All was quiet in the outback, and the new inhabitants of the former Reaver compound had no complaints. Back in the kitchen, Allison and Madelyne were cleaning up after that night's dinner. Rogue carried the quiche pan from the distressed pine table to the sink, plucking a wedge of bacon and egg from the rim and sucking it between her lips with satisfaction.

"Lordy, Petey, that sure was one swell dinner. Who'da guessed such a big hunk of man would know so many fine skills? You cook, you draw pictures that look better than some of those snapshots in the Daily Bugle, and yet you can still stand upright when the Juggernaut slams you over the head with a tank!"

Rogue set down the pieplate and licked her fingers, scooting out of the way with a teasing grin as Allison flicked her curvy tush with a rolled-up dishtowel. Peter grinned back sheepishly, his cheeks gleaming more brightly for just a second, the closest thing to a blush that he could manage in his organic steel form. Ever since Peter had been transported into the Outback with his teammates, transformations back into his human form were difficult and painful. Even though his "Colossus" guise allowed him greater size, strength, and endurance, there were some less fortunate attributes, such as always knocking off a few inches of doorframe trim whenever he entered a room, never being able to dial a phone without pulverizing the buttons, and never being able to be in close contact with anyone he cared about. Lately, that had him feeling like a bull in a china shop.

"You'd make someone an excellent wife!" Rogue cajoled, grabbing the remaining dirty dishes from the table. Balancing the plates in one arm, she grasped the milk jug, tugged open the refrigerator door with her pinky, replaced the milk and swung the door shut with her ripely curved hips.

Madelyne shook her head and tsked, her thick red curls brushing back and forth across her shoulders. "God, Rogue, will ya show some pity, for pete's sake, you're embarrassing the poor boy. Ororo, could you make that spray a little stronger, I want to finish rinsing this saucepan."

With a wave of her slender brown hand, Ororo intensified the light rain sluicing into the sink into a compressed, healthy torrent. "Thanks, Ororo. Finished!"

Allison dried her hands on the dishtowel, asking no one in particular, "Seen Longshot anywhere?"
"Thought I saw Tinkerbell out at the creek earlier tonight." Alex loved to bait Allison about her budding romance with the enigmatic fugitive from Mojoworld. Alex thought it was cool that he used to be a stuntman and that he got to work with gorgeous ladies all day. But he used buckets of HAIR GEL, for cripes' sake! Allison made a small sound of disgust and rolled her eyes, shucked off her apron, and flicked it into Alex's face on her way outside. "Asshole!" Allison began humming a sultry rendition of "Fever", as faint flurries of incandescent light trailed after her like fireflies. The group in the kitchen suspected they would not see her for a while, if not until the next day. Alex smirked, threw his feet up on the table, and rocked his chair back, closing his eyes for an after-dinner snooze. Peter lumbered upstairs to find his sketchbook. Madelyne sat down opposite Alex and read the newspaper.

Ororo stood up from where she was straddling a bar stool and drained a glass of iced tea. Unlike her teammates, Ororo looked fresh as daisy due to her body's ability to maintain comfortable temperatures in any weather. While Rogue boasted about feeling like a strip of bacon sizzling in a skillet all day, Ororo never so much as broke a sweat. She gave the knotted ends of her sleeveless chambray shirt a tug, smoothing the creases from her tiny denim shorts. "I'm heading out to take a shower."

"Watch out for the mosquitoes, they aren't too discriminating about what areas they feed on. And they're the size of helicopters, too.� Alex winked one eye open at Ororo's departing rear, silently admiring the play of muscles under those little shorts, the old adage "the browner the berry, the sweeter the juice" crossing his mind. Rogue smirked, catching the glance and its intent but saying nothing.

Outside, an unexpected wind picked up, swirling tumbleweeds and dead leaves in its wake. Ororo had no sooner stepped off the cedar porch before the current lifted her gently off the ground. Hovering so, she appeared to walk on air. No one did it better than Ororo. She had once been a goddess, after all.
With a small gesture, the basket of bath gel and other toiletry items sprang from the ground into her waiting palm.

Making her way to a clearing just beyond the garage, Ororo floated aloft as she untied her shirt and unbuttoned it. Next came her shorts with a loud ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIP. Allowing them to drop to the ground, Ororo untied the leather thong holding her lustrous white hair in a thick ponytail. Unbound, her white curls flowed down her breasts, fluttering and whipping in the breeze. Sometimes a girl just had to let her hair down. Ororo closed her eyes, relishing the wind as it played along her body, the night air still hot enough to make clothes feel unnecessary. Ororo ran her hands down her stomach, skimming her finger over the lacy trim running along her black satin bikini briefs. Ororo had come a long way from the innocent woman who had no clue as to why Americans frowned at a lack of clothing. Aware of the night sounds and reveling in the peace, and in her own body, Ororo slid her hands back upward, feathering her fingers over her breasts. Deftly she undid the clasp of her Victoria's Secret underwire demi-bra, the cups already overflowing with her soft brown flesh. Removing the straps, the bra blew away on the breeze to join the pile of clothes. Ororo kicked off her sandals and slipped off her panties, glorying in the heady rush of her nudity, of the wind stroking her, everywhere.

Raising her arms above her head, Ororo gathered a small cluster of stratos clouds to her, bidding them to darken and swell. With a thought, Ororo flicked the clouds' "on switch." Smells of ozone and dust filled the air as a warm rain pelted the ground and Ororo's luscious form. She reveled in the sensations of rain funneling through her hair in long rivulets and drizzling down her breasts, beading up in large droplets from her nipples. Streams of flesh-warmed rain sluiced from the downy white curls covering her mound. Ororo whipped the wind into a slight frenzy, strengthening the spray, not unlike turning up the dial on a Shower Massage head. Insistent showers pelted Ororo's buttocks and thighs, easing the tensions of the day. If only Ororo could wash the images of Forge from her brain, all would be well...

Ororo sighed her disappointment, drawing her attention from the minor maelstrom. I wish he were here. I wish he could enjoy this, what he has given back to me. I want so much to share this with him, to share my body with him again.

It just wasn't to be. When Forge chanted the incantations and conjured the spell to bind and close the Trickster's portal, he needed nine spirits to seal the magic. It tore him apart to use the spirit of the woman that he loved, even if that soul was freely offered. When Ororo re-materialized in Roma's chamber, a whole woman again, she momentarily rejoiced, until she saw that Forge was not there.
Ororo blinked away a mixture of tears and rain, tasting a salty bitterness in her mouth.

As quickly as it began, the rain stopped.

Ororo hovered back to her clothes, The sky had turned cobalt blue during her ablutions. Bending over, she grabbed her bottle of sandalwood oil and dabbed some on her chest, rubbing it in with her fingertips. She rubbed more on her elbows, massaging it briskly along her forearms. She picked up the towel and worked it through her drenched hair, stimulating her tingling scalp even further with the rough terry cloth. She toweled off her breasts thoroughly, allowing the nubby cloth to abrade her wine-colored nipples, and moved on to her sex, giving her dripping, neatly trimmed sex equal attention. Ororo stroked her hand over her private treasure with a small "mmmmmm" of contentment, closing her eyes.

"Just washin' off the dust, 'roro?" a deep, scratchy voice drawled behind her.

Whipping around, Ororo conjured a ball of lightning, nearly ready to fling it at the interloper. "Who - "

"Easy now, darlin', it's just little ol' me, out to have a smoke. Didn't mean to interrupt." A loud crackling sound preceded a flickering flame, illuminating Logan's face as he lit one of his prized Cuban cigars. An errant breeze kicked up some more dust, and carried the faint odor of Jack Daniels to Ororo's nostrils. "Or to intrude, since ya appear to be, well, let's say indisposed?" Logan's eye's crinkled and grew hooded, sucking heartily on the stogie, blowing the thick plumes of smoke out from well-shaped lips.

Of course, it hadn't been the first time Logan had seen Ororo in the altogether. It was par for the course. At one time or another, all of the X-Men ended up bound or restrained, stripped of their uniforms or of their powers, or wound up zapped by something fierce enough to leave their costumes, and their dignity, in shreds. C’est la vie.

For some reason, every time the X-Men came into contact with the Hellfire Club, one or all of them ended up losing their clothes. Logan recalled being stripped down to nothing before he was shackled into inhibitor cuffs and strung from the prison walls when the White Queen went after Shadowcat. Ororo, who was usually so free with her naked body, only felt shame as the guards frisked her, divesting her of the lockpicks and other small weapons hidden in her suit.

Logan found himself in awe the day that Ororo freed her mind from Emma Frost's control, as the two women dueled in the sky for the brain transfer gun. Finally regaining control of her body, Ororo flung Emma to the ground in an ungainly heap, eyes blazing and ready to do some damage. The bitch had to PAY.

"FREE!" Ororo was enveloped in a bolt of lightning that shredded the wanton white bodysuit, thong, and leather hip boots from her body, leaving only the natural woman, naked, hard and beautiful beyond all imagining. Logan's breath caught in his throat then, even though he would never admit it. Ororo's uncharacteristic savagery as she lunged after Emma and clawed at her throat wasn't exactly a turnoff, either. So sue him, Logan was male.

No, it wasn’t awkward. But ever since that night, when they’d shared “The Kiss,� Logan felt a funny little tightness in his gut whenever they were in close contact.

They’d all come home late. Alex and Longshot were both diggin’ for excuses to tell the girls about all the trouble they’d gotten into, while Logan himself just came strolling in through the front door, looking like the cat that devoured the canary.

�It would appear you gentlemen had yourselves a grand old time!�
�Darlin’, it was the BEST!� SMOOCH!!! “Nice!�

For a few heady, tantalizing seconds, Ororo’s hand fisted in the collar of his jacket as she surrendered to his mouth. His tongue rubbed itself against hers, tasting her, stroking her. Somewhere in the background he heard Rogue and Ali gasp while Alex just gawked with his mouth open. Logan released her, tipping her upright again as he made his escape. Ororo sputtered dire warnings to his retreating back, but he smiled wickedly as her grudging laughter – “That man! Those…MEN!� - followed him upstairs. You know you liked it, Boss.

Logan's twinkling, coal-black eyes drank in the woman floating before him as she wrapped the towel around her torso, obscuring his view. The moment was awkward but fleeting. Ororo trusted Logan. Her feet had not yet touched the ground. Ororo didn't want her toes to get muddy.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Nope. Drank my dinner at the roadhouse. Chatted up the locals and offered my calling card." Ororo roughly translated that to mean that Logan abused his healing factor on Heineken and Jack Daniels, and perhaps even indulged in a brawl.

Gathering her things into her basket and pulling her shirt back on over the towel, Ororo waited for Logan to come up along side her, warning him "Dinner's finished. Rogue finished off the last of the quiche."

"’Roro, can you see me eatin' quiche?"
*****

When Ororo and Logan came back to the house, the kitchen was empty, and visiting fireflies surrounded the porch light. Ororo’s toes touched the cool linoleum at last and she padded over to the refrigerator for another bottle of water. "Logan, would you like some?"

Ororo broke the freshness seal on the cap and took a long pull, sucking a droplet from her generous bottom lip. And somewhere in that moment, Ororo became aware of Logan, of a shift in her thoughts of him. And it made no sense at all.

Logan had always been a sterling character in spite of his eccentric and sometimes feral nature. Ororo had even been the target of his exasperated outbursts, watching him stomp off after calling her a "nosey, bossy frail" when she would beg him to see reason. Now, Ororo surveyed him bit by bit. She took in his glossy black hair poking out from his wide-brimmed Stetson, as well as the thick, springy black curls peeking from the collar of his crisp shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing his tanned and bulging forearms. Logan's brows raised themselves quizzically, framing his laughing black eyes with lashes as long as hers, peering down the bridge of a straight, narrow nose. Amazingly, his nose never took on the bumpy look of one that had been broken hundreds of times. He had his healing factor to thank for that.

Ororo studied the delicate notch of his upper lip, enjoying his high, broad cheekbones and square jaw. An errant thought crossed her mind; she suddenly wanted to trace his jaw with her fingertip. Where had that come from??

That was when Logan sensed it. He caught the scent of Ororo's sandalwood oil, of the shampoo that she had lavished so generously on her silky mane. Beneath the other scents, Logan inhaled Ororo's arousal. Her woman scent. The faint, musky bouquet of Ororo's flower, opening up sticky, creamy petals.

"You headin' up for the night, 'roro?" Logan puffed one last time on his stogie, stubbing it out against his palm. Ororo nodded, turning to lead the way. Surely he doesn't know. Surely he wouldn't think that I think...

Logan relished the whooshing sound of Ororo's pulse as she crept up the stairs, hearing it quicken and thunder. It was staccato and fierce, not unlike the woman. Logan followed Ororo to her loft, noting the many potted palms and the batiked curtains. Ororo's spears hung from the wall, mementos from her homeland. Ororo deposited her shorts, sandals, and underwear on a nearby wicker chair, next to the nightstand. Logan glanced at a framed photo of Ororo and Kitty.

"Nice photo."

"Rogue took it while we were still at the mansion." Ororo emptied the contents of the basket onto her dresser. Then, Ororo felt, rather than heard Logan approach her from behind. A lock her hair was lifted away from her ear, stirred at her temple by hot breath.

"The photo ain’t the only thing that’s nice in this room," came a sultry whisper. Ororo shuddered with a flush of arousal, not entirely surprised. And definitely not averse.

Logan continued stroking her hair away from her sensitive neck, nuzzling the crest of her ear with his nose, breathing in her scent. Ororo closed her eyes, her heart slamming into her chest. Logan's callused fingertips grazed her shoulders and slid down her arms, and Ororo felt his hot chest against her back. Currents rippled through her stomach and curled pleasingly in her groin. Logan closed in on her neck, first nipping it with his lips, then gently biting it with his teeth. Relishing other opportunities to make her flinch, Logan nipped at her shoulders, wrapping his arms around Ororo’s waist, skimming his generous palms along the underside of her breasts. He teased on with his thumb, enjoying this standing, spooning position and hearing the catch in Ororo's throat.

"Logan..."

"You don't want me to leave." Another thumbstroke was followed a gentle pinch of her nipple between thumb and forefinger. We shouldn’t be doing this, this is wrong, this is…

"I don't want you to leave." Ororo raised her ass a notch and pressed it against Logan's erection, leaning into it. Her mouth betrayed her again as she moaned at his knowing touch.

Logan drove one of his hands downward, clutching the hem of Ororo’s towel and tugging it free. Logan partook of the flesh that he bared, stroking Ororo's long, slender thigh and parting her petals for in-depth exploration. She was already wet, cream glistening from her neat white pelt. Ororo’s crotch hugged Logan's hand as his fingers had their way, opening her legs widely for him, and she clutched his other arm that was still wrapped around her, pleasuring her breast.

Some barely audible, mostly sane voice in her head pleaded with her to see reason. This was Logan. Her teammate. Her friend. A man who’d lost the woman that he loved at the altar, and who knew how many countless others over the course of a life full of nothing but pain and betrayal.

Ororo reached back and gripped Logan's hip, rubbing her hand along the rough denim seam of his Levi's.

"Please, Logan."

"God, Ororo, such pretty manners from a pretty lady." Logan thrust two fingers more deeply into her slick tunnel, stimulating her clitoris with his thumb, making it swell. "I wanna teach ya some dirty words." Ororo nodded, eager for the first of many lessons.

Logan unbuttoned her shirt and peeled it from her, grazing his fingertips down her cleavage, then lifting her breasts, testing their weight. "Bend over for me, sweet thing." She shivered as he lightly kissed her shoulder blade and ran the backs of his knuckles down her upper arm.

Puzzled but still enjoying the haze of feeling, Ororo did as she was told, steadying her hands on the dresser and thrusting her ass out. Logan kneeled behind her, grasped her hips and said "Time to worship the goddess." He leaned forward and licked her, working his tongue in languorous swirls, stirring her pudding and making her hot. Endlessly he plunged his tongue into her, racing it up and down within the seam of her lips, tasting the cream as it slowly pooled there. Ororo shuddered as a powerful orgasm rocked her, splashing Logan with a fragrant burst of her womanly perfume. Logan licked her clean, stroking her rump, drilling an experimental finger into her.

"Still tight, darlin. I like that. And I ain't through."

Ororo heard him unzipping his Levi's as she gasped for breath, and felt his hot hands grasp her hips again, pulling her up onto his erect cock. Ororo felt herself impaled on nine pulsing inches of Logan’s turgid flesh, his thickness stretching her. She shuddered again, moaning for the sheer pleasure of it. Logan rutted and rocked, skilled as a flamenco dancer, as he thrust into her, steadily at first, and then harder the more wildly Ororo responded. "Ohhhh," Ororo murmured, "Goddess help me."

"What was that?"

"Ohhhhhh. Oooohhhh! Logan..."

"Say it again." His voice was ragged but earnest, husking in her ear. “My name sounds good comin’ from you, when yer all hot and wild like this.�

"Logan..."

"C'mon, baby doll..." He stopped for a moment, withdrawing to get her full attention. Ororo bucked back against him, but he held himself steady and apart from her. “Tell me how ya want it.�

"You know what I want,� she whispered. “This. I want…this. You.� She licked her lips and reached up to bring his face to hers, turning and leaning to nibble his jaw.

“How do ya want it?� His tongue bathed the shell of her ear in sumptuous heat. Ororo arched again, moaning her approval. “Gotta be specific. Do ya want it long an’ slow, darlin’? Fast?� He captured her breast and circled his thumb around its peak in lazy contemplation.

“Harder.� Her voice brooked no argument and left no margin for delay. The beast within him howled with satisfaction and triumph. “I…I want you to…fuck me harder.� Heat and tingles swept over his flesh at the uncharacteristic profanity.

"For heaven's sake, sweetheart, I'd be happy to oblige!" With that, Logan reached forward and rubbed her clit, spreading the wetness around her sweet spot as he continued to pump into Ororo. He slammed into her faster and harder, evoking a keening wail from the depths of her soul. "Please, don't stop!" Logan reveled in her slick, silky feel. She fit him perfectly, every throbbing inch.

A second orgasm ripped through Ororo, her walls clenching Logan's cock lovingly, again splashing him with her release. Logan pulled Ororo to his chest, dragging her upright so he could enjoy her breasts again, his cock, surprisingly, still bouncing against her rump. Ororo clasped it. "Logan?"

"Just the old healing factor, sweet thing. It don't quit."

Ororo turned to him, possessing his mouth with hungry kisses. "Then don't you quit." Despite her reeling response to his possession of her, this was the part that held Ororo in thrall. His mouth. His kiss. Kissing Logan at leisure, and with meaning beyond one last thrill for the road was completely new and occupied her thoughts more frequently in their isolation and close quarters. This isn’t the time for discussion, Wind-Rider. She sensed that Logan wanted her again, and she was more than ready, but the opportunity to drink him in, to show him years of pent-up affection that she’d never been able to truly express was too precious. Her lips traveled languidly over his face, and she cradled his cheek in her palm, staring with wonder into his dark eyes. He indulged her curiosity willingly and caressed her flesh like a cat’s, with long, drugging strokes.

She fondled his cock, stroking his hardness. Drops of semen were milked from the tip, and Ororo went onto her knees this time, returning Logan's very generous favor. Ororo cupped his balls in her palm, deep-throating him, running her free hand through his pubic hair. Ororo growled a loud, purring "hmmmmmmm" in her throat, and Logan gasped at the intensity of the thrumming of her mouth. On and on she anointed him, covering her teeth with her lips, grabbing his muscular glutes in her hands. Logan tunneled his hands through her hair and held her there, his lips forming the words, "Damn, Ororo…sweet. So damn sweet, darlin’," as she took him as her willing captive. There was nowhere else that he wanted to be right now, or any time soon.

Logan looked down at Ororo, at her high cheekbones and her beautiful blue eyes peering up at him as she continued to claim him. A look mingling pleasure and pain crossed his features. He jerked as he climaxed, coming in draining spurts.

“RO!� His knees nearly buckled. She drew herself up, supporting and enveloping his member with her gorgeous breasts, and she milked the last drop from him with her lips before kissing his navel affectionately.

Ororo stood at her full height, reaching out to unbutton Logan's now-wrinkled shirt, running her hands down his hairy chest, "Beautiful," she murmured, treasuring his pectorals, abdomen and hips, drawing him close. Now that her initial, desperate thirst for him had been slaked, she took the time to truly appreciate his body and become acquainted with its delights.

"Yes, you are," he replied, nuzzling her neck. Logan and Ororo stood there a moment, savoring the embrace, when Logan hands wandered over Ororo’s bottom, his fingertips grazing the crack. Logan growled with feral intent in his throat, sending shivers up Ororo’s spine.

“Ya may want another shower after all this, sweetheart,� he chuckled. Her fingernails scored his shoulders.

“Oh, Goddess! You’re…making it hard to think, my friend.�

“Maybe yer thinkin’ too much.�

“Maybe I don’t want either of us to get hurt,� she reminded him, her voice sober as she planted one last kiss in the edge of his hairline. His hair smelled good, she realized, and it felt good to clutch within her fingers as she pulled back from him to meet his gaze. “But a shower sounds good. Come.� Logan reluctantly let her walk away, but the corner of his mouth quirked when he saw her open the latch on the bedroom window and fling it open. She stepped naked onto the balcony, looking back to reach out to him. His gait was graceful and steady as he silently accepted her invitation, grasping her hand as she pulled him outside.

Ororo and Logan stared at the star-studded, inky sky for a moment, savoring the peaceful night and the unexpected joy at having someone to share it with. They still held hands as Ororo’s sapphire blue eyes glowed a silvery white, rivaling the full moon as she stirred the winds and summoned a light rain shower. The water was warm and steady, pelting the roof in a comforting patter. Logan sat on the balcony and beckoned to her, drawing her between his legs to lean back against his broad chest.

“By now you know me pretty well, Logan. You know this isn’t…typical of how I behave.�

“Yeah, ya kinda threw me for a loop.� Logan breathed in the scent of rain and the fresh scent of her hair as it grew damp and plastered itself over her shoulders and across his chest.

“And I don’t mean…it’s not just about…this. About having…�

“Sleeping together,� he finished for her.

Ororo nodded. They could call it that. “I haven’t given my body to many. When Forge and I were together in the Adversary’s world, time didn’t work the way it usually does here. I was gone for a year. Long enough to become well-acquainted with Forge. We fell in love. I didn’t expect it. I hated him after he stole my powers.�

“He did give ‘em back, darlin’, that counts for something. He cared enough to try ta right what he did wrong. And hate’s a pretty strong emotion. Kinda like love. It’s easy ta get caught up in either one.�

Logan remembered the night she came home from Forge’s aerie in Dallas. Those past few months after his aborted wedding had brought changes in Ororo’s demeanor as it was. The gentler, compassionate woman who questioned his methods in battle was replaced with a newer, more reckless spitfire who flung lightning bolts with abandon and dressed like a rock star. Logan sensed Yukio’s involvement in her transformation, but he couldn’t resent her meddling if it brought out this stronger, earthier side. Ororo was still measured and controlled, still in synch with the earth, but her icy reserve was gone. The only thing that hadn’t changed, and that still left him with an uneasy pang was the loneliness in her eyes.

When Ororo lost her powers, the world was turned on its ear again. This new Ororo fought like a cornered animal and was ruthless enough to unmask Cyclops to get the edge over him in their duel for leadership. It was so much at odds with who she was before, and Logan began to miss her almost motherly demands and scolding that he was a barbarian. A savage. It was how she showed she cared.

These past few weeks in the Australian outback had been a revelation. Ororo had renewed her bond with the earth and her awareness of the atmosphere, almost like coming home to an old lover, and Logan began to believe they’d gotten their benevolent goddess back. He’d suspected that her time with Forge yielded something other than gratitude for giving back what he’d unwittingly stolen.

It just felt strange to him, suddenly, that her admission of being in love with Forge caused his innards to twist in a double knot.

“Logan?�

“Yeah, darlin’?�

“Do you still love Mariko?�

He sighed and tightened his embrace around her narrow ribcage, kissing the sweet little spot on her shoulder. Her skin glowed from the rain and their lovemaking earlier. “Yeah. That hasn’t changed. Hasn’t stopped hurting, either. I’m not worthy.� His voice took on a hard edge.

“You know that’s not true, and so does she. And a woman doesn’t just deny the man she loves and plans to marry without dying a little inside. I know there were obstacles keeping you apart.�

“They still are,� he pointed out. “I’m dead, remember? We all are.�

“That can be a problem or an opportunity, depending on how you look at it, my friend.� She winced; the turn of the conversation seemed to negate the easygoing intimacy they’d shared in her room, returning him back to her “friend.� She turned her face toward his, nuzzling his cheek. “You’re not dead. You’ve been reborn, and given an opportunity to start over. Are you going to contact her? You’re not tied down here, Logan. Say the word, and you can go back to Tokyo to settle things with her.�

Logan grunted under his breath, considering her words. “Settling things is putting it lightly. It’ll take more than me dropping back onto her doorstep and announcing that my death was all ‘a little mix-up’ on the evening news. Mariko has some old debts of honor that she doesn’t want me ta interfere with yet. I’m gonna watch, listen and wait for her ta need my help, but until then, I’m gonna honor her wishes. I love her,� he concluded. The rain washed over them, caressing their flesh. Logan’s skin still felt warm against Ororo’s back. “But I’m needed here. And that means I gotta move on.�

“You’re wanted here,� Ororo corrected him. “In our own unique way, Logan, we’re all a family. You’re a cherished member of this family; never feel like you’re just the prodigal son.� Logan chuckled.

“What was it ya told Chuck once upon a time, that I had ‘sterling qualities?’� Ororo smiled.

“Something like that. I might have also reminded him that it might not be the safest thing to tell you ‘no.’�

“Nope.� He soundly kissed her temple. “Hey, darlin’?�

“Yes, Logan?�

“Since we’re on the subject…have ya considered getting in touch with Forge?�

“No.� She didn’t hesitate, but Logan sensed the tension in her muscles. Thunder rumbled in the distance. “It’s safer that we stay underground. Forge’s safety would be jeopardized if I walked back into his life. Think of how the government that he works for would react if they found out that he was involved with me, the same mutant criminal whose powers he was supposed to have eliminated.� She sighed. Logan laughed when she added “That might look bad.�

“Ya ain’t exactly a criminal,� he reminded her. Part of him was relieved that she wasn’t going to pick up where she and the Maker had left off, and that relief actually unsettled him.

“Tell that to the world at large.� Ororo gently disengaged herself from the cocoon of Logan’s body, loathe to leave her comfortable perch, but not wanting to turn the poor man into a prune. She summoned warm drafts to dry them off and led him back inside. Logan watched her reach for her robe, and his fists clenched as he searched for something to say.

“Ro?�

“Yes, Logan?� Now covered, she played with her robe’s sash and eyed him cautiously.

“This…this wasn’t just a distraction. This wasn’t just us passing the time.� His declaration held a question wrapped within it.

“Not unless you want it to be.� That’s when Logan sensed it, smelled it. She was afraid. Not the usual “I’ve been burned, I’m not letting you in� fear. He could hear her heart rattling an odd tattoo as it skipped a beat.

“Unless I want it to be?� She tried to turn away, but he caught her wrist and held her immobile. She felt him at her back again, but this time the contact wasn’t demanding or rushed. He tugged her against him. “What d’you want it ta be?�

“I…I don’t want this to be…I don’t want to be something you did to ‘pass the time.’ To fill an empty space. A need,� she murmured. She watched the large, strong hands resting against her belly stroking her a moment before they reached for her sash, untying it.

“Ororo.� There it was. Her name murmured from his lips. “We’ve been friends for a long time. I trust ya. I care about ya. I don’t respect anyone more. So I hope ya can give me a little more credit and the benefit of the doubt when I say that this wasn’t just about ‘need.’ I’ll admit it. Sometimes, you an’ me, we drive each other nuts.� Ororo snorted lightly; that was an understatement. “Sometimes we don’t see eye ta eye. That’s fine. Gives things a little more spice.� Her robe slithered in a heap around her feet, and his hands roamed over her skin again, exploring the places he that he could have missed before. “Ya make me feel like I matter. Like I’m better than I am,� he sighed into her hair. “Guess I’m just gonna hafta show ya.� A whoop of laughter escaped her lips as he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. He silenced her with a probing, hungry kiss. “You’ve always been in my corner. I’m in yours now, ‘Ro.� He covered her body with hers and proceeded to show her his support, lacing his fingers through hers and making love to her so sweetly she thought her heart would burst. Ororo lay limp and quivering with Logan tucked within her embrace, his head resting against her breast.

“You’re not just a distraction,� he growled, twirling a lock of her hair idly around his finger.

“You’re more than worthy,� she retorted, stroking his back.