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Author's Note: I went back through and fixed the errors. Also: Thank QTFic for this chapter because this idea came straight from her review. Not that I haven't loved all the other reviews-- they're what made me get section off time to post a chapter


Meditation was a task that was always beneficial. The sense of calm it could bring coupled with the various mental and physical benefits assured Ororo that it was a path she should try. However, every time she tried to calm her thoughts, she found it was impossible. She rarely betrayed her emotions, but she was always thinking, always feeling. She was human, therefore multifaceted and complicated intrinsically, but she wasn’t doing herself any favors.

Her thoughts raced from how it felt to kiss Logan, to the spreadsheets treasury sent her, to the lunch she was dying to eat, to how badly she needed to buy more lightbulbs, back to how Logan’s lips felt on hers, to the strange sense of guilt she had concerning Hank, to the interview she had with Trish Tillby in a few days, to the random perfume purchase she made the other day when she should’ve bought more lightbulbs. She was... distracted.

She wished she had the ability to quiet her thoughts and focus, but she couldn’t. It was confusing, hating someone so much. She wondered why she hated Logan so fiercely. Her bad date was beginning to become less of a reason and more of an excuse. Granted, she was still justified at being disenchanted with his inappropriate line of questioning, but it was becoming hard to reconcile it with his obvious sense of community. He cared for strangers and helped out in fights even when the muggers could’ve had guns. (She was still pissed about her hair and was getting it trimmed Saturday morning.) Maybe he wasn’t all bad?

No, she told herself. She couldn’t excuse his crappy behavior just because he kissed her and almost got her off in a parking lot.

“I’m taking my lunch,” Marie said, knocking on Ororo’s door. Ororo looked up at Marie, then saw the plastic container of what looked like rice and some kind of meat.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Ororo smiled. “I think you’re old enough to eat on your own.”

Marie gave Ororo a strange look. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Yes,” she said, though it sounded more like a question. “Why wouldn’t they be?”

Marie stepped inside, a brow raised. “You’ve been acting strangely ever since that Logan guy came in.” She took another step in, her heel making a click on the floor. “Course the way he looked at you...” Marie trailed off and took another step inside, her heels clicking. The sound became louder with each close step. “Do you two know each other?”

Ororo scoffed. “No--”

“You’re lying.” Marie slammed the door shut. She took slow steps towards Ororo, an accomplished look on her face. She sat down, then set her lunch on Ororo’s desk. She opened the container, pulled out the fork, and stabbed it into her rice. “I have thirty minutes, so don’t leave out details.”

“I have work to do, Marie. I can’t gossip with you--”

“So you do know him!”

“--Over things that didn’t happen,” concluded Ororo. She turned back to her computer and chewed her inner lip. She glanced at Marie; she was eating her lunch, still waiting. Ororo deflated and huffed a breath. “He’s... the guy.”

Marie’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious!” She quickly chewed her rice and swallowed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Sitting back in her chair, Ororo rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. It should’ve been obvious, but she supposed if it wasn’t obvious already, maybe Ororo was making up excuses. “Conflict of interest.”

“Logan hans’t gotten the contract yet. You haven’t given him your good word,” winked Marie. She shifted forward and moved her fork around her lunch. “Why haven’t you?”

Shrugging, Ororo tried to come up with a response. “The short answer is money and experience, and Logan is asking for more than we can give for skills we can’t be sure on. Scott’s still running the numbers.” She fiddled with her fingers, weaving them through one another to avoid looking at Marie. Lying was always harder when someone was watching. “Don’t get me wrong, I was impressed.”

“I was, too. He’s a nice guy.” She swallowed her rice. “Told him I’d put in a good word.”

“You did?” she asked softly. Ororo cocked her head. “Why?”

Marie put her hand over her mouth. “Cause I liked him and he has real promise. He’s a good guy.” She swallowed thickly. “I mean, what he said to you was wrong, but I still liked him.” She paused, then grinned. “And I think he just wanted you to be impressed.”

“Yeah, well I am,” Ororo said darkly. She rolled her eyes. “I still think he’s an ass. And the other night--”

“The other night?”

“You know how I went out with Scott and Jean.”

“On that blind date, yes.”

“Well, it ended up going really well. Hank’s a really wonderful guy--”

“Nobody’s thinking about no ‘Hank,’ Munroe!” Marie looked over her shoulder, wary that she’d been too loud. She looked back, eager. “I think you and Logan--”

“Are a bad idea!”

“Why?” argued Marie. “It was a bad date and you barely knew him for a month. The guy probably got nervous--”

“So this is my fault now?”

“You do have the tendency to either overreact or under-react.” She assessed Ororo. “You told me you yelled at him, so it wasn’t under-reacting.”

“I can’t believe you’re siding with him!” Ororo exclaimed. She put her hands up. “Do you even wanna know what happened?” She waved a hand out. “Why I’m distracted?” Marie nodded. “After the date with Hank, I walked back to my car and these two idiots tried to steal my Prada bag. The white one?” Marie nodded knowingly. “It was fine-- I fought back and broke this one kid’s nose--”

“One kid? There were more?” Marie asked nervously.

“Yes, but it was fine. Logan was somehow there.” Ororo exhaled through her nostrils. “So random, but he was there. And he helped me.”

“He saved you?” Marie put a hand to her chest. “That’s so romantic, Ororo,” she swooned.

Ororo wanted to vomit. “I was doing just fine, thank you for the vote of confidence.” She bit her inner cheek. “It started off well. I thanked him for his help and then the next thing I know we’re arguing and I go to slap him and then we’re...” trailing off, she looked at her lap. This was probably the most embarrassing part. Not making out in public like a horny teen, but liking it so much. She wasn’t sure if it was the thrill of hooking up with someone she hated or if it was the fact that it was in public and her adrenaline was still high or maybe it was how it could potentially become risky if Logan got the contract... She was a mess, she knew. “Well, I couldn’t go through with... whatever was going to happen,” she said. It was a half truth.

When reality set in and Ororo had the chance to realize her actions, she panicked. She wasn’t repulsed by what she’d done, but she was... Well, she didn’t know. In the moment it was the embarrassment of getting caught, and when she got home she found she wasn’t bothered. It was thrilling acting so out-of-character. It was like she was living in an action movie, except she was the hero. She went from kicking butt and taking names to hooking up with someone too handsome for words. So, no, she wasn’t necessarily ashamed of what she’d done.

Just... Why did it have to be him?

Ugh. She was a mess and she wished she could quiet her mind.



Logan twirled the card in his hand, staring at the number. It was after hours so there was a chance she wouldn’t answer; in the even that she didn’t, he’d just message her on her dating profile. She hadn’t deleted it yet, something that made him a little happy and a little annoyed. He wasn’t jealous, but if someone was getting the chance he fucked up, he’d be a little more than pissed. Especially now that he knew she was amazing... against car?- they didn’t have sex but Logan knew she’d be a hellcat. He couldn’t get her off his mind and last night he almost had a wet dream. Like he was thirteen and not nearing forty.

“Fuck it,” he grumbled. He dialed her number and listened to it ring. When the voicemail started, he hung up. He had no idea what to say to her. Starting off with an apology would never happen and just saying his name and asking her to call seemed too familiar. He didn’t know what to do in these types of situations, and even if he did, there was no one like her. She was completely unique.

He called her again, resigned at actually saying something.

The phone rang and rang and rang and Logan wanted to hang up. Unfortunately she answered.

“Ororo Munroe speaking.” There was a long pause. “Hello?”

“Uh, hey,” Logan started. He got up from behind his office desk, walked to his door, waved at his employees, and shut it, feeling... like a massive idiot. They weren’t having phone sex. “It’s me.”

Logan waited for her to say something. Instead, he heard the swift intake of breath and a slow exhale. “Yes. Hello, Mr. Howlett--”

“Logan, darlin. We’ve kinda passed the point of acting like we don’t know each other.” He sat down and rested his elbows on his fake-wood desk. He bet hers was actual mahogany. “I know how much you like gardening and where you hike.” Gee, that sounded creepy! He palmed his forehead, reprimanding himself. “Look, I just wanted to... talk. Clear the air.”

He waited for a response that never came.

“C’mon, Ro. We have to talk.”

She exhaled again into the phone. “I suppose it’s warranted... considering how often we run into each other.”

“Yeah,” he said, trying to temper his glee. “I always apologize to you, but it seems like I’m always doing something wrong where you’re concerned.” He heard her chuckle and he smiled. “Maybe I could do something to fix it,” he drawled, sitting back. “I don’t think we’ll be friends, but I wouldn’t mind knowing what you’re like when you’re not yelling at me.”

“I take it this isn’t a business call.” Logan mumbled his yes. “What did you want to talk about, Logan?” she asked.

Logan tried to not feel like she was changing the subject, but he did call to get this mess sorted. “I just wanted to talk about us.”

“There isn’t an ‘us,’ Logan, so let’s not be dramatic.”

Logan grit his teeth. “I don’t know what it is about you that get’s me so...” he stopped himself before he caused an argument. “I just wanna... make sure we stop living with a knife at each other’s throats. We should talk.” He shifted. “Face to face.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Logan rubbed his lips. “Cause of what happened in the parking lot?”

“Because we always end up arguing. Loudly.” She stopped, then continued. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but we don’t exactly mesh well.”

“The dating site said we were a ‘true match.’”

“And you actually believed it,” she remarked. “Well. I would’ve pinned you for a cynic.”

“How could you- you barely know me.” He cleared his throat. “Look, if we’re gonna argue, I’d much rather do it looking at that beautiful face of yours, so do you wanna meet or not?”

“Excuse you--” she started.

“Well? Don’t try and argue with me just to keep me on the phone. If you really wanna piss me off, just do it at my face. I know you’re thinking about it.” A smile crept on his face. “I’ve been thinking about it,” he said lowly, his words laced with meaning.

For a moment, Logan swore she would either scream at him or simply hang up. But instead, she spoke, calmly and clearly.

“I want to talk.”

“Okay--”

“Privately.”

“Yeah, no problem--”

“Away from prying eyes.”

“That’s what ‘privately’ means--”

“There’s a restaurant by my house--”

“If you don’t mind, Ro, but our first date we went someplace you like. I wanna take you someplace I like. Someplace where it won’t matter if we yell at each till our voices get hoarse.”



Professional. That’s what she told herself as she slid into the high-backed booth seat. She looked around the bar, feeling very out of place. She watched Logan order a beer she’d never heard of and then rest his arms on the table when the bar maid hurried off. She thought about tearing him a new one, but she knew that was what he was expecting.

“Shouldn’t you have asked what I wanted to drink?” she asked.

“I come here a lot, so I know what’s good.” Logan winked at her then lean back. “Relax, darling. You’re in good hands.” She glanced at his hands, noting the weird scars on his knuckles, then remembered their fight from the other day. Without thinking, she reached out and touched the skin. Surprisingly, he didn’t flinch. “They’re almost gone,” he said.

“Do you always heal quickly?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I dunno. Yeah, I guess.” He grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. “This is either makeup or you heal faster than I do.”

Ororo pulled her hands away, not liking the contact. Professional, she told herself. “I didn’t get a bruise when I punched him. I mean, my knuckles did discolor, but I didn’t bruise.” She put her hands in her lap and bit her lower lip. “I’m really grateful that you helped in the fight--”

“You had it handled. You were kickin’ ass.” Logan sat back, one arm resting on the table.

Ororo smirked. “I know,” she remarked, proud of herself. “I was pissed, though. They called me ‘grandma.’”

“Cause the white hair?” he asked, though it was more a statement of fact. She nodded. “I don’t know how they’d mistake you for anyone’s grandma, they way you look.” He paused. “You don’t have kids, right?”

“No, I don’t,” she sighed. She rested her elbows on the table, then sat her head in her palm. “You don’t.”

“No, I don’t.” He scratched the back of his hands. “I mean, kids are nice, I just don’t have any.” There was an awkward silence. “It’s not really my business, but do you want any?”

She brightened. “Yes,” she said, her voice dreamy. “I’d love a little girl. Or boy.” She cocked her head at him. “You?- boy or girl.”

“Eh...” Logan shrugged. “Either; just so long as they’re healthy and look like their mom.” Ororo let out a bark of laughter; Logan thought she looked beautiful laughing. This was a good start.

“Trust me, Logan, you have handsome features.”

“I knew you weren’t kissing me just cause I saved you.” She stiffened, her smile fading into a grim line. “Oh, come on, Ro. We had to talk about it eventually.” She opened her mouth to speak when the bar maid came over with their drinks. She sat them down, then Logan told her to put it on his tab. When Ororo gave him a suspicious look, he shrugged it off. “Like I said, I come here a lot. Take a drink.”

She took a sip, then set the bottle down. “It’s good.”

“Huh. I would’ve figured a stronger opinion to come outta you.”

“It’s good, Logan. Not everything needs a strong opinion.” She blinked. “Why are we here, Logan? This place isn’t really conducive to talk about,” she waved a hand between them, “business.”

Logan snorted. “Some good news you should be tellin’ me?” he joked. His heart raced at the possibility, though.

“Should there be--”

“I was joking. Damn, don’t you know what a joke is?” He stared at her, watching her face twist into an expression of anger. They were back to square one, he figured. “But I guess I should thank you for the heads up. I can stop getting my hopes high.”

Ororo softened. “You’ll know soon, Logan.” She took a sip of her beer. “It is good,” she said softly.

Logan took pity on her. He knew she wasn’t supposed to let out information and he wasn’t really being fair. He’d just saw her being friendly. He didn’t need to be a dick. “Thanks.” He cleared his throat. “So you look nice.”

“Thank you,” she blushed. She bit her lip. “You do, too.”

Logan leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “See, this should’ve been our first date.”

“This is awkward, Logan!” she joked, smiling.

“Yeah, but it’s better.” He sipped his beer. “Maybe the trick is to give you alcohol.”

“Please, I’ve barely had two sips.” She looked around. “So how often do you come here?”

Logan shrugged. “I come here... I guess on weekends.” He thought about a little more.“Almost every weekend.” He put up a hand. “It’s not serious. I have a drink, play pool, and shoot the shit with my buddies.” He pointed his beer bottle at her. “I hate small talk.”

“Me, too,” she sighed. “It always feel so...”

“Pointless?”

“Yes,” she said excitedly. “But I guess you’re gonna have to go through it eventually. You are still on the site, right?”

“I am, but I’m thinking about deleting it. I can’t really find anyone who keeps my attention. They’re all either too sexual or too safe. You?”

“I met someone--”

“Not talkin’ about me,” he winked.

Ororo rolled her eyes. “I’m... talking to someone. He’s nice.” She shrugged. “We met the night I was attacked.”

“Are you okay?” he asked suddenly. “From that attack, I mean.”

She smiled. “I’ll admit I was freaked, but I’m alright. No nightmares, though I have become more vigilant. I bought a can of mace.”

“That’s great.” He looked at his watch. “I don’t wanna be rude, but I’ve gotta get somewhere. I just wanted to bring you here in case we started arguing.”

She let out a tinkering laugh and stood. “I’m glad we didn’t.” She got up and fixed her purse to her shoulder. “Walk me to my car?”

“Sure.”



When they got to her car, the stood, talking. She finally stopped, resting her hand on her forearm. “It was nice-- finally talking.”

“It was.” Logan opened her car door. “I’ll call you.”

She chewed her lower lip. “I don’t think that would be a great idea, but I guess it wouldn’t be so bad.” She got in and smiled. “You have my number.”





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