Note: Well everybody, this is the final chapter of ATYUT, with an epilogue at the end. It's taken me a while to get to this point (as usual), but I'm very grateful for everyone who's stuck with this story or even just read some of it here and there. Thanks to all! I hope you enjoy this latest update.

Thirty

Logan made himself scarce until dinner, showing up dirty and sweaty. It was clear to Ororo that he'd been working at the barn, and he looked hungry and a little tired, so she didn't say anything about him not cleaning up before sitting down at the table. It was only her, Kurt, Rogue, and—of course—Skye. Charles and Hank had grabbed their meal 'to-go', heading back to the mansions lower levels to finish working on the Cerebro updates they'd been busy at all day.

Before taking a seat, Skye's highchair between them, Logan sent Ororo a crooked grin and roguish wink. She smiled and passed him a heaping plateful of lasagna, confident that he was alright after the little incident at the market. Hard work generally had the effect of clearing his head.

Ororo watched him hungrily devour his meal, glancing across the table to see both Kurt and Rogue smiling in amusement. He cleaned his plate in no time, then downed a glass of water before going to the fridge for a beer. As Ororo was helping herself to some tomato and arugula salad, Logan took Skye out of her highchair and propped her up on his knee.

Skye giggled and slapped her hands against Logan's strong arm that wrapped around her gently, keeping her from falling. Even as young as she was it was clear just how much Skye loved her daddy. And Ororo didn't care if their daughter would constantly seek out her father over her mother as she grew older, if he was the one to stop her tears, soothe her hurts, and make her laugh. Logan needed this more than she did, and Ororo didn't mind at all. Besides, they could always have more children, right?

That thought alone made Ororo smile secretively, turning her head and pursing her lips when her husband glanced up at her with a quizzical expression. She just ignored the look and continued eating, keeping her thoughts to herself.

.

While Kurt and Rogue were cleaning up after dinner, Logan quickly dragged his wife and baby girl out to the barn with him, eager to show Ororo what he'd accomplished that afternoon after the market. She'd laughed at his urgency, asking if she should just fly them there, but he just gave a negative growl at that idea and quickened his pace across the grounds.

As soon as they entered the barn, Logan took her upstairs and through the bedroom to the bathroom. While she adjusted Skye on her hip, eyeing her husband expectantly, Logan just grinned and reached into the shower, turning on the faucet.

Ororo smiled with surprise and delight when water rushed out of the shower head. "You got the water running."

"Yep. Hot water, too." He was still grinning proudly. "Ya know what that means, right?"

She sauntered toward him and cupped his scruffy cheek with one hand, her blue eyes locked onto his dark brown ones. "We can move in."

"You bet." Logan leaned forward and kissed her while Skye squealed and flapped one arm, swatting at her daddy for attention. He chuckled. "Hang on there, lil' darlin'. I'll get'cha." He bent down and loudly kissed her chubby little cheek as she giggled in delight.

Ororo smiled and passed Skye over to Logan so she could take a closer look at all the work he'd done in the bathroom. She was suitably impressed. The plumbing was fully finished, with both the shower and separate claw-foot tub. She turned the faucet on in the sink and watched the crystal-clear water spill out of the tap. Logan had cleaned every surface of the bathroom as well, clearing out the dust and debris from when he'd been working. He'd even brought most of their toiletries from their master bath in the loft. Everything looked great.

They'd wanted to start spending the night in the barn a few days earlier, but Ororo had realized that they really needed running water first. Logan had hit a few hiccups with the plumbing, so they'd put off bringing in the mattress and Skye's crib until that issue had been dealt with.

"I figure we can deal with gettin' the mattress an' the rest o' the bedroom furniture here tomorrow, but fer tonight we can camp out on the floor," Logan suggested with a shrug, shifting the wiggly baby in his arms. "Skye can sleep in her Pack 'n Play till we get the cradle an' crib up here."

Striding back out of the bathroom, Ororo sauntered up to her husband and kissed him. "I like that idea."

Logan grinned back at her. "Good. Let's get back to the mansion so we can pack up some stuff."

Ororo shook her head, placing her hand on his chest. "Oh no. You stay here and take a shower. You need it." Logan chuckled a little, tipping his head in agreement. "I'll go to the loft and pack up."

"A'right." He held Skye up in front of his face and nuzzled her nose gently with his, then kissed her forehead and passed her back to her mother. Logan leaned forward and kissed Ororo next.

She smiled at him tenderly. "I'll make sure to bring some towels, too." Turning slowly, she walked out of the bedroom. "Be back soon."

.

Kurt was able to give Ororo a hand getting some of the things she needed to the loft, teleporting the bulkier items that would be difficult to fly over with, like Skye's Pack 'n Play and the sleeping bags. Thankfully the teenager was gone before Logan got out of the shower, though, because he stepped out of the bathroom dripping wet and completely naked. Ororo playfully waggled her eyebrows at him in amusement, eyeing her husband appreciatively before handing him a towel from one of the bags she had with her.

Logan snorted and dried himself haphazardly, wrapping the towel around his waist and padding over to the duffle bag Ororo had packed some of his clothes in.

While Logan dressed, Ororo put Skye on the floor to crawl around while she put the Pack 'n Play together. She shut the door before she got to work so the baby wouldn't accidently crawl toward the stairs, making a mental note to set up the baby gate next.

"I spoke with Charles about the boy you and Rogue encountered at the market," Ororo said casually as she worked.

Logan grunted, fastening the button on his cargo shorts. "Oh yeah?" He pulled a t-shirt over his head and padded barefoot over to Skye, getting down on the floor with her. "He wants ta bring the Cajun in?"

"Yes. We both believe that the boy—Remy, Rogue said his names was—is in need of our help before he gets himself into some real trouble." She finished with the Pack 'n Play and set up the gate before getting some of Skye's toys out of her baby bag.

"Kid didn't seem like he'd be a team player, darlin'," Logan mused, sitting cross-legged on the floor and waving his hands at Skye, encouraging her to crawl toward him.

Ororo gave her husband an incredulous look and smirked. "Neither did you when you first came here," she pointed out smugly.

He rolled his eyes with a snort, then shrugged. "I suppose we could give 'im a chance."

She put Skye's soft blocks on the floor and crouched beside Logan, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss. "Good, because Charles wants Rogue and I to try and recruit him tomorrow."

Logan growled half-heartedly, then rose an eyebrow when Skye giggled and crawled into his lap.

Ororo let go of him and laughed. "This is definitely going to become an issue when she's a teenager."

"What is?" Logan muttered distractedly.

"She is in no way intimidated by you, Papa Wolverine." Ororo smiled widely, shifting to sit on the floor with her legs folded to the side, leaning against Logan's shoulder.

"Hmph." He grunted and heaved a sigh, shaking his head. Skye was tugging at his shirt as though she were trying to stand herself up. Logan helped her out, lifting her slightly into a standing position without allowing her to put too much weight on her tiny feet, chubby little legs not quite strong enough to hold her up yet. "I wanna go with you to get the Cajun."

Ororo sighed, having hoped she had distracted him enough to let that go. "No, Logan. After what happened today you might spook him."

Logan grumbled something under his breath. "Then I'll wait in the X-Van as backup just in case."

"Uh-uh." She shook her head and leaned back, poking him in the shoulder. "You've got work to do here, and Kurt can help you watch Skye."

"I don't trust this Remy kid," he muttered with a growl. "Not yet, anyway."

Ororo smiled at his concern. She knew he didn't like the idea of her and Rogue going after this boy alone, but from what Rogue had told her about Remy, Ororo didn't think he'd pose a threat. He thought he'd been protecting Rogue; he hadn't wanted to hurt her. Logan was just being protective though, and she could understand that. "We'll be careful, I promise."

Logan just huffed out a breath and put all his focus on Skye as she reached for his face and tugged at his sideburns. His lips pulled into a crooked grin as he locked eyes with his daughter.

She smiled, amused to watch him using their daughter as a distraction to calm himself. Ororo put a hand on her husband's solid shoulder and pushed to her feet. "Help me set up the blankets."

He let out an exaggerated sigh and stood up, bringing Skye over to her Pack 'n Play to lay down, then kissing his daughter on the forehead.

.

He was running fast through the dark forest, barefoot and clad only in a pair of dark shorts. The night was thick with darkness, highlighted by a bright, crescent moon that cast inky-black shadows throughout the trees. Lungs heaving, heart pumping, Logan had never felt so free. He reveled in the feeling of the hard, cool earth beneath his feet, the wild scents surrounding him, and the whispers of nocturnal creatures scurrying along in the dark.

Logan knew he wasn't running out of fear; he wasn't being chased. No, he was running for the fun of it, to feel alive and in tune with the woods. As he ran he was joined by a small wolf pack, vaguely familiar, and as out-of-place as it was, a wolverine as well. He wasn't fazed, however, grinning at the howls of the pack as they gleefully ran with him.

Going all the way to the cliffs edge, Logan crouched down in the grass, his pack instantly surrounding him. He breathed in and out deeply, staring out across the blackened lake, then up at the star-filled sky. The stocky little wolverine ambled over to his side, resting it's head on his thigh. Heaving out a breath, Logan smiled, gently setting a hand on the animal's furry head and feeling at peace.

He turned as he heard a small voice calling out in the darkness, two familiar scents wafting toward him.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Ororo appeared out of the thick trees, a small girl beside her, clinging to her hand, bright smiles on both of their faces. The child could only be Skye.

Logan gracefully rose to his feet, surprised to find that the wolf pack was gone, simply vanished along with the wolverine. Suddenly, it was no longer night, the darkness replaced by a bright morning sun and a gentle breeze. As his daughter ran forward and jumped into his arms, he thought he heard a strange, disembodied whisper on the breeze behind him.

"Good-bye for now. Until you need us again."

Logan's eyes flicked open as he woke, sitting up slowly, feeling a little startled and confused. He rubbed at his forehead, trying to make sense of the dream and taking in his current surroundings. Remembering he was in the barn with Ororo and Skye, Logan looked down to his left where his wife slept on the floor next to him. She rolled to her side sleepily and opened her eyes, blinking blearily.

"Logan?" she murmured questioningly. "Are you alright?" Ororo sat up, reaching for him and lightly stroking at the nape of his neck.

He nodded, sure of his answer, a low, content rumbling in his chest from her touch. "Yeah." Logan cleared his throat, his voice rough with sleep. "It was just a…kinda strange dream."

Ororo frowned slightly. "Bad?"

"No." Logan shook his head, offering a small, reassuring smile. "Not at all." He laid back down, gathering Ororo in his arms and kissing her shoulder. "Hrm." He hummed, inhaling her scent. "Love you, darlin'."

"I love you, too."

As the dream faded from his mind and he was only left with a calm, peaceful feeling, Logan drifted back to sleep, his wife in his arms.

.

Logan was slightly preoccupied as he worked downstairs on the kitchen cabinets while Kurt was busily teleporting all the major pieces of furniture into the upstairs bedroom and nursery. He couldn't help worrying about Rogue and Ororo picking up the Institute's latest recruit, and was still a little concerned about his ability to look after their daughter while her mother was away. He'd set up a small gated area for Skye to crawl around while he worked without getting in the way, and she appeared to be content with that, making babbling noises as she played with her toys. Logan could see her from the step ladder in front of the counter top, and looked over about every few minutes to make sure she was okay and hadn't escaped the safety of her little pen. His two main distractions were making work slow, but all the woodwork on the cabins was already complete, and he only needed to screw on the doors at this point.

As he was finishing with the last door and climbing down from the step ladder, Logan could hear Kurt bounding down the stairs after making his last furniture 'port.

"All finished," Kurt announced with a toothy smile as he padded across the kitchen. "Need help with anything else?"

Logan shook his head. "Nah, I'm good here." His nostrils flared momentarily, nose crinkling as his attention diverted to Skye. "Kid could use a diaper change, though."

Kurt raised his hands and took a step backwards. "You're on your own there, Wolverine."

Chuckling, Logan gave the teen a faint smirk. "Yeah, yeah. You can go on back ta the mansion, Elf. Thanks fer the help."

Smiling back at him, Kurt nodded and waved. "Okay, see you later."

"Use the—!" Logan barked out suddenly, but it was too late. Kurt had already teleported. "—door." He grimaced, wrinkling his nose at the smell of sulfur and waving a hand in the air in an attempt to disperse the awful odor as well as the leftover smoke. When he growled in irritation, Skye squeaked and clapped her tiny hands together, sitting on the floor and staring up at him with a big smile.

Grinning crookedly down at his daughter, Logan leaned down and lifted her into his arms. "A'right, lil' darlin', let's get you a fresh diaper, eh?"

Skye's tongue poked out from between her lips as she blew out a breath, making a silly noise.

Logan snorted, laughing and bouncing her in his arms as he carried her up to the nursery. Once he got there he noticed that Kurt had even been kind enough to arrange the furniture for him. He was pleasantly surprised, having half expected to find everything cluttered in the center of each room. Logan made a mental note to go a little easier on Kurt in their next training session as a thanks.

After Skye's diaper was taken care of, Logan put her in the modified baby carrier that had been adjusted to fit over his bulky chest, and strapped it on to take her outside. He needed some time in the woods to keep his head clear, and took off with a casual, loping stride into the shaded grounds, ever mindful of the paths he was on to be sure Skye wouldn't get scratched by stray branches.

.

"So, how'd Logan take it when yah told 'im we were goin' tah recruit Remy?" Rogue asked as she and Ororo traversed the streets where the farmer's market was held on weekends, much quieter now and minus the bustling crowds that normally filled the area.

Ororo smiled tightly, her eyes still sharp and alert as they spoke, searching for the elusive young mutant named Remy. They wore civilian clothes so as not to be conspicuous in the light of day, but the weather witch was aware that she tended to stick out regardless. "Better than expected, but still not very well. He nearly insisted on coming along."

Rogue's eyes widened slightly as she turned to Ororo with a grimace. "Yikes. That probably wouldn't'a gone too well."

"Yes, I know," Ororo responded knowingly. Her husband would have likely been in a heightened state of over-protectiveness due to her presence, especially if the young mutant showed any signs of aggression at all.

"Do you really think Remy's even still in this area? Ah mean, the market's only here on weekends, so maybe he's moved on," Rogue suggested as they turned down a side street, still no sign of the mutant.

"Cerebro picked up on his mutant signature in town before we left the mansion. He's still here," Ororo responded confidently.

By the time they found Remy it was late afternoon, and they'd caught him hustling some men in a game of cards at one of the local pubs. Ororo used Rogue to lure him outside, aware that the young man seemed to have a thing for the Goth southern girl. Rogue had sauntered toward the bar without acknowledging that she knew Remy was there, then asked the bartender for directions and walked out. Ororo had been sitting at a corner table a few minutes before Rogue entered the pub, and when she saw that Remy had swiftly excused himself from the card game to go after Rogue, she followed him out.

Initially, convincing the Cajun boy to join them at the institute had been a hard sell, but when he flirtatiously asked Rogue if she lived there, and her cheeks flushed faintly as she bashfully nodded, he was more than willing to go along. He informed them that he'd give the place a try, but if he sensed anything fishy going on, he was out. Ororo said that if he found any reason to distrust them that she would escort him out herself, and even offer him a ride to wherever he wanted to go.

When they returned to the mansion, Rogue offered to take Remy to see the professor so that Ororo could tell Logan that they'd arrived safe and sound. She was eager to return to her husband and daughter, knowing that Logan had likely been edgy, worrying about her the entire time she was gone.

Ororo took to the air to fly to the barn, but as she was crossing the back lawn she found her family elsewhere. She descended gracefully about a hundred feet away, shifting the air current to keep downwind from her husband, not wanting to spoil the moment right away. He was napping in the plush grass in the shade of an oak tree not far from the pool, a sleeping Skye curled up on his chest. If her husband had been anyone else, Ororo would have been terrified that he'd been careless enough to be asleep with their daughter so close to the un-gated pool, but with Logan's heightened senses he would have woken immediately if Skye even attempted to crawl away from him. She trusted Logan implicitly, especially when it came to Skye, and knew that he would never knowingly put her in danger.

As she was gliding across the grass toward her loved ones, Logan's head lifted slightly as he cracked an eye open and smirked at her. Despite her sneaky way of keeping her scent from him, Ororo was sure that he'd likely been aware of her approach due to his superior hearing.

"Hello, love." Ororo smiled at Logan affectionately as she knelt in the grass beside him, raking her fingers through his thick hair and then leaning over to greet him with a proper kiss.

Logan sat up carefully, moving Skye to rest in his lap without disturbing her slumber. He took a few quick sniffs, his upper lip curling briefly. "So, ya found the Cajun after all, huh?"

"Yes," Ororo responded calmly with a nod. "Rogue took him to see the professor. He's willing to give the institute a chance."

"Hn." Logan grunted thoughtfully.

Brows furrowing, Ororo reached up and plucked a twig from Logan's hair, presenting it to him and quirking one eyebrow in amusement. "What have you been up to?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Jus' went fer a run in the woods after finishin' up the house stuff."

Ororo noticed the baby carrier in the grass on his other side and smiled. "With Skye?"

"O'course."

She smiled affectionately and lightly traced a finger along her daughter's cheek. The baby wiggled a little in her daddy's lap before settling down again, her sleep uninterrupted. "I think she enjoys that more than flying," Ororo mused softly.

Logan snorted, grinning a little. "We'll see. When she's able ta run on 'er own we'll know."

Ororo continued to gaze at their baby girl pensively. "Do you think she'll grow up with powers like ours?" she wondered aloud.

He shrugged, breathing out slowly. "Who knows. She might not even be a mutant."

"But she is." Ororo looked up to see a puzzled Logan staring back at her. "Hank found the x-gene during her blood test when she was born."

His brows furrowed, his voice coming out low. "You never told me."

Ororo pursed her lips briefly, suddenly realizing that she'd never brought it up. "I'm sorry, Logan. It just…didn't seem very important at the time, and then it must have slipped my mind. She was healthy, and that was all that I was concerned about." She looked into his eyes but couldn't quite read his face. "I wasn't trying to keep anything from you."

Logan grinned suddenly, disarmingly. He reached out a hand and gently cupped her cheek. "I know, darlin'. It ain't important, even now. Don't matter what powers she does or doesn't have in the long run. Skye's our daughter and we're gonna love 'er no matter what."

"Of course we will." Placing her hand over Logan's on her cheek, she leaned into his warm palm and turned her face to lightly kiss the inside of his wrist.

As he drew his hand back with a soft look in his dark eyes, Logan gingerly moved Skye to his shoulder and smoothly got to his feet, reaching down with one hand to help Ororo up. "The upstairs is all done," he said, motioning to the barn. "Kurt 'ported all our furniture over an' everythin'. You wanna go have a look?"

"Absolutely." Ororo smiled and nodded, leaning against Logan and walking arm in arm with him toward the barn. The old horse barn was quickly becoming a home, and each day Ororo studied her little family, amazed at the beautiful baby girl that she and Logan had created, the life they had created together amongst the chaos of the real world. The harsh reality of their pasts no longer mattered. What mattered was the present and the future. Their future.

There would always be dangers and obstacles in life, but Ororo felt more sure than ever that they could get through anything as long as they had their family. The other X-Men were a crucial part of that family as well, and no matter what happened they would do whatever it took to thrive, to be happy and healthy and enjoy life whenever possible.

.

Epilogue

Ororo had been sitting peacefully in a lawn chair at the lake shore, just relaxing and flipping idly through a magazine when the gentle quiet was interrupted. She turned her head to one side as she heard her daughter's melodic laughter, then smiled as Skye emerged from the woods, happily barefoot, running and jumping with natural grace.

The eight-year-old slid to a stop at the edge of the trees, catching her breath and glancing back over her shoulder with a laugh.

Ororo turned more in her chair to see her daughter better and rose a questioning eyebrow. Skye's wavy mohawk was completely disheveled, bits of twigs and leaves poking out all over the place, and her clothes were covered in dirt and grass stains. "Skye Logan Munroe, what on Earth are you doing?" she said, trying not to laugh.

Skye giggled, still looking into the woods as she answered her mother, "Running from Daddy and Koji."

There was a loud, playful roar seconds before Logan leapt out of the woods, landing with a loud thump in front of Skye. He was shirtless and barefoot in tattered jeans, their four-year-old son similarly dressed and clinging to Logan's back, skinny little arms wrapped tightly around his father's neck and a big grin on his face.

"Ahh!" Skye squealed, purposefully falling backwards to land on her butt in the grass. She flung her hands out in front of her dramatically and cried, "Don't eat me you great, ferocious beasts!"

"Roar!" Koji squeaked, jumping off Logan's back and making clawing motions with his hands as he playfully attacked his big sister. The four-year-old had the same light-coffee skin as Skye, but his wild mop of hair was snow-white, and his eyes were a dark brown like Logan's, compared to his sister's sapphire blue.

Logan released a full belly laugh as their son and daughter rolled around in the grass, tickling each other.

Ororo got up and sauntered over, abandoning her magazine on the lawn chair. She planted her hands on her hips and shook her head as Logan came to her side. "What ever am I to do with you little hooligans," she said softly in amusement.

"Feed us to the fishies!" Koji cried out, laughing hysterically and trying futilely to get his sister in a chokehold.

Raising an eyebrow at Logan, who nodded with a smirk, Ororo grinned wickedly at her two children. "As you wish!"

When she gave Logan the signal, he scooped up the kids, one under each arm, and made a dash for the lake. "Hope you fish are hungry!" he shouted, sloshing through the water up to his knees before tossing the kids lightly into the lake. Even at just four years old, Koji was an excellent swimmer, but Logan took care to toss him where the water wasn't above his head.

The kids splashed around with peals of laughter filling the air like the most beautiful music Ororo had ever heard.

"Koji, get Dad!" Skye shouted as she and her brother each yanked on one of Logan's arms, trying to drag him down into the water.

"'Ro, help! The fish food's fightin' back!" Logan bellowed with feigned terror, glancing back at her over his shoulder in mock desperation.

Ororo laughed, and despite the fact that she was wearing a long summer dress, she kicked off her sandals and waded into the water to her husband's rescue.

.

Once everyone had settled down for the evening and they'd gone back to the barn to bathe and change into clean clothes, Ororo took a moment to sit back and reflect upon the blessing that was her family. She couldn't have asked for better children. Skye was a tomboy through and through, without a doubt her father's daughter. If she wasn't busy with school or chores she was constantly outside, running through the woods (barefoot whenever possible) like a little wild child of the forest. Her favorite pastime was playing tag out in the thick brush with her father, and sometimes even enjoying a game of hide-and-seek with Hank and Kurt as well. In the evenings, however, she was content to quietly settle down and read a book, watch TV with Logan, or work on one of her art projects.

Koji was a constant whirlwind of energy. From the moment he woke to the moment he went to sleep (taking a nap in the afternoon if they were lucky) the boy was in motion. Koji was a nature child as well, but his habitat of choice was the water, much to the surprise of Logan, who was not the biggest fan of swimming. Their son enjoyed it so much that Ororo was beginning to suspect that Koji's love of the water was related to the mutant powers he had yet to develop. He was also completely fascinated by the way things grew in nature, and enjoyed spending time with his mother in the greenhouse while she tended to her plants. It was probably the only time he was relatively quiet and still.

Both of their children possessed the x-gene, as discovered by Hank, but Koji was far too young for his powers to emerge, and even though she was still rather young herself, Skye's were just beginning to make themselves known. Logan and Ororo had each noticed a tremendous increase in her athletic prowess recently. She moved through the forest with effortless grace and speed, like she'd been born for it. Skye also possessed a higher awareness of her surroundings without appearing to realize it, which led Ororo and Logan to believe that she may have inherited her father's heightened senses. Only time would tell for sure, though.

Ororo was drawn from her quiet contemplation as Logan sunk down on the overstuffed sofa beside her, heaving an exasperated sigh. She smiled at him and tucked her knees up on the cushion, leaning into his sturdy shoulder. "What is it?"

Logan snorted. "Our son refuses ta get outta the bathtub." He shook his head, rolling his eyes with mild amusement. "Most kids don't wanna get into the bath, but ours don't wanna get out!"

Ororo laughed. "Does that surprise you? Koji's been that way since he was two."

"Hmph." Logan lifted his left arm, draping it across her shoulders and slouching into the cushions slightly so she was lying against his chest. "All I can say is he better be out by bedtime."

"He will be," Ororo assured him, resting one hand on her husband's chest. "He just likes to wait until the water gets cold." She started to sit up when she realized Logan didn't look as though he were planning to get back up any time soon.

"Skye's lookin' after 'im," Logan assured her calmly, easily sensing his wife's concerns and tugging her back against his chest. "Think I'd risk lettin' the kid drown in there?"

"Of course not." Ororo shook her head, patting his chest reassuringly to let him know that she would never doubt his paternal instincts. He was overprotective by nature. "I was just going to give you a break." She smiled as she felt him tip his chin forward to kiss the top of her head.

"I think we both deserve a break, darlin'." Logan's arm tightened around her shoulder, a faint rumbling of contentment in his chest.

"I'm glad we decided on having another one after Skye," Ororo murmured suddenly into her husband's t-shirt clad chest. She was feeling pleasantly drowsy and very comfortable right where she was.

Logan snorted softly in amusement. "Yeah, me too, darlin'. I'm sure they'll be fightin' like cats an' dogs in a couple'a years, but I'm damn glad they get along so well right now an' I'm gonna enjoy it while I can."

Ororo smiled. "Yes, well now that the school is starting to expand with more students, and some of the senior X-Men becoming interested in teaching the younger generation of mutants, I have a feeling Skye and Koji will have plenty of playmates in the near future. Having other children to interact with should keep them from getting too aggravated with one another as they get older."

"Hmph." Logan was grinning as she craned her neck to look up at him and kiss his jaw. "One can only hope, 'Ro."

The future was looking bright, not only for their family, but for mutants everywhere. Ororo was delighted with how things were going at the institute, eager to play her part in mentoring all upcoming young mutants, as well as her own two children. She had seen how Logan had matured as a father and instructor over the years, and could tell that he was looking forward to teaching more students and their own as well. He had become such a great family man that sometimes it was hard to believe he could be such a fierce and formidable warrior in battle, even without his adamantium.

With Magneto's whereabouts still unknown, even several years later, Ororo felt as though Logan had come to terms with that, no longer constantly harboring such anger and hatred toward the man that had ripped the metal from his bones. After all, he'd realized that they might not be where they were now if that terrible event had never happened. Despite everything he'd been through, Ororo knew for certain that Logan wouldn't have changed a thing, and neither would she.

.End.

…for now ;)

Note: So, if anyone is now curious about what is to become of Ororo and Logan's family, I have sort of began a sequel thanks to having snippets of ideas in my head of how I want Skye and Koji to be when they're a bit older. I have scenes in my head and things I want to happen, but with the way my jumbled mind works, who knows how long it'll take to put that together. :P I'll likely have at least one of my current WIPs posted before the sequel comes out, but I can't say for sure. I just hope there are readers still interested once it does appear. Heh.

Again, thanks to everyone who's read/reviewed/alerted, etc. Much appreciated! -Scruffy