"Logan, you ain't bein' reasonable!" Absently shifting her new son Cody to her other breast, Rogue scowled across the table at the wiry little Canadian. "C'mon, it's your turn."
           He scowled right back at her. "I wish you'd quit nursin' that kid at the table," he grumbled. "Makes it hard to concentrate!"
           Rogue merely smiled. "Jealous, Wolverine?" she taunted, her voice overly-sweet with amused malice. "You?"
           Logan's restless frown darkened. "Didn't say that," he muttered. "Just makes it hard to think straight."
           "An' you ain't thinkin' straight right now!" she defiantly shot back at him. "You know what she wants, an' you ain't got any good reason to deny her! Do ya?"
           Gambit spread both hands wide in a placating gesture. "Both o' you, stop it," he commanded. "Dis ain't gettin' us nowhere. Let's just play cards, cher...you two can argue later, non? 'Sides, all dis fightin' bad fer Cody." And he cast a fond glance at the tiny infant sleepily kneading Rogue's full breast. "Your turn, Wolverine."
           Logan spared the tall Cajun an angry glance, then tried to focus on his cards again. A pair of two's and a four. Damn, how'd he end up with such a lousy hand? He was gonna have to bluff...but he'd been doing a lot of that lately. It oughta be easy by now! So why could these damned women get under his skin so badly?
           Jean was calmly smiling at him, and he felt another twinge of irritation. He wasn't worried that she might telepathically 'read' his cards...she knew better than that. But spying on his other emotions, that was a different story.
           Damn Jubilee, anyway! Why couldn't she just act normally for a change? Find someone her own age, settle down and have some kids of her own, if that's what she wanted. Why did she insist on pestering him?
           "Because it's you she wants." Jean's soft voice echoed in his ears, and for a moment he thought that she'd spoken out loud. Then he realized that she was telepathically talking to him, and that no one else could hear her. "You have to accept that, Logan, whether you like it or not."
           He didn't have to accept anything! Jubilee had plenty of other choices, what did she want with an old fossil like him?
           Jean's mental laugh rang like silvery bells in his mind. "You're many things, my friend, but an old fossil isn't one of them!" Then she sobered, and laid a gentle hand across his. "She's in love with you, Logan. What'll it hurt to give her what she wants? And it'll make the Professor happy--you know how much he wants to continue your genetic line!"
           He frowned, but he couldn't be mad at her for long. Jean meant well, she always did. But to do what she was suggesting...
           Rogue and Remy recognized the signs of a silent conversation, and politely studied their own cards for a moment. If anyone could make Wolverine see reason, it'd be Jean--she had a special way of handling him that no one else did. Except for Jubilee. And right now, she was obviously the last person he wanted to see!
           Then Rogue met Remy's reddish eyes above Cody's soft hair, and he didn't need telepathy to read her thoughts. "I reckon this'll be my last hand," she drawled, raising Cody to her shoulder and lightly patting his back. "Gotta go tuck 'Rina in, an' git this young 'un in his crib, or he'll be up all night again."
           Gambit wistfully watched as she stroked the baby's tiny cheek. He didn't mind that this baby was Xavier's and not his--'Rina belonged to him, and even Rogue accepted their emotional bond without resentment. He just wished that she could touch him like that--not all of Beast's fancy technology had been able to change that.
           Even though they were technically married, they still had to sleep in separate beds so she wouldn't accidentally hurt him and absorb his powers. Not that he'd care, occasionally, just to get to hold her. But that was something she was stubborn about, protecting him from himself and all. At least they could both touch the kids without danger.
           Rogue yawned as she stared at her cards again, but he knew that she wasn't really sleepy. She was trying to figure out a way of getting Wolverine alone with Jubilee. Or with Jean...then the red-headed telepath could really work on him, wear down his resistance.
           Wolverine was being silly, Remy gruffly thought. Anyone could see how Jubilee felt about him...and how he felt about her. Why couldn't he just admit to his own feelings, then take her out back and give her exactly what she needed? He wouldn't've hesitated an instant, if she'd showed a hankering for him!
           Without realizing it, he spoke his thoughts out loud. Wolverine's shaggy head snapped up, and his black eyes furiously narrowed. "Since when did you turn telepath, gumbo?" he snarled. His long, gleaming claws flashed out as he jerked away from Jean and leaned across the table. "You don't know what I'm feelin'!"
           Gambit idly fingered one of the cards in his hand as he shrugged. "From da look o' it, neither d'you, mon ami," he countered. "Don' take much to see how you act whenever she come 'round. Or when any o' da boys come to visit."
           Wolverine's claws rasped together. "I don't feel nothin'!" he argued. "I don't care what she does! Stupid kid, why can't she see that I just ain't the right man for her? Hell, no one knows for sure how old I am, but I know I'm old enough to be her grandfather, maybe more!"
           For one brief instant, shocked silence echoed through the small room. Too late, Wolverine sensed an extra presence in the doorway. Then Jubilee whirled and dashed away, hot tears stinging her eyes.
           "Jubilee!" Without thinking, Wolverine hurled his cards on the table and launched to his feet. Jean telekinetically caught his chair as it toppled over. Then his heavy footsteps echoed through the hall as he raced after her.
           Gambit's red eyes narrowed as he speculatively stared across the table at the beautiful telepath. "Dat was downright cruel, petít," he finally drawled, tossing his own cards into the center of the table. "What make you think it gonna work?"
           Jean innocently met his angry gaze. "I didn't call her here," she protested.
           "But you knew she was der, listenin'," he coolly retorted. "You coulda say somethin'!"
           Jean ruefully shrugged. "How was I to know that he'd get so upset?"
           "'Cause we all know Wolverine!" Rogue drily countered. "That man's pricklier than a pissed-off porcupine! An' that's on his good days!"
           Her deliberate joke broke the tension, and even Remy mustered a weak smile. "Gambit jus' a little protective o' her," he lamely apologized. "You know how 'tis."
           "We all feel the same, Gambit," Jean softly assured him. "You watch and see--it'll be okay. Logan can't help what he feels...they've been soul-bonded ever since the first time he saved her from the Friends of Humanity. And it's high time he realized it!"
           Sighing, Remy pushed his chair back. "Ain't nothin' left to do now but wait. Join me for a cup o' hot choc'late, chér?"
           Rogue reluctantly pulled her gloves back on, then accepted his hand. "Lemme put Cody t' bed, an' I'll meet ya in the kitchen."
           Gambit lightly touched the baby's downy cheek. Cody's solemn, intense blue eyes met his for a moment before drowsily closing again. Xavier's eyes, he mused, smiling at the whimsical thought. At least Cody has more hair!
           Jean choked back a laugh as she accidentally overheard his irreverent thought. "Gambit!" she shot back at him, her eyes gleaming.
           "Butt out, beautiful," he wryly retorted. "You gonna git me in trouble!"
           She chuckled again. "You were born 'in trouble', Remy LeBeau!"
           "Come on, Rogue, I'll help you with 'Rina. It's high time my three were asleep, too," she cheerfully added out loud, casting one last teasing glance at Gambit. "You can clean up in here before making us a midnight snack! And no hot spices, or I'll toss 'em back in your face!"
           Gambit and Jean's ferocious battles in Xavier's large, expansive kitchen were practically legendary, and the source of much good-natured teasing...now that they'd finally agreed to leave each other's cooking alone! Grinning, Gambit bowed low as the two women floated up into the air and then disappeared down the hall, heads close together.
           The moment they were out of sight, though, another pensive frown darkened his mobile face. Everyone knew that Logan and Jubilee were deeply in love with each other...everyone except Logan.
           His restless gaze drifted toward the window. What was happening out there right now?

• • • • •

           Galvanized by Wolverine's angry shout, Jubilee put on an extra burst of speed, scrambling for balance as she precariously slid around the far corner. She had to get away, had to hide! She couldn't face him now, not after he'd said all those mean things about her!
           ‘I don't feel nothin'! I don't care what she does! Stupid kid, why can't she see that I just ain't the right man for her?'
           His harsh, hateful words echoed in her mind over and over as she darted out into the warm darkness. How could she ever have thought him kind, or gentle? He was awful!
           "Jubilee!"
           He was still chasing her! Damn, there was no way she'd be able to hide for long, not with his hypersensitive sense of smell! But she still didn't want to see him again, not right now! Not ever again!
           If only she could fly! Then she could escape from him, really vanish into the darkness, and he wouldn't be able to follow her!
           A low creek materialized in front of her, glistening in the moonlight. She instinctively soared through the air. Her bare feet slid in the soft dirt on the far side, and she fell to her knees. Then she was running again, running until her sides ached.
           Without warning, Wolverine's steely fingers closed around her arm. "What the hell are you tryin' to do, kill yourself?" he furiously demanded as he whirled her around.
           She barely even heard him. Fists swinging, she instantly rounded on him. "Leave me alone--just leave me alone!" she cried. "I didn't ask you to follow me!"
           "Damned good thing I did!" he growled, easily dodging her wild blows. "Got no more sense than Cody, runnin' off in the darkness. See?"
           Before she could protest, he spun her back around and held her against his chest with one arm as he urgently pointed. Moonlight rippled off the vast ocean below them; the ragged edge of the sheer cliff was only a few meters away. He'd caught her just in time.
           Unfortunately, his sarcastic retort only fueled her anger. Fiercely writhing in his tight grip, she whipped one foot around his muscular leg and jerked him off balance. He just barely managing to twist aside as he fell, so he wouldn't crush her.
           "Let me go!" she protested, panic echoing through her voice. "I don't want to see you again! I don't!"
           "Oh, yeah? Then why were you eavesdroppin' on us? Hopin' to get cut in on a card game? Or maybe somethin' else?" he demanded. A muffled oath escaped him as he levered his body across hers, trying to hold her down. "Don't play games with me, kid!"
           "I'm not a kid!" Jubilee's plaintive wail split the night air as she instinctively spread her fingers wide. Wolverine ducked and closed his eyes just as a brilliant volley of lights erupted from her palms.
           "Dammit, don't you think I know that?" he snarled, tightening his grip on her wrists. Spots of light danced against his eyelids, shooting daggers into his agonized brain. She was wrestling him again, rolling back and forth as she struggled to free herself.
           The muted roar of waves seemed closer now, but he couldn't tell for sure because she was sobbing against his shoulder. The frantic, desperate sound seemed to sear into his brain, numbing him to everything else. But he knew that they were way too close to the cliff's sheer edge. How far away was it, several meters or only a few inches? If only he could see!
           "Then stop treating me like a kid!" she bitterly protested, gasping for breath.
           They were close to the edge, he could hear it more clearly now. Too close...
           Still clutching her wrists, he threw her onto her back. "Right now you're actin' like one!" he rasped. "You wanta prove you're a woman, shut up an' stop fightin' me, or you're gonna get us both killed!"
           "Oh!"    Outraged by his callous insult, she spread her fingers wide again. "I'll show you..."
           If she blinded him again, they were going to tumble right off the cliff, and nothing he could try then would save them. Faced with two impossible scenarios, Logan did the only thing he could.
           He kissed her.
           For one brief instant, Jubilee was so shocked that she simply froze. His mouth was hard, hurtful, branding hers with savage fury. Kevin hadn't kissed her like that...and neither had the few human boys she'd dated! Why was Wolverine so incredibly mad at her?
           Then a wild burst of excitement swept through her as his touch abruptly gentled. She became vibrantly aware of his taut body half-stretched across hers as his fingers loosened on her arms.
           Logan softly groaned as unexpected pleasure swept through his shuddering frame. He'd meant to stun her into complaisance, punish her for her childish and willful behavior. Instead, uncontrollable passion was erupting in his veins as her sweet, warm mouth opened beneath his!
           He knew that she'd been kissed plenty of times before--he'd caught her with one of those pasty-faced human boys only a week ago, making out in the arbor. Stark, unreasoning fury had flooded his senses as he'd stalked into the secluded clearing. How he'd longed to shred that kid limb from limb, until nothing was left but a greasy smear on the grass! How dared he kiss her, touch her body so intimately...
           Luckily for the kid's sake, Jean had appeared at that moment. Coincidence? He doubted it--he'd been throwing off waves of hatred that must've been audible to every telepath in a hundred-mile circle! Somehow she'd psychically frozen him in place, so he couldn't thrash that impudent young punk.
           Jubilee had stammered something, lamely introducing them as her 'aunt and uncle.' Uncle, indeed! If anything had ever pissed him off more, he couldn't remember it!
           Had to hand it to that kid, though--he'd known he was in big trouble. He'd hightailed it out of there, and never dared to come back.
           Jean's silent departure had freed him from the psychic paralysis, and he'd promptly given Jubilee the worst chewing-out of her life.
           Incensed, she'd brazenly stood up to his righteous fury. "Well, why shouldn't I?" she'd shouted, fists defiantly clenched on her hips. "You don't want me!"
           Her bitter words had stirred something inside him, but he'd stubbornly ignored it. "Damned right I don't!" he'd retorted. "I'm only your uncle, right?" And before she could provoke him more, he'd turned and stalked away again.
           She was provoking him now...brazenly, shamelessly, as her warm little tongue eagerly twined around his. He should turn her over his knee... But suddenly he didn't care anymore. He'd been wrong, so terribly wrong...
           Groaning again, he released her wrists entirely, and gently curled his fingers around her face. He did want her...how could he have hidden from the truth for so long?
           Wanted her, hah! That didn't come close to describing the incredible desire straining through his rigid flesh! How many long years had passed since he'd last been with a woman? And even then, even with Mariko, he'd never experienced the same blinding passion that spurred him on now!
           Jubilee was clinging to him, panting for breath as he reluctantly raised his head and stared down at her. He could finally see again; the cold moonlight cast her delicate features in ivory and porcelain. She was so beautiful...how could he never have noticed before now?
           "Logan..."
           He cut off her trembling, bewildered whisper with a sharp gesture. "C'mon, let's git outa here," he gruffly muttered. "We're too close to the edge."
           Mystified, Jubilee blankly stared up at him for a long moment. He wryly tilted his head toward the steep cliff, only half a meter away. Suddenly her dark eyes widened as she realized how easily they could have fallen to their deaths.
           "C'mon, darlin'," he softly repeated, easing to one side and staggering to his feet. Her small, slender body had felt so right beneath his! How he wanted to feel her there again, hungrily straining beneath him!
           Dazed by his sudden withdrawal, Jubilee numbly took his hand and let him pull her up. Why had he stopped? It had felt so good, for those few brief moments! The hardened length of his body seemed burned into hers, searing her with an unearthly fire. She'd never felt that way when anyone else had kissed her!
           She was nineteen, almost twenty. She'd known Logan for seven years, and she'd thought she understood him. But right now she didn't understand much of anything--and most importantly, why he'd stopped! Why, when it had felt so wonderful, so right...when, for the first time ever, he'd been treating her like a woman, not just a kid!
           Her hand was warm in his, but Logan could see the confusion on her face. How could he possibly explain what he was feeling, when he didn't even understand it himself? All he knew was that his body was on fire, aching for the softness of hers. How he wanted to hold her, caress her, bury his throbbing flesh deep inside her...
           At the mere thought, a fierce surge of hot desire caught him off guard. Suddenly he was grateful for the concealing darkness--he was so aroused that he was nearly ripping right through his shorts! Thank goodness she couldn't see how desperately he wanted her... All too easily, he could envision her small fingers curling around him, stroking him until massive explosions ripped through his shuddering body. He could already feel the heat rising...rising...
           "C'mon!" he ordered, his deep voice hoarse with strain.
           Jubilee numbly followed, her bare feet stumbling over the uneven ground. Why was Logan acting this way, like he was mad at her again? Had she done something wrong? Yet what could possibly be wrong about the way his body had felt, tightly pressing down on hers? No one else had ever made her feel that way!
           Without warning, he turned and scooped her into his strong arms. Startled, she tensed for a moment, then relaxed again and daringly laid her head on his shoulder. He was vibrating with tension, his muscles jumping beneath her cheek. Was he really angry, or...or could he be sorry that he'd stopped kissing her?
           "I don't want to go back to the Mansion." The words escaped her before she realized it, and a hot flush stained her cheeks.
           Logan merely grunted. "So? Where'd you rather go?"
           "I--" Taken by surprise, Jubilee weakly shrugged. "I don't know. Just somewhere else."
           For a long moment Logan hesitated, his black eyes burning into hers. "With me?" he finally whispered, his voice husky with barely-suppressed emotion.
           The very thought left her breathless as wildfire began to curl through her tingling belly. "With you," she faintly echoed. Her pulse was pounding so loudly that she could barely even hear her own voice!
           He was the wrong man for her--he knew it, but he still couldn't stop aching for the feel of her soft body beneath his! He should ignore her, take her back to the Mansion anyway...
           "God help us both!" His rough voice was laced with some emotion she couldn't identify. Then he abruptly changed course, rapidly heading off to the right.
           The arbor? A new burst of electricity shot through Jubilee's quivering body. He was taking her to the arbor, he must be!
           Thick vines tickled their faces as Logan ducked into the low, shadowy enclosure. The air was lightly scented with night blooming flowers. A sudden surge of passion erupted through him as he gently released her, and her small breasts grazed against his wide chest. Oh, God, he was gonna rip right through his shorts... He was so close to coming right where he stood...
           Raggedly gasping for breath, he curled his fingers around Jubilee's face again. She trustingly met his half-open mouth with her own. Oh, lordy, she didn't know what she was doing to him!
           Of their own volition, his hands slid down over her shoulders, her arms, her narrow waist, eagerly mapping the contours of her trembling body. Their hips were erotically grinding together, setting off sparks in his feverish blood. How he wanted her!
           Softly moaning with pleasure, Jubilee strained closer, aching for something... He felt so incredible against her! And that long, pulsing pressure between her thighs... Gasping, she helplessly arched against him as he seductively rocked back and forth. It was so hot and hard, quivering with every long, slow stroke...
           He was jutting straight out now, straining the seams on his faded shorts. Straight out, thrusting hard, searching for her soft warmth...
           Her rising nipples teased his palms, and he realized with a shock that he was stroking them, hungrily caressing her. Passion swept through him in rippling bursts as she strained against him, panting.
           "Tell me what you want!" Logan's voice was husky, echoing from a tremendous distance, as he bent to kiss the curve of her throat. "Tell me, darlin'! Please!"
           The provocative touch of his hardened body hinted at something, some indescribable ecstasy she'd never dreamed of... "I d-don't know!" she weakly gasped. "Logan..."
           His knees went weak as Jubilee eagerly kissed him again, her small fingers clutching at his back. She tasted so sweet!
           The buttons on her tight, silky blouse began to part, one by one. Her soft, swelling flesh felt creamy-smooth under his trembling, urgent fingers. Then her lacy bra fell away with a soft whispering sound. Moonlight cascaded over her pearly skin as he eagerly tugged at her shorts.
           Suddenly she was helping him, her hands fumbling with the short zipper. A hoarse moan escaped him as she easily kicked them aside, and slid back into his warm arms. Heat began to ripple in glowing waves up and down his swollen, throbbing shaft. And she was so wet...he could feel it right through her sexy little panties!
           Shuddering, Logan yanked his tee shirt off and let it fall in the thick grass. Then his shorts. He was already surging, hot and hard, against her unbelievable softness. Groaning, he caught her hand and pulled it down between them.
           Jubilee's eyes widened in startled awe as her fingers tentatively curled around his throbbing length. It was so big, so long and rigid!
           She knew what to do...once, to help prepare her, Jean had telepathically linked with her and had 'shared' one of her most passionate trysts with Scott. Jubilee had been stunned by the exquisite ecstasy that they experienced, and even more eager to try it on her own. Catching her breath, she daringly slid her hand down, boldly caressing him.
           Explosive pleasure instantly erupted through Logan's veins. His head fell back as he shuddered, his fingers tightening on her arms. Oh, God, any second now...he was gonna come...he was so close...
           "Darlin'...Jubilee, stop! I can't take any more!" he hoarsely groaned. "I'm gonna lose it if you don't stop..."
           Startled by the raw agony in his voice, she instantly jerked her hand away. He groaned again. Then he caught her panties in both hands and fiercely tugged them away.
           "I need you, darlin'!" he urgently whispered against her mouth. He was clinging to her, drawing her closer as he thrust between her parting thighs, feverish with spiraling hunger...
           Somehow they were in the long, soft grass, and Logan was lying on top of her, his fingers lacing through her short hair. His taut, quivering hips were tightly pressed between hers. Then he was eagerly pushing that huge, pulsing shaft inside her, deeper...deeper... Oh, jeez, nothing she'd seen in Jean's sharing had prepared her for this! Softly moaning, she instinctively arched tighter against him.
           Exquisite pleasure swept through her as he began kissing her heaving breasts, seductively curling his tongue around her straining nipples. Deeper...oh, jeez, he was so deep inside her now, and it felt so good!
           A startled gasp escaped her as his hips began to move in an ageless, provocative rhythm, feverishly arching against hers. It was even better than she'd imagined! She eagerly met his passion with her own, sobbing as liquid wildfire raced through her veins. She was spinning out of control, soaring through the clouds, tightly clinging to his muscular back...
           "Oh, God, Jubilee, I'm so close!" Logan suddenly groaned, his head thrown back as he struggled to control himself, to make it last longer. "I'm so close, I'm gonna come...I can't stop it!" Desperation echoed through his hoarse voice as he stiffened, shuddering. "Darlin', I can't stop it, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come..."
           She could feel his hardened shaft urgently throbbing deep inside her as he groaned again, his eyes closing. "Oh, God, Jubilee, I'm comin', I'm comin'...yes! Yes, darlin', oh God..."
           Frenzied spasms shook him as she eagerly arched against him, panting. She could feel the fierce tremors sweeping through his pulsing flesh. Then his ecstasy reached out to envelop her, and she cried out as exquisite pleasure burst through her trembling body. Dazzling lights danced against her eyelids as the entire universe exploded, splintering into a million glowing splinters of pure delight.
           "Logan, yes, oh yes!" Sobbing, she clung to him, her mind reeling. "Oh, Logan, I never knew..." Time itself seemed to stand on end for one blinding eternity as they clung together, floating, softly drifting through the warm night air...
           At last Logan wearily stirred. His arms instinctively tightened around Jubilee's slender body as he kissed her half-open mouth. "I love you, darlin'," he hoarsely whispered. "Swear you'll never try to leave me again! I'd die if I lost you!"
           Jubilee's dark eyes glowed with warm love as she slowly nodded. "Never," she breathlessly assured him. Then she smiled. "How could I? You'd always follow me anyway!"
           "An' I'll always find you," he soberly promised. "That's somethin' you can count on! Especially now!"
           He kissed her again as he gradually eased away. She instinctively curled her legs tighter around his, trying to hold him close, and he softly chuckled. "Easy, luv, I'm not goin' anywhere," he murmured. "Easy..."
           A faint anguished sound escaped her as he relaxed in the grass beside her, his strong arms securely cradling her against his wide chest. His eyes instantly snapped open again, dark with worry. "Did I hurt you, darlin'?" he rasped, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at her. "I'll make it better for you next time, I swear..."
           Her small face alight with awe, Jubilee stared up at him in wonder. "You didn't hurt me, how could you? It felt so...so..." Then she faltered into silence, shaking her head as she futilely searched for the right words. "I just didn't want you to pull away! Oh, Logan, I love you so much!"
           Jubilee's soft words sent a new ripple of excitement through his wiry body. Fiery heat abruptly spiraled through him as she kissed him, her small fingers gliding over his back and flexing hips. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him, how her light touch was arousing him? A familiar, aching throb echoed through his mind as he reflexively strained against her, his knees gently nudging hers apart.
           Grinning with surprised delight, she slid one hand down between them, and he gasped as she boldly circled his pulsing length with her warm fingers. "See, I told you I wasn't goin' anywhere!" he whispered, his voice cracking as she eagerly caressed him. With every slow, teasing stroke, he was getting harder, and closer...
           Panting, he fell back into the grass, his rigid flesh straining up to meet her provocative touch. "Oh, God, Jubilee, don't stop...don't stop! I need you so..."
           "Tell me what you want!" she eagerly whispered, unconsciously echoing his earlier plea. "I want to make you feel so good, Logan!"
           He softly groaned. "You are, darlin', believe me! You keep that up an' you're gonna see just how good you're makin' me feel!"
           Jubilee gently smiled. "Show me!" she urged, breathless with mingled curiosity and excitement.
           Another hoarse moan escaped him as she increased her rhythm, and a new surge of passion flooded his shuddering body. He was getting close, so close! Oh, lordy, he was about to explode...
           She could feel the change in him as he tensed, his fingers helplessly clutching at the thick grass. An answering flame kindled deep inside her, spreading like wildfire through her veins. Acting on instinct, she mentally reached for him, yearning to share in his ecstasy. And miraculously, he was there, in her mind, gasping her name as violent tremors began to rack his muscular thighs. So close...
           Suddenly she could sense what he really wanted. Bracing herself, she fluidly bent over him, tracing intricate patterns over his burning flesh with her warm tongue. His strangled moan of ecstasy echoed through the warm night air as he reached for her, gasping. "Jubilee, oh my God, darlin', oh my God..." His husky voice suddenly rose as she daringly drew his entire length into her mouth. Hot spurts of liquid instantly erupted from his throbbing shaft, flooding her mouth with his salty-sweet taste. "Jubilee!"
           She was trembling with hungry desire; he could feel it as he avidly stroked her swelling nipples with his thumbs. Shock waves of pleasure were racing through her as she pressed tighter against him, welcoming his eager touch. How he wanted her! And his body was already responding again, urgently surging up against her flat belly.
           Jubilee fell back as he twisted around, his hot mouth closing on her tingling breasts. Vibrant sparks shot through her, burning deep inside and then expanding, glowing, through her entire shuddering frame. "Logan, please...oh, please..."
           She didn't even know what she was begging for, but somehow he did. His tongue erotically tangled with hers as he gently slid his hand between her quivering thighs. Then he was hungrily caressing her, muffling her soft, ecstatic sobs with his mouth as his fingers entered her tight passage. Gasping, she strained against him, arching against his rapidly-moving hand. Oh, jeez, it was happening, building, exploding...
           Without warning he spread her legs wider, and eagerly plunged deep inside her writhing body. Searing heat flooded her as he buried his surging shaft deeper, deeper, until they were tightly fused together. He felt so good! Then reality shattered into brilliant shards of light as he hoarsely groaned, shuddering. Oh God, it was happening, she was coming...
           From a tremendous distance she felt the violent tremors that shook him; his rippling muscles flexed beneath her searching fingers as she clung to him, panting.
           "Logan..."
           Jubilee's breathless whisper gradually reached him, gently drew him back from the edge of oblivion. How blind he'd been all these years! How could he have lived with her, fought beside her, risked his life to be at her side, and never realized how much he loved her? Or had he known all along, and been stubbornly fighting to hide from the truth? How could he have been so incredibly stupid?
           "Oh, darlin'," he murmured, tenderly cradling her close. A smile curved his lips, and he suddenly realized how great it felt to smile, to be happy, to be in love. Had he been lost in himself, in his own private grief, for so long? So much precious time wasted!
           Now there was room in his heart for more than black hatred. Room for love. For laughter. For Jubilee.
           And, in time, for a child. Jubilee's child.
           His smile deepened as he gently caressed her slender waist. What would it be like, to feel his children restlessly moving beneath her soft skin?
           "So what'll we name him?" he softly asked, his voice husky.
           Jubilee was drained, exhausted, already half asleep. Drowsily opening her dark eyes, she smiled up at him. "D'you really think I've caught?" she whispered.
           A cool wind swept over them, and he instinctively held her closer as she shivered. "If you haven't already, I'll make sure you do soon," he promised. Another rare smile lit his angular face as he bent to gently kiss her.
           She sleepily smiled again as she snuggled tighter into his warm embrace. Sweet, wonderful Logan! She had always loved him, longed to be here in his arms...right where she belonged...
           On the very edge of her misty consciousness, she felt the lightest mental touch as Jean tentatively brushed against her drowsy mind. One last grateful smile curved her lips as she drifted off to sleep.
           And it seemed that she could hear Jean's soft, serene voice following her into her dreams, cheerfully whispering, "You're welcome!"