To Kitty's and Jubilee's regret Becca demanded a new diaper after she had spit half her meal onto the smelly towel. Good thing the laundry had windows and the dryer was on the opposite end of the room. Rogue was surprised how fast she got used to the stench and unpleasant view of what resurfaced from her child's meals.

Now the young mother carried her sleepy daughter lying in the baby seat up the stairs to the second floor, the baby bag was slung over her shoulder. The other teenagers carried the basket with the freshly washed and dried purchases. They were bursting with curiosity about Rogue's new room and were close on the brunette's heels.

Marie eventually stopped in front of a door and opened it without knocking, after all it was her room now. Her eyes fell immediately upon the white crib located in the middle of the room and a bright smile tugged on her lips, until her nose picked up the stench of tobacco lingering in the air. Epinephrine rushed through her veins and she had to control her rising anger to put the baby seat carefully down next to the wall of the hallway, before she leaped towards an oblivious Logan, who crouched between wooden boards on the floor. "LOGAN!"

Her furious voice startled the man and he faced the brunette, who didn't even dare to scream at him, but also ripped his beloved cigar from his mouth and put it out on one of the cardboard-wrappings lying next to him. "Hey!"

Rogue held the cigar clutched tightly in her fist while her rage was boiling in her huge chocolate orbs piercing down on him. "Are ya nuts?! Ya can't smoke in here!" Her free hand was propped up on her hip.

"Why the fuckin' hell not?!" His smoking had never bothered the girl before and he stood up to his full high. This gesture might have intimidated every other of the students, but not Rogue.

She stepped closer to his massive frame and pushed the rest of his cigar on his chest, her palm flat against his white tee shirt. "Becca'll sleep in here!"

You could indeed see how this information was processed and eventually hit home and Wolverine's face suddenly showed guilt about his stupidity. "Right." He grunted out and walked over to the window, opening it.

A frustrated growl rang from Rogue's lips – catching her classmates by surprise – as the smoke didn't lighten so fast she wanted it to. She stomped over to the connecting door and over to Logan's room ripping there the window wide open. The draft already moved the door slightly and Rogue fetched the pillow from Logan's bed and placed it on the floor in the doorframe, so the door couldn't fall shut by accident.

In the meantime Becca had started to whimper, not happy by her parents arguing and Kitty and Jubilee both sat crouched down in front of the baby, helpless what to do. Kitty had some experience with younger children from her time baby-sitting, but none of her charges were younger than three years and this was a tiny and breakable newborn. "Shh." She whispered and her hand hovered carefully over the child's head.

"What's wrong with 'er? The diaper again?" Jubilee swore to be as far away as possible if that was the problem.

Logan smirked at the two helpless girls. Shoving his cigar into his jeans' pocket, he approached them. "She won't bite." Both looked up somewhat startled that the big bad Wolverine had sneaked up to them and was now bending down in front of the baby, picking her gently up with his large callused hands.

The girls watched in awe how Logan cradled the tiny child to his chest and rubbed her back lightly. "Is fine, kiddo." And to top everything, the baby indeed calmed.

The young father carried his hiccupping daughter into Rogue's room, the air was thanks to the draft clean again. He stopped in front of the crib and placed a kiss to Becca's downy head. "Look that's your bed. Whatchaya thinking, kiddo?" The baby made a cooing sound and Logan chuckled about the respond. "Good thing you like it."

Marie's anger had evaporated and she smiled at the cute picture of Wolverine talking softly to the tiny girl in his arms, as did the two other teenagers. She lifted the basket up and carried it over to her bed that was still occupied by her clothing and the newly acquired pillow and comforter for Becca. Rummaging through the freshly washed beddings, she eventually found her favorite, the one with the hearts printed on it. "Gonna put the sheets on, then Becca can make her nap in her new bed."

"Sounds fine." Logan stepped carefully over the wooden boards on the floor, his Adamantium enhanced weight might squash them, and he sank down into the old leather chair in the corner. Logan was positively surprised how comfortable the armchair was and he leaned back in it to relax a little. And to watch Marie fiddle with the comforter casing.

Jubilee grasped the baby seat from the hallway's floor and entered the room. It was anything else than tidy, especially with the cardboard shredded on the floor. The Firecracker mused the other mutant had used his sharp claws to open the packages. She was impressed how fast and … well, right he had erected the crib. On the other hand the man spent hours in the garage screwing cars or Cyclops' bike – who didn't thought that funny – so he'd be more than capable to assemble a bed using instructions.

The other girl also followed her friend into Rogue's new room gapping in awe on the vast space and the king-size bed the room provided. And the private bathroom, she was able to get a glimpse of the shower through the partly open door. Kitty watched Jubilee put the baby seat down next to the crib and her eyes gave the room a once over.

The Asian frowned when her gaze came to a sudden stop on the door, forced open by the pillow on the floor. She neared the doorframe and peeked into the adjoining room. "Whose room is that?"

"Logan's." Marie answered and froze immediately. Was she supposed to reveal this much? What might they think now?

Wolverine picked up the panicked scent of his Marie and the surprise of the two other girls. "Thought I help 'er with the lil' tyke." He noticed with confusion the knowing gazes the teenagers exchanged. Did they suspect Becca to be his? How could the gossip change so fast?

X X X X X

It was still too early for facing the entire mansion during dinner and so Logan snatched once again some supper from the kitchen, serving it the nursing mother. They – or rather he with her commanding him - had rearranged the dresser next to the door, so enough room was provided on the opposing wall of the bed to shelter the crib. The desk also had to move a few inches, so the spot between it and the wall that once harbored the armchair was now occupied by the changing table. Logan had suggested – hinting on the space the thing took up – that it would be better to move it to his room. He wouldn't admit that he almost fell asleep in the old comfortable leather.

But as it seemed Marie had also taken a liking to the chair and so their dinner was moved to Logan's room. He sat again on the desk chair while the nursing mother and child leaned back in the armchair.

Now, after Logan had returned their plates to the kitchen and placed them into the washer, he entered his room only to find it empty. Walking over to Marie's room he found the brunette propped up against her bed's headboard a book in her hands.

"Becca's sleeping." She informed him while finishing reading the page as she felt the mattress give way to Logan's immense weight.

He crawled up to the girl, leaning next to her and opened the package of chips he had brought from the kitchen. Knowing from experience how the bookworm hated it to be interrupted while reading, he sighed and starred to the white ceiling, praying for her to read faster. When she eventually marked the corner of the page with a dog-ear, his gaze swapped to her. "It's so fuckin' borin', Kid. Gonna buy a TV next time I'm in town."

"Ya could try to read, Wolvie." She grinned at him, knowing full well that he indeed peeked into a good book from time to time.

With a warning growl he snatched the book from her fingers and threw the chips onto her belly. "Harry Potter." He rolled his eyes. "Thought you had finished that book the last time I hung around."

"Ah did. That's the next volume." She plopped a chip into her mouth.

"What?!" 'Crap sells, huh?'

"There are seven volumes. That's the fifth."

He furrowed his brows. The television was needed desperately. "Thought there are movies, why botherin' with readin'."

"They left a lot out in the movies." Marie began to crumble on her tee shirt and saw Logan's fingers pick the chips pieces up from her breasts and put them into his mouth. Her blush wore off in the comfortable silence.

This was nagging on her the whole evening and though her inner Logan tried his best to dispel her doubts, she couldn't bury this topic so easily. "Logan?"

"Mhm?" He still fiddled with the thick book.

"Do ya feel guilty?"

"Huh?" Now he looked up from her large breasts, the up and down of her chest due to her breathing was mesmerizing.

Her voice quivered slightly under his intense hazel eyes. "That ya didn't notice Ah was in labor. Is this the reason ya decided to take care of Becca?"

Hearing this, the Canadian pushed himself into a sitting position and his hurt glare dug into the girl before him. "WTF? That's the most stupid thin' I've ever heard comin' from your mouth, Kid! Becca is my flesh and blood, my child. The girl I love gave me my beautiful daughter, what is there to decide?" Anger was edged to his voice.

Marie breathed a sigh of relief. This was exactly what her inner Logan had told her all along. "And Wolverine?"

Logan scented the air and found that she had already expected this answer of him. She hadn't really meant it the way she had said it. This knowledge made him relax and he slumped back against the headboard, never leaving her face with his eyes. "He's so proud that his young mate gave birth to a healthy cub. His cub." He contemplated a moment. How much did his mental counterpart in her mind tell her about his feelings and his feral nature? "You know, you're our mate." He eventually added with an insecure smile. What if the whole animal-part was locked away in her brain and this revelation would freak her out?

But to his relief Marie only smiled lovingly at him. "Yeah, Wolverine told me he had chosen me as his mate. That Ah'm your mate."

His expression turned into a bright genuine smile and he reached out to tug her white streak behind her ear. "The moment you entered that bar, the moment I lay, no Wolverine lay his eyes on you while fightin' in that cage, he knew you were his mate." His fingertips caressed her soft cheek. "You had somethin' 'bout you… He completely forgot 'bout the fight in that moment that earned me quite a beatin'." He chuckled on the memory.

Marie grinned at him smugly. "Ah turned Wolverine's head?"

There was the sassy girl again. "Yup. Later at that bar I tried to figure out, what it was 'bout you that made him chose you of all women." His hand wandered from her cheek over her bare arms and finally rested on her waist.

She held a satisfied smirk on her pink lips. "And did ya find out?"

His hand slid further down and squeezed her ass, making a strangled moan struggle from her throat while her hands had already found their way to his chest drawing lazy circles on his shirt. "Not then, later when you wormed your way into my heart in my pick-up."

"So?" Her eyebrow hitched upwards.

"So what?"

One of her hands had moved to his sideburns caressing his cheek with her fingertips. "What was it?"

"Your courage to pretend to be the sassy girl in front of me, someone, who could easily have killed you." He grinned at the memory fondly. "And your compassion." His face softened and drew closer to hers. "You were the first and only to ever ask if my claws hurt." He could feel her hot breath tingle on his lips, his hazel orbs drowning in her chocolate ones as she eventually closed the distance.

The kiss was gentle at first, but their passion for each other soon took over and Logan's tongue demanded entrance, pushing against her lips which immediately complied. Marie let herself be pushed back into her soft pillow while Logan's body drew closer, hovering over her with one hand, the other tangled in her white-brown hair. Her own fingers massaged the back of his neck and head while pulling him closer to her.

Suddenly, without warning, Logan withdrew his tongue and pushed himself into a sitting position next to her, his legs pulled slightly to him and his hands placed the open book onto his lap in a hurry. The sudden loss of his tongue inside her mouth made her choke on her spit and Marie pushed herself upwards, her hands clutched to her chest, struggling for air between coughs.

Before Logan could grasp why the brunette was gasping for air next to him, the door swung open without a knock and Scott looked onto the pair his eyebrows both risen by the suspicious view of Logan sitting on Rogue's bed with the girl. "What's goin' on?" He demanded and his glare centered on the coughing brunette.

Meanwhile Logan began to rub the girl's back and glowered at the other man. "She choked on the chips." He threw the package on the comforter at his feet. "Would you mind to knock, Scooter?" He eventually growled at the man, when Rogue waved her hand before him, signaling she was alright again.

"Is fine." Her face was flushed in a deep red shade, partly due to her struggle for air, partly due to her embarrassment of being almost caught. "Those chips are dangerous, Mr. Summers." Her eyes were watery as she looked over to her teacher.

Scott's gaze switched from Logan to Rogue than back again. "Fine." He slowly closed the door and walked to the neighbored room that was his and Jean's.

"Fuck that was close." Logan muttered and threw a caught gaze towards Marie.

"Ya don't say, sugah."

"Sugar?!" There was Logan's trademark brow again and Marie shrugged. "Like it. But don't call me that in public."

"Ah'm not stupid." She slid off the bed and swept the crumbs from her comforter into her hand and brought them over to the bin. Turning around she eyed her book on Logan's lap. "May Ah have mah book?"

"Huh?" It took Wolverine a moment to grasp what she meant and eventually handed it over, not missing the chuckles coming from her lips, when she saw his groin.

"Ya should take a shower, sugah." Marie laughed and put the book back onto the shelf. She stretched as Logan staggered to his feet.

"Gonna do that, but you'll fuckin' stay in your room, Marie." His glare was serious.

"Yeah… yeah…" She approached her dresser and retrieved her nighty. "Gonna get a shower myself and then head to bed."

"I'll check on you later. 'K?"

"Yup." With an evil smirk, her gaze slid down to the bulge in his jeans, she whispered "Have fun." before vanishing in her bathroom.