Title: Serendipity
Author: lachlanrose
Disclaimer: Not mine. But that Logan one sure does get the home fires burnin'... just sayin'.
Feedback: Yes, please! With a harmonica on top. (Trust! It'll make sense eventually.) The good, the bad, the ugly, welcome. Flames may be publicly mocked. )
Summary: Luck, serendipity and secrets. Sometimes the worst choices have the most interesting consequences. W/R
Notes: "Hot, self-contained, morally ambiguous." That's what doctorg had to say about this one. Heh. I can't say I disagree (at least about the morally ambiguous part.). "Hot" is subjective…. and as for self-contained… well, let's just say the bunnies might be biting for a prequel. We'll see how this one goes over first. Maybe y'all won't want more. This one's a post Japan fic, and Logan and Marie are a little less with-it/together than I usually write them. Flawed characters are my favorite! It's also smutty as hell, so my usual warning goes double for this one. It's adult in theme and content. You have been warned! A big thank you to doctorg for the beta and to Blues Traveller for the line of borrowed lyrics. This one's just a short little two-parter. I know I promised Shine Against Me and it's coming, really…. but holy smokoly. These smutty bunnies have been multiplying like tribbles. WTH?

SERENDIPITY

This is a bad fuckin' idea.

But then, why break with tradition?

Serendipity. That's how Marie says things work. Sometimes that's true... but I make my own damn luck. Hell, I'm not sure I ever had Lady Luck on my side. Least not in any of the years I remember. Tonight, serendipity had a little help from the Wolverine.

'Ro and Hank were back yappin' in Washington. Like that ever does shit for the cause? I've been in and outta this school for a decade now and the only thing that gets the job done where the rubber meets the road is a hot jab of adamantium — in triplicate. Still, I keep driftin' back through from time to time. More often now that 'Ro's runnin' things instead of Chuck and Jeannie.

There's a lotta shit from my distant past I can't remember. And some more recent shit I wish I didn't. But somethin' keeps pullin' me backta this place. I try not to think about what — or who — it might be. In my experience, nothin' good ever comes of rockin' that boat too hard. Been here a few weeks this time and I'm already itchin' to get movin' again.

Tonight I walked in on the Alpha team in the lower levels after hours, doin' shots and cuttin' loose pretty good — for a bunch of rookies. They still all look like kids to me. There was a bowl on the bar fulla the girls' keys and the guys were gettin' ready to pick sets. They wanted me to throw in. To join their dirty little game.

I told 'em to fuck off. I know how that game ends. But by the time I'd gotten my beer and was headed back out, the thought of Gumbo pickin' out Marie's keys and disappearin' with her for a few hours changed my mind, so I told 'em I'd play as long as I got to pick first.

Like I said, a bad fuckin' idea.

Bad — but damn fun.

Me and Marie have hooked up a few times over the years. It only happens when she's real drunk. She puts her hand up under my shirt and gives me this look that says she ain't playin'. And because I'm a bastard, I've never once walked away from that. Even the first two times when she was untouchable. Hell, even after she absorbed that bitch Carol and wasn't quite herself. Better me than some asshole who'd hurt her, you know? She went a little crazy for a few years after she got control of her skin, but even then I didn't tell her no, even though it ripped my guts out after when she'd walk away without lookin' back, and I knew it'd be back to pretendin' we didn't just fuck each other's brain's out come mornin'.

None of 'em know. I'm her dirty little secret. She don't ever lay a hand on me when she's sober. If I was a better man, I'd wonder what that means. But I ain't and I've never been strong enough to tell her no when she reaches for me with that look on her and her scent gettin' to me so good. My life is pretty bleak. I'm not about to turn away somethin' that good, even if it comes with a helluva sting after.

The Firecracker held her hands over my eyes while I reached into the bowl, but even through the stink of her strawberry gum, I could pick Marie's keys out by scent, no problem.

See? That's how much of an asshole I am. I ain't above stackin' the deck to get a little time alone with my Mississippi Girl.

The other couples left by twos, meltin' into the night, some quietly, others with obvious enthusiasm for this evenin's entertainment, until it was just Marie and me, starin' at each other across the empty bowl, longnecks in hand.

She'd held her tongue until the others were gone, like I knew she would. She never tips her hand, but I could tell she was dyin' to let me have it. As I'd intended. I know she knows I do it on purpose. I like rilin' her up real good. Like it when she sasses me. She stared at me until the last couple was out of earshot. I didn't even try to keep the smirk offa my face. She was on me the second they were gone.

"You set that up!" Her eyes glittered with outraged laughter even as she was accusin' me.

To cop or not to cop? Fuck. Who'm I kiddin'? "Yep. Sure did." Big stupid grin on my face now. I can feel it, mostly because it's pretty damn rare. Smug bastard, that's me.

Hmmm... Serious look on her face now. "You mad, darlin'?"

She shook her head. "No." I didn't think she would be, but you never know with women, especially women who run so fuckin' hot and cold.

"Surprised?"

"No, not really." Now that brought my head up. She's never so certain of where she stands with me. With anyone, really. Bein' untouchable for so long fucked her up pretty good.

She laughed. "I'm not surprised you, um... finessed the outcome, sugar." She swatted my arm and her cheeks flushed a little. "I'm just surprised it was me, that's all."

"Truth?" She nodded. "I wouldn't fuck any of the others with Gumbo's dick." Christ. Jubilee's too damn much like family. Kitty still looks fourteen. Betsy's a bitch. Dani ain't my type, and butter wouldn't melt in Emma's mouth — much less a dick. The three others are so new I don't even know their names. But mostly I don't wanna hurt the kid. I ain't celibate. She ain't either. But I don't hunt at the school. I'm not that big a bastard. I don't got a lotta rules, but I generally try to avoid shit that'd hurt Marie. She's got enough shit on her plate without me addin' to it.

"I dunno about that, sugar. I saw you checking out Angelica the other day." Her teasin' voice. Big sparklin' eyes, too.

"Which one is she, again?"

"The redhead. Firestar."

"Mmph." Had my fill of those. She had a nice rack, is all.

Marie's is better. I'd know. I saw it a few nights back. We hooked up again a few days ago after more than a year of keepin' outta each other's way. Wound up down at the beach and then back at my place. That was a first for us. She ran like hell after. Tonight's the first time I've seen her since.

I wonder if us gettin' together had anythin' to do with her sensin' I'm about to get in the wind. She always seems to know when I'm fixin' to light out. If we're gonna hook up, it usually happens then. She usually ignores me after and then when I come back again, we're back to pretendin' we ain't anythin' more than teammates. It's fucked up, but neither of us are exactly relationship material.

I know me pickin' her keys tonight don't mean shit. It ain't an automatic invitation to gettin' it on. Hell, I bet the little iceprick's gonna go off and play Go Fish or somethin' with his date. It's just with Marie... well, I have an advantage with her knowin' I'm probably gonna go soon, and I ain't above usin' it. I wasn't expectin' what happened on the beach — and afterwards — but even with what happened, well that small taste of her that I got only whetted my appetite for more.

We haven't ever talked about it. Never hammered any of that heavy shit out. Not sure we ever will. But that's not what tonight's about. Tonight I just wanna have a little fun with her. See her cut loose. That teasin' light in her eye says she's ripe for it too. She picked up her bottle and lifted her eyebrow at me, fingers playin' absently with the neck in a way that made my jaw clench and my blood pool hot and heavy between my legs.

She waved it at me. "So, Mr. 'Yep. Sure did', did you have anything else planned or are you winging it from here on out?" She was laughin' a little as she said it, but there was a hint of somethin' in her voice that I didn't like. Well, let's just get this settled right the fuck now.

"I wasn't expectin' anythin' more than spendin' a little time with ya, kid." And that's the damn truth, whatever the rest of those little dumbasses think. Well, that and if she was with me, she wasn't with anyone else. I wanted her, sure, but I wasn't expectin' nothin'. I touched her cheek real soft. "What happens now is up to you." A moment of understandin' passed between us. She nodded. I shrugged.

Her laughter was rich and warm. "Deal. Though I suppose board games are off the table? No cutthroat Monopoly or dirty Scrabble?"

She was askin' for it and I love to deliver. "Honey, if I'm gonna be usin' words like 'fuck' and 'blowjob' with you, you can bet your sweet ass there ain't gonna be a game between us." Christ, I love her laugh. Didn't miss the quick look she shot my groin, either. I wonder if she knew she just wet her lips? Wonder if she knew it made me harder than a fuckin' rock?

I grabbed the bottle from her fingers and pitched it aside. "You wanna go cause a little trouble? Make some noise? Music? Dancin'?" I grabbed her hand and gave her a twirl. Girl can move. We ain't Fred and Ginger, but we've managed a decent two-step once or twice over the years.

Her smile was infectious. "You wanna go loud? Can you and I even do that without a bottle?" For all her sassin', I noticed she didn't let my hand go.

"Dunno. I'm game if you are."

"You should know better than to dare the Rogue."

"Yep." I really should. But I also knew I wasn't gonna give up a shot at passin' a few real nice hours with her.

Before she could change her mind, I kissed her. Five alarm stunner, right there in the hangar. I took the beat-up cowboy hat from my head and dropped it on hers as I pulled her into the hall. It was a good look on her.

She blushed as a low groan followed by a soft feminine giggle echoed down the hallway. It showed a bit of her innocence, somethin' that fired my blood hotter than the distant sounds of sex ever could. I gave her a pointed look. "So, where to, darlin'?" I put my hand at her back and waited for her to lead the way. Lotsa choices in a place this damn big. Sauna. Gym. Pool. Library. Garage. Always did wanna have her bent over my bike.

She shook her head at me and smiled shyly. "You pick, Logan."

You know, this night's just gettin' better and better. I led her up, through the house, past her room. Past my old room. There was no way in hell I was gonna to take her there. Too many bad memories. Besides, I wanted privacy. Somewhere we could make some serious noise.

I knew just the place I wanted to go...

Up next: The Dance. Logan and Marie find a quiet place to go loud…

(Any guesses where they wind up?) Heh.