When we finally emerged, Marie left me to go tell the other X-Women the good news. I found my way to the rec room and immediately went to the locked bar there. There are some things that a man simply has to have a drink for, and thinking of doing a wet T-shirt contest is one of them. Definitely.
I was just downing a shot of whiskey when Scott came in. He looked like I felt, completely drained. We didn’t speak to each other. I just poured him a shot and gave myself seconds, and we downed them together.
“Marie?” Scott asked. He didn’t need to say any more.
“Yeah. Jean?” I asked in return.
“Yeah.”
It was a sad sight, I’m telling you. Two fully-grown men who had just been beaten down by their women. If I’d been on the outside of this fiasco I’d probably have been laughing so hard I could barely breathe. However, I was stuck right in the middle of it.
We settled down on the couch and did the manliest thing we could think of. We turned on the TV and found ESPN. That channel has probably been used to soothe many men who have lost to the women in their lives.
Football and then hockey kept us preoccupied for a few hours. When baseball came on we both reached for the remote to turn the channel in disgust. Scott let me have the remote, I think mostly because he was sorry for me. I was sorry for myself. The glare I gave him had only been the slightest squint of my eyes and the smallest sneer of my life.
Jean found us watching Animal Planet a little while later. I smelled her when she came in, but I didn’t want to acknowledge her presence in any way. She’d been part of my defeat, after all. I was sure she’d given Marie some advice on how to “help me see the light.” Damn them both.
“Hmmm. So you’re learning about apes. How appropriate,” Jean said with a short laugh. “Since you two are acting as socially mature as our lesser relations, anyway.”
We turned around and glared at her. This time I was able to work up a good one, and I was impressed with what Scott was able to come up with. The boy might have potential after all.
“We were attempting to educate ourselves. Contrary to what certain women who see us only as pieces of meat to be displayed may think, we do that sometimes,” Scott said. Of course, he didn’t mention the games from earlier, but because I liked that explanation more than the truth, that we were sulking, I stayed quiet about it, too.
“Right. So, did it occur to you two that dinner’s going to be ready soon?” Jean asked. She smiled, and to me it seemed a little patronizing. We might’ve been acting like children, but we were men, dammit!
I was about to say that I wasn’t hungry when I realized that I’d just be proving her point. Scott must have had that thought occur to him, too, because we said together, “We’ll be there in a minute.”
Jean raised her eyebrows and then left. I got up and went to the bar again. I poured two more shots and handed one to Scott. We downed those and then left. Some things will bond two men together, after all, even if they’ve disliked each other for years.
Everyone was waiting for us in the small dining room reserved for the summer months. Small compared to the ballroom where meals were served when school was actually in session, anyway. Three long tables that could seat sixteen people were set up, and most of the seats were filled. I took my place beside Marie, who smiled and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek.
Who wouldn’t melt with Marie smiling at him? I smiled back slightly, as much as I dared in front of the kids. Then I began to eat, even though I wasn’t very hungry.
“So, the ladies tell me that they have a very ambitious project in mind, and that all of my X-Men have agreed to participate,” Charles said gravely. I looked up at him, and I swear his eyes were twinkling. Twinkling, dammit.
“Yes, we have, Professor,” Scott said with resignation heavy in his voice.
“I’m glad that you are all taking the Orphanage’s problems so seriously, and that you are willing to do what you must to fix them,” Charles said like the paternal mentor he so enjoyed playing at times.
“Yes, we are, Professor,” Bobby said. I think that the professor didn’t notice the kid’s complete misery in saying that. I sure didn’t miss Kitty smiling at him, or the way he blushed and looked down at his food.
We ate mostly in silence after that, especially the men. I’d just finished my apple pie when Marie decided to speak up.
“Professor, can Logan and I see you after dinner?” she asked.
Now, I was wondering about this. What’d we need to see him for? I asked her that in a real low voice, and all she said was, “Sarah.” Suddenly, I knew that she was going to ask about adopting her. I wanted to, so much, but what if Xavier didn’t allow it? He was the guardian of all the kids at the Orphanage, after all.
“Of course, Rogue,” Xavier said. He smiled at her kindly as he wheeled away from the table. “If you would both follow me?” He said goodnight to the rest of the table and led us out of the room.
Once we reached Xavier’s office and were seated comfortably, the Professor asked, “Now, what can I do for you?”
Marie licked her lips nervously and clenched her fingers around mine. She glanced at me before turning back to Xavier and saying, “Logan and I’ve been talking a lot the last couple weeks about one of the orphans, Professor.”
“Oh?” There was no discouragement in his eyes or tone. In fact, I’d almost have thought that he was expecting it. He probably was. I considered, not for the first time, how useful it’d be to be able to read the minds around you.
“Yeah. We were hoping that you would approve of us adopting Sarah,” Marie said softly. Her eyes lit just talking about that girl, let me tell you. I have to admit that I probably looked about the same way.
Xavier nodded slowly. “Sarah is definitely a special little girl, and I think that she would benefit from a loving home. There would have to be some changes in your living arrangements, of course. I’m sure one of the suites on the third floor could be arranged to suit a family of three,” he said. Then he looked at both of us very seriously. “I must know, though, that you aren’t simply deciding to adopt because you’re afraid of passing along your own mutation, Rogue. You do know that you could most likely carry a baby to full term, especially since you’re now able to control your gift.”
Marie smiled softly. “I know, Professor. I really do want to make Sarah my daughter, though, Logan’s and mine. Even if we have biological children further down the road, I don’t think that would ever make me love her less,” she told him sincerely. I nodded in support.
Xavier smiled at us and sighed. “I must tell you that it relieves my mind when one of those children is able to find a good home, and I do think that you two will be able to provide Sarah with everything she needs, including the love she has been denied by her own parents. I will see about the adoption arrangements and let you know when they are completed. Meanwhile, perhaps you would like to begin moving your possessions into your new suite and preparing for your daughter?” he asked. I swear the man had a twinkle in his eye.
“Oh, yes, Professor!” Marie said, jumping up. She dragged me up with her and beamed at us both. At that moment, I knew I was one lucky man.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N: I blame my own mind and Furball, my wonderful muse. She’s a doll sometimes. And she lives for stuff like this. Thanks, Jenn-jenn, for saying this was cute. Kinda cliché-ful, but I’ve tried to keep that to a minimum. Fanon is definitely observed here.