Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

Comments: This was prompted by a plot bunny flung by Coreena-she asked for a story where Logan has to court Rogue, convince her that a relationship is a good idea. Rogue's pretty willing to go along with that in this fic, so I'm not sure I stayed true to the spirit of the plot bunny (yes, I know you are all shocked by me going off-course..) but I hope Coreena likes this ficlet. The movie Logan refers to is The Maltese Falcon, which is definitely worth seeing if you haven't already. And Keli finally gets a laughing-after-sex Rogue here-enjoy, babe!

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"Hey, what're you doing? Watching some game?" Aha! She's back. That date with stupid what's-his-name sure didn't last too long. Thought I'd run into her on her way in if I hung out down here. She usually comes in the back, through the garage, and passes through the kitchen and the little TV room on her way upstairs.

"Sure." Got her. I know as soon as she sits her cute little butt on the couch that she'll start scootin' over toward me. She always ends up practically in my lap, and half the time, she ends up fallin' asleep nice and snuggled up against me. What's-his-name caught us sleepin' down here once and got all upset. Had a fight with her about it and everythin'. Made her good and pissed. 'Don't you understand that we're close? Logan's a good friend, my best friend.' Heh. Old Frenchy didn't like hearin' that too much. Wonder how pissed he'd be if he knew I wanted to be a little more than friendly with her. "Who's winning?"

"Ah." Another little scoot. You know, part of me thought she'd jump right on me as soon as I got back. I mean, Jeannie said she had a crush on me when I left, and I guess I just thought she still would. And she *was* damn happy to see me when I got back, but there wasn't anythin' romantic there. Of course, after six months on the road thinkin' about pretty much nothin' but her, *I* had a crush on *her* by the time I got back. I let it simmer for a while, thinkin', you know, maybe it was just bein' away from her or maybe she wasn't really the same as fantasy-Marie. But after another six months of hangin' out with her, watchin' her date dumbass after dumbass, it didn't go away.

I was just about to start makin' some non-friend overtures right before she started datin' the current dumbass. Now, I know I flirt with Jeannie and I know I don't exactly have the reputation of a saint, but I actually don't really like bustin' up relationships, so I put that stuff on hold. Plus, this one was actin' like such a dickhead - pickin' fights, tryin' to get her in the sack - that I was pretty sure he'd fuck it up all on his own, and all I hadta do was wait. And that's pretty much how it's workin' out. Her comin' back early tonight is a real good sign too. She usually is pretty up-front about what's goin' on between the two of them, so maybe I'll just ask. You know, casually.

"Ugh. Remy's such a jerk." Ha. Knew it. "He took me to this hotel for dinner - it was a very nice dinner, I'll give him that - but then he tried to get me to go upstairs and - well, you know. I've told him over and over that I want to wait a while, but he's just not getting that. I mean, we've only been dating three weeks. It's way too soon."

"No." It usually makes her laugh or at least smile, but she just looks sad right now. Makes me wanna decapitate what's-his-name for real. "Logan, you're a guy - am I doing something wrong? I mean, aren't there any guys out there who aren't out just for sex?"

"At their age? Nah. Not really. I mean, that's not your fault, it's just how young guys are - horny." What you need is an older man, darlin', somebody who knows what he's doin' and ain't in no rush.

"I know, I know." Another little scoot my way. She's close enough now - I'll just put my arm around her shoulders and pull her over to me. Yeah, that's good. "And I know some people aren't as lucky as I am - I have a lot of good friends and I have *you*." A-ha! I am not in the friend category. That could be good, that could be very good. There's friends and then there's me. Yeah, that could be real good. "I guess I just have some fantasy about finding that one right person. You know, like the heavens would part and light would shine down on him so I'll know." Or maybe he'd pick you up on the side of a road in Canada. But I can see why she don't think of me as no prince charmin' - a rusted out truck and dingy old camper ain't too impressive.

"It don't work that way. You gotta figure it out sometimes." Aw. Layin' her head down on my shoulder. I love that. Each and every time she does it. "Plenty of people are gonna love you, darlin', don't you worry about that. You're just gonna hafta figure out how to pick the best one for ya."

"Well, plenty of people seem to want to have sex with me, skin notwithstanding, so I guess that's good. But am I - I mean, I don't think I'm, like, some sex goddess or something. Shouldn't *somebody* want to get to know me, you know, as a person? They can't all be overwhelmed by my sheer sexiness."

"Oh, you have to say that. It's in the life-saving best friend job description." Shit, that didn't work. She thinks I'm just sayin' that to be nice or somethin'. Fuck. Too subtle. Well, I'll try somethin' else.

"I'd like that." Aw. Big smile. I hafta do somethin' here. Her hair. I can just touch her hair. I've done that before and we have established that it's friend-behavior. She don't need to know what I'm thinkin' while I'm doin' it. "You wouldn't mind me taking up a big chunk of your free time?"

"Bring me one?" Now, she's not legal, but I ain't a stickler. And she told me once that she don't drink except when she's around me. Apparently, a month or so after I left, she got a little drunk at some party with her stupid friends and some loser made a move on her. She was so freaked that she could've touched him with her skin when he did that, that she decided not to drink any more at all. 'Course, by the time I got back she was cravin' a beer like there was no tomorrow so she asked if she could have one of mine. Whole story came out a little later, and it kinda makes me feel nice that she trusts me like that.

I think this one is the best date so far. 'Course, I dunno if she actually realizes it's a date. We haven't been callin' 'em dates, but it's me and her goin' places and doin' things, so I think it counts. I know what she likes, and it's been pretty easy to make sure we've had a good time. She's easy to be with too, pretty easy to please.

See, that's what all those little dumbass boyfriends of hers don't have goin' for 'em - they don't know her like I do. They didn't bother to find out what she likes to do and shit. Dollars to donuts, she's likin' sittin' in the cheap seats at a hockey game, drinkin' beer and eatin' hot dogs a helluva lot better than goin' to some fancy restaurant. You gotta do stuff she likes if you wanna get her interested in you.

And I think she is gettin' interested in me, at least a little. The last date - went to a movie that she suggested, some revival of an old picture - that went real well. I didn't say nothin' when she picked the movie - I thought it was gonna be about birds or somethin' real boring, but I said, sure, I'll go, no problem. Well, it turned out to be about this statue and it had Humphrey Bogart in it, which is always good. I told her at the end that I was real glad we went and that I liked the movie. Her face lit up and she gave me this big hug and then she kissed me on the cheek, where I got a lotta hair coverin' up my skin. Now, that's new - she's never done that before. And I was pretty excited. But I just played it off, you know, squeezed her a little myself and didn't say nothin'. But I smiled so she could be sure I liked it. I think it means that yeah - maybe she's startin' to think about me that way a little.

And then there's the touchin' - us two have always been pretty touchy with one another. I ain't scared of her and she ain't scared of me and so that works out pretty well. But I noticed her gettin' a lot more touchy lately. Like - when we were watchin' TV together or somethin', she usedta do the sit and scoot. But now, she just plops down right next to me and snuggles in. I never commented on it or nothin', but I made sure to put an arm around her right away. The first couple times she did it, she looked up at me to check and see if it was OK, so I tried to make an expression that said it was.

Not too long after, I tried puttin' my hand on her leg every now and then, when we were sittin' or drivin' somewhere. She didn't comment on that, but she gave me a little smile the first couple times I did it. I know it's probably just 'cause she likes to be touched, because she don't get too much of that if it ain't comin' from me. But I think there's a little more in there too.

"Sure." She likes eatin' my food insteada gettin' her own, always has. Not a problem for me since I can taste her a little bit that way. This time, it's gonna taste like beer and Marie and that's pretty good.

"Mmm. Yummy." Yeah, you are, darlin'. "Hey, Logan - afterward do you want to - would you want to go somewhere? I don't think I'm going to feel like heading back to the mansion yet. Maybe just - maybe a coffee shop or something?"

"Sounds good. I don't feel like goin' back either." That'll be a good chance to maybe just talk to her a little, let her know what I'm thinkin' a little and see how she feels. Yeah, I'm gonna try that.

I forgot how it is with her sometimes. It just gets real comfortable. I've was rackin' my brain, tryin' to figure out what words to say to get it out just right, but as soon as we got to the bar and sat down, she started talkin' about nothin' and everythin' and I just forgot all about it. We've spent - well I lost track of time, but long enough for me to down a six-pack - we've spent all that time, just sittin' and talkin'. Now, she's just kinda sittin' back, watchin' people on the dance floor. Normally, I don't go into bars that have dancin', but you got a limited choice if you wanna drink, hear some good country music, and stay within the Westchester town limits. This place ain't too bad. And it's got Marie, which is the key thing right there. You know, she must be gettin' to me because I'm about to do somethin' totally off the wall.

"No worries. I gotcha covered. Just let me lead." Song's changin' and I hope the next one's gonna be somethin' you can remotely do the two-step to, 'cause I wasn't jokin' about just knowin' one dance. I wonder if she's gonna - no, no, she put both hands on my shoulders. So that means I can put both my hands on her hips. Just to, you know, be sure I can guide her along.

"You know, I used to take dance classes when I was little. But those were ballet. You should've seen me in a pink tutu. I was horrible at it back then. I kept bumping into all the other little girls, it was awful."

"Bobby asked me out." Shit. Shit. She don't know we're datin' and now she's gonna tell me we gotta not spend so much time together 'cause she wants to give that little ice cube - "I told him 'no thanks.'" Uh. OK. Well, that's good. But I gotta tell her we're datin' 'cause I don't want the next one to be a 'yes'. "I said I'd been going out with you and I'd like to keep doing that."

"No, I don't think we should." Huh? She pretty much lost me there, 'cause aren't women supposedta wanna talk about things, like, all the time? "I just want to enjoy it. I don't want to talk about it because if we do, well, things might not be so nice between us."

"I know you're being really nice to me and I guess I'm saying I'm afraid to find out why. I'm afraid it's not because - well, there I go talking about it. Let's just dance and forget I said anything, OK?"

"Logan - do you think - " She looks real nervous all of a sudden, and I dunno whether that's good or bad. Could be either. " - do you think you and I could ever - no, no, just forget it." Maybe it's time to just take a chance.

"It's yeah. Whatever you were gonna say - whatever you wanted you and me to be - it's yeah." Song's not over but neither one of us is movin' now. She's blushin' and lookin' down at the floor. Still could be good or bad, but my gut's tellin' me good.

"It's yeah. Yeah, Marie." Whoa. That look - she better have never looked at another one of her little boyfriends that way, or they sure as hell are headed for decapitation. It's not sweet, it's not nice, it's not cute - it's hot as hell and it's all Marie.

"Yeah. I wanna spend time with you 'cause of that - 'cause I think we could." If I tell her I already am half-in-love with her, it might scare her off. I'll just keep that to myself for now. "Do you wanna?"

"Yeah. Do you wanna?" A lot's hangin' on this right here. This is one of those times - one of those moments I'll probably remember all my life, no matter who tries to fuck with my memories.

"Yeah." Whew. Whew. I think I gotta hold her close now. We're - we can start dancin' again, song's not over. She's not sayin' nothin' and honestly I'm scared to, 'cause I can't think of good things to say and there's no way I wanna end this moment or fuck it up. She's holdin' on to me real tight now. "I think this song - it reminds me of you. It fits how I think of you." Good, she talked first and that was a good thing to say. But that's a helluva lot more open than she usually is. Well, more than she usually is when she's talkin' about us. "You make me feel that way - peaceful, really calm, relaxed, easy. That's why - that's why I could fall in love with you." Good God, that's good. That's the best I've ever felt in my life, ever. I gotta - I gotta make that happen. I gotta make her fall in love with me because I know right now that there's no way I could ever be without her. No way.

"Logan?" Yeah, thought it'd be her. Nightmare. Bad one. Only gets the real bad ones every three or four weeks. I told her she can come over anytime when I first got back, but it's like a point of pride for her to deal with 'em herself. Most of the time.

"Sure. Come on." She's covered - silk jammies, socks, gloves - so it won't matter too much that I'm in my boxers. Gotta put some gloves on, though. Keep 'em right on the nightstand. "Bad one?"

"Mmm-hmmm. It just seemed so real, you know?" She likes to lay right up against me, real tight, with her head over my heart. I know how she is, I know what makes her feel better. Rubbin' her back always calms her down pretty good. "That's nice."

"You just relax. Just fall back asleep. It's OK. You're OK. I'm right here." This is the tricky part for me. I know what she needs, and I wanna give it to her, and I do. But I also know that when she's real close like this, especially when she's in my bed, there's a better than average chance I'm gonna get excited. Gotta try to stifle that, or at least not to let her feel it. 'Cause that's one of her big things - guys only wantin' sex - and I don't wanna do anythin' that's gonna give her that impression about me.

That reminds me - now's not a good time, but sometime soon, I gotta talk to her about movin' in here. I know she don't like livin' with roommates 'cause she always has to be real careful of her skin. And we spend most of our time together anyway. Some nights she even falls asleep over here. I've been holdin' off 'cause I need to think of a good way to make her understand that even if she moves in, it don't necessarily mean sex right away.

"OK. I was layin' here thinkin' about the Flames game and how that goalie just totally mishandled the rebound. Ya know, sometimes you can't control the rebound, and the ones you can, well, you gotta do it on those." She's holdin' on to me pretty tight. Musta been a real bad one. "And then I was thinkin' about what we did over the weekend, how that was a lotta fun and how maybe we can do somethin' else like that again sometime. I like bein' outdoors, ya know? Don't like bein' inside all the time. And that park was nice and quiet - not too many people. I was thinkin' a little bit about what you said about feelin' closer to God out in nature." She looked so damn beautiful that day - filtered sun comin' down beneath the trees, lightin' up her hair and her face. Really perfect. "And I was thinkin' about you and me some, you know, generally."

"Nobody else did. Not - none of my other boyfriends. Not on the mouth. It's - it's a lot of trouble, I know, and it's not - it doesn't feel right using a scarf or something. But I really like that you do it."

"Hey." Just gonna tilt her head up a little so she can look at me and know I really, really mean this. "It feels right to me." Aw. She's lookin' that she almost might cry, but, you know, good tears. Because she's touched or somethin'. Makes me feel like I said the right thing there.

"Well, we usually go where I want and do what I want, and we're going totally at my pace in this whole thing. I'm being pretty selfish. We should do some of the stuff you want and maybe I could - "

"Uh, lemme stop you right there, honey. You're not bein' selfish. I'm doin' what I wanna - bein' with you and doin' things with you. Yeah, I wouldn't mind it if you'd come along with me to a fight or a tractor pull or somethin' every now and then, but I wanna be sure that you - you know, that you like me and everythin' first. And I definitely don't wanna push you into doin' anythin'. I've got time. I'm not goin' anywhere." I don't want her to think for a second that I'm gonna be like any of the other dumbasses she's dated. I don't want her to think I'm just after her for sex. I don't wanna ask for anythin' until I'm sure she feels comfortable with it and -

"Me either. I'm not going anywhere either. I'm sticking with you, you know, for the duration. So you can - you can tell me when you want things too. I want you to like me too. I want you to love me as much as I love you." Oh. Oh. That's the first time she's said the l-word straight out. Not 'fallin' in love', not anythin' like that. Oh my. "Logan? Say something?"

"Marie, I mean it. I really, really mean it. I'd do anythin', give anythin', go through anythin' to be sure you're safe. You're the most important thing to me, always have been, always will be. I love you and I mean that. Got it?" She's noddin' and I know I'm not sayin' it quite right, but this is important. "'Cause I don't ever want you to worry about somethin' like whether I do or not. Nothin's gonna change that. Nothin' on this earth ever could. So you just - you know, *know* that and hang on to it. 'Cause you can always count on that from me. Always."

"I feel the exact same way about you, Logan. You don't have to worry about whether or not I love you. I do. So just - you know, just say what you think and ask for what you want because nothing's going to put me off or make me stop loving you. Nothing." She looks so beautiful sayin' that and God knows it's what I wanna hear. Never really hoped to have somethin' this good. I gotta just tell her, then. She said ask for what I want, and I think I gotta just go ahead and tell her.

Big beautiful eyes, all red from cryin', hair everywhere, soft little hands movin' across my chest. I really never did hope to have somethin' this good, this clean, this pure. But now that I got it, I'm sure as hell hangin' on to it. "OK, Logan."

You know, I thought this was gonna be totally different. I thought there'd be some cryin', a lotta emotion. I mean, she's been livin' here six weeks now and we waited. I know how big of a thing it is to her. I just-I was sure it was gonna be this big, serious thing, that when it was all over, she'd be - I dunno - solemn, I guess. I was so sure she'd be all serious, I tried to relax her, lighten the whole thing up a little. Gave her a glass of wine to get her a little loose, joked with her a little, took my time, made her laugh and tickled her a little. Shit, I didn't expect her to be jokin' back and tryin' to tickle me and laughin'. Not that I'm complainin'.

"You sure? You're not hurtin' or nothin'?" I was pretty gentle, but it still was her first time. And I did hafta talk her into it a little at first. Just a little. I think she wanted to but I think she couldn't say it. She needed me to do the askin', needed me to convince her a little. Damn happy to provide that, no problem there, as long as she's good with that. And look at her now-she's all ready to go again.

"I suppose I could be convinced." I'm just gonna roll her over and pin her to the bed a little. She's in for some more fun. You know, I'm pretty much already sold on the idea. No convincin' necessary.