The X-Men: New Additions - Part 2

Author:  Stacy Ricco

 
    The next two weeks at the mansion were pretty quiet. Quiet in terms of no world-threatening event that needed the X-men's attention. It wasn't quiet in terms of activity. Quite a few days saw one of the X-men chasing down Bobby in response to one of his practical jokes. He had tried a few on Alex, but she really didn't respond the way everyone else did, so he quickly found better targets.
    Alex had settled into a routine. She was up every morning at three and in the danger room for a two-hour workout. Then she would meditate for an hour to an hour and a half. Breakfast was usually somewhere around seven, unless Scott had scheduled an early morning danger room session. She was perhaps the only person in the mansion who didn't mind the early morning workouts. She jogged the five miles to Salem Center and back starting around 8:30. Around ten she had her mid-morning snack while everyone else was usually having breakfast. Lunch was at noon and then she would spend the afternoons with Rogue and Jean. Rogue and Jean had become almost inseparable since Jean was told that she was pregnant at her annual physical. Everyone was still chuckling over Scott fainting when Jean told everyone, including Scott, at dinner. Evenings were spent in the Professor's office reading and at eleven she would head down to her spot near the lake. Wolverine joined her most evenings by the lake and the two sat in silence most of the time. When they did talk, they talked about past experiences and remembering fallen comrades. She usually went to bed at midnight.
   
Storm had just come in from checking the mailbox.
"Mail's here," she said over the intercom and it was broadcasted though the entire mansion. There was a flurry of activity and in two minutes most of the X-men were standing in front of here.
"Bobby. Bobby. Bobby." Storm looked at the last thing she handed Bobby. It was a black wrapped magazine. She knew it was the latest issue of Playboy and even though she didn't approve, she didn't say anything.
"Seems like Popsicle is getting all the mail," Beast said.
"Not so our furry blue friend. I believe these are for you," Storm said handing him a copy of the New England Journal of Medicine and the latest issue of Science. "That is all save for a letter for me."
The others, disappointed, disappeared in the depths of the mansion in a few seconds. Storm looked at the envelope. It had no return address and it was post-marked two days ago in New York. Curious, she opened the letter.

Stormy,
I know, I know. Don't call you Stormy. I want you to know that not a day goes by when I don't think about you. I miss you. I hope you are doing fine as well as the rest of the X-men. Maybe one day we will see each other again.
    Gambit

Storm reread the letter a few times and folded it up and put it in her pocket. She knew she would eventually run into Gambit somewhere or else he wouldn't have put that part in the letter. She only hoped it was before Rogue had the baby. She still wanted Betsy to keep searching for him, but she knew she would probably see him before Betsy found him. Storm sighed and went out to work in her garden.

    Alex was having a rough day. Her workout in the morning was a little more intense than usual and it left her sore and aching. She was probably sporting quite a few bruises and a few cuts and scrapes. She had a feeling someone was watching from the control booth, but she couldn't see who it was. She did have a very good feeling she knew who it was.
Breakfast was a disaster. It was her turn to cook and about the only thing she knew how to make was cereal. She heard complaint after complaint when the rest of the X-men walked into the kitchen to find boxes of cereal lined up on the table. She could only stand so many complaints before she threatened Bobby that he would be wearing his breakfast if she heard one more complaint out of him. After that, breakfast was rather subdued.
Hank had her in the medlab for about an hour sticking her with a dozen needles and had her hooked up to five different machines. He still didn't believe that she never had a cold in her life. She threatened to inject herself with the Legacy Virus to prove to him that she didn't get sick. He turned a few lighter shades of blue at the thought. That got her out of the medlab faster than anything else that she tried. Later she tried to apologize to him, but he gave her a wild-eyed look, probably still believing that she would go ahead with her threat. She was chased out of the medlab for a second time in one day. She was looking forward to the afternoon shopping trip with Rogue and Jean, but after walking in on an argument between Jean, Scott and Rogue, Alex knew those plans were canned. The argument was over Rogue's pregnancy of course and it promptly ended with Scott going flying across the room from a Rogue uppercut. To make things worse for Scott, Jean sided with Rogue in the argument. Alex quietly left the scene and headed outside.
Outside offered the best possible chance of a quiet and calm setting. She really didn't want to run into Hank, Rogue, Jean or Scott. She found Storm tending her flower gardens.
"May I help?"
"Sure. I appreciate a helping hand and so does my garden," Storm said as she pulled a mat from the little cart that housed her gardening tools. Alex knelt beside a humming Storm and quietly began to work on the flowers.
Storm watched the newest X-man out of the corner of her eye. She watched the woman's deft fingers dig around flowers and pull out weeds. Obviously she had done some gardening. Storm watched Alex look puzzlingly at a drooping flower. Alex silently drove her fingers into the soil near the plant and the plant immediately perked up. Storm gasped.
"What did you do?"
"Basically I transferred some of my life energy into the plant," Alex said as she shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "Plants don't require that much, so there's no harm to me."
"Can you do that with any living thing or just plants?"
"Any living thing, but the bigger and more complex the organism the more danger to myself. I had to sustain a comrade once but could only do it for two hours before I collapsed from exhaustion. It took me a week of sleeping and eating to recover from that. I probably could have done it longer if it wasn't after a really intense battle," Alex said not looking up from her work with the flowers. "If I go too long I will eventually die along with the organism that I was sustaining.
"That's amazing. Is that part of your adapting power?"
"No ma'am. It's actually my primary power. It emerged when I was six and a half. I was assigned to work in public gardens and the like. When my adapting power was discovered I was moved from the civilian sector to military service. That was when I was ten. It was an enjoyable three and a half years. Probably the best of my life."
Storm felt a little sorry for the young woman. Having a power that was beneficial and then having another power that was turned into a weapon.
"Ma'am, are we allowed to have pets in the mansion?"
"Of course. I don't know why anyone doesn't have one. Are you interested in a particular pet?"
"I had a cat and miss him terribly and would like to get another one."
"If you would like we could take a trip into the mall to pick one up, or we could get a paper and see if people are giving any away, or stop by the local animal shelter."
"Can we take a trip to the animal shelter?"
"Of course. Would you like to go later today?"
"Yes ma'am. And thank you."
"My pleasure."
"That brings up another thing. I know how to drive, but I assume I must have a permit to drive."
"Yes. We should have thought of that when you first came here. You will need a driver's license, birth certificate and social security card. Perhaps you should talk to Logan. He would know best where to procure such items. If Gambit were here I would have asked him to do it for you."
"Thank you ma'am."
"You're welcome. Speaking of Gambit, Alex. You have spent a lot of time with Rogue recently, yes?"
"Yes ma'am."
"How do you think she feels about Gambit?"
"Well she hasn't come out and say it, but she still loves him and misses him greatly. Sometimes I see her holding her abdomen and tears come to her eyes. I assume that she's thinking of him."
"I see."
"Why do you ask?"
"I received a letter from Gambit and I expect that I will see him soon. I want to convince him to come back for the baby's sake, but I wanted to get an idea about how Rogue will react."
"It won't be easy for her, but she will adjust and eventually forgive him, I think."
"Thank you Alex for your honesty. Please do not tell Rogue of our conversation."
"Yes ma'am."
The two women continued to work in the garden until it was almost time for dinner. It was Beast's turn to cook and that meant take-out.

"How many pizzas should I get? The standard ten?" Best asked Storm and Alex, who were in the kitchen washing their hands after working in the garden.
"How much do you eat Alex? We usually get ten for the team," Storm said turning to Alex.
"Normally I can eat two. Today I had an unusual intense workout and the thing in the garden didn't help, so I would say three."
"Thirteen it is then." Hank was ready to pick up the phone to order dinner when it rang.
"Xavier's."
"Hank? Is that you?" came a familiar voice on the phone.
"Jubilee. Haven't heard from you folks in Boston for sometime. It is a pleasure to hear your voice."
"Thanks Hank. By the way, the reason why I'm calling is that Sean and Emma have decided that it's time for physicals again so we'll all be there in about an hour."
"Okay. We'll see you then," he said and then hung up the phone. "Oh my stars and garters."
"I take it Sean and Emma and the kids are coming down for an unexpected visit?"
"Yes my dear wind-rider. Looks like we should double the number of pizzas."
"On the other hand maybe we should just take everyone out for dinner?"
"Sounds like a better idea. Will you go tell everyone?"
Storm nodded and her and Alex went to tell everyone about the change in dinner plans.
"Alex would you mind calling Jean and Scott to tell them that we will be getting company. Please tell them Sean, Emma and Gen-X are coming in about an hour and will probably stay a few days and that we'll all be going out for dinner tonight."
"Sure Storm. I think I'll walk down and tell them though. My legs could use some stretching after kneeling in the garden."

    Dinner that night was interesting. With the number of people that were going to dinner it was impossible to all agree on where to go. Jean suggested the food court at the nearest mall since it was the only place that offered a wide selection of different types of food. Jubilee's eyes brightened at the sound of mall. So they all packed into various vehicles and headed to the mall. After they had all eaten, some suggested doing some shopping while they happen to be at the mall. This of course was eagerly accepted and they all agreed to meet at the main entrance in an hour.
Alex made her way to the pet store. She really didn't need to buy anything and just wanted to see the animals. She looked at the puppies for a few minutes, but most of her time was spent looking at the kittens. She watched a small black kitten play with its littermates. He seemed to be the bully of the litter and was chasing the other kittens around the pen they were in. He reminded her a lot of her own cat. She gave the little critter a pat on the head and left the store.
Alex made a quick stop in the Disney store to make a purchase and then headed for the main entrance. No one else was there yet so she sat down on a bench to watch the people in the mall. One by one they joined her until they were all there, except for Logan.
"Wolverine is going to stay here a little longer. He will take a cab back to the mansion. So let's get going," Storm as she started to herd everyone out the doors.
   
Alex headed for Rogue's room when they all got back to the mansion.
"Who is it?"
"It's Alex. Can I come in?"
"Sure sugah."
Alex opened the door and entered the room. Rogue was sitting on her bed going through the numerous shopping bags that were scattered about.
"I picked something up for your little one," Alex said as she handed Rogue a small stuffed Classic Pooh.
"Aw sugah. This is so cute and so sweet of you." Rogue jumped up and gave Alex a hug. "Mah little one's first stuffed animal."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Of course ah do. Now sit and let me know what ya think of mah new clothes."    

Alex retired to the Professor's office after visiting with Rogue for a while. She selected a book from one of the shelves, sat down and began to read. About an hour later there was a light knock at the door.
"Enter."
Wolverine entered and had his one hand behind his back. Alex arched an eyebrow at him.
"Got this for ya darlin'," he said as he pulled a small black kitten out from behind him. " 'Ro said you wanted one because you miss your cat."
"Oh Logan he's adorable!" Alex exclaimed as she jumped up from her chair and kissed him squarely on the mouth.
Logan returned her kiss and felt a sudden wave of desire wash over him. The kiss was broken much too soon for Logan's satisfaction.
"What should we name him?"
"Huh? Oh. Whatever ya think fits darlin'"
"I'll have to think of something. Thank you Logan. This means a lot."
The kitten, not used to being handled, tried to swat Alex with a small paw.
"You are a little demon. That's it. Your name is Mephistopheles. Or Meph for short."
The kitten looked at its new mistress with wonder. Alex drew the kitten to her chest and she could feel it start to purr.
"Thank you again Logan," she said and she tenderly kissed his cheek.
"It was nothin'," he muttered as he watched her leave the room. A few minutes later he found himself in the danger room hoping a good workout would make him forget about the kiss. It didn't.

    Scott kept Alex pretty busy while the Gen-X'ers were staying at the mansion. He had her work with each of them individually on controlling their powers and using them more effectively. Emma Frost didn't take that too kindly. Scott and Sean had to gang up on Emma to get her to let Alex keep working with the kids. Alex was present for that conversation and it almost came down to blows between her and Emma.
In addition to working one on one with the younger mutants and her normal training schedule, Alex also took part in all of the numerous training sessions that Scott scheduled. Scott said he wanted to take advantage of having both teams together. She was usually exhausted at the end of the day and her appetite became the butt of many jokes. She was pushing herself and it was beginning to take its toll. She lost about ten pounds in the span of two days and dark circles were present under her eyes. She liked the other group of mutants, but was relieved when they announced that they were leaving on Wednesday. Too bad it was only Sunday and they had been here for four days already.
   
    Jubilation Lee, or Jubilee to her friends, didn't like the new comer Alex too much. First, the woman was so bossy. It was like she was a female version of Scott. Do this, do that, no you're doing it wrong or do it this way was all that she ever heard out of the woman. And you would think she would at least smile once and awhile. Second, she knew there was something going on with Alex and Wolvie. Jubilee hoped that it was nothing serious. Wolvie was her bud, but every time that she went looking for Logan so they could hang out, he was always with Alex. He even gave her a kitten. A kitten! He never gave her a kitten. Jubilee decided that it was time to take some action. Bobby maybe the King of Practical Jokes, but she was the queen. Jubilee didn't know what to do so she went to Bobby for advice.
"Jubilee it's a waste of time to try a practical joke on her."
"But Bobby…"
"I'm serious. I've tried. Many times. Not one single reaction. She brushes them off," Bobby said to the teenager sitting on his bed.
"But Bobby…" Jubilee whined.
"It's your hide kid."
   
    Logan caught Jubilee in Alex's room. Three water balloons, along with three needles and a roll of tape lay on the floor. Jubilee was in the process of removing one of the drawers in Alex's dress when Logan walked in.
"Alex?"
"Shhhhh…Wolvie, keep it down."
"Jubilee? What are ya doin' in here darlin'?"
"I'm TRYING to play a practical joke on Alex."
"I wouldn't if I were you. Waste of time."
"That's what Bobby said."
"Maybe ya should listen to him."
She couldn't believe this! Logan, HER bud, was taking that woman's side. That just added fuel to the fire and Jubilee continued on with the task at hand. She pilled a few articles of clothing in the back of the drawer that was under the one that she pulled out. She carefully laid the balloons on top of the pilled up clothes so that the balloons were sticking up above the top of the drawer. She then taped the needles to the back of the drawer that she pulled out. She gently slid the drawer back into the empty slot but didn't shut it all the way. The needles would pop the balloons when the drawer is pushed all the way in, soaking the clothes under the balloons. She let out a giggle before leaving the room. Logan just shook his head and followed Jubilee out of the room.
   
    Rogue had noticed the changes in Alex on the fourth day after the Gen X'ers arrived. She knew Alex was pushing herself and it was probably too much. She could tell Alex had lost significant weight in a short period of time and Rogue noticed that the dark circles under her eyes were present all the time now. Rogue was getting concerned. She went looking for her friend. Rogue found her asleep in a chair in the Professor's office.
"Alex. Wake up sugah."
No response.
"Alex," Rogue said raising the volume of her voice.
No response.
Rogue shook her.
No response.
Rogue picked her up and flew toward the medlab.
"HANK!" she yelled upon entering the room.
Hank and Cecilia were working at their desks when Rogue entered the room. Hank looked up at hearing his name. He saw Rogue carrying an unconscious Alex in her arms.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he got up and bounded over to the bed where Rogue had laid the sleeping Alex. Cecilia quickly joined them
"She's sleeping and I can't wake her up."
"Seems like our slumbering friend here has pushed herself a little too hard and her body has compensated for it."
"Will she be all right?"
"She should be. Can you describe any symptoms?"
"She lost quite a bit of weight in a few days and she's had dark circles under her eyes."
"I will keep her here and monitor her until she wakes up."
"Is it all right if I stay?"
"Sure. While you're here we can do some tests on you. I believe it's about time for an ultrasound."
"I'll do it Hank," Cecilia said leaving Hank to take care of Alex. "Follow me, please." Rogue and Cecilia headed for another section of the lab.
Hank hooked up an IV line with a high sucrose mixture in the bag. He knew her body would need as much energy as it could get. Rogue came back after her ultrasound and sat down in the chair next to Alex's bed. She fell asleep and was woken up by a hand on her shoulder it was Logan.
"Go to bed darlin'. I'll sit with her."
Rogue just nodded and got up and left. Logan looked at the woman lying in the bed. Her features were softened by sleep and a slight smile played on her lips. He tenderly touched her cheek and then sat down in the chair. Her eyes opened briefly and she looked at him.
"Logan…" she began.
"Shh darlin'. Go back to sleep."
She nodded and her eyes closed once more.

    Alex didn't see much of Logan in the next week. He didn't join her down by the lake at night and Bobby joined her in Logan's place. Although she liked Bobby and got along well with him, it just wasn't the same. Alex went down there for some quiet time to think and wind down after the day. Bobby came down there to talk. Even though they had some nice conversations, Alex still preferred to sit in silence. Alex was beginning to miss Logan. She hadn't seen him since she went to his room to get Meph after Hank had let her out of the medlab. She had been asleep for three days and Logan had taken care of the small kitten in her absence. Hank had put her on inactive duty for a week and she was itching to get back to her normal workouts. Meph followed her everywhere, including down to the lake at night. Most nights he would explore around the lake and chase fireflies and it usually ended up with Alex and Bobby searching for him when they were ready to go inside. The other X-men hardly took notice of Meph until he decided it was fun to attack people's feet. His second favorite thing was to wander from room to room at night and attack anything that moved under the blankets. Bedroom doors were almost always closed at night now.
Alex and Bobby were sitting down at the lake when Storm's voice came through on the COM badges.
"All active X-men please assemble in the hangar bay in two minutes. This is not a drill. Please acknowledge."
"Bobby and I are on our way," she said after hitting her COM badge.
Alex was torn. She had to report to the hangar bay but Meph was out around the lake exploring, and she didn't have time to look for him.
"Meph!" she called out into the night. The little kitten could hear the urgency in her voice and came running to his mistress. Alex scooped him up and put him on her shoulder and her and Bobby went running toward the mansion.
They arrived in the hangar bay just as two minutes were expiring. They ran aboard the waiting blackbird. Everyone was already there and buckling themselves into seats. Alex took the nearest available seat and started fastening her belt.
"Is this wise?" Storm said looking at Alex.
"I didn't have time to take him back to my room. He'll stay in the plane if I tell him to." It wasn't the first time one a cat came with her on a mission and it probably wouldn't be the last.
"I also was talking about you. Technically you're still on inactive duty. Hank?"
"She's ready to go back to active duty."
"Okay Hank," Storm said heading back to the cockpit of the Blackbird.
"Hey blue-boy you owe me ten bucks. It's been four weeks and I had four weeks in the pool."
"You'll get it when we get back Popsicle."
Bets were already being taken for the next emergency.
"Alex? How long do you say?" Hank asked her bringing her out of her train of thought.
"I don't understand."
"Well we usually take bets on how long it's going to be until the next emergency pops up," Bobby, who was sitting next to her, explained.
"Oh I see. I say two weeks for ten bucks."
"We also have a pool going for when the next time the mansion gets destroyed. I have September 25th around 3pm by Juggernaut. And the odds are pretty good since it's August now."
Hank wrote down her bet and continued on until he had every X-men's bet.
"What is it 'Ro?" Logan asked Storm as she came back to where they all were sitting. Alex looked at him and their eyes met. Logan looked away.
"Seems like Juggernaut is wrecking havoc in downtown Los Angles. Several banks have been demolished and robbed."
"Just like old times," Logan said as he extended an adamantium claw.
The jet touched down an hour after taking off. It was only 6pm on the west coast, so the sun was still up. Thankfully they didn't have to hunt down and probably fight Juggernaut in the darkness. They split up into two teams. Alex went with Iceman, Beast, Bishop and Maggot. The other team consisted of Logan, Scott, Cecilia and Sam.
"Please let us know when you find him. Shouldn't be that difficult," Scott said after giving out the team assignments. "We'll go east and Alex your team will go west. Good luck."
They started to follow the trail of rubble. They eventually found Juggernaut on Wilshire Boulevard. He was currently looting a museum. Iceman formed a block of ice around his feet. Bishop let loose with his laser cannon, which bounced harmlessly off of Juggernaut's armor and had no affect, but it did get his attention. The giant man turned at the waist to face the on coming X-men.
"Scott we found him," Alex said into her COM badge.
"We'll be right there."
Alex calmly and cautiously approached the giant man. She had read the files on Juggernaut and knew he was a serious threat.
"Well lookie here. A pretty little lady," the big man said looking down at Alex. "New member of the X-men I presume. Well we'll just have to take care of you like I do with the rest of the flies," and with that he backhanded her with one of his giant hands as if brushing off a fly.
Alex went flying backwards and into the side of a building. She picked herself up and dusted herself off. The impact with the building left a pretty good size impression in the building. She started to walk back toward the giant man. He backhanded her again. Again she went flying back into the side of a building. Once again she got up, dusted herself off and started toward the big man. Juggernaut didn't notice the huge, thick block of ice that had now been formed around his feet. He went to move toward her when he realized that he couldn't move his feet. After a brief struggle he shattered the ice that had temporarily bound his feet. He ignored the assault of the other X-men and concentrated on the woman. She was getting closer. He brought his hand up and started to bring it down right on top of her.
"Well if I can't swat you like a fly, I'll squish you like a bug," he said as he brought his fist down.
Alex caught the hand with hers and held it at arm's length above her head. The two stood there locked in a struggle. Juggernaut struggled with all of his might to bring his hand down on the woman and Alex struggled with all of her might not to let that hand fall. In a sudden move, she let go of the fist and dove out of the way. The fist came down and made a huge hole in the street and at the same time threw Juggernaut off balance. He landed and it felt like a minor earthquake had hit the city. Buildings swayed and pieces of loose concrete rained down from above. Iceman formed ice half way over the big man so that he was temporarily stuck to the ground. She leaped on top of his shoulders and with her temporary strength tore off the helmet. She placed her palms on his temples and sent a bolt of energy into his skull.
"ARGHHH!" he yelled.
"Yield?"
"NEVER!"
She sent another bolt lacing through his skull. Her life energy that she could give to living things could also be modified to inflict pain or kill a living thing.
"ARGHHH!"
"YIELD?" she yelled.
"NEVER!"
Scott and his team had now arrived and couldn't believe the scene they were witnessing. Alex stood on top of a half frozen, helmet-less Juggernaut and was asking him to yield.
Another bolt.
"ARGHHH!"
"YIELD!" It was more of a command now than it was a question.
"NEVER!"
Another bolt. Each bolt got progressively stronger.
"ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!"
"DON'T MAKE ME DESTROY YOU! YIELD!" she yelled. She probably could be heard a few blocks away.
"ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!" he screamed after another but stronger bolt.
"YIELD! THIS IS THE LAST OFFER! I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
"Alex. Stop NOW!" Scott barked the order as loud as he could.
She ignored him. Scott looked regretfully at Alex and let loose an optic blast. Alex staggered but didn't release her grip on Juggernaut's head. A stronger optic blast from Scott made her release her grip and knocked her down from atop the large man. Juggernaut by now was whimpering from the pain that was racing through his head. Even though Alex had released her grip and no more bolts of energy were being driven in to his skull there was still a lot of residual pain.
Alex picked herself up off of the ground and walked around the large man to face Scott. She glared murderously at the leader of the X-men. She stood there with her fists clenched at her sides and breathing heavily.
"Why did you stop me?" she demanded through clenched teeth.
"Because X-men do not destroy other living things!" Scott shouted.
Logan stood beside Scott and watched the whole exchange. This could get ugly if Alex decided to attack Scott. Logan had never seen any signs of emotion out of Alex until now. She was furious at Scott for stopping her from destroying Juggernaut. Scott was right. X-men didn't destroy living things, including Juggernaut.
"You are a fool if you leave enemies behind you. THAT will be your biggest mistake," she said and walked away. Logan had to agree with her on that point.
Scott was going to make an attempt to go after her when Logan stopped him.
"I'll go after her Slim. You don't heal that fast," he said and started after Alex.
"We'll take care of him," he said motioning toward Juggernaut, "and we'll come back to pick you two up."
"Okay Slim."

Logan eventually caught up to Alex. He let her walk some in an effort to blow off some steam. He went up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around quickly and was expecting a confrontation. The air was filled with tension. Logan just looked her in the eye. After looking him in the eye for a minute, she nodded and they started to head back to the landing site. They went past the place here the battle with Juggernaut took place. The big man and the rest of the X-men were gone. Alex didn't want to know what they did with him. She was still furious at Scott for stopping her. Logan laid a calming hand on her shoulder and they continued on their way.
The jet was just landing when they got there. Meph was curled up asleep on Alex's seat. Alex picked him up, sat down and placed him on her lap. Sensing his mistress' anger he hissed at anyone that got anywhere near Alex. The X-men were silent on the trip back, so Storm turned on the radio. Sting's Desert Rose had just started and it struck a cord with Logan.

   I dream of rain
    I dream of gardens in the desert sand
    I wake in pain
    I dream of love as time runs through my hand

    I dream of fire
    These dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
    And in the flames
    Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire

    This desert rose
    Each of her veils, a secret promise
    This desert flower
    No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
   
    And as she turns
    This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
    This fire burns
    I realize that nothing's as it seems

    I dream of rain
    I dream of gardens in the desert sand
    I wake in pain
    I dream of love as time runs through my hand
   
    I dream of rain
    I lift my gaze to empty skies above
    I close my eyes, this rare perfume
    Is the sweet intoxication of her love

    I dream of rain
    I dream of gardens in the desert sand
    I wake in pain
    I dream of love as time runs through my hand

    Sweet desert rose
    Each of her veils a secret promise
    This desert flower,
    No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

    Sweet desert rose
    This memory of Eden haunts us all
    This desert flower, the rare perfume
    Is the sweet intoxication of the fall

Desire. Longing. Logan knew all about those. Ever since that kiss in the Professor's office he couldn't get Alex out of his mind. He even dreamed about her at night. It was like a fever racing through his blood. He tried avoiding her, but it didn't work. It was torture. He looked across the way at her. He could still see the fury raging in her eyes. He turned away before she looked at him. He closed his eyes in an effort forget about her. He couldn't. He could still smell her. Even though her scent was tinged with the sharp odor of anger, it still smelled sweeter than any perfume any of the X-women wore. The flight back was torture for him. When they landed he was the first one off the Blackbird in an attempt to put some distance between him and Alex.

Alex couldn't sleep. She was too angry with Scott to be able to sleep. She tossed and turned much to Meph's displeasure. He even stuck his sharp claws into Alex's legs a few times.
"All right. I get the picture. You can have the bed you little demon," Alex said as she finally gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed. She threw on her uniform and headed down to the danger room.
Logan was in the middle of a session. He looked at her and nodded and she joined the fray. The two of them tirelessly battled opponents until they realized that there were no more left. They found themselves standing back to back. They both turned to face each other. Both had sweat running down their faces and they were both breathing a little fast. Logan started to approach her and instead of starting to attack her like she thought he was going to do, he grabbed her head, drew her to him and kissed her passionately. She was too exhausted to resist him and eventually found herself returning his kiss.
Logan crushed her body to his and deepened the kiss. He could feel and smell her body responding. A fire raced through his blood and his desire grew by the second. He wanted her. If he didn't control himself he would take her right here on the danger room floor. With that thought he broke the kiss and pushed her away so that there was some space between the two of them.
"Darlin' if you don't want this to go any farther you better leave here now," he growled trying to control himself.
She looked him in the eyes. She could she the want and desire smoldering inside of him. She wanted him and her body ached for him. She had an idea of what would happen, but wasn't really sure. She took a step towards him. A brief expression of relief crossed his face and he wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her again. His kiss was demanding and rough and she returned it with equal intensity. He broke the kiss and scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to his room.

    Logan woke up the next morning when the sun was fully up and coming in the windows. He looked over and found emptiness next to him. He didn't think much of it because he knew Alex only slept about three hours a day. He did notice something on the sheets where she had lain. A few small bloodstains darkened the sheet. He groaned. A virgin. If he had known he would have been gentler with her. Their lovemaking had been rough and intense and he imagined that it probably wasn't a pleasant experience for her because she was a virgin. A wave of guilt washed through him. He sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands.

    Alex felt a little weird. It was her first time and she was wondering if it's always going to be like that. After the unexpected pain it was rather nice, but she didn't know if the pain was always going to be there. She went looking for the one person who she thought she could talk to. She found Jean in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Um Jean. Can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure Alex. What's up?"
"Well, last night um…this is a little hard to talk about. Perhaps I could show you?"
Jean nodded and began to enter Alex's mind.
"Oh dear!" Jean exclaimed at seeing what Alex had a hard time talking about. Jean blushed, as did Alex.
"Well what I guess I wanted to know is that is it always painful?"
"Oh no. Only the first time is. Oh dear," Jean said after realizing that it was Alex's first time. "Alex, did Logan know that it was your first time?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"Because if a man knows he tries to make it easier and is gentler with the woman."
"Oh. I see."
Rogue walked in the room and Alex and Jean stopped talking.
"Morning gals. What cha' talking about?"
Both Jean and Alex blushed some more.
"Ah see. Give Rogue some details."
"Well, um…" Alex began.
"You!" Rogue exclaimed. She thought they had been talking about Jean. "With who I think it is?"
Alex nodded.
"Oh sugah that's wonderful!" Rogue said hugging the woman.
"What's wonderful?" Storm asked as she and Betsy walked into the kitchen.
"Seems like Alex here had an interesting night," Rogue said patting Alex on the shoulder. Alex blushed even more.
"Oh. I see," Storm said with a smile.
"I didn't think a person's face could get that red," Jean said looking at the blushing woman.
Cecilia eventually joined them and they all sat down at the table. They started to eat the breakfast that Jean made and talked about their experiences. In the natural progression of the conversations, theirs went from sex to babies. The men in the mansion went without breakfast that day. The men tended to avoid any room that contained more than two women and the topic of conversation was babies. The women had what the men referred to as "Baby Fever" and they avoided that topic all costs.

"Jeannie. Can I talk to ya?" Logan said when he found Jean in the kitchen cleaning up from the morning breakfast.
"Sure Logan. What's up?" Jean had an idea where this was going.
"It's about Alex. We…um…" Logan said as he had a hard time telling Jean about last night.
"I know."
"You do?"
"Yes. Alex and I had a talk this morning and it's not you're fault."
"It's not that. It's just that I was worried about her because I didn't know it was her first time and we were well…a little rough."
"I know Logan. We talked about it and she knows that everything is okay."
"Thanks Jean."
"Anytime Logan."

    Logan started joining Alex down by the lake again. Bobby and Meph also joined them every night. The summer nights were perfect for sitting out under the stars and letting their cares and worries disappear. The X-men had noticed a change in Alex. She was more open with her emotions now and rarely called anyone sir or ma'am. She was beginning to become a normal person and not the stiff soldier. They all suggested that Bishop take some lessons from her. Storm was looking for Alex and found her down at the lake with Logan, Bobby and the cat.
"Hello 'Ro. What brings ya down here darlin'"
"I need to talk to Alex, Logan."
"Sure Storm. Logan can you take Meph in with you?"
"Sure darlin'. Come by and pick him up when you're done."
"Thanks."
Storm and Alex started walking back up the path to the mansion.
"Scott wants the two of us to go into the city for a few days. He wants to see if we can contact Gambit."
"Okay I'll go start packing."
"We'll leave at 6am tomorrow. I'll take care of the hotel arrangements."
"Thanks Storm."

Alex headed back to her room and packed a few outfits in the small suitcase that Rogue had lent her. She finished packing and went to Logan's room to see if he was back from the lake. She saw him sitting in a chair smoking a cigar and Meph was curled up in his lap asleep.
"Thanks," she said upon entering the room.
"My pleasure darlin'. I'm getting attached to this little fellow," he said scratching Meph behind the ears. Meph looked at his mistress, yawned and went back to sleep.
"Lazy bones," she said picking the kitten up and sitting on the edge of the bed with him in her lap.
"What did 'Ro want, if I can ask?"
"Scott's sending Ororo and I into the city for a few days. We need to find someone for him."
"Oh. Want me to take care of Meph for ya?"
"If you wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not darlin'," he said as he put out his cigar and stood up.
"Thanks Logan."
"Alex."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry for the other night. I didn't know."
"I know Logan. It's okay."
He sat down on the bed next to her and started to pet Meph.
"Darlin' I would've made it easier for you and been a lot more gentle with ya."
"Logan it's okay."
"But…"
She interrupted him with a kiss.
"But…" he started to say when she released his lips.
"Logan?"
"Yes?"
"Shush."
"Yes ma'am," he said and then began to kiss her.
Later, both exhausted, they fell asleep with their limbs entwined. Meph awoke, stood up, stretched and then climbed up on the bed. He climbed over limbs until he managed to squeeze himself between the two warm bodies and he promptly curled up and went to sleep.
The both awoke suddenly when they heard screaming in the hall outside of Logan's door.
"ROBERT DRAKE THIS MEANS WAR!"
Logan jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of boxers. Alex grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself. Logan opened the door and they both burst into peels of laughter. Bobby, playing one of his many practical jokes, had switched some of Hank's fur shampoo with blond hair dye, giving the furry, blue man a sort of sickish looking light green color.
"Oh my stars and garters," Hank kept repeating looking down at his light green fur.
"He got ya good this time bub."
Hank shot Logan a look that was full of daggers. Bobby, who had been up and had known Hank was in the shower, was nowhere to be seen. All the other X-men, including the women, were sticking their heads out of their doors.
"What's all the noise?" Rogue shouted down the hall toward the men's wing. She took one look at Hank and said, "Oh I see," and burst into a fit of giggles.
What most everyone didn't notice right away was a female head sticking out of Logan's room. Most didn't even realize it until much later at breakfast when they were talking about the morning's activities.