Alright munchkin, give mommy her present," Logan said, encouraging Sophia to hand over the drool saturated box much to the little girls annoyance, though she quickly decided mommy cuddles and kisses made up for losing her new favourite-ist toy.

"Oh Logan, it's perfect!" Marie commented once she had opened the small box, inside was a dog tag, to match the one of Logan's she had worn since he had given it to her so long ago. This one was engraved with Sophia's name and birth date. Later, as she fed Sophia her liquid breakfast, while Logan fed her her own, the little girl explored the new addition to her favourite feed time toy as she threaded her fat little fingers through the chain and clinked the two tags together.

"I got you a special present too," Marie commented coyly, a little while later.

"You did, did you? What is it, can I guess?" Logan teased.

"You could, or you could just go get it and open it, I'm sure that would be a lot more fun," Marie replied. She gave a description of the present, told him where to find it, and Logan went to get it. “No peeking," she called out after him, hearing the chuckled, 'no promises', he called back.

He returned a minute later package in hand. "I hate when they're in boxes, you can't tell what's in them," Logan replied with a grin, before he lay back on the bed. He moved to open the paper but paused, just sitting, staring at the box in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Marie asked worriedly.

Turning to her he smiled up at her softly, before he ran a gloved finger down her cheek. "No one's ever given me a gift before, not that I can remember at least... it seems kind of excessive now, when I've got so much more than I've ever had before," he leaned over and kissed her softly, before ruffling Sophia's hair, earning an irritated mimicked growl from the little girl.

Marie smiled lovingly at him. "I'll admit, this one's sort of for both of us," she said cheekily.

"The best kind of present," Logan replied, a new eagerness entering his countenance as he hurriedly turned back to the box and tore it open.

Inside the small brown box was a pile of fabric, frowning he pulled it out of the box, marvelling at the texture, it was light and floaty, soft as silk, and when unfurled it was so thin you could hardly see it. It took him a split second to realise what the sheer piece of fabric was intended for.

"I like the way you think babe," he commented, lifting the fabric up to cover her face before he kissed her deeply. It was several minutes before a mutual need for oxygen, and their daughter grumpily kicking them in the ribs, drew them apart. "That is fantastic, please tell me that's not the only one you got?" Logan asked with a sly wink.

"I'll admit, I didn't really have all that many ideas of what to get you, so, there's a few more of those," Marie replied with a grin.

About an hour later they finally got up, joining Marie's parents who were already up and excitedly waiting for them. They cooed over Sophia in her dress, and also complimented the red and white hat that had migrated from Logan's head to Marie's. Over hot chocolate and cookies, in front of the roaring fire they worked their way through the mountain of brightly wrapped Christmas gifts. Most of them were, understandably, for Sophia, though she seemed more interested in the pile of discarded paper than anything contained in it.

From Logan and Marie for her parents there were several gifts, a painting of a magnolia tree in full bloom, plaster casts of Sophia's tiny hands and feet, a framed hand drawn picture of baby, along with a photograph album filled with pictures of Sophia's first months, a bottle of expensive bourbon for Owen, and one of Eileen's favourite perfume.

For Logan there was a bottle of Fireball whiskey, and for Marie, a necklace, with a large locket that had once belonged to her grandmother, inside of which was a photo of her parents on one side, and Logan and Sophia on the other.

"I suspect some collusion in gift giving," Marie chuckled, she knew when and where that photo was taken, and there was no way her parents could have gotten it without Logan giving it to them. Suddenly she burst into tears, she was so happy that her parents got along well enough with Logan to do that. Logan pulled her into his lap and hugged her, before Sophia crawled over to join in too.

Among the rest of the presents were some books, some for Marie, a lot for Sophia, a seemingly endless supply of stuffed animals, and two dolls, one handmade by someone at the school, the other a ragdoll that Marie had fallen in love with and just had to get for the little girl. From the Professor there was a box of cigars, a pair of expensive leather gloves, and a little charm bracelet for Sophia.

Before they were finished opening presents, Sophia fell asleep in the pile of wrapping paper, hugging her new dolly. They opened the last of the presents while she slept, as most of the rest weren't for her. There were multiple boxes of varying shapes and sizes for Logan, each one containing another sheer scarf, he had quite a collection by the time he was done. There were several small boxes for Marie too, one in particular she immediately snapped shut blushing furiously, before admonishing Logan, who chuckled devilishly before handing her the next present with a grin.

There were a variety of smaller gifts and a few gag gifts among those remaining, including a bunny teeth pacifier for Sophia. More clothes for Sophia were also among the gifts, including a black snowsuit, with silver stripes running down the front, embroidered across the back, in silver thread, it read 'Mommy's little rogue'.

"Aww! It's so cute!" Marie squeaked with a laugh, as she set it aside with the rest of Sophia's presents.

Sophia woke up not long after and wanted more food so while Marie fed her, everyone else put the finishing touches on lunch.

By the end of the day everyone was full of good food and exhausted, even Logan was ready to call it a night. So he was surprised to find, on returning to the master bedroom, after putting Sophia down in the nursery, that Marie wasn't already in bed.

"Where did my little Rogue get to?" he addressed the room, as he stripped off ready for bed. With a grin he slipped into the bathroom, expecting to find Marie, it was empty too, he was getting ready to go out and find her when he felt a breath of air across his shoulder. "Shit Marie, don't sneak up on me like tha..." he faded off as he got a good look at her, dressed in the naughty Christmas present he had given her. "... Wow!"

She was clad neck to toes in a sheer white bodysuit, aside from making her look a little paler than she normally did, it did absolutely nothing to hide every curve of her body from his view.

"I think you and I might have done our shopping at the same place," she teased, as she draped one of the scarves she had given him around his neck, "They have a male version of the bodysuit too if you want to give it a try?" she suggested.

"I know," Logan croaked, when he could speak again, "I got a couple of those too, I wasn't expecting to try them out tonight though, you're tired babe," he said gently, leading her to the bed.

"Mm, not that tired," she replied, pushing him toward the bed.

--

"Do I have to go!" Marie whined, for the fiftieth time that day, as she walked down the stairs.

"Yes," three people replied simultaneously, without even looking up.

She had been trying to talk her way out of the graduation ceremony for the whole week, coming up with one excuse after another. Unfortunately for her, Logan had anticipated every reason so far. Her first was that she didn't have a dress that would fit the 'Winter Wonderland' theme of the New Year's Eve after party. The floor length pale blue dress Logan had pulled out of the hall closet and handed her had caused her face to fall. Her next point, that Sophia didn't have anything to wear, resulted in much the same response, a second dress, in the same colour but with a lace overlay with little snowflakes embroidered on it had quickly changed her opinion from 'damn', to 'oh my god that's so cute!'.

As she walked into the room, wearing the dress Logan had picked out for her, she had to admit she looked good. She had donned one of her sheer white bodysuits under the sleeveless dress, white leather elbow length gloves matched the white leather boots she was wearing, a white fur wrap completed the outfit.

"You look gorgeous baby," Logan informed her when he finally turned to her, dropping a kiss on her glossed lips before he handed her their dressed-up baby.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Marie replied appreciatively, as she surveyed his attire, a perfectly fit pair of black jeans, and a dress shirt the same colour as her dress.

Her parents were also dressed up to a degree, though they didn't plan to stay for the whole party. Marie had tried to use that to her advantage too but been shut down by Logan, pointing out that it would be her last chance to see some of her friends before they went off to college.

"Alright then, let's get this over with," she finally announced, once she was sure they had everything they would need, which meant diapers, and a change of clothes for her and for Sophia, just in case, and a travel highchair for Sophia so she wouldn't have to be carried around all night.

"That's the spirit darlin," Logan chuckled, as he held the door for her to head out to the car.

--

The graduation ceremony went as those things normally do, long and boring, too many speeches, too much sitting around, and fake smiles all around. When it was finally over, and Marie had returned the cap and gown that had been rented by the school for the occasion, she returned to her family, receiving hugs and congratulations all around.

"I'm proud of you kid, you did one hell of a job all things considered," Logan told her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked a little way off from the crowd.

"I couldn't have done it without you," she replied softly, squeezing him tightly.

They were standing together, under an old oak tree off to the side of the main field, just the three of them - though Sophia was asleep so she probably didn't count - when a throat was cleared behind them. Marie turned around, while Logan just peered over her head.

"Never thought I'd have to say this to the Wolverine but keep the PDA to a minimum, Rogue might be graduated now but it still doesn't look good having a fresh graduate strutting around, on the arm of a letch, with a baby in tow, making out in the trees," Scott scoffed self-righteously.

"So glad I can finally say this; fuck off One-Eye," Rogue snapped, before tugging Logan's head down toward her and kissing him soundly but quickly.

"Couldn't have said it better myself babe," Logan chuckled in response. The two of them walked off arm in arm, leaving Scott staring after them in open mouthed shock. "If anyone has a problem, you send them to me," Logan called back over his shoulder.

Aside from a disapproving glare from Jean, the rest of the night passed in relative peace. Logan didn't get into any more trouble, the fact that Rogue had finally, after all this time stuck up for herself and her relationship - now that she no longer needed to 'not rock the boat' to keep her place at the school - enough to convince her teachers that now wasn't a good time to push any remaining anti-Logan agenda. He spent most of the night chatting with her parents, some of the other parents, a lot of the students stopped by to say hi too. Logan might have been a hard taskmaster but the students respected him for not going easy on them, and most had been loath to lose him, no matter how much they had complained about his defence classes.

Marie vaguely noticed, as it approached midnight, that her parents hadn't left yet. They were making their way outside in preparation for the midnight fireworks, when Marie's 'Logan senses' went off... he was up to something, she was sure of it, but what? Is that why he was so insistent they come tonight? Logan took her hand as she started to nervously lag behind him, the grin on his face telling her, he knew, that she knew, he was up to something. He led her to the schools rose garden, it was away from the general hubbub of the party, and relatively deserted, even though heaters had been set up in the space to make it cosy. She didn't have to wait long to find out what he was up to.

"I'll make this brief because I know you've caught on- " he commented, as he nervously fumbled in one pocket, trying to distract her from what he was doing with one hand by adjusting Sophia's position with the other. Quickly he dropped down on one knee, one handedly popping open the ring box he produced from his pocket. "What do you say, you really ready to be stuck with me for good?" he asked, grinning at the shocked excitement on her face.

"No, you say it properly," she replied, when she recovered from her initial shock.

With a chuckle Logan gently shifted Sophia, so she was sitting on his knee supported against his chest and arm, before he took one of Marie's hands. "Marie, you are a phenomenal woman, a fantastic mother, and an amazing partner. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"Yes! Of course I will, you absolutely incredible man," she replied, smiling widely as tears began to prick at her eyes. Logan gently slipped the ring on her finger, just as the midnight countdown ended, and fireworks began to go off over their heads. "That was well executed," Marie congratulated him, as he rose to gently press his lips to hers. Little Sophia was torn between watching her parents, and watching the bright noisy explosions above them.

"I wanted to get it out of the way before the fireworks started, I was expecting Sophia to freak out, hey you little weirdo, you take after your mommy huh, not being afraid of big scary things like explosions, and freaky guys with metal claws...?" Logan addressed the little girl, who just giggled and pointed at the fireworks again.

The whole school saw Logan's proposal, and Marie's acceptance, and though certain people obviously weren't happy about it there was nothing much they could do, especially not with her parents present and among those congratulating the couple. And Logan ended the night in smug satisfaction in having gotten both the girl, and getting the last laugh over on the group of busybodies.
Epilogue by erro
Six months later, Marie and Logan took a summer vacation to Colorado. It was Sophia’s first birthday, and her parents invited them out for a fun filled time if celebration.

They had been making hinting suggestions to Marie about their ‘only grand baby’ being so far away and so hard for them to spoil. So it came as no surprise to Marie when Logan took her out one day, just the two of them, Sophia staying behind with her doting grandparents, and he suddenly pulled into the driveway of a large, two storey, log cabin style house.

Marie froze in surprise before asking plainly, “Did you buy this?” a comment clearly harking back to her introduction to the Connecticut house.

Logan grinned back at her, pausing for dramatic effect before he replied, “No, no I haven’t bought this one, yet, I thought you should get some input in the decision this time, want to see inside?”

“Are you serious? You really want to uproot our lives and move halfway across the country?” Marie asked a little incredulously.

“Why not, what’s to stay for? We only stayed originally for your schooling, aside from a few of your friends who still go to college back there... well the X-Men clearly don’t want us around... but out here you’ve got family, my work isn’t limited by location, seems to me it’s got all the perks and no drawbacks, we can also afford a bigger house and more land with what we sell the other house for,” Logan pointed out, his grin growing as he watched Marie thinking over the proposal. He chuckled a minute later as he saw her make up her mind, a bright smile spreading over her face as she did.

They went back to their accommodation for the night to inform Marie’s parents they were moving to Colorado permanently, having made an offer on a property that day. It was celebrations all around.

As Marie drifted off to sleep later that night, Logan spooned behind her, and Sophia cuddled on her arms, she couldn’t help thinking what a good idea it had been to try to seduce Logan way back then. Sure it had been playing into Wolverines plan but hey... it wasn’t a bad plan!
End Notes:
And they all lived happily ever after. The end...
This story archived at http://wolverineandrogue.com/wrfa/viewstory.php?sid=4240