Chapter Thirteen: Baby Bump
I made you think, you don't understand
There were many walls you had to climb
If you really wanted to be mine
I made you think, you don't understand
After all the hoops I put you through
Now I see that I'm in love with you
~Christina Aguilera
Ororo was waiting on the front porch when the telltale lights of Logan’s Jeep bounced through the thick darkness. She had her hands on the gentle swell of her stomach; eager to show Logan how she had grown in his week away.
He’d remained with Hank, though the blue mutant had insisted he return home. Though he’d never voiced it, Ororo knew that he wanted to ensure Trask would make no further move against Trish or Hank while they were in the open.
The Jeep pulled to a stop in the space designated for Logan and the engine cut off a moment later. Ororo came down the steps carefully, a smile curving her mouth as the Jeep’s door popped open.
“Well, there’s a sight for some damn sore eyes,” came the growling voice from the other side of the Jeep.
“Hello, handsome,” she chuckled. Logan came around the side of the Jeep, duffel in hand and a cigar pinched between his teeth.
He had a winning smile on his whiskered face. When she held her arms out for him, he dropped the duffel and pulled the cigar away with one hand. Ororo melted into his embrace, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder to inhale the masculine scent of smoke and sweat. He kissed her hair, holding her close with one arm while the other held the cigar away to protect their baby from the smoke.
“I missed you,” she said honestly. “Don’t go away again.”
“Missed you too,” he said, surprising her as he tightened his embrace. “Wouldn’t have if Hank hadn’t needed me.”
“I know,” she answered as she pulled back. She kissed him quickly, wrapping both arms around his neck.
Logan smiled against her lips, his arm bringing her closer. “You smell good.”
“I smell like cooking oil and green beans,” she rolled her eyes, stepping out of his embrace to grab his duffel.
He chuckled softly. “You smell like you. And mini-you.”
Ororo rolled her eyes, settling the light duffel over her shoulder. Logan seemed ready to take it from her, but a sharp look ensured he merely stuck his cigar back between his lips and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
They entered the quiet mansion together, Ororo allowing him to greet Marie and Bobby as she headed for the stairs. Though she’d been determined to wait until Logan’s return, she was exhausted from her long day. He’d wanted an earlier flight, which had been canceled. In lieu of waiting until morning, he had opted for a late flight. Ororo was more than thrilled to have him home, but her overexerted body was screaming for rest.
She stowed Logan’s duffel on their bed “ which was freshly made “ and patiently waited for him to join her. He’d already eaten, or so he had said on the phone. It was a good thing, as Ororo’s weary body was ready to simply give out on her.
It surprised the weather-manipulating mutant how much she had come to depend on Logan’s presence in the last months. With him suddenly gone for a week, everything piled up around her. She could blame some of her exhaustion on the fact that she was pregnant, but that seemed too easy a cop out. Women had careers and babies every day; she could handle it.
That, however, didn’t make the long, lonely nights any easier to bear. She’d missed her human teddy bear snuggling up against her in the darkness more than anything.
Logan came into the room as she began undressing. Smiling to herself, as her back was facing him, Ororo unbuttoned her shirt and stepped toward the bathroom. When she felt Logan’s gaze on her, she easily shrugged the garment from her shoulders, showing off her bare belly proudly. Humming softly to herself, she almost missed the sharp intake of breath from the other side of the room.
“Hey,” her lover whispered as he crossed the room in two strides.
“Why, Logan,” she teased. “Whatever is the matter?”
But the look on his face was too adoring for her to keep the teasing manner. He dropped to his knees, his hands gently on her hips so he could turn her to the side. Logan almost reverently reached for her belly, tracing the slight curve of it.
“Wow,” he breathed. “Look at that.”
“It’s hardly anything,” she said as he leaned closer to kiss her bare stomach. “Just a little bump.”
“It’s beautiful,” Logan whispered, his dark eyes finally meeting hers. “I can hear his heartbeat from across the room. Strong.”
Ororo giggled soundlessly. “Isn’t it…just…”
“Don’t even try,” he interrupted. “Ain’t no words for this, darlin’.”
She ran her hand through the wolfish peaks of his hair, not surprised by the level of emotion in Logan’s words, touch, eyes. Both of his masculine hands covered her belly, his face pressed close as he inhaled her scent as though it were his oxygen. As though she were vital to his survival at all times.
“Can you feel him yet?” Logan asked, his voice muffled by her flesh.
“A little,” she admitted. “It feels like bubbles or butterfly wings.”
She felt him frown and gently stroked his cheek. “I missed it.”
Ororo rolled her eyes affectionately. “You wouldn’t be able to feel it yet, Daddy.”
His hands flexed slightly at the use of his new title. Ororo ruffled his hair again, putting her hands over his to squeeze them lightly.
Dark eyes met hers as he stood, his hands leaving her belly to cup her face. Ororo felt her girly side swoon at the reverence and love in his gaze and touch. She wanted to drown in it, forget all the bad swirling around them.
“You look tired, Mama.” His whisper made her heart melt.
“I am,” she confessed, leaning up for a kiss. He obliged her instantly, the caress of his lips soft.
He pulled away slowly, letting her get back to changing for bed. His eyes, however, followed her every movement as he backed up to the bed they shared. Oh, she’d missed him. Her brash and reckless Wolverine; the gentle and adoring Logan.
“Oh,” he said, diving for his duffel as she shimmed out of her pants and donned a long cotton nightgown. “I got you guys somethin’.”
Curious, Ororo came toward the bed, holding her belly as she slid onto the duvet. Logan gave her a mischievous wink. He pulled what looked to be a shirt from his duffel, wrinkled with his haphazard packing.
Ororo unfolded the shirt cautiously, bursting into laughter at the print on white cotton.
“Sexy Mama?”
Logan’s answering grin was ferocious. “Well, it’s true.”
“Very cute,” she chuckled, folding the shirt carefully. “I’ll wear it tomorrow.”
“And something for the baby,” he continued, tossing his duffel to the floor and kicking his boots off.
He slid onto the bed beside her, capturing her lips so that she hummed with pleasure. He forced her to lie down, smiling against her mouth. Ororo chuckled quietly, looking down when he broke contact to lay something over her belly.
It was a soft yellow jumper, complete with “Hello, my name is Trouble” printed on the front in an oversized nametag. Ororo laughed, the action making her swelling middle bounce joyfully. Logan completed his “dressing” with a matching pair of yellow booties, placing them on her belly as well.
There was a playful look on her lover’s face and in that moment, Ororo realized that her heart had taken up residence outside of her body. This was no gut reaction to her impending motherhood or his careful attentions. Somewhere between facing him down in his bedroom so long ago and asking him to father her child, Ororo had fallen for her beloved feral.
She reached for him, drawing him into the safe haven of her arms. He kissed her eagerly, lying atop her so that they squashed the baby’s things between them. She put everything she was feeling into the kiss, knowing on some level that he could feel what she hesitated to say.
Logan drew her into his embrace, cuddling closer in the dim light of their bedroom.
“Get some sleep, Mama.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
Her whisper made him pull her a little closer. In the space between breaths, Ororo drifted into a deep, beautiful sleep.
He had come home.
~**~
Morning found Marie in the small office that had once belonged to Doctor Grey, pouring over faxes and emails that demanded responses. Several were from inquisitive parents, looking into the school for their mutant children. Some from investors and lawyers. Still others regarding faculty and day-to-day house business. Damn, the plumber needed to be paid.
Having shed her own identity as a mutant, Marie had often found herself at a loss. For a year now, she’d carefully tried to reconstruct her life without the stigma mutation placed on her. Storm was kind enough to let her stay on with Xavier’s School, giving her a job when her busy schedule demanded it.
Unfortunately, in the wake of Alcatraz and her decision, the relationship with Bobby Drake “ which she’d foolhardily tried to save “ had crumbled. They’d parted ways on good terms, neither of them willing to let go of the fast friendship they had formed over the years.
All in all, the young woman was content. She helped Storm run the business end of the school, gave tours to prospective students and put out little brush fires when needed. With Storm’s pregnancy coming into full bloom, Marie took on more of the elder woman’s workload without asking. She wanted Storm and Wolverine to have time for each other, to enjoy the pregnancy.
As though her thoughts had summoned him, Logan knocked twice upon her office door before entering. She gave her friend a broad smile, beckoning him inside. How different would her life have been had she not walked into that dingy Canadian bar? Where would the unlikely twosome be if she hadn’t jumped into the back of his truck?
“Hey,” he greeted in the curiously quiet tone most used in the early morning. “Busy?”
“Not anymore than usual,” she shrugged. “How’s Storm?”
“Still sleepin’,” he answered somewhat fondly. Marie could still draw on the memories of him she’d stolen their first fateful night with the X-Men to read him like an open book. Storm was the center of his world now, in ways the deceased Doctor Grey could never hope to match.
When Logan allowed himself to open up, to love someone or something, he loved hard and without remorse or apology. She thought it was just the way the man worked; all or nothing. Storm had stepped into the hollow place Jean had left, quickly expanding the space there until she consumed his life. That, Marie thought, was the kind of love most people would only dream about.
“Good,” Marie answered, shoving her thoughts aside. “She’s workin’ too hard.”
“She does that,” Logan agreed. “Want some breakfast?”
Knowing she would enjoy some quiet time with her friend, the Southern girl nodded as she stood. Logan swept his dark gaze over her, the look in his eyes saying he approved of her adult attire, of the choices she had made.
At least…some of them. Marie still felt as though part of her betrayed Logan and the others by taking the cure. She shrugged the feeling off quickly. It was done now, nothing could be changed.
They walked in companionable silence to the kitchen, the two of them falling into a comfortable synch as they bustled about the warm space. Pans were brought out, eggs cracked into bowls, bread slices dropped into the toaster. Marie had spent more mornings with Logan this way than she could count, lost in a sort of domesticity that she knew had been sorely missing from his life.
When preparation was complete, they carried their plates to the table and sat across from one another. Logan went back for the coffee, which Marie knew he never drank in front of the addicted Storm anymore.
“I miss anything important?” He asked, easily breaking the long silence.
Marie chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “Not really. Bobby almost broke his foot on Peter’s head in the Danger Room a couple of days ago. Warren went to Frisco to see his dad.”
There must have been something in her tone, for Logan’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly.
“Warren, huh?”
She felt a blush bloom in her cheeks and ducked her head shyly. Her break up with Bobby had been difficult, but not so much as she had expected. While she was adrift, searching for a place to belong, Warren Worthington had easily slid up beside her. He held her hand through the worst of the regrets, cheered her on in his quiet manner when she felt victorious.
The fact that he was ridiculously handsome and as sweet as his angelic codename would suggest had honestly not become a problem until recently. Still, they shared one another’s secrets, their confidences kept against all odds. He was her champion and companion, perhaps something more in time.
“Could be worse,” Logan grunted, obviously reading the truth in her silence. “Good kid.”
“The best,” Marie answered quietly, her heart aching slightly. She missed her blonde angel.
“You’ve got it bad, kid,” her friend teased lightly around a mouthful of egg.
“You’re one to speak,” she countered, jabbing her fork in his direction. “You’re the one makin’ babies and all.”
Logan’s smile was immediate and very telling. Not the sardonic or primitive smirk most associated with the feral, but a soft, tender curve of his lips that spoke volumes. Marie’s heart skipped a beat, wondering what it must feel like for a man that believed pain was reality to experience something so pleasurable as love.
“Can’t complain,” he grunted.
“You’d better not,” she grinned. “Storm’s gorgeous, smart, sweet, and all round with your baby. Not to mention, she’s crazy about you.”
For a moment, Marie could see indecision and fear in her friend’s eyes.
“You think? That she’s nuts about me, I mean?” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, a giveaway that he was nervous but open to discussion.
“Logan,” Marie said gently. “Every time you walk into a room, her face lights up. When you’re gone, she tries to hide how lonely she is. You don’t see her like I do. She’s totally crazy for you.”
He smiled slightly, looking down at his plate. “I love her, Marie.”
“I know,” she nodded. “And if you fuck this up, I’ll kill you.”
Logan barked out a sharp laugh. “Fair enough.”
They lapsed back into silence for a moment. She watched as Logan seemed to mull over her words, twisting and turning them in his mind until he came out with a conclusion. He seemed to accept her insights, for he went back to his breakfast with that tender look on his face again. Marie sighed inwardly, hoping that Storm and Logan wouldn’t let anything wedge between them. She knew, better than anyone, what unspoken insecurities could do to a relationship.
When the phone rang, Marie allowed Logan to pick up the cordless receiver. He faithfully repeated the greeting Storm insisted they use while she picked up the morning paper.
“Hey, Angelcake,” Logan glanced at Marie, amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
Marie gulped, unable to help the way she perked up and tossed the paper aside. Logan stuck his tongue out at her, holding the phone out of her reach. It was perhaps the most childish and amusing thing she’d ever seen him do. Storm was a good influence on him.
“How ya doin’, kid?” He paused. “Good. Yeah, Hank’s fine. I’ll tell her. Yeah, it’s really good to be home.”
Snarling, Marie made a grab for the phone, easily dissuaded when Logan flattened his palm against her forehead, holding her at arm’s length. His much longer arms prevented her from reaching the phone and she grumbled in defeat.
He continued to chat with Warren for several seconds, seemingly oblivious to Marie’s desperation.
“Well, seein’ as there’s a pretty girl with a white stripe in her hair trying to maim me for the phone, maybe I should let you talk to your girl.” Logan winked at Marie’s shocked gasp. “Really? Huh? Coulda fooled me.”
Marie pinched his arm, tearing the hairs from it. Logan winced, grinding his teeth together. “Here she is, Angel. Yeah. See ya in a few days.”
She kicked his shin lightly as Logan laughed silently into his hand, obviously amused by the entire situation. Bastard. He yelped a little, handing her the telephone.
“Warren?”
“He’s a nosy bastard, isn’t he?” Angel’s amused voice crackled through the line. “Good morning.”
“Mornin’,” she answered, her heart beating so fast at his velvety voice that she found herself breathless. “Yeah, he’s an ass.”
Warren’s laughter was warm. Marie wanted to drown in it, a smile curving her mouth instantly. She covered the mouthpiece as she moved away from the table, silently telling Logan she was going to her office.
He waved his fork at her, going back to his breakfast with a smile on his face.
~**~
Ororo woke to find the bed cold beside her and the sound of children wafting up from the floors below. She glanced to the clock, groaning when she noted it was far past her usual wake up time. Logan’s presence could be like a drug, lulling her into the deepest of sleeps.
She had to admit, as she stretched in the early morning light, that she felt refreshed. Better than she had in days, actually. Snuggling back under the covers, Ororo sighed happily, running a hand over her swelling belly.
“Did you sleep as well as I did?” She asked the silent bump.
Taking her time, she got out of bed and showered. Pulling on her new maternity jeans “ complete with an elastic waistband that fit under her belly “ and the tee shirt Logan had brought her from Washington, she threw her hair into a ponytail. Slipping on comfortable Keds, she decided she was dressed and headed downstairs.
As it happened to be a Saturday, the students were scattered throughout the grounds, content with one another’s company. Ororo got several whistles and good-natured jeers for her shirt, which only made her stick her tummy out proudly.
“Truer words,” Piotr said with a hand over his heart as she entered the kitchen. Ororo laughed lightly.
“Why, thank you, Piotr,” she pat his shoulder lightly.
He reached with one massive hand to rub her swelling middle. “Ahh, good luck rubs from the resident Buddha.”
“Funny,” Ororo rolled her eyes.
“I wanna rub it!” Kitty Pryde squealed, coming around the bar. “Aww, isn’t it cute?”
The brunette girl put her face by Ororo’s stomach. “Hi, baby! It’s your favorite Aunt Kitty! I’m gonna spoil you rotten, yes I am.”
Ororo pushed the girl away gently, her cheeks hurting from the wide smile on her face. This, she thought, was what family was made of. She allowed Marie and Jimmy to touch her stomach as well, though the boy was slightly shy about it.
Taking the plate of French Toast and sausage links Piotr handed her, she took a seat by the kitchen window with Jimmy. The boy was reading something that looked like his History homework while munching on Piotr’s world-class breakfast.
“Logan’s out in the garage,” Marie offered. “Warren’s comin’ in tomorrow, if you don’t mind me pickin’ him up?”
Ororo shook her head. “You can take my car.”
The elder woman knew something brewed between Angel and the former Rogue. She thought their codenames with an ironic twist to her lips. They were well suited and devoted. An interesting pair, to say the least.
She wondered what people said about herself and Wolverine.
Ororo nearly inhaled her breakfast, thankful for her “honeymoon” second trimester, at last. She rarely felt nauseated or unwell, her body seeming to get back on track as the weeks ticked by. Her fatigue was easy to accept as a part of the pregnancy, the need for sleep obviously overshadowing everything else.
After setting her dishes into the sink and helping Jimmy with part of his homework, Ororo headed through the mansion for a quick inspection. Ensuring that no one was injured, crying, or getting into things they shouldn’t, she finished her rounds with satisfaction.
Once done, she headed for the garage, hearing Logan’s loud music blasting from the speakers. Ororo shook her head, pushing into the garage and calling out for her lover.
“Over here, darlin’,” he called from beneath the Mazda. “Brake pads are bein’ assholes.”
Chuckling at his language, Ororo carefully dodged oil slicks and spare parts as she moved toward him. She cupped her belly with one hand, as though using it for balance. Logan rolled out from under the car as she came closer.
The man was the embodiment of sex. Ororo felt her heart rate leap to frantic as he grinned up at her. Covered in grease, hands dirty and tank top smeared, Ororo wanted to jump on the man. He arched a brow at her, nostrils twitching.
“Darlin’?” That sensual growl was her undoing.
Ororo gracefully “ even given her extra weight “ lowered her body into a low crouch. Her lips caught his quickly, fusing their mouths together as desire pumped through her veins. By the Goddess, he set her on fire in the best way. She wanted to possess him, dominate him, claim him in ways she had never imagined.
Logan growled her name, his hands finding their way to her hips. Mouths parted and tongues immediately dueled, as though fighting one another for dominance. His hands tightened on her as she slid onto his lap, her body thrumming with want.
He lifted her effortlessly, resting her bottom on the hood of a nearby sports car. Paying no mind to his grease-covered hands, Ororo groaned when he rocked his hips into hers. Her legs parted instinctively, trying to get him closer.
Her lover needed no further invitation. He tore at the button of her jeans as she feathered soft kisses on his neck. He tilted his head to give her better access, as her jeans were yanked past her hips. She used his shoulders for leverage, helping him pull the denim down her legs.
Squirming with the ache building inside of her, Ororo let her hands fall to his belt, unbuckling it as though she were on fire. She slid her hands beneath the worn material, grasping his bare bottom so that he hissed.
“You’re drivin’ me crazy, ‘Ro,” he grunted as the denim slid down.
“That was the idea,” she taunted.
Logan urged her onto her back, her shirt riding up as his hands crept beneath the thin cotton. Ororo groaned when he leaned in to capture an already taut nipple through the fabric of her bra, his tongue wetting the satin as he stroked.
Splayed over the hood of the car like some wanton teenager, Ororo lifted her legs, offering herself to Logan. He took the invitation, his hips twitching as he buried himself inside. They groaned in unison, the sound lost in the vibrations of the music. Logan panted her name against her breast, his thrusts immediate and lusty.
“You’re so damn tight,” he groaned. “Wet…Jesus.”
“Logan,” Ororo whimpered, her pregnancy-sensitive body clinging to him. She felt her inner muscles contract, pulling him deeper. “Harder.”
He reared up, grasping her hips to hold her in place while he pounded into her. Ororo thrashed against the cool steel of the car, winding her legs around his hips. Logan gave her a feral smile, changing his angle slightly so that he stroked every secret place inside of her to perfection.
With him this buried inside of her, Ororo felt whole. She reached up to wrap a hand about his nape, fusing their lips together in a kiss that was at once loving and ferocious. He growled low in his throat, his cock sliding in and out in a mad race to pleasure.
Ororo let herself go, feeling her eyes swirl to brilliant white as the room’s temperature jumped several degrees in the space of a heartbeat. Logan’s body was hard and demanding, taking from hers as much as she took from his.
Ripples that started in her belly shook her entire body as she cried out his name into the echoing garage. Logan swore violently, his body going rigid over hers as they joined one another in that little piece of heaven brought on by aching bodies.
Logan crushed her to his chest, kissing her thoroughly as though he would never have enough. Ororo melted into his embrace, finding not an ounce of shame having just been taken on the hood of one of Xavier’s multi-million dollar cars.
“Holy shit,” Logan swore, nipping at her lips. “You’re just full of surprises.”
“I blame the baby,” she whispered in response, licking his bottom lip. “He or she is making me…insatiable.”
“Yeah?” He chuckled, nuzzling her nose. “Should I thank him?”
“While you’re at it, thank him for the boobs, as well.”
“Oh, I have,” he smirked. “Trust me.”
“Mmm,” she hummed, wrapping her arms about his neck. “Would it be terrible of us to leave Marie in charge so we could spend the entire day in bed?”
“Um. Hell no.” Logan’s eager response made Ororo laugh. “Race ya upstairs.”
Ororo pulled her jeans on, fixing her shirt as she leapt from the hood of the car. She whacked Logan with a soft gust of wind, racing into the house and vanishing up the stairs. His hearty laughter chased her, even as she squealed at his perusal.
She let him catch her, however, the moment they were in their bedroom.
~**~
Bolivar Trask turned away from the security monitors with a sigh. Glancing at the rejected arrest portfolio bearing the United Nations emblem, he felt his faith begin to slip.
She was such a damn nuisance. All of his hard work was coming unraveled around him because of that mutant bitch and her wildly supportive friends. McCoy and Tilby were still alive, though neutralized for the time being. Now was the time to move on Storm.
But the UN was statically unhelpful. They refused his order for her immediate arrest. Didn’t they realize what a danger she was to the children in her care? She allowed that animal to live with them, to be part of a home he had no place in.
“You worry too much, Bolivar.”
The voice of his long-time friend turned him from the screens. “The timing is so perfect, William.”
“Yes, but I know this Wolverine.” Stryker moved into the light, his scarred face a terrible sight to behold.
Trask looked away quickly so he would not be caught staring.
“That knowledge doesn’t help me.”
“But it will,” the other man said somewhat lazily. “You’ll get your terrorist and I’ll get my Wolverine. We’ll both be happy.”
“How do you hope to contain him?”
“That’s very simple,” said Stryker, a manic gleam in his hollow eyes. “I’ll offer him a deal. His life for that of his family’s.”
Trask turned back to the screens, showing the laughing couple engaged in a very childish pillow fight. A slow smile curved his dark lips. Oh, they had no idea what was coming for them.
