Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

E-mail: xgrrl26@yahoo.com

Rating: R, adult themes

Disclaimer: I own Nat, but not anyone else. I think I got the best one ;)

Archive: WRFA, Mutual Admiration, Peep Hut. Anyone else, please ask, and I will gladly provide :)

Feedback: Please! Pretty please? Good, bad, and ugly welcome..

Summary: It'd be nice if things happened in our lives at exactly the time we were ready for them. It doesn't work that way for Marie.

Comments: This was the result of a Bonnie-tossed plot bunny that said that she'd like to see a Sam-fic where Logan and Sam were the ones still in the labs. She asked the questions - If Marie were the mom, did the X-Men rescue her and not them? Was she too drugged to know about Sam and Logan? Will they only find out after Sam accidentally touches her and nothing happens to him? Well, that bunny got it's teeth into me, but was soundly plucked back out by my Nat Muse, who reminded me that Sam already had *two* stories, and she only had one. So, Nat got this bunny. I also paraphrased a line from the movie Last of the Mohicans-the Daniel Day-Lewis version-and bonus points to anyone who spots it :)

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Logan sat in the small diner, heartily consuming a huge breakfast. He was keeping one eye on the television, trying to catch last night's hockey scores, and one eye on the two-year-old toddler seated across the table from him on a booster chair.

"Nat, honey, eat some of those eggs, all right?" The kid sure was a picky eater, Logan thought. She made an answering frown and stabbed at the offending yellow mound on her plate, but she did take a bite. "Good girl." She reluctantly let some of her delight at the compliment shine through behind the still-present frown.

The TV had moved on to weather. It would be cold tonight, and snowy. What a surprise, Logan thought dryly. Snow, here in the Yukon, in November. Shocking. As he waited for the sports, he shoveled down more of his pancakes and winked at Nat as she scooped more eggs on to her fork. Logan suspected that now that they'd proven slippery and thus, a challenge, Nat would be more interested in them. He smirked at his daughter, then glanced up at the TV again.

Great. Some stupid human interest story about mutie kids participating in a US-Canada exchange program. When were they gonna get to sports? Logan took a gulp of his coffee, then, just as he caught one more passing glimpse of the TV, he began choking on it in shock. He actually spit some back out onto his plate, drenching what was left of his toast.

"Dad?" Nat looked at him quizzically. He said nothing, and just stared at the TV. He'd only seen her for a second, had only caught the barest glimpse of her, but he was sure. It was Marie, standing there in the background, behind some kid in a trench coat and another in some obnoxiously yellow get-up. It was her, with the white streaks in her hair still present, with her big brown eyes wide and clear. It was definitely her, a few years older, a little taller and more filled out. It was Marie.

"Dad?" Nat asked again, this time beginning to look a little worried.

"Nothin' honey." What had the announcer said? Some blather about understanding between cultures, blah, blah, blah, human kids were involved too, yadda, yadda, yadda, the students were headed back to their school in Westchester, New York now that the exchange was over. Westchester. Marie was heading back to Westchester.

"Da-a-a-d," Nat whined, unconvinced by her father's answer.

He turned a kind smile to her. "It's nothin', cookie." Logan used that nickname often-it was derived from her favorite food so far. For all her pickiness, her love of cookies of any variety had never wavered since cookie #1. "Finish up, OK? 'Cause we're gonna go drivin' for a while." Eight days, he figured. He could make it to New York state in eight days and figure out just where the hell Westchester was when he got there. Eight days until the best lead he'd had in years would finally bring him to Marie. Eight days. Less, if he hurried.

"'K, dad." Nat went back to her quest to tame the scrambled eggs, and Logan smiled at her again. With any luck, in just eight days, she'd be back together with her mom for the first time since she was eight days old. Logan thought there was a certain symmetry in that. He felt good, almost euphoric, suddenly. Eight days until he could have Marie in his arms, eight days until she could hold Nat again, eight days until they'd be a family, a normal family, for the first time.

Logan pulled up to the ornate gate of Xavier's School for Gifted Youth eight days later, right on schedule. He wasn't exactly sure what kind of people ran the school, but he thought they'd have to be fairly harmless. Probably a bunch of those do-gooder types, he mused, out to save the world or something. He left Nat buckled into her car seat as he got out of the truck to use the intercom. He pressed the button, and a few seconds later, heard an answering crackle.

"Yeah. I'm here to see one of your students. Marie. I'm-I'm Logan." His bet was that Marie didn't remember what had happened. Logically, he knew that was most likely. That's what the lab people did-they fucked with you, then they stole your memories. She might not even remember Nat. But there was a chance that she did, that maybe she had been looking for them too, but couldn't find them. He had to try.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a 'Marie' here," the voice answered.

"Yeah, you do," Logan insisted. "Brown hair with white stripes. She-she might not be goin' by that name. But that's it-that's her name." Logan felt a little stupid explaining that, but he could tell by the nature of the pause on the other end that something there had registered.

"Please come in and proceed to the foyer. It's the set of big doors in front." Logan only grunted in reply, then got back in the truck as the gates swung open.

"We goin' in?" Nat queried as he put the truck into drive.

"Yeah. And it's a strange place, OK? So stick real close to me." Those were the same instructions Logan always gave the child, whether they were heading into a restaurant, store, or hotel. He usually carried Nat in his arms in those situations, but he was downright paranoid about protecting her, and a little extra precaution wouldn't hurt. "Ready?" For a moment, Logan stopped to consider whether he was ready. Seeing Marie again was what he wanted more than anything, but two years had passed, and there was a good chance that she didn't remember them. He took a deep, steadying breath, and muttered, "Hang on."

"Gotchu," Nat responded, even though it hadn't been directed to her. She'd picked that particular ungrammatical contraction up from him, and he found it unbelievably cute when she said it. He gave her a reassuring smile, and drove up to the doors.

"Hey, chica, our fearless leader said there's some dude here to see you."

"Here to see me?" Rogue didn't know anyone outside the school.

"Yeah. Big, hairy, kinda scary-looking. Driving a truck with a camper on top. Says his name is Logan." That name tickled at a distant memory, but, as always, she couldn't reach it.

"I don't think I know a Logan." Rogue crinkled her nose.

"Maybe he's someone from your mysterious past," Jubilee teased. Rogue hadn't told the other students that she didn't remember anything before Scott found her naked and unconscious in the snow a year ago. She liked to let them think she was trying to hide some exciting, secret history. It was better than admitting she didn't know what her history was. Only the Professor, Scott, Jean, and 'Ro knew the truth. They were happy to let her tell the other children what she wanted. They'd never once alluded to how they'd found her or her memory loss, and she was thankful for that.

"Where does Scott want me to meet him?"

"Foyer. ASAP. If you have any luck, this could mean missing the bio review. That final's gonna be a bitch and a half."

"Yeah," Rogue agreed absently, already off the bed and heading downstairs. When she arrived on the landing, she thought that Jubilee's description had been apt-he was big and hairy-but the scary-looking component was greatly ameliorated by the fact that he was holding a cute little girl in his arms. Scott stood beside him, and both men caught sight of her simultaneously. Scott frowned a little-it was his serious-situation frown, and Rogue knew it well-but the other man smiled broadly and exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Marie," he said, taking a step toward her. Something about the way he moved and the name he said tickled at her again, but, try as she might, the memory associated with those things remained elusive. "I'm so glad I found you, baby." He took another step toward her, and she put both hands up in a stay-away gesture.

"Whoa. I, uh, I don't know you." Even as she said it, though, she was taking a closer look at the little girl, and her gut was telling her there *was* something familiar about them both.

"Yeah, you do, baby, you just, uh, don't remember. I'm Logan," he said emphatically, as though that would help to clear it all up. "And this here is-well, this is Natasha. You gotta remember her, at least a little, at least somewhere, Marie. You gotta." The child turned her head to bury it in Logan's shoulder at that moment, suddenly shy. Marie looked to Scott, hoping for some help.

"Ah, this man claims..Rogue, this man claims to have known you, uh, before." He looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"You knew me?" Logan nodded at that. The thought that he had kind eyes, and that the expression he was wearing now was another thing that was somehow familiar. "How-how long ago?" Nat had turned her head a little, just enough to peek out at Rogue with one eye shaded by hanging curly brown hair.

"About three years ago. I think-you said you were fifteen then." Scott looked a little alarmed at that, then lost in thought for a moment, then shocked. He probably took a look at Nat and did the math, Logan though sardonically. "We were both prisoners in a lab then. They-they got you from your house in Mississippi, you said."

"That'd explain my accent," Rogue reasoned, taking a step toward Logan and Nat. She caught Nat's peeking eye and smiled at her a little.

"Oh, baby, you dunno how long I've been lookin' for ya. I looked over every square inch of Canada, I swear, and I-" Logan was interrupted by Scott clearing his throat. He looked at the visor-wearing man in irritation.

"We should go somewhere more private," he ordered. "Follow me." Rogue didn't move, or seem to pay any attention to him. She was still looking at Nat. She looked at the child intently for several more long moments, then at Logan, obviously working something out. After a moment, her mouth fell open a little.

"Is she-is she-" Logan nodded solemnly. "Oh."

Rogue took another tentative step toward them, bringing her within arm's reach. Nat had turned her head so that she faced Rogue a little more fully and Rogue smiled at her. Nat smiled back, and Logan looked close to tears. "Hi there," Rogue greeted the child.

Nat kept her eyes on Rogue, but asked her father, "Mom?"

"Yeah, cookie. That's your mom." Logan rubbed the child's back a little and Rogue tentatively reached out a gloved hand to touch Nat's face. She stroked her cheek very gently with one finger a few times, then looked up at Logan.

"What did you say my name was?"

"Marie. They-they named her one-oh-four-six-two, but, uh, we called her Natasha Marie, after you. I wanted her to have your name for the first name but you liked Natasha more."

"You know what happened to me, don't you?" Marie asked, a little breathlessly. Logan nodded. "Let's-let's go sit down. Let's go-uh, Scott?"

"The Professor's conference room," Scott said gently. "This way."

They all sat at the large table, with Marie at the head, Logan seated next to her on one side and Scott seated on the other. Nat happily roamed about the room, playing with a set of wooden blocks that Scott had brought in for her. Logan had refused Scott's offer of a babysitter for Nat; in fact, the man seemed offended at the very idea. Scott noticed that Logan checked on the child visually every fifteen seconds or so. The other fourteen seconds were spent gazing at Rogue. No, Marie, Scott corrected himself. Her real name is Marie.

"You were saying that, ah, we met in a lab? One of those experiment places?" Logan nodded. "Was I-I was fifteen?" Another nod. "How long was I there?"

"You said they gotcha when you were fourteen-on your fourteenth birthday as a matter of fact. You said they, uh" Logan trailed off a little, glancing at Scott. "You know, some of this is pretty private."

"I'm not leaving a student unaccompanied with a stranger." Scott just couldn't trust someone who'd impregnated a fifteen year old girl while she was in such a vulnerable situation. And they had no real proof that his story was true. "Besides, Rogue and I know each other quite well." He gave her an encouraging smile.

"It's-it's OK. Scott-he's the one who found me. He rescued me. I was-he found me knocked out and laying in the snow, um, naked, about a year ago. It's OK-he can hear it too." Logan looked like he didn't like that in the least. "If-if there's private stuff about you in there, um, just skip that and you and I can talk about it a little later, OK?"

Logan's eyes met hers again, then flickered over to Nat, then back. "OK."

"You were saying that I was there since I was fourteen?"

"Yeah," Logan continued softly. "They were tryin' to make you pregnant for a long time. When you'd been there about a year, they switched me from another lab to yours. I-uh, I don't remember anythin' before bein' in the lab. They had me before and they fucked my head all up." Scott winced at the swear word, but Logan went on. "I remember about five years back, that's all."

"I'm so sorry," Marie commiserated.

"Yeah. Anyhow, uh, when I came, they tried makin' you pregnant by me-you know, artificial insemination - and eventually it took. It was real rough, but you carried Nat. You brought her into the world, darlin' and you did a great job." Marie was sure there was a *lot* more to the story, but she didn't feel like pressing the point now. "She came a little early. They, uh, made you start havin' labor to get her out sooner." Marie gasped at that and put a hand up to her mouth. "Darlin'?"

"Oh, God," she whispered, "I thought those were just nightmares. I-I didn't think that was *real.* God.."

Logan nodded. "They didn't use no drugs to help ya with the pain or nothin' and I think somethin' on the inside of ya broke or started bleedin'. You were screamin' a lot and I practically clawed right though the damn wall to get to you, but those fuckers kept sedatin' me and shit, and I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I tried to help ya, I swear I tried hard, Marie, but-but-"

"It's OK," she interrupted. He was becoming increasingly agitated, and she laid her gloved hand over his instinctively, to try to calm him. He smiled at that and took a deep breath. Taking her hand in both of his, he continued.

"They had her for a coupla days. You were in bad shape from the birth. We were-we were in this big thing, this big cage, kinda like a pen, with a lotta other mutants. I watched over ya, made sure none of 'em got ya. They brought her back to us on the third day, and I could smell 'em all over her, but she seemed OK. She's-I don't think they fucked her up permanently or anything, you know? She still seems OK." Logan glanced at his daughter, who was still busily playing with the blocks and ignoring the adults. "We had her for five days. They watched us all pretty close. Somethin' happened and they, uh, well, they started takin' some of the mutants out, killin' 'em, and I knew we were in trouble." Marie tensed and grabbed Logan's hand a little tighter. "There was a fight, some of us left in the cage decided to fight, and you-" Logan stopped, gritted his teeth, and looked down at the table for several long moments before going on. "You handed me Nat. You said to take care of her no matter what happened. You said she " Logan brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, tears forming in his eyes and in Marie's. "You said she was our daughter and that she was special, really special, and that she deserved a chance. You made me promise, made me *swear* to make sure she was safe, no matter what." He paused again to try to regain some composure. "I kept her safe, Marie. I kept my promise to you. But-but all hell broke loose, and you-you took a lot of 'em out with your skin to give us a chance. I couldn't- I had to take that chance to get out, to take Nat and get away. I'm so, so sorry, darlin'. I'm so sorry, but I kept my promise to you and I took that chance. You saw it, you saw it and told me to go. Not-not in words, with your eyes. Oh, Marie, I'm so goddamn sorry."

"It's OK," Marie was crying in full now-big wet tears. Logan was still holding his back, but not by much.

"I've been lookin' since then. I-I never stopped lookin' not for even a single day. Nat-she needs her mom." The child had wandered over to them, seemingly unnoticed by the adults. But Logan, while keeping his eyes on Marie's the whole time, let go of her hand and reached down to scoop Nat up and deposit her in his lap. "I'm just so glad we finally found ya. We both missed you a lot, Marie." She gave a watery smile at that. "We can be a family now, we can be together now."

Scott cleared his throat again. "Logan, even if-even if this is all true, Rogue-Marie is still a student here. She's still in school. She's not-she's not a mother. She's not ready for that and she doesn't remember-"

"She *is* Nat's mom. She-we named her together. We-"

"Even if that's so," Scott interrupted gently, "how can you be sure that you're the father?" Logan's eyes and nostrils flared at that and Scott thought he heard a faint growl. "I don't mean any offense, but-"

"I can smell her, that's how." Nat tensed in Logan's arms. "She smells like me and Marie. I felt her when she was kickin' against Marie's stomach and I held her in my arms when she was three days old and I let Marie get herself taken by those goddamn motherfuckers to keep her safe. Who the fuck're you to tell me I'm not the father, huh, bub?" Scott watched in amazement as three sharp, metal points emerged from the hand Logan rested on the table. "She's mine, and so is Marie, and I came here to claim what's mine." The points slid out a little more, into full-fledged knives, claws, and Marie noticed them too. She gasped and started in her seat.

"You're scaring her," Scott warned, slowly raising a hand to his visor and telepathically calling for Jean. The Professor was in San Francisco for the month, and Scott fervently wished Logan had waited another month to show up. He really didn't know quite what to do here.

"No, I'm not scared," Marie corrected. "I-I remember those. I remember seeing those. You-they put them in you, didn't they?" She met Logan's eyes and his mouth quirked in apology as he retracted the claws. "I remember those, Scott."

"Rogue," he answered softly, bringing his hand back down to rest on the table, "I think we should do blood tests, to be sure. I-"

"You don't need no blood tests," Logan interjected. Marie was still gazing at him in wonder, flooded with the unfamiliar sensation of memory. It was only a vague, hazy taste of memory, but still. "Darlin', take those gloves off." That caught Marie's attention. "Go on, go ahead." She just looked at him, eyebrows drawn together in thought. "Trust me."

She did as he asked, snaking off one opera-length glove and depositing it on the table. Scott scooted back away from her, more than a little uncomfortable at being in such close quarters with her bare skin, and not at all sure where this was going. He remembered how it felt that first time he touched her accidentally; he still had nightmares about it. He watched transfixed as Logan gestured with his head for her to come over to him, and his alarm grew as she obeyed. When she was standing close to him, Logan instructed, "Go on, touch her. She's yours, Marie."

"I can-I can touch her?" She looked at the child, who looked back up at her. She didn't look apprehensive or afraid.

"Yeah, darlin'. Me too. 'Cause I'm the dad. We found that out, remember?" Logan's smile at that immediately vanished when he realized that, of course, she *didn't* remember that. "Sorry," he apologized, wincing.

"I can touch her?" Marie repeated, almost hysterically. Nat was now beginning to smile, perhaps thinking this was some sort of fun game, maybe like peek-a-boo or patty-cake, both of which Logan had taught her. She reached out to grab Marie's hand with her tiny one, and Marie jumped back a little before realizing that nothing was happening. Her eyes widened and Nat giggled, apparently pleased with the game. "I can touch her," Marie repeated in amazed joy. "I can touch her."

"And me too," Logan reminded her. Marie took him up on it, tracing his stubbly cheek with one bare finger. Finally breaking into a wide smile and letting out a giggle or two, Marie knelt next to them and hugged them both. Her face pressed against Nat's and the child unceremoniously pushed her head back away to plant a smacking kiss on Marie's cheek. Marie giggled and playfully kissed Nat back on the nose. Logan put an arm around Marie, keeping her close. Scott watched them all in awe, wondering what in the world they were going to do now.

"Marie, I understand how difficult this must be for you, but please, think. You need to finish school. You-you have a home here." Scott and Jean had shown Logan and the child to a guest room. He'd been reluctant to leave Marie at all, and very reluctant to stay in the mansion for any stretch of time, especially in a room apart from her. Marie had finally talked him into doing it for the moment, but they were at an impasse with regard to what to do next. Logan had wanted Marie to pack her things and leave with him and Nat immediately, and, much to the chagrin of Scott and Jean, she seemed to actually be considering it. Scott told her she wasn't going anywhere until they all talked. "You're not ready to be a mother to that child. You'd only be doing it a disservice."

"But she's my child, Scott, and I can touch her-I-I just feel like I should be with her."

"Then stay here. Convince Logan to stay here with the child," Jean suggested. "It would give us a chance to do the blood work to know for sure, and it would give you all some stability. Driving around in a camper-Rogue, that's no way to live your life."

"Marie," she corrected softly.

"Of course-Marie." Jean squirmed a little in her seat. "Don't you want to know for certain whether he's telling the truth, whether she's really your child?" She exchanged a look with Scott and he frowned. She knew what he was thinking-the fact that she was able to touch Nat strongly suggested that the girl was hers. There was also the fact that they'd done a thorough physical exam of her when she was brought in, an exam that revealed that she'd had a recent pregnancy. They'd never told Rogue when she regained consciousness and turned out to remember nothing of her past. They thought it was better, kinder for her not to have to deal with that knowledge. But now, it certainly corroborated Logan's story.

"I can't explain how I know it, Jean, but I just *know* she's mine. I'm sure. I mean-how else could you explain me being able to touch both of them?"

"I don't know. But just because I don't know, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's true that she's your child, Rogue."

"Marie," she corrected, this time a little more firmly.

"Look," Scott offered, "What's the harm in staying a few days, in conducting the tests and finding out for sure?"

Marie thought that over for a few minutes, scrunching her nose up and drawing her eyebrows together. "And if the tests confirm that she's my daughter, then you won't give me any argument if I decide to leave with Logan, at least for a while, for us to all get to know one another again?" The look that Scott and Jean traded told her the answer to that. "What are you planning to do, then?"

"Logan and Nat are welcome to stay here," Scott asserted. "I think-I think it's the best solution. That way, you wouldn't be burdened with caring for Nat, we can keep an eye on you-Marie, you have to remember that we don't really know anything about Logan. Nothing at all. What if he's dangerous? What if this is some plan to lure you away from the mansion, to hurt you? You're not ready to deal with all this on your own."

Marie shook her head slowly. "I just don't think that's what's going on. And Scott-I do remember him. I remember seeing the claws on him. I don't remember anything else-not a single thing about my entire life-but I remember that."

"How do you know that's not because he hurt you with those claws?"

"I don't remember being afraid when I saw them, just-just sad. Sad for him." Marie leaned back in her chair a little. "Logan doesn't want to stay here, Scott."

"If he really cares about you, he will. He'll do it if what he really wants is for you to be together, to be a family."

"What if I want some time alone with them? What if *I* don't want to stay?"

Scott looked to Jean and she leaned across the table to Marie. "I'm sorry, but we just can't permit that. You're too young, Rogue. You have no idea who this Logan person really is. Doesn't the fact that he calls you 'baby' and seems to have had some kind of romantic relationship with you while you were a child bother you? Doesn't that make you wonder what he might be thinking you'll be doing while you're alone together? Rogue, you're eighteen, you have your whole life ahead of you. We can't let you just throw it away, just put yourself in this kind of situation."

Marie frowned. "You can't *let* me? I thought that I had the right to make decisions for myself. I'm eighteen now."

"And you're too young to make this one all by yourself. Rogue, we know you. We cared for you for the last year. We've given you a place to stay, schooling, everything you needed. You don't-"

"You never said those things were in exchange for-for the right to make my own decisions. You never said I had to give that up."

"We're not saying that," Scott ventured. "And of course, you should have input into this decision. But it's not-it's a huge responsibility, being a parent. You don't know this guy. The fact that he seems to have had some kind of romantic relationship with a fifteen-year-old, no matter what the conditions were-well, that just doesn't bode well. We're not trying to run your life, we're just trying to help you here. We just want to look out for you. Going off with this guy-it's just not an option."

"Scott's right," Jean continued. "It's not that we're trying to run your life, but we care about you. We're as close as you have to family right now, Rogue, and we just want to look out for you, help you make the right choices. Don't let your-your desire to act like an adult because you're eighteen now force you into a bad situation. Just because you're legally an adult and no longer Charles' ward, well, it doesn't necessarily mean you're prepared to handle this all on your own. We're here to help. We're here to support you."

"As long as you think I make the right decision, as long as I do what you think I should do."

"Rogue, we just want to look out for you, that's all. You're not ready to be a parent. This person, even if what he says is true, might not be safe to be around."

"What about being with my daughter? What about being a family?"

"If she is your daughter, then of course you should have some sort of relationship with her, but-"

"But I'm not good enough to be her mom."

Jean sighed. "You're not *ready.* Rogue, you only remember a year of your life. You're just eighteen. We're-we're not even entirely sure that you *are* eighteen, we're just going by the birthday we picked for you." Jean turned suddenly thoughtful. "In fact, it may *not* be your decision at all. You could be-"

"But we agreed that would be my birthday! You agreed!"

"Rogue, in all good conscience, we can't permit you to-"

"Marie. My real name is Marie. Get it straight." With that, she got out of the chair, turned on her heel, and quickly exited the room. Scott and Jean both flopped back into their chairs tiredly. Scott spoke first.

"Keep an eye on them, just in case."

Jean nodded. "You know, I'm thirty-four and sometimes I think *I'm* not ready to be a parent. Especially not for rebellious teenage mutants." Jean tucked a stray red curl back into her pony-tail.

"She'll do the right thing. She's always been fairly sensible. It's just a shock to her, that's all."

"I hope you're right, Scott."

Marie headed upstairs to the room where Logan and Nat were waiting for her. She interrupted what looked like quite a happy game of peek-a-boo; Nat was just about to fling a small blanket over her head when Marie entered. Logan smiled upon seeing her at first, but then, sensing that she was upset, his expression changed. "What happened?"

Marie tossed over how she wanted to answer that in her head. She shut the door behind her. "They don't want me to go. They think you and Nat should stay here." Marie huffed and Logan digested that for a second. "Look, can I ask you some questions?"

"Anythin'." Nat scrambled into her father's lap and Marie sat down beside them on the floor.

"Don't-don't spare me the details, OK? I want to know. I'm asking because I need to know." Logan nodded perfunctorily. Marie took a deep breath and gathered her nerve. "Were we lovers?"

That being a fairly non-detailed response, Marie pressed on. "How-how did that happen? Didn't it bother you that I was only fifteen?"

"Nah." Logan shifted Nat off of his lap gently. "Go on, cookie, go play with your blocks for a little while. Me and mom gotta talk."

"But da-a-a-d," she protested.

He kissed her forehead and then put a large hand under her rear to scoot her on her way toward the blocks. "Go on, cookie."

"OK," she agreed sullenly, heading off in the direction of the toys. Logan turned his attention back to Marie.

"It didn't bother me none. I was kinda lookin' out for ya when you first got there, even before they made you pregnant with Nat. You were kinda in a bad spot when it came to gettin' by at the lab we were in. You always said that usin' your skin thing don't feel too good to you, either, and there were a lotta dangerous and whacked-out people in there with us. I took to ya from the get-go, but we didn't become lovers until after I could smell that you were pregnant with Nat. Then-I dunno, it just kinda seemed right."

Marie had a hundred questions about what he'd just said swimming around in her brain, but what came out was, "We had sex in front of other people?"

Logan nodded. "It was a little private 'cause we had a spot in the corner and a blanket, but yeah, we had sex with other people in the room." Logan took in her shocked expression for a few moments, then continued, "I know it sounds bad, but-but at the time, it was the best we could do, and I think we both really kinda needed that between us pretty bad. At-at the time, it was what felt right."

Marie nodded, deciding to simply leave that topic and press on. "What made you-you said you took to me right away. What made you do that? I mean, did you, uh, want to, you know, be with me, and-"

"No," Logan interrupted a little sharply. He took a moment to calm himself a little. "I know what they're probably thinkin'-that I'm some kinda weirdo who likes nailin' kids, right? That's what they think, ain't it?" It had come out with fierce anger wrapped in a soft tone, and that made Marie look to the floor, ashamed. "That ain't how it is. Marie, I took to ya right off 'cause when they brought me in, I'd just-they just put the steel into my hands and on my skeleton. I was hurtin' kinda bad. My mutation was over-worked-it's-it's not just the claws and smell and stuff. I heal. I usually heal right up from just about anythin'. But my mutation was over-worked, so it was slow goin'. I couldn't defend myself too well, and you scared away the other mutants who wanted to hurt me or eat me, by usin' your skin. You-"

"They would've eaten you?" Marie asked in shock.

"There wasn't much food given to us, and the strong ones got it," Logan explained gently. "I always made sure you got some, especially when you were carryin' Nat. I was better by then." Marie put her hand to her mouth and tears started to form. Logan scooted over next to her and put both arms around her, drawing her head to his shoulder. "Look, I, uh, I know you said not to leave nothin' out, but let's not talk about that part too much more, OK? Let's, um, just not go into all that. I took to you 'cause you looked out for me, when you were in a pretty bad spot yourself, and had no reason to give a shit about me. You just-you had to touch one or two of 'em to keep 'em away and it hurt you to do it. When I got better, I decided to return the favor, and that's how it was. We looked out for each other." Logan exhaled deeply when he finished, and he could feel Marie shiver against his body.

"Did they ever try to eat Nat?" she asked in a small voice.

"Let's not talk about that either, OK?" Logan hoped that would be answer enough, and when she nodded, he knew it was.

"So we became lovers after I was pregnant?"

"That's right. It was just-we were together then, you know? We were kinda like a team. And you were carryin' my child. It don't-it never made a difference to me how Nat came about. She was ours. I know accordin' to society and rules and all that shit, I shouldnta touched you until you were legal. But that just-I didn't go by those rules. It ain't that that's my thing, wantin' kids or real young girls-it's just that it was you, and I loved you, you know. I loved you and we were in one helluva shitty situation. I wanted to be with you when I could and I don't regret it, not one bit."

"You know what? I don't think-I don't want to talk about that anymore, OK? Not right now." Marie wrapped her arms around Logan, hugging him to her more tightly. She wasn't quite ready to sort it all out in her head, to try to decide what it all meant to her now. She felt him drop a soft kiss against her temple and begin to gently rock her back and forth. "Tell me about Nat. Tell me about Nat's life these past two years."

"Ah, darlin', she's the best kid anyone coulda asked for. She's got your good looks, ya know. Got some of my disposition, but I kinda like that. She seems real smart and she's been pretty healthy."

"It must've been hard for you, taking care of her on your own all this time."

"Oh, I dunno. Some parts-yeah. Like when we first got away. I hadta find diapers and clothes and formula for her right away and there were a coupla days here and there when she didn't have nothin' to eat. I started makin' money by doin' fightin'-you know, in bars and shit-and we got on our feet a little more. Bought that truck and me and Nat lived outta that for a while, about a year. That was kinda hard 'cause I'd hafta leave Nat in the truck when I went in to fight. I never-I never wanted to leave her with nobody else, she's always been with me. But that was hard, 'cause I hadta make the money for us, but I hadta leave her, sometimes for a few hours at a time. Sometimes I'd come back and she'd be cryin' like there was no tomorrow. I hope-I don't think it scarred her, you know, emotionally, or some shit, but I dunno for sure. It's been better lately. After we got the camper, it's been a lot better. After Nat started sleepin' through the night, I could just put her down in bed, in the camper, and then go fightin'. That's a lot easier than when she was wantin' to be fed every coupla hours. But-but I liked it. I liked bein' with her, bein' the one to raise her. And it was a lot better than the lab. Don't get me wrong, it was still a little rough, but me and Nat, we got through it OK. And now we found you again."

"Have you-did you tell her anything about me?" Marie turned her head to watch Nat playing happily with her blocks, her earlier reluctance gone.

"Oh, baby," Logan chuckled, "I told her everythin' 'bout you. I usedta put her to sleep with little stories about ya, tellin' her how beautiful her mom was, and how good. She knows all about you. That you're from the south, that your favorite food is pizza, that you took ballerina lessons when you were a little girl and you wanted her to do 'em too. And I told her that you loved her every day. 'Cause I thought that was the most important thing, you know? I wanted her to know that just 'cause you weren't there didn't mean you didn't love her or want her or some shit like that."

"You did a really good job," Marie offered, a little tearfully. "Thanks for taking care of her. I'm-I'm so sorry I didn't remember."

"Not your fault," Logan soothed, "and besides, we found ya now. We can be a family now."

Marie raised her head to look at him and she had a grave expression on her face. "I don't know if they'll let me leave with you. I-I think I'd like to. I'd like to be with both of you, be a family, and I trust you." Logan ran one hand through her hair. "But I don't know if they'll let me leave."

"They're gonna," Logan said warningly. "And if they try to stop ya, well, they're gonna have a helluva fight on their hands."

"We'll talk to them again in the morning, OK?" Marie picked her head up to look at him. "But if it doesn't work, would you-would you consider staying here for a little while?"

"I'm not leavin' ya for anythin', baby." He gazed intently into her eyes and cupped the back of her head with his hand. She felt his other hand trace a path from her back to her waist. "We'll work it all out, I promise we will. We're gonna stick together. You and me and Nat. We're gonna stick together from now on." He leaned forward and laid a slow, gentle kiss against her forehead, then began kissing down her face. Marie wasn't quite sure what to do, and Logan seemed to catch himself a little when he reached her jaw. He broke from her a little reluctantly and then smiled reassuringly. "Hey, you wanna help me give Nat her bath? Looks like we're all stayin' here for tonight, anyway."

Marie's face lit up at that. "I'd love to."

The knock on the door-Jean, Marie knew, even before the telepath opened it and let herself in-came in the middle of Nat's bath time. Living in the camper meant that baths were few and far between, and they were one of Nat's favorites. Logan let her splash and play a bit before commencing with any actual cleaning. He'd just managed to locate some shampoo for her when they were interrupted.

Jean entered the bathroom and greeted Logan. "Hello, I'm Jean Grey. I don't believe we've met." He acknowledged her with a grunt, and turned his attention back to Nat. "Bath time, I see."

"Yeah!" Nat heartily agreed, as she slapped her hand on the water's surface, drenching Marie's shirt. She only laughed, then slid her hand in the water and gently splashed Nat back.

"Glad you're all settling in," Jean commented. "I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed." Logan glanced intently at Marie as Jean said it, and his meaning was clear. "Anyway, ah, we'll see you later, then." She turned, carefully avoiding the puddles Nat had created, and left. When Marie heard the room's outer door click shut, she turned to Logan.

"She's been keeping an eye on us telepathically, you know. That's her power. That and telekinesis. That little visit was a reminder that she's watching us."

"What, exactly, do they think is gonna happen, huh?" Logan poured out some of the yellow, goopy shampoo into his hand.

"I think they're just afraid that you'll hurt me." Logan looked over at her in exasperation as his shampoo-filled hand hung in midair over Nat's head. "Not that I think you would. Not-not at all."

"I ain't done nothin' to give 'em any reason to think that. Makes me wonder why they do," he said in an even tone, then turned to look at her. "I'd protect you with my life, Nat too. I'm not, you know, all dressed and educated and manicured and shit, I know that. I'm a fighter. I know that too. But I'm not-I don't hurt people for just no reason, and I'd never hurt the two people that're most important to me. You're my family, Marie. You and Nat. Can't they-don't they see that too?"

"I don't know," Marie answered solemnly, "but I can see that. You've taken care of Nat, all by yourself, all this time. You kept looking for me. I know-I understand what that means. I do." When she looked back on it later, she knew she'd made her decision right then and there. She knew she realized, on some unconscious level, that she didn't want to ever be apart from Logan and Nat again.

"Da-a-a-d! 'poo!" Nat broke their gaze, and Logan winked at her before plopping the shampoo on her head. She grinned widely as Logan lathered it in. "Wook, mom, 'poo!"

"Yeah, I see. You like getting shampooed, huh?" Nat nodded vigorously, casting shampoo lather across the tub.

"She likes that a lot. Makes her beautiful, right?" Logan reached into the tub to cup water in his hands to rinse her.

"Uh-huh. Boo-fuwll."

"Keep your eyes closed." Nat obeyed and soon, she was well-rinsed. "OK, eyes open." She snapped them open and her big brown eyes found Marie's.

"Mmm-hmm. I shampooed just this morning." She leaned in closer to the child. "I took a shower, though, not a bath."

"Hmph." Logan reached for the washcloth and soap, dunking it both in the water and lathering them up. "Me wike baffs."

"Ah," Marie acknowledged. "What else do you like?"

"Wewll," Nat began, "Cookies. Me wike cookies wots. Annnnnnnd..oinge soda." Nat leaned toward Marie, gripping the side of the tub with both hands and shifting to her knees, as though she were about to impart some critical piece of information. "Dad give me some one time." Marie smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Gimme your face, Nat." Logan held open the lathered-up washcloth and she turned her face toward him and squinted her eyes shut. Logan gently but thoroughly scrubbed at her face, and Marie cupped up water to rinse her. She was still somewhat in awe that she could touch them both, and her fingers lingered to caress the child's cheek and brush her wet hair away. She was just leaning back a little when she felt Logan's wet hand on her back. She turned her head a little, but before she could fully face him, she was halted by his warm lips on her cheek. It wasn't a friendly kiss, it wasn't exactly a gentle kiss, but it wasn't exactly sexual or aggressive, either. It was a wet, open-mouthed kiss that burned through her. His mouth slid toward hers and captured it with another open-mouth kiss, one which she found herself returning after a few moments. When they broke apart, they both took a moment to catch their breath. Marie was blushing wildly-she'd never even been within a foot of any of the boys at school. Logan looked peaceful, contented. He rubbed her back a little, then turned to Nat, who had been watching the proceedings with interest. Logan tried to remind himself that as desperate as he was to hold her, kiss her, make love to her, Marie probably wasn't ready for any of that yet.

"You kiss mom," Nat said. She was smiling as though it was something either very funny or very entertaining. Marie blushed some more at her words.

"Uh-huh," Logan agreed, as he went back to washing the child. "Missed doin' that."

"Mom was gone," Nat had turned suddenly serious.

"Yep. But we found her. We found her, Nat, just like I toldya we would."

"Dunno. But we found her. Stand up, honey, let me get your legs." Nat complied, using Logan's shoulders for leverage. Logan seemed suddenly a little unsure toward Marie, suddenly nervous.

"Mom stay wif us." The part-statement, part-question had been directed at Logan, but he cast a sideways glance at Marie.

"That's right," she answered. "I'm going to stay with you guys now. From-from now on." She was more than a little confused by Logan's sudden change in demeanor.

"Mom wuv us bof," Nat declared confidently. "Mom wuv us to pieces." Logan made a small, embarrassed smile at that, and it clicked into place for Marie. These were things he'd told Nat-often enough so that she remembered them-that they'd find her, that she'd stay with them, that she loved them both. It was probably how be explained to Nat why she was gone and how he reassured her that one day she'd have a mom who loved her.

"That's right," she assured Nat, "I love you both to pieces. You're my family." A delighted smile surged through the child, and Marie noticed Logan wearing one as well.

"All done, cookie, come on out." Logan reached behind him for a towel.

"I know, I know. But you can have another bath sometime soon, OK? This one's over."

"Hmph." Nat pouted a little, but extended both arms and let Logan envelop her in the fluffy blue towel. He lifted her up and out of the tub, and deposited her with a flourish in the middle of the room's queen-size bed. "Dis a big bed."

"Yeah. Bigger than ours, huh?" Logan was shuffling through the bag they'd brought in. Finally, he retrieved a small sweatshirt that was clearly not adult-sized yet that looked several sizes too large for Nat.

"Yeah. It's a little chilly in here. Hey, Marie-you-you wanna help dry her off and get her dressed?"

"Sure." Nat seemed to like that idea too, judging by her giggle. "Do you brush her hair out wet?"

"If she'll stay still long enough to let ya, go on ahead."

Marie took him up on that, doing a reasonably good job of it before Nat squirmed away and demanded to be tucked into bed. Marie obliged as Logan cleaned up the bathroom. She was just pulling the blankets up to Nat's chin, when she asked, "Mom seep wif us?"

"Ummm." Marie heard Logan stop moving in the bathroom. "I, uh, have my own room."

Nat's little eyebrows knitted together in a very close approximation of Marie's own 'thinking' expression. "But mom stay wif us now."

"That's true," Marie agreed, putting the child at ease. "You-you know what? Let me just go over and get some pajamas and I'll-"

"You can borrow somethin' of mine-uh, I got a t-shirt in there somewhere." Logan came out to stand in the bathroom doorway. "Or-or I'll grab Nat and go with ya to get somethin'."

Marie realized then just how literally he'd meant it when he'd said he wasn't going to leave her for anything. "A t-shirt sounds great."

Logan smiled, and went to fish one out of the bag. Finally retrieving a grey one, Marie was almost ready to say that she'd need pants and socks and gloves too, but then she remembered. She didn't. She didn't need all that with them. So she just smiled and took the garment he proffered, then headed off to the bathroom to change.

She noticed that it smelled like him some. He must've worn it at least once. That smell triggered something-the barest sense of déjà vu-and Marie slipped the shirt over her head. She left her underwear on, but removed the rest of her clothes, wiggling her bare feet against the bathroom floor and smiling when she was done. Touching, being able to be around other people with bare hands, bare *legs*-she'd never get tired of it. It was a monumental change in her life, as many things that happened today had been, but this one, she was more than ready for. She relished the feel of her bare legs and bare arms for a moment more, then emerged to find Logan already in bed with Nat.

"Mom seep in da middle," Nat said, pointing to the intended spot. Marie smiled at Nat's directive, and climbed in with them from the foot of the bed. Both of the bed's other occupants immediately clung to her. Logan pulled her flush with his side, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and putting one leg on top of hers, while Nat burrowed into Marie's other side, resting her head on Marie's breast. Nat threw a leg around her waist a moment later, just for good measure. Marie felt Logan kiss her forehead, and felt a large, warm hand settle on her stomach, just below Nat's knee, soon after. She basked in the feeling of being surrounded with touch, and fell off to sleep.

The first time she was awakened that night, it was Jean-probably as the result of a telepathic check in that had revealed Marie in bed with Logan and Nat. Jean knocked at the door, immediately waking both Logan and Nat. Marie, however, didn't pull out of her slumber until she felt the bed shift beneath her, indicating Logan's exit. She sat up a little blearily-she'd *just* fallen asleep-and put a protective arm around Nat. Logan just opened the door and stood staring at Jean.

"Uh, good evening." Marie saw Jean lean forward a little, trying to peek into the room. When she caught Jean's eye, the older woman seemed to tense a little. "It's not customary for students to share rooms with guests. Rogue has her own room." Logan didn't respond. "Rogue needs to stay in her own room," Jean tried again.

"I'm fine here. I-I'd like to stay with Nat tonight."

"Well, then, why don't you two go back to your room, Rogue?"

"Marie." Nat squirmed into Marie's lap and laid her head on Marie's shoulder, clearly wanting to go back to sleep.

"Right. Of course. Marie. Why don't you and Nat go on back to your room?"

"We're fine here." Logan began to swing the door shut at that, but Jean halted it with her hand.

"I'm afraid that's not going to work," Jean said sternly. "You need to go back to your room. It's inappropriate for you to sleep in Logan's room. We just can't allow that at the mansion. I hope you can respect that, Rogue."

Marie bit back another correction of her name and replied, "I can. I understand what you're saying. We'll go on out to the camper, then. I'll just need to grab a few of my things." Marie held Nat to her as she climbed out of bed and began padding across the room. Logan still didn't say anything, but he began packing up the few things he'd taken out of their bag.