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“Come on ‘Ro, ya can’t seriously expect me ta help in here fer that long. I can’t believe that there’d be that much for me ta do in here anyway.”

Ororo stood in the doorway, blocking his attempt to leave, her hands on her hips as she stared him down. “Logan, we had a deal. You are my manual labor for two weeks; or do you plan to welsh on our bet?”

He growled at her softly hoping she might back down. She crossed her arms and continued to stare at him. He could see that she was not the least bit intimidated by his irritation and had no intention of backing down. He felt all the irritation that had built within him simply fade away. He held up his hands in surrender before he reached up to take off his hat. “Alright darlin’, alright. I made a promise and I plan on keepin’ it. What do ya need me ta move now?”

She smiled as she dropped her arms and walked past him to gather supplies for her next project. “Well, since you asked so nicely, you can start by grabbing that large bag of soil mix behind you. We are going to be working on the landscaping around the mansion.”

He grabbed the bag, slinging it over his shoulder as she grabbed a basket of tools and walked out of the greenhouse. “Hold on, I thought our agreement was for work inside the greenhouse; you never said nothin’ bout workin’ on the mansion grounds.”

Ororo smiled at him. Somehow, Logan knew that he had failed to hide the panic her words caused. Helping her in her greenhouse was one thing; it was sheltered from prying eyes and very few students came to see her in it. There was little chance that one of the students would see him “playing in the dirt” as he once put it.

But the mansion grounds were often crowded with young mutants socializing, playing various sports and basically enjoying the outdoors. He had no wish for them to see him as anything but the tough, kick ass man he was. He had a reputation to protect.

“Something the matter with working outside today Logan?” Her tone was soft, a bit mocking as she teased him. “Afraid perhaps that your bad boy reputation might be at risk by honoring your bet with me?”

He stiffened slightly as she continued to tease him and he could see that she was fighting the urge to laugh.

“I am sure the others will not even notice us. In fact, I am willing to make a wager that they do not.”

Logan opened his mouth for a moment, nearly accepting her wager without thought, his instincts and pride urging him to act without thinking, when his brain promptly shut his mouth again. He looked at her for a moment as she stood before him, seemingly guileless as she baited him into a corner that he couldn’t back out of.

“Yer good; but I haven’t completely lost my mind. I’m not wagerin’ with ya ever again; look at the mess it got me into last time.” He pointed a finger at her as a smile broke out on his face.

She laughed. “You catch on quickly Logan. I see I will have to be a bit more devious in the future. But in reference to our agreement, I never stipulated that the work had to be within the greenhouse; I merely said that for two weeks, you would be my manual labor when I worked with my plants. One of my other duties is to attend to some of the plants around the mansion. So, you really have no choice.”

Logan sighed loudly and gestured for her to lead the way. As she walked out of the greenhouse, he followed behind her, muttering angrily under his breath.

She turned to face him, a shadow of white covering the brilliant blue of her eyes; off in the distance there was a soft rumble of thunder. Her voice was midnight soft as she spoke. “What was that Logan?”

He stopped muttering immediately. “Nothin’, ‘Ro. Just talkin’ ta myself.”

“I am so glad to hear that.” Her eyes returned to normal as she walked out of the greenhouse.

As he watched her walk out, he resisted the urge to glare daggers at her back.

For the next hour or so, he acted as her gopher, grabbing whatever she might have forgotten and moving various objects around the mansion. He quickly grew bored and wondered how much longer she was going to expect him to help her. His mind began wandering as he leaned against a nearby tree.

He found his eyes drawn to her, studying her as she worked, admiring her graceful movements as she worked in the soil. He watched, fascinated as her small elegant hands gently, but competently set a bunch of new bulbs into their new homes. He was amazed at the different memories her hands evoked in him.

He had witnessed firsthand those same hands wield power beyond human imagining; harnessing raw lightning as a living weapon. More recently he had seen those hands used against him in their sparring sessions as he taught her to defend herself. Now, he was once again seeing a new side to her as she tended her plants. He watched in amazement as she called up a small rain shower for each bulb just planted, drenching it to ensure that it survived before moving onto the next one.

She turned to him, her soft voice pulling him from his strange thoughts. “Logan, could you please come here, I need a hand with something.”

He grunted as he stepped away from the tree. She patted the ground next to her. Logan plopped down, albeit reluctantly. “Ain’t that cheatin’ darlin’?”

She smiled and shrugged. “Much simpler than a watering can; and there is less to carry when I do it this way.”

He nodded once, the answer making a great deal of sense; even though he had never really given the matter much thought before. “What ya need darlin’?”

She smiled at him again as she handed him a plant bulb and the gardening trowel. He looked at the bulb as if it was something poisonous and unpleasant. “Ya can’t be serious. Ya told me that I was manual labor, ya never said anythin’ about havin’ ta help ya plant the damn things.”

She laughed as she placed the brown onion-like bulb in his hands. He took it reluctantly, knowing that if he tried to stop her, she would simply ignore him and roll over all his protests. “Come now Logan, working in the soil is very relaxing. You may find that you enjoy it.”

He looked at her with unmistaken skepticism for several seconds before sighing loudly. “Yer not gonna let me out of this are ya?”

There was a sparkle of mischief in her eyes as she laughed softly, shaking her head slowly. He sighed loudly once more, taking the garden trowel from her. There was nothing that he could think of to deny her request. He had never thought to be cornered so effectively, by something as innocuous as a flowering bulb no less. “Where’d ya want this one darlin’?”

She smiled again as he dug into the spot she had indicated, placed the bulb in the hole and gently patted the soil around it once more. “See Logan, surely such an easy task is not above even you.”

He watched as she watered it and handed him a new bulb. “Darlin’, if ya ever tell anybody I did this willin’ly, I’ll deny it and there’ll be hell ta pay.”

She laughed aloud, her voice full of mischief as they worked side by side to finish planting the remainder of the bulbs.

Logan didn’t notice Jean watching the pair closely from a second story window. But if he had, he would have wondered at the troubled look on her face and the slight frown that marred it as she looked at the scene below her.

“Logan?”

He heard Ororo’s voice throughout the garage and wondered why he had the feeling she was about to corner him with something new. After being forced to plant flower bulbs with her for several days, he woke that morning with an overwhelming urge to do something extremely masculine involving tools, grease and gasoline. He’d been there for the better part of an hour trying to figure out what was wrong with Scott’s car.

Somehow, and he still wondered just how, Jean had found him and suckered him into repairing it as a favor to her. Too bad she needed it fixed so that she and Scott could go out on a date. He was halfway tempted to sabotage the damn thing, just to yank Scott’s chain. But thought better of it when he realized just what might happen if the two lovebirds found themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere.

“I’m in here darlin’. I’m ‘bout to take a sledgehammer and a stick of dynamite to Cyke’s car. Wanna help?” He stood up from the car as he heard her laughter approaching him. He reached over and grabbed a rag to wipe the grease and oil off his hands as he watched her walk up to him.

She gave him a rueful grin. “No, thank you Logan. Somehow I do not think that Scott would approve of the demise of his favorite car.”

Logan grinned evilly and shrugged as she stopped in front of him. “So if yer not here ta help me create chaos and mayhem, what ya need?”

“I need a favor. I need your help with something.”

Logan held up his hands and backed away from her. “Darlin’ I honored our bet; my work finished in the greenhouse last week. Ya ain’t getting’ me to plant anymore bulbs, seeds or whatever else ya might be plannin’. I enjoy spendin’ time with ya, but that’s where I have to draw the line.”

Ororo laughed. “I did not come out here to ask for your help with my plants Logan; I’ve already lost far too many to your black thumb anyway. Murderer.”

Logan winced. “Ouch. A little harsh there don’t ya think ‘Ro?”

“Hardly. If I did not know any better, I would say that you sabotaged those seedlings as revenge for making you work outside where everyone could see you.”

This time Logan laughed. “No. If I had done anythin’ to ‘em, it woulda been cause ya cornered me and used a bunch of psychobabble ta get me ta do what ya wanted. Now, what exactly do ya need ‘Ro?”

“The children are getting very excited because Halloween is only a few weeks away. They wish to throw a party with games, hayrides and such.”

Logan interrupted her. “Let me guess, ya need chaperones; and somehow my name just magically appeared on the list.”

The twinkle of mischief in Ororo’s eyes said it all. “Actually, the children asked me to ask you. You would be surprised how many of them actually like you. They feel that of all the teachers here, you are the coolest; present company excluded of course.”

Logan bent under the hood of Scott’s car again as he thought over her request. “I bet that has ta sting a little.”

Ororo shrugged, leaning against the car, watching him work. “Perhaps. Will you help me chaperone the party?”

His face popped into view again as he looked at her earnest expression. “What do I get outta this deal?”

She looked at him in surprise. “Is my gratitude not enough?”

He chuckled. “How ‘bout this. If I agree ta the party, ya have ta agree ta another movie marathon; only this time I get ta pick the flicks.”

“But that was what you asked for when we wagered on a game of nine ball.”

“Yeah, but I lost remember. Look, ya seem to be hooked on this Vin Diesal guy; and while his flicks ain’t bad, I think yer missin’ out on a lot of classic action movies. What d’ya say?”

She shook her head as she leaned away from the car and began walking away. “Agreed Logan. I shall give you the details as soon as I have them.”

He turned his attention back to the engine when her voice drew him back out.

“Oh and Logan, we will be discussing your costume just as soon as the children decide on a theme.”

He stood up quickly, forgetting that he was still under the hood of Scott’s car, smacking his skull into it hard enough to dent it slightly. “Costume? Ya didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout no costume. ‘Ro, get back here.” She continued walking away, her chuckle of amusement reaching his ears. He swore softly as he realized that she had indeed gotten more devious; and she’d managed to corner him again

“’Ro, this thing itches. Why the hell did ya have to pick this costume anyway?” He reached up to scratch again and she slapped his hand lightly.

She readjusted his hat and stepped back, eyeing him closely. “Because Logan, the children decided that they wanted the theme of the party to be popular movie characters. And the only way we were not going to have 20 spiderman or batman costumes was to assign the costumes randomly. I drew this one out of the hat for you because you were not there at the time. I actually think you look adorable.” She readjusted some strands of straw as she spoke.

Logan grunted again and spit straw out of his mouth. “A scarecrow, ‘Ro? Complete with bright red cheeks? Why don’t ya just pin a “kick me” sign on my forehead?”

Ororo swatted his arm gently. “Hush. Be thankful that the cowardly lion was not among the choices.”

Logan cringed at her words. If he had been forced into that choice…he couldn’t even think beyond that. “Okay, so I somehow ended up as the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. But how in the hell did you get Glenda the good witch?”

Ororo smiled slightly and turned him so he was facing the large mirror in her room. “That is my secret.”

Something in her tone made him suspicious. Somehow he knew that his appearance in this costume was anything but chance. He growled softly as she began applying more make-up. If he ever managed to find proof that she had done this intentionally, she was going to pay. “Well at least yer costume makes sense. It don’t make you look like a complete jackass. I swear, when I find the kid that suggested this costume, I’m gonna make him pay.”

Ororo grabbed her wand from off her bed and handed it to him while she adjusted her crown in the mirror. “Really Logan. Just what do you plan to do?”

“I’ll let ya know when I figure that part out. If one person laughs at me tonight…” He let the threat trail off.

She ignored him as she grabbed his hand and led him, albeit reluctantly, from the room.

Downstairs, deep in the basement, the workout room and several nearby rooms had been converted to hold refreshments, games and dancing. The students were mingling between them freely, each dressed in a lavish costume.

Logan and Ororo had arrived several minutes before the first students to make the final preparations for the party. The adults had decided to throw the party on a Friday; there was less time for everyone to prepare for the party but more time to recover and repair the damage afterwards.

Logan tried in vain to forget how he was dressed; hoping that perhaps if he didn’t seem to notice how ridiculous he looked, then perhaps no one else would either. But his hopes were in vain when the children started to arrive in small groups.

The first one to spot him was Jubilee; and she spotted him long before he was aware of her. He didn’t remain oblivious for too long though; her shriek at the sight of his costume was loud enough to deafen a deaf mute. He winced visibly as it echoed loudly in the gymnasium type room and turned to face the music.

“Love the threads Wolvie.”

Logan raised a finger to point at her when what she had said really penetrated his brain. “Wolvie?” She giggled as she reached out to hug him warmly. “Please tell me ya ain’t gonna pass that around.”

“I have to admit Logan, I never expected to see you dressed like this.”

Logan snorted loudly as he leaned closer. “Don’t get used to it. I don’t plan ta keep it up.”

“Who wrangled you into this outfit?”

“Three guesses and the first two don’t count.” He looked over at Ororo who was standing behind the refreshment table talking to another group of students that had just shown up.

“Ms. Munroe? How on Earth did she manage that?”

Logan scratched his head. “I’m still tryin’ to figure that one out myself.”

Jubilee turned back to her friends and Logan looked up in time to see Jean walk in on Scott’s arm. They were dressed as Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Logan would have found it charming if he hadn’t been sickened by the fact that Scott looked right at home in the formal wear. They glanced around the room, looking at the students’ costumes and checking to see who had arrived. Logan felt an overwhelming urge to hide before they could see him. But he didn’t make it.

Jean spied him and her mouth fell open in surprise. She nudged Scott who looked at Logan for several moments in disbelief. Just when Logan began to feel truly uncomfortable and he was ready to flee the room, they walked up to him.

“Goodness Logan; I had no idea you had such Halloween spirit.” Jean couldn’t contain her mirth and began to giggle.

Logan shot Scott a look that would have bent steel as Jean lost it completely, laughing loudly. “She can laugh ‘cause I don’t make it a practice ta hit women unless they’ve hit me first. But one sound One Eye, and you and me’ll have ta step outside.”

Scott held up his hands and managed to contain his amusement.

Ororo came up to them, moving gracefully in her floor length pink gown.

Jean grabbed her friend’s arm as the last of her laughter faded away. “I suppose you are responsible for his outfit?”

“Guilty as charged. Although now I wished that I had pushed for the Cowardly Lion.” They both burst into new peals of laughter as Logan scowled fiercely at Ororo. Scott remained blessedly silent.

“’Ro, I would have paid to see that.”

Logan turned away as they continued laughing. “Women.” He muttered under his breath as he turned his attention to ignoring the looks and comments that were beginning to float his way.

"I am pleased that most of the students enjoyed your costume Logan."

Logan grunted, not wanting to say anything about what he really thought of his costume. The party had come to a close, near midnight, and the last of the students had been sent off to bed as the adults stayed behind and began cleaning up the mess left by the rambunctious teenagers.

She smiled at his grunt. “Although I must ask how you managed to get them to stop laughing and making snide comments.”

This time, the smile that Logan gave her was chilling. “It wasn’t too hard; luckily most of ‘em are in my self defense class. A comment or two implyin’ a change of grade or a personal sparrin’ session with yers truly was enough ta stop most of ‘em.”

Ororo shook her head as she continued to clean up the trash from the party. “Logan, that was hardly fair. Surely you realize that was tantamount to blackmail.”

Logan grabbed the last stack of dirty dishes as he left the room and headed to the kitchen. “It worked didn’t it?”

She followed him out carrying the trash bags. “You are incorrigible Logan.”

“I try darlin’. I try.” They walked into the kitchen and there was silence for several moments as Logan put the dishes down and Ororo took the garbage bags outside. While she was outside, Logan began washing the dishes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ororo walk back inside, unable to hide her surprise at seeing him with his arms elbow deep in sudsy water, washing the dishes.

“I never figured you were such a domestic Logan.”

He reached over and threw her a dishtowel. “Yeah, well you can dry.” They stood side by side for several long moments washing the dishes. Logan watched her out of the corner of his eye as she dried the dishes, humming quietly to herself.

She had removed her costume before starting on the cleanup; but she had left her hair and make up alone. Logan found himself wondering why he had never before really noticed how beautiful she was.

“Logan, if you keep washing that plate, you will wear the glaze off the porcelain.”

Logan started at her voice and looked down guiltily at the plate he’d been washing for the past several moments. He rinsed it off and passed it to her. “Sorry darlin’. My mind seems ta be a million miles away right now.”

“Is there anything you wish to talk about?”

“No, not really. But thanks ‘Ro.”

“Anytime Logan.”

“Hey ‘Ro?”

“Yes Logan?”

“I had a fun tanight, believe it or not. Thanks fer asking me ta help. It was nice ta see the kids havin’ such a good time.”

She smiled at him as she took the next dish from him. “I am glad Logan. Now let us finish these dishes; I do not know about you but I cannot wait to fall into bed.”

He chuckled, whole heartedly agreeing with her even as he felt his mind once again contemplating Ororo in an entirely new light.

The weekend passed by in a blur after that; Logan and ‘Ro went out riding everyday when neither was busy with other duties. He found it a different change of pace to go for a ride on his bike and have someone else do the driving; different but very enjoyable. Logan even found the time to have a quiet dinner with Marie where he broached the topic of her new relationship with Remy.

“How ya been doing with yer studies.”

Marie shrugged as she ate. “Fine, Ah guess. Ah like most of my classes but there are a couple that give me a hard time.”

‘Like what?”

“Well, history for one. But only because Ah really don’t like it much; it’s kinda boring.”

Logan grunted; he wasn’t sure he liked history much either. “What else?”

“Metal shop, believe it or not.”

Logan glanced at her sharply, surprise on his face at her words. “They’re makin’ ya take metal shop here?” She nodded. “What for?”

“Scott says it’ll round out our abilities; gives us the knowledge of how things work and how to do minor repairs when needed. Ah think it’s a mind game; that he just wants to torture us.”

“Yeah, well ole One Eye might just be the type ta do that ta someone like me, but I think he might have a point there.” Rogue looked at him as if he’d suddenly grown another head. “I know, as strange as it sounds, I actually agree with the jerk.”

“Ah never thought Ah’d see the day that you’d agree with him.”

“Yeah well, I’m just thinkin’ about all the times I’ve been stranded and basic mechanical knowledge has pulled my ass out of the wringer. If ya want, I can help ya with that class.” The look of gratitude and hope on Marie’s face was all the reward that Logan would ever ask for. He was surprised to feel it filling him with a sense of warmth he hadn’t felt for a long time.

“Oh would ya Logan? Ah really don’t understand what Ah’m doing in the damn class.” He raised a brow at her language and she looked chagrined. “Sorry.”

“How ‘bout tomorrow, after self-defense? You have an hour free right?” She nodded. “Fine, meet me in the garage after you’ve showered.”

“Thank you Logan.”

“Don’t mention it kid. Now, before I forget, what about this new guy you been seeing, this Remy?”

The overjoyed look on Marie’s face faded away. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to start on me too.”

Logan’s face registered confusion. “Who else has been on you about him?”

“Ms. Munroe for one, not to mention Bobby. Like he has much room to talk, hooking up with Kitty so quickly.”

“Storm was against ya seeing him?” He didn’t even bother to hide his surprise at her statement; especially after the conversation that he and Ororo had had over a month ago about the same subject.

“No, but she did ask me to be careful; said Ah shouldn’t jump into anything too quickly. She also said it was more important to listen to my heart than my hormones.”

Logan was swallowing at the exact moment she repeated those sage words of wisdom and suddenly found himself choking. Marie reached up and thumped him between the shoulder blades forcefully as he coughed repeatedly.

“I didn’t need to hear that.” He wiped his mouth and looked at her, his face serious. “Rogue, we both know that I’m not your father and I’m not gonna act like I am. But I just want to be sure ya understand that all of us are only saying these things cause we care what happens to ya. If he makes ya feel pressured, about anything, ya come see me or Ms. Munroe or any of the other teachers. Promise me.” The tone of his voice was serious and his eyes never wavered from Rogue’s face.

She understood him; better than any other person alive. He knew that. And because he knew that, he also knew that she would understand how much it took for him to open up this way. Her tone was just as serious as his had been. “Ah promise.”

Satisfied, he nodded turning the topic to lighter conversation, ribbing her and the other students in his class as they finished their meal together.

The month of November continued on with hardly a chaotic whimper as Logan began working the students in sparring pairs. He also divided the students into different groups, each one learning a slightly different fighting style best suited to their individual abilities. He even stepped up their endurance training, adding another mile to their daily run and increasing the amount of weight training they did.

As for Ororo, she continued to excel and he began to look forward to their daily sparring sessions with a sense of anticipation. He continued to knock her on her ass several times a session but she was definitely progressing. He was finding that it took slightly longer to put her down each time he did it. And he knew that it wouldn’t be much longer before she managed to put his ass on the mat.

They also continued to ride together whenever they could spare the time. Sometimes, he would let Ororo drive and sometimes not. They explored a great deal of the surrounding area and found the need to venture out further a field to avoid boredom. The two of them roaring off together became a common sight around the school.

Logan kept his promise to Rogue and began to help her with her classes when he was able. She admitted that she still didn’t like the subjects that were taught in her shop class. After tutoring her for awhile, Logan realized that she simply had no desire whatsoever to master basic carpentry, metalworking and automotive skills. But she did manage to understand them better and to improve.

Logan also kept his word to her about not speaking against her seeing Remy; that didn’t stop him however from spying on her when she met him a few times. He had heard a great deal about the young man from the short letters Ororo and Jean had sent him while he had been away; even Rogue had mentioned him.

But Logan never trusted other people’s impressions when it came to those they cared about. So he had decided that perhaps it was time to see just what the young man was made of. He got his chance when he managed to finagle some free time and came upon Remy shooting some hoops alone on the basketball court.

“Ya must be Remy.”

Remy stopped shooting and turned to look at him, his eyes guarded. “Dat would be me.”

Logan noticed his heavy New Orleans accent.

“And just who might you be?”

“The name’s Logan; I’m the self defense teacher.”

Remy nodded and turned to shoot a basket. “Ah, Rogue has spoken of you.”

“Has she.”

“Remy t’ought you would be taller.”

Logan was speechless for several seconds wondering just how he should react to that statement when he noticed the twinkle in Remy’s strangely red eyes. He started chuckling. “I get that a lot.” He held his hands up and Remy passed him the ball; for several moments there was silence as they played a friendly game of one on one. During the game, Logan watched Remy carefully, noticing how he moved and stepped around the court. What he saw surprised him.

Remy was lightning quick and surefooted. He was light on his feet and his body moved with a mind of its own; his eyes never gave away what his next move would be. He understood now why Remy hadn’t been included in his classes; the kid was deadly grace and lethal precision walking. The game ended in a tie and they walked in companionable silence back to the mansion.

“Logan, not dat Remy is not grateful for da game, but why did you seek him out?”

For a moment or two, Logan was thrown by Remy referring to himself in the third person. “I wanted to see you move; figured a game of ball would be the best excuse.”

“Logan, surely dat is not de only reason. Is dere not’ing else?”

“Yeah Cajun, there is. I came out here to talk about Marie.”

“Rogue? Remy don’t understand.”

“Listen, I know I’m not her father and I’m not gonna pretend to be. But the girl is really special to me. She’s had some bad things happen to her; some people have tried to kill her for what she can do. I’m not saying you’d do the same. All I’m asking is the two of you be careful, please. I’d hate to have to take you apart.”

“You could try Logan, but Remy tink you’d have a hard fight on your hands, non?”
Logan stood there, his body language relaxed but his face hard and unreadable. “Don’t bet on it Cajun.”

“Fine; Rogue and Remy be careful. You have Remy’s word.”

“Good enough.” Logan grasped the young man’s hand firmly. When Remy’s hand tightened on his own, Logan nearly laughed. Obviously the young man hadn’t managed to read up on all of his team members yet if he was trying to turn the handshake into a pissing contest. He resisted the urge to tighten his own. With his metal laced bones, it would be a cold day in hell before Remy ever managed to make him flinch. After a few moments, he dropped his hand. “Now, how ‘bout another game? I hate ties.”





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