Revenge is Sweet

[Three years post film.]

Scott lay on the floor of the garage, wrist deep in an engine, a small satisfied smile touching his mouth. Sure, one of the kids could be doing this job, but the fact was he liked tinkering with the professor's automobiles, particularly this one – the Shelby – even if it was something as mundane as changing the oil. He dropped a tool and swore as it clattered out of his reach.

Bobby heard the muffled curse and chuckled. "Need a hand there, fearless?"

Scott bit back a grin as he wiped his greasy fingers on an equally greasy rag. "No, icicle, I need the gasket and a cold beer." See, that was the beauty of working with Bobby. Not only was he decent help, but they didn't even need a refrigerator to keep the beer cold. One touch from Bobby and it was good to go.

"Can do." With an amused snort, Bobby wordlessly toed the wayward tool back within reach as he moved to get the requested items. His steps paused as a soft throaty cry disturbed the relative quiet. A cry that sounded a lot like Rogue.

Underneath the car, Scott smirked.

A minute later, Bobby crouched down beside the car and his arm appeared, items in hand. "Um, wasn't that…?"

Scott took the beer first and glanced at his watch. That was the second time he'd heard Rogue in the last fifteen minutes. Bobby hadn't heard the first one. He'd been in the bathroom when her first soft groan had echoed through the garage. His wicked smile got bigger before he managed to reign himself in. He shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't… but for once, he just couldn't resist. "Wasn't that what?" He mentally congratulated himself. It took some serious effort to get that out with an even voice or a guilty, tell tale pause in his work.

Scott felt the electric tingle of Jean's mind in his. {Shame on you! You know perfectly well what's going on in Rogue's studio.} Her words were scolding, but the tone was teasing.

{Hmm… Do I?} Scott grinned. Bobby was still sputtering and he always liked it when Jean pretended outrage.

{Of course.} Her mental laughter was warm and silvery. {It's the same thing you and I were doing in the garage earlier.}

Scott suppressed a chuckle. Telepaths were notorious gossips and Jean was no exception. {Come on, sweetheart, you're just as bad – or are you going to try to tell me you aren't 'listening' in?}

He felt the heat of Jean's mental blush. {Hey, if they were projecting any louder-}

Scott's laughter, rich and warm, filled her mind. {Busted.} He paused for effect. {Bad girls get spanked, you know.}

{Only if they're lucky.} She shot back.

Now that had some definite possibilities. {So I hear.} His words were bone dry, but he knew she'd catch his meaning.

{Scott!} She'd felt Rogue's mental shock as Logan gave her a playful spank, but surely Scott hadn't heard it.

{You bet your ass I did.}

Another throaty groan broke the thick silence.

Bobby cleared his throat. "Um, that sounded a lot like Rogue. You – you don't think she's hurt or anything, do you, Scott?"

Scott slid out from under the car and wiped his hands on the rag as he rose to his feet. "I don't know, Bobby. Why don't we find out?" God, keeping the smirk from his face was killing him.

{Scott! You aren't!}

{I sure as hell am. I've waited a long time for this.}

Jean snickered. {Remind me not to piss you off anytime soon.}

{Hey, if I was really evil, I'd have walked in on them twenty minutes ago.}

{You are a devious, devious man, Scott Summers.}

{Yeah? Good thing you love that about me.} He laughed again. {You are going to 'listen in' aren't you?} Scott resisted the urge to tap his temple. Bobby might be a little naïve, but he wasn't stupid.

{Are you kidding? It was my naked backside he saw-}

{Don't remind me.} It still pissed him off to think about it. True to his word, Logan had never said anything, but Scott knew he knew – and any time Logan really wanted to get Scott's goat, he'd give Jean a little leer and smirk at Scott. He didn't ever say anything. He didn't have to. That look said it all. It was quite clearly a look that said 'she may be your woman, but I've seen her naked'. And it never failed to drive Scott up the wall. The Wolverine was going to pay for that.

Dearly.

Scott spared a glance at Bobby. Oh yeah, this was going to be good. Actually, he couldn't have planned it any better. A witness was just what he needed. Someone to spread the story he couldn't and wouldn't. Bobby was a hundred times more discreet than Jubilee, and the whole school probably wouldn't know, but the Junior and Senior teams sure as hell would –

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH!"

– If they didn't already. Scott snorted. He was really, really going to enjoy this.

"Shit, Scott. That sounded bad. I've never heard Rogue scream like that. Not even in the Danger Room." His concern was evident.

Scott grit his teeth together to keep the laughter in. This was going to kill him. It really was. He shot Bobby an unreadable look. "I've never heard her scream like that either." Not in the Danger Room anyway, he added silently. In point of fact, he had heard Rogue scream like that – but only because Logan's room was right down the hall from theirs.

As they rounded the last corner of the long hall that separated the garage from Rogue's studio and appeared in the open doorway, Scott pasted on his best 'fearless leader' face and tried for a properly concerned tone. "Rogue! Are you - um, oh."

Hot damn. This was even better than he'd expected. The door was wide open for God's sake. A very naked Rogue jumped behind an equally naked Logan – but not before he'd seen all the good parts. Hmmm… Nice. Very nice…

{Watch it, flyboy.}

Scott swallowed a chuckle and schooled his features into what he hoped would pass for embarrassment – with a touch of resigned duty thrown in for good measure. "Sorry, we heard screaming. We thought it was, ah, in-trouble screaming, not, er, the other kind of screaming." Yup. Perfect. And he was sure to include the 'we' for good measure, even though Bobby was hiding behind him with his eyes firmly affixed on the floor.

Logan crossed his arms over his chest and stared defiantly at Scott. A gesture that only emphasized his nudity – and the fact that both his mouth and his penis were still wet.

Oh yes, he'd be able to use this for years. This was even better than Logan's 'I've seen your woman naked' look. This was 'I've seen your woman naked and I'm aware there are certain things that do bring the Wolverine to his knees'.

Jean's mental laughter rang clearly in Scott's head. She very much liked that idea. She'd certainly heard enough 'on-your-knees' jokes directed at her over the last few years. She was definitely going to enjoy dishing out a few of her own.

Logan's nostrils flared and he raised an eyebrow at Scott. He was all too aware Slim's visit had nothing to do with concern and everything to do with putting them back on even footing. And maybe that was so, but that didn't stop Logan from baiting him.

"She's fine." A subtle, purposeful lick of his bottom lip got his point across perfectly. "Doin' real good as a matter of fact."

Scott's mouth thinned. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Logan he was already aware of that fact. Hell, half the school had probably heard that last shout, but he was only aiming to level the playing field a bit, not to humiliate Rogue – who was not only new to sex, but apparently quite a bit more modest than Logan. Too bad. She has a really great pair of-

{Scott!}

"Logan!" Rogue's very pink skin got even darker.

Scott bit back a grin. "Sorry to have interrupted." But not as sorry as Logan will be later. "Would you two mind, ah, taking it upstairs? I don't want any children wandering around down here and – and getting a little more of an education than we were planning for them, ok?"

{Now that's laying it on a little thick considering we were doing exactly the same thing when we got caught.}

Scott's mental amusement flickered through Jean's mind. {Why do you think I said it? And besides – at least we had the door shut.}

{You're enjoying this far too much, you know.} Her mental scolding would have been far more effective if it hadn't been accompanied by her mirth.

{Absolutely.} There wasn't even a hint of remorse in his cocky, bemused response and he felt Jean's laughter through their shared link.

Logan bared his teeth at Scott. "Whatever." It was more a growl than a word.

"We're going upstairs right now." Scott nearly burst out laughing at the look Rogue flung at Logan's back. It quite clearly said that Mr. Dominant wasn't going to be making another public appearance anytime soon. "Sorry, Scott."

Scott grinned and winked at her. "No problem." Apparently they both caught the wink because Marie blushed again and Logan's body language changed from annoyed to possessive and threatening.

"Grrrr…."

Yes, it was definitely time to go. Logan wasn't exactly known for his restraint. A fact he was very much going to enjoy using to his advantage the next time Logan tried to give him the 'I've seen your woman naked' look.

Scott turned and marched a flame-faced Bobby from the room, unable to completely keep the satisfied smirk from his face. Bobby stammered an excuse… something about wanting to be out of 'claw range' once Logan had some pants on, and he disappeared down the hallway.

Whistling softly, Scott headed back down the hall toward the garage. Back to the Shelby and his beer.

{Feeling pretty smug, aren't you?}

Scott grinned. {Hmm… Was that as good for you as it was for me, honey?}

A silvery peal of laughter rang in his head. {You are seriously disturbed. I'm a doctor. I'd know.}

With a low chuckle, Scott lowered himself to the floor and slid back under the car. {Absolutely.}

Jean was silent a moment. {Thanks, Tarzan.} She was a good sport, but she'd had her fill of Logan's 'looks'.

He picked up the discarded gasket. {You bet, sweetheart.} He always looked out for his girl. Always.

And as he got back to work, a very satisfied smile spread across his face. Life was good. Logan was – at least for the moment – on the retreat. Jean was happy. He had grease on his hands, and revenge was most definitely sweet.