Again an announcement rang from the speakers and Rogue already knew the text by heart. "Dear parents, Kathy Higgins wants to be picked up from the Småland." Only the child's name changed.

"Whatcha they doin' with the kids down there? Torture?!" Becca made a whining sound and Logan immediately stroked her back. "Don't worry, kiddo, won't gonna park you there."

Rogue eyed the different cribs warily. "That LEKSVIK" The brunette struggled with the word or more the missing vowel in the middle of it. "Swedish is no language for me. Too less vowels… anyway that L-thingy is too dark."

"Nah, don't like it either, Kid." The Canadian's gaze swapped from the dark brown wooden bed to the two cribs framing it. "And HERMELIN and MAMMUT are blue and we have a girl."

Marie faced him startled, her brow moving upwards. "Old fashioned, huh? Good thing they don't have pink cribs." She walked over to the lighter colored beds and traced her fingertips over the wood. "Ah like the white ones… How about GULLIVER? Ah can vocalize that one at least." A smirk formed on her lips as she heard his chuckle.

Logan eyed the two white cribs as he approached the brunette. "HENSVIK is nicer, don't you think so?"

"Yes, it is. But it costs 40 bucks more."

"And?" His gaze never left the girl's face.

The young mother was almost gapping at the man before her. "40 $, Logan. That's the pillows, blanket and casings! Maybe even the highchair!"

Logan only shrugged and placed a kiss on Becca's downy head. "And? I want our girl to have the best and nicest, not the cheapest stuff." Suddenly he noticed the insecure expression on Marie's face. She always held that look when she had a request but was too shy to voice it. "What is it?" His tone softened.

Her eyes were cast down onto the crib before her. "Ah thought on the way here… maybe Ah should look for a job."

"No."

The firmness and determination in his voice made her look up into his face, her eyes were burning with anger. "No? Ya can't forbid me that!" Had she assessed Logan's character wrong? Was he just such a controlling bastard her father was? Her intuition had never let her down during the few months she had spent hitchhiking her way to Canada.

"Nah, I can't, but I will anyway." He gritted his teeth and tried to hold his tone to a low hiss, so he wouldn't startle his daughter or arouse the attention of the other people. "You have enough work with the baby and your school, Marie."

"But…" Her expression softened. He didn't want to control her; he only wanted what was best for her.

He placed his free hand down on her shoulder. "You'll graduate, maybe enroll in college and THEN you'll look for a job, Kid."

She smiled gently at him. "Logan, that's cute of ya, but a baby costs money."

"And?" He shrugged once more and his hand dropped back to the baby's back. "Isn't like I have none. You should know that a cage fight brings at least 500, after all I'm in your mind." Marie looked at him skeptically and he half sighed. "I have 'bout nineteen hundred."

"So ya'll leave again for the cage fights?" Her expression was solemnly.

"Yeah, but just for one night."

"Really?"

He saw hope spark in her chocolate eyes as her gaze searched his face for confirmation. "Yeah, there are some in the closer vicinity of Westchester. Will only be gone for a few hours. You fine with that, Kid?"

Marie beamed at him. "Sure. So ya can have your fun and won't go up the walls."

"Hey."

X X X X X

Logan pushed the cart forwards, glad to have his hands finally free. Marie was carrying their daughter and stood a few meters away in front of the casings. The Canadian was taken aback and slightly startled by the many items the store offered for babies and he had never wasted a thought about what else to put into the crib next to a pillow and a blanket. "LEN crib comforter, LEN crib pillow, LEN mattress protector, LEN … huh? Gonna take everything called LEN." He plowed through the shelf once, throwing one of every article into his cart.

The brunette didn't look up from the bedding sets, but she trusted his judgment. "Sounds good, Logan. Hey, the VITAMINER beddings are nice… and sound healthy." Marie held up the beddings with the multicolored hearts and turned around, so Logan could look at her findings.

"Healthy, you say, Miss-Ah-hate-broccoli?!" He snickered and pushed the cart towards his two girls.

"Ah like broccoli, but not on mah pizza."

"Whatever… Take the beddings you like, but don't you dare to take that grass-green VITAMINER blanket. That ones hurtin' my eyes." His gaze was like captured by the obtrusive colored fabric.

She dropped the hearts-beddings into the cart and wrinkled her nose on the bright green item. "Nah, BARNSLIG PARK is nicer anyway."

X X X X X

Marie rushed over to the rummage tables and immediately grasped a tiny lion-like toy. "Ooh, look, Logan. Stuffed animals!" She whirled around, carefully to be not too fast with Becca on her arm, and looked at the other mutant, who also dug through the soft toys.

Logan's frown deepened at the sight of the hideous creatures before him. "WTF?! BARNSLIG GIRAFF looks like a giraffe fucked a hippo!"

Marie giggled, but burst out into a full fit of laughter when she saw the dark scowls the other parents threw Logan. A mother even covered her son's ears, while others led their children away from the loud and rude man. When he saw the glowers, Logan snarled at a middle-aged couple and they hurried away, their children in tow.

"If you snarl again, we'd have the whole department for us." Marie chuckled and stroked her daughter's back gently.

His dark glare swept over the remaining customers, who already scurried in the opposite direction. "No need for that. Let's fetch that baby gym and some not too ugly soft toys and get to the highchairs."

But Marie was already occupied with the multicolored clothes on another shelf. "Ooh, those bibs are cute!"

"Then take 'em." The Canadian sighed deeply and leaned against another bargain bin while watching Rogue hold the different colored bibs in front of their little daughter. His gaze caught sight of a towel-like cloth slipping down from the heap he was leaning on. Grasping a hold of it before the item could hit the floor, a grin tugged on his lips. "Hey, Kid. You like rabbits?"

Marie spun around and looked at the source of the question. "'Course!" Logan held a towel with a rabbit-ears-hood up. "Cuuuuute!"

X X X X X

After a nursing break in the cafeteria, Logan had devoured two plates of meatballs, while Rogue had nibbled on her Buffalo Chicken Wrap, and a stop for a new diaper, Marie had left their side to roam through the baby toys once again, hoping the salespersons had already forgotten about the bad-language-incident.

Logan eyed the changing tables warily, especially one object caught his interest concerning stability. He circled the camping-changing-table, at least he would define it as such. "Parents, who buy SPOLING aren't spoiling their kid, huh." He cooed to his little daughter propped up on his shoulder. The girl eyed the world around her with tired eyes.

Marie returned with a baby bath and immediately saw Logan's glare. "No, LÄTTSAM is only available in blue."

"Doesn't matter… Whaddya think 'bout the changing tables, Kid?"

"That one's nice. Has enough room for the diapers and stuff."

Logan nodded in agreement. This one had also been his first choice. "Do we have everythin' on your list?"

Rogue glanced at the crumbled paper in her hand and nodded. "Much more. Only the highchairs were crap."

"Then let's get goin'." The shopping adventure hadn't been as bad as Logan had feared it would turn out to be.

X X X X X

Rogue had insisted to use the self-scanners, when she caught sight of them at the check-out-counters. Logan held a sleeping Becca in his arms and watched the brunette search for the barcodes, the scanner in her hand while a salesclerk observed her every movement, attentive that the girl didn't miss to scan an item.

Two old women, surely grandmothers themselves approached the Canadian from the side and smiled down on the tiny baby. "Ooh, how cute! So small! Boy or girl?"

"Girl." Logan answered proudly and his features softened to some extend.

"How old is she?"

"Not even 24 hours." Marie answered after glancing on her watch.

One of the women smiled up at the young father. "Then you're quite new to this grandfather thing."

"Come again?!" Logan blurted out and felt the urge to let his claws their will. Good thing for them, he had Becca in his arms. But his vicious glare made both women shudder and brought them close to a heart attack. The old hags took a few steps back and even the salesclerk brought a greater distance between herself and the young family.

X X X X X

"I need a drink." Logan muttered under his breath as they finally left the store and approached their pick-up.

Marie ignored his shaken features – she kinda thought his stunned face funny when the woman had called him a grandfather – but she knew better than to tease him about this topic. Deep down it had always bothered her that wherever they went, people thought them father and daughter. "We need to stop at the mall anyway. Ya can buy your beer there."

He laid the newborn into Marie's arms and began to load the pick-up's bed with their purchases. "Beer… I need something stronger. Much stronger."

"Logan, ya can't get drunk." Marie stated matter of fact and opened the passenger door.

"Let me the illusion, Kid." He almost whined, but then his questioning gaze met hers. "What do we need at the mall? Thought the highchair can wait a few months."

"A baby seat for the car?" She looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"You have a point there, Kid."

"And more diapers."

"Another point for you."

"And baby shampoo and more romper suits." Logan only rolled his eyes and decided to take care of Becca and his beer while he sent Marie away to buy the rest.