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I would like to wish each and everyone of you warm and sincere wishes for a great holiday season. Be of good cheer everyone and all the best for the upcoming year.
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Chapter 32 – Hope For The Holidays

Relationship Status - pre

He got as far as Niagara Falls before he couldn't take it anymore. He had tried to hold out, at least until he had gotten to his cabin, but it wasn't working. Missing Ororo was playing havoc on his mind and heart. Truth be told, he started to miss her when he had decided to leave the mansion for the upcoming Christmas holidays. The feeling only exacerbated when he had alerted her of his plans four days ago and he swore he saw something resembling sadness in her eyes and he could have sworn that he scented it roiling off of her in waves as well. The feelings reached critical levels as he secured his duffel in the passenger seat of his Jeep Wrangler and pulled away from home…Home? Yes, besides his cabin, the mansion had become a home to him in a short period of time. The feelings that missing her evoked in him continued to gnaw furiously at his insides at a rapid rate as the vehicle ate up the highway to Canada.

He pulled off to a nearby watering hole to get his emotions and thoughts under control and a few beers into his system. Feeling as if he had abandoned her was gut wrenching and he actually toyed with the idea of turning around and going back just for her and personally giving to her the gift he had charged Rogue to deliver to her on Christmas Day. However, he ruthlessly squashed that idea when he remembered why he was leaving in the first place. He hated this time of year. He had no idea as to what had happened around this time to infuse him with so much disdain for the holiday. He wasn't sure if the reason why was jumbled up in the pre-Weapon X memories that evaded him, but what he was sure of was that what little happiness he'd had in his life, he found none as Christmastide rolled around. The mansion's holiday gaiety was grating on his already frayed nerves, so he had no other choice but to leave, opting to exile himself for the next two months in the frozen tundra that was the Canadian Rockies.

He had always considered himself an atheist, so he didn't understand what all the hoopla surrounding the holiday was. To make matters worse, his feelings for Ororo were threatening to get the best of him the longer he stick around. Since that damned mission that went south, he was continuously besieged by the feelings and his beast egging him on to claim what they saw was rightfully theirs. To compound matters, the former Cheyenne X-Man was back and had his sights on her and was doing everything in his power to secure the weather witch's affections. That irked him beyond belief and he knew it was only a matter of time before he gutted the mechanical man. This was yet another reason why he chose to leave. He needed the time away and space to properly figure things out and come to grips with the emotions and cravings churning inside of him. But, it was sheer hell missing her this damned much.

He tipped the fifth bottle of beer he had secured upon his entry into the ramshackle dive to his mouth, mentally bringing up an image of the wind rider. What did he hope for where she was concerned? Loaded question there, bub, his inner beast taunted. He hoped for a lot of things when it came to Ororo…hope for a decent future with her gracing him and only him with those unique soft smiles of hers, her love and desires…hope for her to relieve him of the nightmares that destroy his soul at nights…hope, hope, hope. He shook his head. Cripes! He was a damned mess hoping for things that would never be. Things like hope, love and happiness were not part of the equation that was his life. As he stood to leave the bar and continue his journey, he couldn't help but think that hope, love and happiness were only pipe dreams. Only fools believe in pipe dreams and he was no fool.

The dismal thoughts continued to plague him when he reached his destination and let himself into the cabin, as he tossed his duffel into the walk-in closet, as he stripped down to his boxers and as he slipped under the down comforter. Tomorrow was Christmas and he smiled just thinking about the look on her beautiful face when she opened his gift. He sighed. He'll just have to dream about the look instead of seeing it firsthand.
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What did she expect?

Did she expect him to stick around for the holidays?

The man isolated himself from everyone every chance he got, so why was she feeling as if she was abandoned? She didn't understand what was going on inside of her and did her best to tamper down the feelings of desertion she was currently caught up in. She released a sad sigh as she went into her closet to find an appropriate outfit for the mansion's traditional Christmas Eve events, which included caroling and the reading of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. She laughed lightly at that. She was an African priestess and had no allegiance to Christianity, but here she was caught up in the excitement of the holiday season.

She was a bit more excited about the holidays this year, being that she was alive…thanks to Logan. That disastrous mission had almost taken her life and she was grateful for the second chance she had been given. As the holidays approached, she felt a great sense of peace and calm knowing that Logan was there and found herself hoping that he would stick around and celebrate with them this year. It had appeared as if he would, until a few days ago when he had effectively burst her bubble of hope. His announcement that he was leaving felt as if someone had bought a hammer down on her chest and pounded her heart to a pulp. That's when she had finally come clean with herself and admitted she loved the foulmouthed feral…loved him beyond all common sense and with an intensity that was mind-boggling.

Ororo did her best to hide her feelings and desires for the short-tempered Canadian, even going so far as to welcoming the attentions of their former teammate Forge. He was a great distraction from Logan and he was a safer choice for her. Logan wasn't and most likely couldn't be the safe choice because she knew he was nowhere near ready for a relationship. She couldn't and wouldn't compete with his wanderlust and besides, he wasn't the type to stick around and put down roots anywhere.

She had stood on her balcony that frigid night, watching him leave the mansion and her. Maybe it was a good thing that he had left, but no matter how hard she tried to forget his absence from the festivities, she just couldn't. It was as if the man was embroidered into her system and nothing was going to get him out.

Slipping the pleated velvet wrap dress over her lithe form, she wondered where he was and what he was doing now. Probably at a bar or bedding a nameless woman, that annoying voice echoed, answering her questions. His being with another woman bothered her immensely, but she elected to toss those thoughts from her mind, knowing that what he did in his own time was of no concern to her. Liar!

As she sat on the settee at the foot of her bed and slip into her shoes, she glanced to her right and her eyes caught the gold-foiled paper wrapped present sitting undisturbed on her nightstand. The paper reminded her of the gold flecks in his eyes when he was in complete Wolverine mode. She would have love to see the look on his handsome face as he opened the gift. She had the feeling that the look on his face wouldn't have had anything to do with the neatly wrapped intricately and delicate carved unique cigar humidor made out cedar wood, ivory and sterling silver, but with the fact that she had thought him worthy enough to receive a gift from her. She sighed. She would just have to wait until he returned to see that look.
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The jarring "Born To Be Wild" ring tone of his cell phone woke him from a fitful sleep. Didn't he shut the damn phone down before he went to bed? Apparently not. Who the hell could be calling him at this ungodly hour? Only three people had the damn phone number…Charles, Rogue and Ororo. He reached over to his left and groped around on the bedside nightstand for the phone. His fingers closed around the cold device before he lifted his head slightly and peered at the offensive electronic before pressing the accept button. He missed his ear twice before he righted the phone and growled a terse "What?"

"Thank you."

Those two words uttered from the sexiest fullest lips he had ever seen and in that smoky tone of voice that gave him a hard-on every time, instantly jolted him fully awake as if a bucket of ice water was tossed into his face.

Logan immediately sat up in bed, the comforter slipping down to expose his broad, muscled chest and chiseled abdominals. "Yer…" He cleared his suddenly dry throat. "Yer welcome, darlin'." I miss you.

"I love it, Logan. It is absolutely stunning. But it is too much. It must have cost you quite a bit."

Her voice told him that he had made a good move giving her the stunning platinum blue diamond and mother of pearl hair barrette. Shit! He had an insane obsession with her luxurious mane. The excitement in her voice was a welcomed comfort to the loneliness he was feeling since he left the mansion.

"It reminded me of ya, that's why I got it," was his rumbled reply. Beautiful and unique. "And never ya mind 'bout the price." Ya're worth all that and so much more, darlin'.

"I am sorry you did not stay so I could give you your gift."

Logan grinned. She got him a gift. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that she thought enough about him to get him something. "Ya didn't have ta get me anythin', darlin'."But I love that you thought about me.

Her husky laugh caused his already swollen manhood to grow harder and tent under the down comforter. "So you say, but I wanted to get you something."

"When I get back, ya could give it ta me." Watch it there, bub. That could mean a lot of things.

"That would be nice." She sighed.

Her sigh curled his toes. They both embraced the silence that stretched out as they listened to each other breathe.

Her "I shall see you when you get back" broke him out of the trance he was in.

"Yeah, sure, 'Ro. Be safe, darlin'."

"You too, my friend. Merry Christmas."

There was a few seconds where neither one of them wanted to sever the connection. Logan forced himself to end the call, simply because he needed to stop the erratic pounding of his heart. He sighed again, before he replaced the phone on the nightstand and rolled over, pulling the comforter up to his neck. Hearing her voice and gratitude was enough for him and brought him some measure of warmth on this day that he found no joy in. Merry Christmas, indeed.





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