Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

Summary: Rogue opens up about her Jean issues, Jean's perfection is marred by one toenail, and Logan can't help getting excited.

Comments: Can you tell this is going to be a foofy one? This was inspired by Susan Keller's challenge to write a nice Jean. And I did, believe it or not. (Stop snickering!) The title was inspired by Judy's reference to "Operation Declaw" in her excellent fic, Rogue's Recruits. This is also in reply to Keli's challenge to write comments that are actually shorter than the fic itself for a change ;)

"Issues. I have issues with you. I can't really help it." Marie fidgeted as she sat at the kitchen table and then her eyebrows drew together with a sudden spasm of thought. "It's all Logan's fault, really."

"No, no, it's not that. I know that it's just that he thinks you're hot. And, you know, I am *really* sorry about the thing at the reception." Sometimes flashes of Logan surged through her strongly. Unfortunately for both Marie and Jean, one of those flashes caused Marie to give Jean's butt a hard, noticeable squeeze and then a loud slap in the buffet line at a black tie reception for the school's supporters. Every one stared, and Jean turned just about as red as her hair. Marie just gave her an appreciative, sexual stare-it bordered on lewd, and as soon as Marie caught herself, she blushed a lot too.

"It's quite all right." It wasn't the first time it had happened, just the first time it had happened in public. In fact, Scott was beginning to wonder if he should take Rogue aside and have a little talk with her, but Jean dissuaded him. Keep an open mind, she told him, and besides, you're a leg man and it's about time my ass gets a little attention. "But if it's not that, then what is it?"

"Well," Marie huffed, "I want to have sex with you and I find that a little, uh, confusing. Then there's the whole 'I'm Jean Grey and my life is so perfect' vibe that you just kind of send out. I know it's not really that way, but you always seem to be on top of it all and, you know, perfectly put together. And everybody just loves you. You're like the universal fantasy woman or something, and Logan's too. It's annoying."

"Come out and say what you really think, Rogue." It was a standing joke between them. Jean had taken a liking to the girl, and had gotten to know her quite well amidst the butt-slapping and growls. "Would it make you feel better to know that I have an infected toenail? It's all yellow and gross and everything."

"Yeah, that does make me feel a little better. Thanks." And it did. Marie tried to focus on that, and it lessened the undercurrent of sexual attraction that Logan always seemed to have buzzing toward Jean. Apparently, he didn't like the idea of icky toenails.

"Well, I might know if he said more than two words to me at a time." Marie frowned down into her coffee cup. Logan had been back for a month, a whole month, and he'd scattered like a scared deer every time Marie tried to talk to him. At first she thought it was her skin, and she forced him to sit still long enough for her to explain that she understood-she'd almost killed him with it twice-and that she was being really careful. He looked just crushed at the end of that conversation and he vehemently reassured her that he wasn't afraid of her skin. Frankly, Marie was at a loss for what else would make him behave this way.

Jean smiled indulgently. "Because he's in love. You're his fantasy woman, Rogue-his dreamy fantasy woman, not his sordid sexual fantasy woman. He sees you like this pure, perfect person that is worth his life to protect."

"He's just trying to figure that out." When Marie shot her a skeptical look, Jean amended, "OK, he's taking his sweet time, and it's not that hard to do, but I really do think he's just trying to figure out what to do with you, what you want and what's OK for the both of you right now. It's hard. I know when Scott and I first got together, he was still young-eighteen-and I was paranoid about not going too fast or doing something that took advantage of him. Just imagine how Logan must feel."

Marie sighed. "I actually kind of think you're right. And I don't really know how to go about all this stuff either. I know everybody-Kitty and Jubes especially-think I should just jump right into bed with him and then live happily ever after. But I'm not ready for all that right now. I'm not ready for sex-I've barely ever had smoochies before!-and I'm not ready to sign off on the rest of my life as Mrs. Logan. Not that I don't love him, I do, but-but white picket fences, or the mutant equivalent thereof-I'm just not ready for all that."

"Well, that's not surprising. I mean, it takes time. You have to go through the relationship to get to that point, and you're at the beginning of the relationship. Believe me, I'm still not quite ready to walk down the aisle and Scott and I have been together for seven years. Being engaged is fine by me for now."

Marie sighed again. Jean was right. And she really hated it when Jean was right, even when it was otherwise comforting that she was. It was part of the whole 'perfect' thing. "Well, we have to get the whole relationship started if it's going to go anywhere, and I guess I'm going to have to be the one to do that, huh?"

"Unless you can wait until Logan decides to, yes." Jean leaned forward across the table with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Just what do you have in mind?"

"Oh nothing sneaky or diabolical, just a little talk. Just, you know, locking him in some kind of steel-reinforced room and forcing him to actually speak to me about it. That's all. Nothing much."

"Hey, Logan-" Jean knew she'd find him outside somewhere. The man would sleep outside if they'd let him. Scratch that, Jean thought-he'd do it if Rogue would too. "Rogue's looking for you. She's in the danger room. She said it was important."

"What's she doin' in the danger room?" Aha, Jean thought, my plan is working. Any hint that Rogue might be doing something which could be described as dangerous usually sent Logan running in her direction. The danger room was perfect-the name itself would get Logan to go there, and once inside, it could be locked down, every bit as impenetrable as the steel room Rogue wanted for their talk. I'm so good at this kind of thing, Jean thought. "Jean?"

Logan grunted and walked at a brisk pace toward the mansion. Smoochies, Jean thought, I bet Rogue is in for some smoochies today.

"Hey-Jeannie said ya wanted me for somethin'." Logan's eyes darted around the room, flitting everywhere but over Marie. She sighed.

"Yeah. Could you close the door behind you?" Logan did as instructed, but was clearly nervous about not having a clear exit path. Little did he know that once he'd closed that door, he wasn't going anywhere unless Marie's voice gave the computer the instructions to open the door.

"Kind of." He went on alert at that. He began to imagine all kinds of problems-kids at school bothering her, evil mutants plotting against her, bad nightmares, being upset about her skin. "I'm a little bit worried about something, and I was hoping you'd talk to me about it."

"Uh" Logan's anxiety ratcheted up a notch. Talking-that was bad. That was bad because talking led to saying things, things that he wasn't sure he was going to be able to get out right.

"Come on, sit down." Marie patted the space beside her on the bench. Logan stayed put. "Oh, for goodness sakes, I won't bite."

Logan desperately tried to stifle mental images of just where he might like for her to bite him, and he took a few tentative steps toward her. "Can we, uh, just talk from here?" Then it dawned on him that she might interpret his reluctance as fear of her skin. "Or-or never mind. I'll sit there." He shuffled over the last few feet, noticing that her smile had become strained.

"Good." She waited until he'd stopped squirming and had settled in beside her. "Look, it's not-there's nothing to be scared of. You're the big, bad, Wolverine, right? It's just talking. You can handle it."

"Good. I, ah, wanted to talk about, well, essentially, this. Actually, I had a talking plan. First, we need to talk about why you're avoiding me and always nervous and stuff around me. Because-well, I just don't like that. Second, we need to discuss, uh, what is commonly referred to as smoochies. Third, there's the mutant equivalent of a white picket fence. Are you with me so far?"

"That's second," Marie stressed, grinning. She really was kind of enjoying this. "First is the nervous avoiding. Do you know why I think you do it?"

"Fine. Why?" At that moment, he looked as uncomfortable as she'd ever seen him-she thought he'd probably rather be fighting a mutant with the combined powers of Magneto, Sabretooth, and Mystique than having this discussion.

"I think, well, I think it's because of the deep bond that we have. You're not sure what to do with that, or with me and, while you want to look out for me, you don't really want to do anything to scare me or that might be somehow wrong. Am I warm?"

"I just don't wanna be around you and do somethin' to make you feel uncomfortable, that part's right. That, and the bond thing. Those parts are warm." Bad choice of words, Logan thought, now I'm gonna have warm Marie-parts on the brain.

Marie didn't seem to notice his discomfiture, though, she just smiled. It was a nice, friendly, soft smile, one that she hoped would put him at ease. "Let me tell you something. You're not going to make me feel uncomfortable, OK? I'm very comfortable around you, always. Even if-even if you get, ah, a little excited sometimes."

Logan's eyes got as big as saucers. He didn't think she'd ever noticed the physical signs of his excitement when in proximity to her. "I-I-"

"Well, OK, I take that back. It's scary, in a minor way. In the way that-well, I really like that you think of me like that but it's an unknown. You know I'm a virgin, and I, ah, haven't had extensive experience with those particular parts. But they seem friendly." That jolted a laugh out of Logan. "And I'm willing to make their acquaintance."

"I just don't wantcha to think I expect that or nothin'." He was still smiling a little and he'd unconsciously scooted a little closer to her on the bench. She gave an inner 'whoo-hoo!' at that and listened intently to his words. "'Cause that's not why-that's not-I'll still do stuff for you and I promised to take care of you. That's not dependent on doin' anythin' with me."

"I know that," she said sincerely, taking his hand in her gloved ones and gazing at him softly for a moment. A small smile crossed her face, and she continued. "And that brings us to point number two-smoochies. I'd like for you to give me some."

Marie's fingers deftly unknotted the sheer scarf around her neck. "I could show you if you like." Her eyes turned playful and Logan let out a soft growl, which she took as a 'yes.' Placing the edge of the scarf over his lips, she gently and very chastely kissed him, once.

"I like them a lot and I'd especially like them from you. And you know, I'd like for you to give all of yours to me. Not anyone else. I'll be happy to take all the ones you have." She blushed a little as she said it and held her breath to wait for his answer when she was done.

"OK, but-but-are we talkin' about, ah, you know, datin' or somethin' like that?" Marie's face changed to display the Marie-think-indicators Logan knew well-scrunched nose, indrawn eyebrows, pursed lips. He didn't know whether to take that back or to just let her answer, and before he could decide, she spoke.

"I think that would be a very good idea. Dating. And that brings us to the last point of the talking plan-the mutant equivalent of a white picket fence."

"Yeah. You and me, we're, you know, always going to be in love with each other, I think." Her blush had crept back up, but she managed to hold Logan's eyes. "But I think we need to go a little slow and not-not necessarily assume that we're going to live happily ever after with one another. I think we need to go through it and make sure." Logan got a smug grin on his face at that, and Marie shot him a questioning look. "What?"

"Uh-huh." He broke into a smile, one of the rare ones he shared uninhibitedly. "You know, I got some more of those things for ya."

"Deal." Lifting the scarf between them, he planted a soft, slow kiss on her lips. He was pretty sure that one day, maybe even one day soon, they'd have the mutant equivalent of a white picket fence, but smoochies were good for now.