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For the most part Ororo was alone in the mansion. For some reason after the first night Logan had made himself scarce. He was always either in the garage working away on his latest project or out. Probably chatting up some twenty something no doubt, or so Ororo imagined.

Ororo sighed. If that was the way he wanted to spend his summer vacation who was she to judge? It wasn't any of her business. Ororo was enjoying the freedom. Her internship with the Senators office was working out nicely and she had already secured a recommendation from the Senators chief of staff. Despite the fact that Ororo often found herself bored to tears by the job, she counted it as a valuable learning experience. Yet nine times out of ten she wouldn't pursue a job in politics.

Today was her day off, and since she hadn't done much of anything except work on her break so far, Ororo decided it was time to get out of the house. She put on a purple and gold bikini, a wide brim straw hat, a short white tank dress, sunglasses and flip flops. Ororo smiled at herself in the mirror. She looked like an over privileged celebrity heiress.

The thought of flying to the beach had crossed her mind, but that wasn't exactly normal now was it? Instead she grabbed a set of keys from the key track in Professor LeBeau's office. The car she had chosen was the fire engine red Audi Locus. A beautiful one hundred and something thousand dollar vehicle that Professor LeBeau would have a conniption fit if he knew she were taking it...but what was the use of having all this luxury at her disposal if she never took advantage of it?

With a bag to match her straw hat tossed over her shoulder Ororo entered the garage and found that the coast was clear. Good. Logan wasn't around to give her the third degree about the car. Admittedly she had very little experience with driving, she actually preferred flying, but as it was…Ororo reached for the door handle.

"What do yah think yer doin'?" Logan said. Ororo nearly jumped out of her skin whirling around and bumping her back into the Audi. Logan stood squarely, his eyes just as intense as they always were and unapologetic.

"Logan! Gosh, you-Why did you-I was-You scared the crap out of me!" Logan just stared, as Ororo regained her composure. Her heart felt as if it was about to burst from her chest. When her breath was steady again she said. "It's a nice day. I thought I'd take a drive to the beach."

"In Gambit's car?" he questioned. Ororo glanced at the beautiful machine behind her and nodded "Yeah. Piece of cake." A smile played at the end of his lips all of a sudden, and Ororo frowned, he was enjoying this. Ororo stood up straight then, her hand on her hips and her head cocked to the side. With every shred of confidence she could manage she said "Is there a problem?"

Logan shook his head, even more amused at her unconvincing attempt to be nonchalant. With that Ororo turned to the car and pulled the door handle. The door didn't budge. Instead the car alarm resounded in the room and was accompanied by the BEEP, BEEP, BEEP of the horn. Ororo looked panicked as she struggled with the remote locking system on the key ring. Logan bowed his head laughing, as she finally grabbed hold of the silencer and ceased the cars screaming. Ororo looked at him, embarrassed, and a little angry that he was laughing at her.

"Do you even know how to drive a stick?" he inquired as she finally climbed into the driver's seat. Ororo exchanged looks between Logan and the gear shifts that she had absolutely no idea how to operate. Logan had figured as much.

"I'll drive", he said.

The ride up had been quiet. Ororo knew that Logan wasn't big on small talk. Actually from what she could tell he wasn't big on anything. Ororo didn't know what to think of him. He always seemed to be deep in thought about one thing or another. He was often unapproachable at best, and other then the courses in self defense that he taught, and the conversation they had shared on the first night of her vacation she hadn't really had any interaction with him.

Now out of the blue after two weeks of being virtually absent from the mansion he was driving her to the beach. He maneuvered the car expertly. So much so that Ororo knew that if she had driven she would have surly ruined something in the engine; a complication she didn't want to deal with. At least now if something happened she could blame it on Logan.

At the beach, Ororo removed her tank dress and lay on the towel she had stretched over the hot sand, her eyes closed. She wasn't particularly bothered by the sun. She didn't burn like most people. Her mutation allowed her to withstand even the worst of conditions when it came to the weather. She could actually adjust her body temperature to that of her surroundings. Logan had dropped her off at the entrance and gone off somewhere. Probably to a bar. Ororo had already come to grips with the fact that she'd have to fly home.

It didn't take her long to find a suitable spot. Most of the people on the beach were getting sun tans, playing volleyball, building sand castles and such. Ororo wasn't interested in any of those activities. She simply wanted to relax and listen to the waves crash against the shore.

Just as she began to relax a shadow suddenly blocked the warm rays of the sun, and she looked up to see someone standing over her. He was about her age, maybe a few years older, cute, but not cute enough to distract her from her mission of rest and relaxation.

"I'm Lance," he said. Ororo sat up and rested on her hands. "This is my friend John," Lance continued, and Ororo noticed the other young man who was approaching. Ororo smiled "Nice to meet you Lance. Is that Lance like in the boy band?" His friend John laughed, and Lance ignored her comment.

"Hey, I've seen you somewhere before," he continued. How original "I don't think so," Ororo said settling back in her resting position. Hopefully he would get the message. He didn't. Lance sat down beside her "Yeah I have. Because, I remember thinking how hot you were." Ororo sat up again so that she could be eye level with her admirer.

"Thank you-uh, Lance was it?" He nodded. "I appreciate the compliment. Really I do, but I just came to the beach to relax and-"

"So you're gonna make me work hard for your number then huh? I like a challenge." he interrupted. "No, no challenge. You're a cute guy, but I'm not interested." John tapped his friend on the shoulder "Dude, she's just not that into you," he said and burst out laughing. Ororo leaned in close to Lance "I'm not trying to embarrass you I promise. I'm sort of already involved with someone, that's all" Her relationship with Scott had its highs and lows. Although right now it was at a low. Ororo wasn't exactly ready to call it quits. At least not before they had a chance to discover what it was that they had. This as far as she was concerned had the potential to be something really special.

"Is there a problem?" Logan asked. Lance stood up at the sight of him and took a few steps back. Logan was a whole foot taller than Lance and John, and it was apparent that his presence was more than a little intimidating. Surprised Ororo stood up as well.

"This your guy?" Lance asked. "Dude, I think that's her dad." John said. Ororo sighed "I've actually got it under control Logan, thanks" She turned to Lance "It was nice meeting you."

Lance stared Logan down, his ego bruised, but left without incident with his moron of a friend on tow. "Dude you almost got murdered." She heard John say to Lance as they retreated.

Ororo turned to Logan who was spreading out a towel of his own. Where had he gotten that? She also noticed he was wearing sun shades, a tank top and swimming trunks he didn't look like a teacher...in fact he looked cool, calm, and handsome.

"Shoulda invited 'em tah stay. Maybe we coulda' played hacky sack and made it a real barn burner" Logan said his voice full of amusement and sarcasm. He settled on his towel and laid back. Ororo straightened her towel on the sand, and watched him intently as she sat down beside him. Suddenly she found it hard to relax. She hadn't expected him to show up, dressed as he was, and apparently ready and willing to "hang out" with her. Ororo suspected something. "Are you keeping tabs on me?" she asked. "What makes yah say that?"

"You're out here sunbathing. The Logan I know doesn't sunbathe."

"Oh, so you know me now?"

"And you have on swimming trunks, where did you get the swimming trunks?"

"Gift shop," he answered his eyes closed and hands propped behind his head.

"Gift shop?"

"Yeah the place where you buy gifts, trinkets, and souvenirs-"

"I know what a gift shop is."

"Am I botherin' yah?"

"Yes. You are actually. Why are you out here? I don't need a babysitter."

"No one said yah did."

"Then wh-"

"Shhhhhhh."

Ororo looked on in confusion. Did he just shush me? Ororo opened her mouth to speak again, but he shushed her a second time. After a few more moments he was snoring.

Ororo laid down on her towel. She tried her best to relax and forget about the intruder at her side. She allowed the sound of the waves wash over her and in another moment she herself was asleep.

The sound of her heart beat was pounding in her ears. Ororo opened her eyes, and found that her head was lying against something hard. Logan's chest. She lifted her head to look up at him in surprise. He stirred awake in that moment and their eyes met. His arms were wrapped around her, and her leg was arched across his waist. Ororo's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. Being this close raised feelings that neither one of them should have been allowed to feel. He had that look in his eyes. That look she had only seen briefly after their conversation in front of the fire place. No, no, no this is wrong. It was wrong, but she didn't pull away, and in fact...had Logan actually pulled her closer?

A stream of water suddenly shot into Logan's face. The stream was accompanied by a child's laughter. The spell was broken. Ororo and Logan looked in the direction of the assault and saw a little boy and girl standing nearby, water guns in hand.

"I'd think carefully about this," Logan warned the children. They smiled devilishly, pointed their guns, and fired.

Ororo screamed and laughed. She and Logan exchanged looks before scrambling to their feet. The children took off running towards the water screaming and laughing as well, as Ororo and Logan chased them down.

In the water Logan managed to wrestle the water gun from the little boy. Ororo held him as Logan fired the powerful blast at him. The little girl sprayed Ororo in the face, and Ororo released her prisoner to wipe the water from her eyes. Logan dropped the gun in the water and ran for Ororo. He swept her up in his arms as she continued to wipe water away.

"Man down! Man down! I need back up!" he yelled. "Don't worry ma'am I'll get you to safety" he promised her. Ororo laughed so hard the muscles in her stomach ached. Logan took off running down the beach with Ororo in his arms, and the treacherous children running behind them with their guns drawn and a battle cry on their lips.

Logan had sand in his ears. Thanks to their assailants. After they had run out of water they had resorted to hurling clumps of sand and water at them. Ororo accidentally hit him in the face with a sand ball, and laughed hysterically. He had had fun, which was something he hadn't had in a long time. She was fun.

It felt good not to take life so seriously for once. He saw something spark inside her as well. She had relaxed and allowed herself to enjoy her vacation, which he had doubted she had since the start of her break. For a while Logan had thought that Ororo had been operating on auto pilot with no real passion for the life she was living. He'd observed her from a distance. She'd go to work, come home, read a book, watch television and go to sleep.

At Braves Diner, Ororo slid into the booth across from Logan. "I'm starving," she announced. The waitress approached, a short round woman with curly red hair and freckles. Her name tag said Sheryl. She looked them over and Logan immediately read the distaste in her eyes.

"Can I start you off with your drinks?" she asked pulling an ink pen from behind her ear and a notepad out of the apron. "I'll have a rum and coke," Ororo said confidently turning her attention to the menu.

"Hold the rum," Logan clarified to Sheryl and, "I'll have the same." Sheryl flitted off to fill the order.

Ororo arched her eyebrow at him "What? No beer?"

"Trying tah cut back. How's yer internship going?" he said skimming the menu. "It's great. Boring, but great. I could do that stuff in my sleep. What about you? How is your...whatever you do, going?"

"I keep myself busy,"

"How so?"

"Believe it or not there's a lot to do in a mansion. A lot of up keep. The chicken looks good," he said turning to another page in the menu. "Gardening and changing light bulbs? I get it. I think I'm gonna have a burger. How are things with you and Dr. Grey?" Logan looked up at her then. Sheryl returned with the drinks. "You all ready to order?" Sheryl looked at Ororo and her smile weakened. "The kids menu is in the back," she pointed out.

Ororo looked up at the woman a retort throbbing in the back of her throat. Logan spoke up before she could.

"Uh, I'll have tha' T-bone steak medium rare, witha loaded baked potato." Sheryl smiled and nodded at Logan flirtatiously. "Oh baby, I told you about all that red meat. You know what it does to your tummy at night." Ororo said sweetly, and she reached across the table to caress Logan's hand. Sheryl's mouth fell open, but Ororo didn't pay her any attention.

"I think I'm going to have the triple bacon chili cheese burger with a side of onion rings. Fried mozzarella sticks, and a large malt chocolate shake," Ororo fired her words off in rapid succession, and Sheryl stared at her dumbly. "Oh, we're eating for two," Ororo added patting her flat abdomen.

Sheryl collected the menus and scurried away. Ororo laughed, and Logan shook his head in unbelief. "I think yah might be tryin' tah get me arrested." Ororo shrugged "For what? I'm 18. Technically an adult."

"People don't care much about technicalities. Especially in our case."

"What? As mutants?"

"No as a grown man enjoying the awkward company of a beautiful teenage girl."

"Woman," she corrected.

"Teenage woman."

"Well if you want to get technical you are technically older than the Professor, when you look young enough to be his grandson. Which makes you more of a freak than anybody."

"You think I'm a freak?" he asked.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she countered.

Ororo turned her gaze away from him. "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."

"Yeah me too. I shouldna' have said-I mean you are beautiful but I shouldna'-said it."

Their eyes met again. "You're not so bad yourself." Ororo said.

Sheryl returned with the food, and they eat in silence. When Ororo couldn't take it anymore she opened her mouth to speak, but instead heard her cell phone ring. It was Scott. Thank goodness.

"I have to take this," she said sliding out of the booth. She took her call outside and as Logan watched her through the window he knew that this excursion hadn't been a good idea. He had done it on impulse, and to be honest he'd wanted her company. He was trying to find the moment when it happened. The moment when their relationship crossed over to the point where it was no longer "appropriate." Had it been a touch? A look? Something he said? What would people think? It was absurd. She was a student and he was a teacher. There were all kinds of wrong with that wasn't there? It's just physical he concluded. She was beautiful and more sensuous then she realized and that is what he was responding to. But hadn't she looked at him in a certain way? He had read something in her eyes. Or maybe he had just imagined it.

Outside, Ororo was pacing with the phone to her ear. After a moment she caught his gaze, and offered him a small smile before walking out of his sight. No he hadn't imagined it. He motioned for Sheryl and she came running over.

"Can I get the check please. I think we're gonna get this to go."

He had to get away from her. Out of sight. Out of mind. Take her home and leave her to her own devices. When she re-entered there were tears in her sparkling blue eyes. She pushed them away and began eating quietly. Easier said than done





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