Logan and Ororo, through a quirk in the evolution of the human species, had both been born mutants. Each blessed with unique and powerful abilities that raised them far above the heads of ordinary human beings. Because of this twist of fate, they had each faced major obstacles throughout the years while fighting for their lives and the belief that they had as much a right to a normal life as anyone else.
Facing countless mutant enemies who sought to simply destroy the human race and claim ownership of the Earth for themselves; fighting against human prejudice that pushed them to destroy all mutants simply for the accident of their birth. And yet, somehow, amidst the mind numbing tragedy and loss of the lives they had chosen to live, still they managed to preserve and thrive; finding a way to live in a world that would sooner see them dead. But all of those difficulties and dangerous situations seemed to suddenly pale in comparison the night that they tried to sneak out of the mansion, undetected to go on their first date.
It was absurd really; and Logan admitted that thought to himself and out loud even as he and Ororo used every trick of stealth and evasion tactics that they had at their disposal. For every step towards the door they had managed to take, they had been forced to take one step in retreat; hiding from groups of students as they passed by and avoiding any of the rooms where they knew the children liked to congregate. At his low voiced muttering, Ororo had merely laughed at him and continued onward down the hall, her eyes and ears sharp on the look out for any approaching student. Given her history as a thief and pickpocket, he figured that this was wonderfully nostalgic for her.
“I don’t know exactly why we’re doing this. The damn kids had a pool on when we’d start datin’. It's not like they were oblivious or anythin’.”
Ororo looked at him in surprise. From the look on her face, he guessed that this was the first that she had heard of a betting pool.
"The students were betting on when we would start seeing each other?"
Logan nodded as Ororo peaked around a corner for a few seconds, checking to see if the coast was clear. She stepped around it nimbly even as Logan took up her spot.
"Remind me to tell ya bout the conversation I had with Rogue earlier this week."
“Then if you do not care, dear Logan, let the children find out. Although I must admit, I am having a great deal of fun from all of this.”
He chuckled as he grabbed her hand again, pleased that she was enjoying her evening so far; despite the fact that they hadn’t even made it out the door yet. His reply was lost though when one of the students suddenly appeared in the middle of the hallway, thanks to some unique genetic abilities.
Logan, closer to a hiding place and slightly behind her, dropped Ororo’s hand, moving for the nearest room even as he felt her push him gently towards an unlocked door. He slipped into the room silently and listened with his heightened senses as the student greeted Ororo warmly.
“Artie, I thought we had agreed that you were to use your powers only when out of doors. The professor was concerned that there might be a repeat of last time; or did you intend to materialize inside the refrigerator?”
Logan saw the young mutant blush slightly and nod his head before he apologized and headed to his room. Logan waited a moment for the sounds of his footsteps to fade away before he stuck his head out of the room. “Let’s get outta here before we run into someone else.”
Ororo chuckled, patting his cheek gently. “And here I thought you were here to sweep me off my feet. My knight in shining armor.”
He scowled slightly as they continued down the hall. “Yeah, right. And I suppose that wasn’t yer hand I felt on my ass, encouragin’ me along into that room.”
She smiled and shrugged.
Logan noticed a decidedly impish light appear in her eyes.
“I had hoped to slip in with you but Artie spotted me.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “So ya took the opportunity to cop a feel?” She was stoically silent. He chuckled. “Well darlin’, how’s bout returnin’ the favor?” He rubbed his hands together and then put them on her shoulders as he eyed her curvaceous form appreciatively.
She reached up covering his hands with her own, laughing loudly. “Keep that up Logan, and there could be a great deal more electricity in the air than you had hoped for.”
For a moment, there was a shadow of white across her eyes, and Logan could feel the hair on his arms and the back of his neck start to stand up. He leaned closer to her, his lips whispering across hers, barely touching them his breath brushing gently across her face. “One of these days, we’re gonna see if ya really have the guts to zap me.”
Ororo chuckled and released her power, allowing the blue of her eyes to show through once more.
“Logan, Ah thought ya’ll were leaving.”
Logan and Ororo both started, resisting the urge to jump apart at the sudden intrusion. Logan looked up at Marie as she strode up to them hurriedly.
“If yer tryin’ not to be spotted, ya’ll need to get outta this hallway; the others are right behind me.”
“We are leaving right now Marie.” Ororo grabbed Logan’s hand firmly in her own and began dragging him towards the back of the mansion.
“Ya’ll have a good time.”
Ororo began heading back towards her room, and Logan followed confused.
“’Ro, I thought ya wanted ta go out tonight.”
“I do Logan, but with the children here, we may never be able to leave unseen. Given that, perhaps we should make a more direct exit.”
He followed her into her room and watched as she opened the large window that faced the front of the mansion. She turned to him and he was struck by the brilliant image before him. The sun was setting even as the moon rose to take its place. The two heavenly bodies were illuminating the Earth with their pale, pure light. The ethereal light enveloped her, haloing her hair in brilliant flame.
She held out her hand, a slight smile on her face. “Do you trust me Logan?”
He looked at her and without thinking, placed his large, callused hand into her slender one.“ Always, ‘Ro.”
She pulled him close, wrapping her arm around his shoulders as he wrapped one around her waist. He watched, fascinated as she let the control over her power slip, her brilliant blue eyes clouding over as she let her mutant gift free, commanding the elements around them both.
He felt the wind begin to stir, lifting her hair and ruffling their clothes as it intensified. She surrounded them with the wind, lifting them from the floor and he felt the air around them swirling, solidifying to support their weight as she directed the flow to take them out the window and into the sky. She let them glide down to ground, landing gently as she released him.
“Ya’ve been working on your control.”
“Yes, I have. It seemed appropriate.”
Logan felt the urge to lean in and kiss her tempting lips. But there was a sudden large shout of laughter from the mansion reminding him that they might be discovered at any moment. Reluctantly he pulled apart away from her. “I think it’s time we got the hell outta here.”
She nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“Just let me get the car.”
“What about your bike?”
“I wasn’t sure ‘bout that. I thought that you’d want to ride in a car.”
“I would like to ride as we have been riding these past months. Besides, I have been using the rides as an excuse to be close to you.”
He smiled at her admission. “Then, let’s get the bike.”
They roared up to the place that Ororo had picked out; a combination indoor miniature golf course and arcade. Logan stared at the place silently as Ororo removed her helmet. He hated crowds; always had. He avoided them whenever possible; that was why he never volunteered to take any of the students to the mall or on fieldtrips. Despite the changes within him in the past year or so, settling down at Xavier’s mansion being the most prominent in his mind, he still craved the isolation of the badlands and the frigid regions in the North. But for her, because she wanted this, he would endure.
“They look busy.”
Ororo set her helmet aside and smiled at the uncertain tone in his voice. “It is Friday night Logan.” He simply grunted. “Let us go inside, shall we?”
Ororo led him inside and within minutes, Logan found himself, club in hand watching her line up her first shot. He gazed at her, feeling slightly dumbfounded at the realization that she was there, with him. For a moment, he simply stood there taking in the sight of her.
She was so focused, so determined, her concentration total as she watched the ball roll down the outdoor turf. He found it amusing that she would take something as simple as a game of miniature golf as serious as she was. She gave a sharp cry of triumph as the ball continued to roll, and with a soft plopping noise, fell into the hole. She turned to Logan, a wide grin on her face.
“A hole in one on my very first shot.”
“Impressive darlin’.”
“Indeed. Are you up for a friendly wager?”
Logan snorted slightly as he took her place at the tee. “Darlin’, there is no such thing as a friendly wager with ya.”
She laughed loudly. “Come now Logan, surely you are not afraid that I might hustle you again. This is not a game of nine ball after all.” He shrugged, lining up his shot.
“I just don’t want to take advantage of ya.” He watched her out of the corner of his eye, loving the surprised look on her face.
She seemed unsure of exactly how to take his words and he found the slightly uncertain look on her usually confident face a bit humorous. “What makes you think that you would be taking advantage of me?”
He swung his club back slowly and took his shot. They watched in silence as the ball rolled toward the hole. He turned to her, just as it ball fell into the hole; the soft plastic plop echoing loudly despite the noisy, crowded room. He whistled softly, a sly grin on his own face. “What was that ya were sayin’ about a wager ‘Ro?” He chuckled when she simply ignored him and they continued onto the next hole.
Some time later, they walked into a local pizza joint; a small, crowded place reeking of tomato sauce, garlic and other spices. Despite the crowd at the arcade place, and the crowd at the small pizza place that Ororo had picked, Logan felt surprisingly calm and relaxed. He noticed the noise and other patrons around him; he never failed to notice everything. But they didn’t immediately register in his mind; Ororo’s presence seemed to not only block it all out, but it soothed him, stilling the panic within him that might have sent him racing back to the mansion hours before. They sat in a small booth, looking over the menu as they argued over the pizza toppings.
“Logan, I understand your need to eat meat; but some of us do need to watch our cholesterol levels. I do not care to order a pizza called the ‘Cardiac Special’.”
“Come on ‘Ro, where’s yer sense of adventure?”
“I am not worried about my sense of adventure; however my arteries are another matter entirely.”
“Well I’m not agreein’ to anchovies. I was hopin’ ya’d order some kind of meat, not a meat wanna be.”
“What if we get them on the side?” There was a hopeful glint in her eyes as she spoke and he fought the urge to simply give in.
“Darlin’, if you want this date to end with a kiss, you’ll forget the anchovies.” She smiled at him as she leaned forward to whisper her words in a low voice, meaning them for his ears alone.
“Why wait until the end of the date?”
He leaned forward as well, until their lips were nearly touching, only a fraction of an inch apart. “’Cause then I’d have to watch you eat them; and darlin’, even with a healin’ factor that is not a sight my stomach could take.”
She couldn’t contain the giggle that escaped her. Just at that moment, the waiter appeared to take their order.
Logan never took his eyes from Ororo as he ordered for them. “Give us a large vegetarian with sausage.” Just as the waiter turned to leave, Logan grabbed him to add something to the order. “We’ll also need some anchovies to go. We’ll want those with our check; and make sure they’re wrapped in plastic. I don’t want to spend the ride home smellin’ those damn things.”
Ororo giggled again as the waiter left to fill their order. “That was very a sweet thing to do Logan; I will enjoy them. Do you think you could put them in an omelet?” He snorted loudly as he leaned back from her.
“If ya think I’m gonna cook anythin’ for ya with those things in it, then yer more optimistic than I thought.”
She laughed outright at those words. “And here you were bragging about your ability as a cook. You told me you were very skilled.”
“Darlin’, I’ve turned some pretty sad fare into somethin’ that looked like a five star banquet. But there ain’t no skill in the world that could make those things edible; I’m skilled but I don’t do miracles.”
“I must admit that I find it a bit of a surprise that you do cook. Many men in the mansion do not practice that particular skill very much.” The waiter set glasses of water down between them along with the baskets of bread that the parlor was famous for. Logan shrugged as he took a piece of bread eating it slowly.
“Their loss I guess; I’ve been in a lot of situations where if I didn’t cook, I didn’t eat. So it just made sense that if I was gonna have to spend a lot of time eatin’ it, it better be good. Man can only live on grill cheese and fried bologna sandwiches for so long before cravin’ more serious fare.”
“A simple man with sophisticated tastes."
Logan chuckled along with her when he caught a subtle scent in the air and took a deeper whiff, trying to locate it. He glanced behind him at the door where a large group of teenagers had just walked in. He caught a glimpse of dark hair and combined with the scent he was picking up, he found himself swearing softly.
“Logan, what is wrong?”
Sorry darlin’. We’re gonna have ta get that pizza ta go. Some of the students just walked in.”
Ororo resisted the urge to look around; she didn’t want to draw anymore attention to herself than she normally did. Her very appearance often set her apart without any help whatsoever from her personality. “Where? Who?”
“I only caught sight of Kitty; but you know that anywhere she is, the icicle is too.”
“Logan, the boy does have a name.”
Logan resisted the urge to throw up his hands in frustration. It was hardly the time to argue either point. He managed to keep his voice low; he didn’t want the students to notice them. “I know that; look do ya want ta get caught yet, or do ya want ta try and keep us a secret for a little while longer?”
Ororo didn’t hesitate. “Let us take the pizza back to the mansion; we can eat by the lake, or in the greenhouse. Just so long as it is quiet and none of the students are around.”
“Sounds like a deal to me. You sneak out the back and I’ll grab our dinner.” He watched her head toward the restrooms; he knew that she would probably find a window to sneak out of, or leave from the kitchen. Sure that she would get away unseen, he walked up to the counter not even trying to hide his presence. He waved his waiter over, speaking to him quietly requesting that their order be boxed up to go. He then stood there at the counter to wait for it. Or course he was spotted by the group of students.
“Logan, what are you doing here?” He turned at the sound of Kitty’s excited, young voice. He raised an eyebrow at the question, looking around them.
“What’s it look like? I’m eatin’ out.” Just at that moment the waiter showed up with his order. Logan paid his tab, tipping him generously before eyeing the group of teenagers. “I know its Friday, but don’t forget there’s a curfew.” There was a murmured chorus of “yes sir” and he walked out of the pizza parlor to see Ororo standing next to his bike, the helmet on her head, hiding her distinctive hair and eyes. A little while later found them in the greenhouse, sitting on a blanket, surrounded by candles eating the pizza on napkins, a cold six pack of beer sitting between them.
“I hope yer havin’ a good time ‘Ro. This wasn’t exactly the way I intended our first date to be.”
She smiled a bit, reaching up to wipe a smear of pizza sauce from his face as he lounged on the blanket. He was rapidly eating his way through the pizza. “I am enjoying this Logan; there is no pressure on either of us. I hope that you were not expecting a great deal more.”
He shook his head as he eyed the pizza trying to decide if he wanted another piece or if he was going to be a gentleman. She saw him contemplating the open box and knew that he was holding back to be sure that she had enough. Finding that a touch endearing, she reached in and handed him a slice.
“Thanks. No, ‘Ro I just wanted ta spend time with ya; whatever ya picked tonight, I probably woulda done it.”
She smiled at his words. “You would not eat anchovies on your pizza.”
“Every man has his limits ‘Ro.”
She smiled. “But this is nice Logan, thank you.” There was silence for a few moments as they ate.
She watched as he threw the final crust back into the box as he took a swig of beer and watched her pick the vegetables off her final slice of pizza. "So tell about your conversation with Marie."
Logan chuckled as he gave her the gist of what they had talked about. At the mention of Remy's involvement and subsequent winning of the dating pool, Ororo's brow rose noticeably. "He has gotten a great deal more cunning than I remembered."
Logan looked puzzled. "What ya mean by that?"
"Before you came into my classroom to ask me to dinner tonight, my dear brother was in there."
"Yeah I know, he and I had a few words in the hallway."
"So you will not be too surprised to learn that he was against my seeing you. I guess I should not be surprised that he would participate in the pool; Remy is a gambler at heart. I just wonder why he would be so duplicitous as to take the money while trying to dissuade me from seeing you." Logan made himself more comfortable on the blanket, shrugging at her words.
"He just cares about ya 'Ro. He don't want to see ya get hurt, that's all."
"Yes, I know that well. But if they all continue to protect me I will become a spinster." Logan chuckled at the image of Ororo as a iron willed old lady, still teaching and surrounded by cats as she wandered around the mansion. She gave him a strange look as she continued to pick at her pizza and he decided to change the subject.
“So tell the truth ‘Ro, how long have ya been attracted to me?”
She took a bite of her pizza feeling a bit unsure at the question. “I am not sure that I should tell you. I do not want to deflate your ego.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”
“If you must know, I have felt an attraction to you for a long time; I just did not recognize it for what it truly was until recently.”
“What ya mean?”
“You and I have many things in common and I thought what I felt stemmed from those commonalities; not from any physical attraction. It was not until several months ago, when you returned, that I began to feel something more. Only when I realized that, I was afraid to act upon it because of what you felt for Jean.”
He frowned wondering how long what he had felt for Jean was going to come between them. “Ya believe me don’t ya, that I don’t feel the same way for her?”
Ororo nodded as she threw her pizza crust into the box as well. She made herself more comfortable on the blanket, lying on her side facing him as she reached out to grab his hand. “Yes, I do believe you; I would not be here, I would not have allowed any of this to happen if I did not believe that. But at the moment that I came to that realization, I did not know the truth.” She watched him as he studied their entwined hands before bringing them up to kiss her gently. She shivered at the touch of his lips. “Now it is your turn to be honest with me. When did you realize that you saw me as little more than background decoration?”
He pretended to ponder the answer despite the fact that he knew well when he had realized the truth of what he was feeling. “The day ya knocked me on my ass.”
She jabbed his arm playfully. “Logan, be serious.”
“I am ‘Ro. Nothing turns me on more than an aggressive woman. Or didn’t ya notice my abrupt ‘departure’?”
She frowned for a second and he knew she was thinking back on that day. He saw the realization suddenly dawn on her and she laughed a bit. “I am sorry Logan, I did not realize.”
“I didn’t want ya ta; I ain’t embarrassed by it, but I wasn’t sure what the hell was goin’ on. And I for sure had no idea how you might react.”
She moved closer to him, reaching out and touching his chest gently, watching his nostrils flare as he inhaled deeply. “But now you do.”
“Yeah, now I do.” He leaned forward his lips touching hers gently.
“This was a lovely evening Logan, thank you.”
He stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers. He brushed a strand of her hair back from her face, as he used his sensitive touch to learn the contours and texture of her beautiful face. “I’m glad ya enjoyed it ‘Ro.” He smiled, his eyes going back to the pizza box and the heavily wrapped doggie bag that sat next to it. “And thanks for keeping the anchovies to yer.”
Her laughter echoed musically throughout the greenhouse.
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