Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

October Fools and April Showers

Title: October Fools and April Showers

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Darn.

Archive: Ask, and ye shall receive.

Feedback: Please? With whipped cream on top?

Summary: Response to Rachel's April Fools Day Challenge. Logan, Jean, and Marie figure a few things out.

Comments: This didn't really turn out to fit in with the Alter-Eighteens, but at least this turned out remotely on-topic. I didn't get in any April Fools Day pranks, but I think I covered everything else..Rachel can be the judge of whether I met the challenge or not :) I am proud to say that this is my least evil Jean ever....maybe some of those Jean issues are working themselves out, hmm? Lastly, the ESPN commercial referred to is a hoot.

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I shoulda known somethin' was off when I caught Marie watchin' a Georgia-Alabama collegiate hockey game. I mean, I still don't think Dallas should have a team, just on principle. Fuck the Stanley Cup win (and I STILL say that wasn't a goal - if you're gonna go to the trouble of havin' a stupid toe-in-the-crease rule, at least enforce the fucker during the championships). They shouldn't have a team 'cause it never gets cold enough to make ice in Texas. That's just common sense. And Marie thought the same thing too. We have all the same hockey opinions. Same beer opinions too. Same thoughts on Jean Claude Van-Damme (fights like a pansy-ass), tai chi (good for flexibility and strength, but don't let anyone catch you doin' it 'cause it looks pretty stupid), and clothes (dark flannel - good; pastel flannel - bad, very bad). But we especially thought the same on hockey. So the sight of her sittin' on the couch, watchin' that game shoulda tipped me off right away.

And, if I hadn't been half-listenin' to Jeannie arguin' with me, I might have been a little more on alert. See, when I first got back, I was all about Jeannie. And I have to admit, the first three or four times we had sex, it was fuckin' spectacular. I mean, like, unbelievable. And the fact that we were doin' it behind Scooter's back made it all the better. I'm not proud of that, but there it is. There's just somethin' about him that begs for an ass-kickin', and in lieu of that, nailin' his woman's the second best thing.

But the next few times we did it, it was just OK. It wasn't new anymore - I knew what she liked, she knew what I liked, and we just kinda did that. And it was good, but it wasn't like the first few times where it was all heat and lust and passion. It was more like just fuckin' then. And there was one time we did it where she got all clingy - you know, holdin' me after sex and everythin'. Not that I'm opposed to that, not really, just - it didn't seem right with Jeannie somehow. It seemed like somethin' she'd do with Scooter.

But, you know, I'm a man. I enjoy gettin' sex regularly with a hot-as-hell babe as much as the next guy, so I didn't complain or anythin'. I just kinda shifted her offa me when she tried it again. 'Cause I'm not a cuddly kinda guy. I think she took some kinda offense to that, and the last few times we've been doin' it, it just hasn't really done it for me, if you know what I mean. It's good, it's OK, but it's almost like she's mad or somethin' during sex.

And that mad has been spillin' outta the bedroom the past day or so. That's why I was kinda payin' attention to Jeannie - I knew I hadta if that regular sex thing was gonna continue, and she still hadn't told Scooter, so there was still that for fun - and not really payin' attention to Marie.

"I said, are you coming with me to the dinner?"

"The fund raiser in town. Tonight. You said you'd think about going. Scott's out of town until tomorrow afternoon. Are you coming with me?"

"Uhhh....I think there's a hockey game on tonight."

"Logan, I know you don't like these things, but it won't be for very long, and..." I kinda stopped payin' attention there because the fact important to me was that I *don't* like those kinda things, and I really kinda didn't wanna go out with Jeannie in public anyway. I mean, that would tip off Scooter and then that part of my fun would be all over. There's nothin' like the charge I get outta walkin' past him knowin' he's all oblivious. "..So? Logan?"

"Nah, Jeannie, I ain't gonna go. You go on ahead, darlin'. I think I'm gonna catch that game." Flyers-Devils. Bound to be some bloodshed there. Plus, Marie'll be watchin' it too and I kinda haven't really been spendin' too much time with her since I got back. I see her every day at lunch - Jeannie has lunch with Scooter - and usually after dinner and before I meet up with Jeannie, but I'm gettin' the feelin' that she needs a little more from me. I mean, her friends - she hangs out with them sometimes, but she's pretty solitary for a kid her age. Probably 'cause of me in her head, so maybe I should do somethin' about that.

"Fine. Fine, then." That sounded a little mad. "See you when I get back?" Now that was in the low and sexy voice that still gets my attention pretty good. Funny how she shifts so fast like that.

"Hey. Whatcha watchin' this shitty ass game for?" She's kinda frownin' too. Hmm. Must be somethin' on her mind.

"It's something to do. I was getting bored. And it's hockey."

"Yeah, but it's bad hockey. It's-it's southern hockey." She smiled a little at that. Good, she'll be more inclined to talk about what's botherin' her if she's in a better mood. I can usually put her in a better mood.

"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be getting ready?" She's fiddlin' with my dogtags. She wears them all the time. Once, she asked me if that bothered me, or if I wanted them back. I told her no on both counts. I know how much she likes them, and it's a visible sign that we're connected. Somethin' to give all those little boys sniffin' around her a second thought or two about gettin' outta line on one of their little dates. A little reminder that they'd get a claw up their ass for tryin' anythin'.

"The dinner. With Jean."

"How the hell do you know about that?" I mean, she knows I'm doin' Jeannie. I ain't tryin' to hide that from her. Everybody else, maybe, but not her. She'd know anyway. My sense of smell hung with her pretty good.

"I overheard Jean telling 'Ro that she was going to ask you to go with her." I wonder if Jeannie told 'Ro about us, 'cause she keeps sayin' that she hasn't said anythin' to anyone, but I know she and 'Ro are pretty tight. And you know how girls talk. Problem with that is 'Ro's close to Scooter too. Might get it into her head to tell him.

"Yeah, well, I wanna watch the game tonight. Jeannie'll be fine on her own."

"Oh, OK. Want to watch it together?" One of her little boyfriends, Remy I think it is, is with Scott. Well, good. I've been meanin' to tell her he's a shithead anyhow.

"Sure. Hey - is somethin' botherin' you?" She's takin' some time to think before answerin' and that's a sure sign that we're about to have a serious conversation. I don't think she talks this way with her friends, and I sure as hell don't talk this way with anybody. But it's just somethin' we've always kinda done.

"I'm having a little bit of a problem with you and Jean." She's shiftin' around to face me, leanin' up against the other end of the couch and crossin' her legs to sit indian-style. "It's bothering me more and more."

Now, I know that she kinda has a possessive thing about me. I mean, Jeannie keeps sayin' how she's got a crush on me, and maybe she does, but that ain't exactly it. I can relate. I got a possessive thing about her too. Not a secret. Especially since I put that little ice-pick Bobby in the medical ward for a couple days after catchin' him with a hand on her, um, special Marie-parts when he was kissin' her out in the garden. Threw him right across the lawn and into a bush. Everybody was pretty pissed. Except the ice-pick, who was too scared of me to be pissed (heh) and Marie, who didn't especially like what I did, but she understood. She understood it came outta that possessive thing. And that's probably what's goin' on with her now.

"Look, it ain't - me and Jeannie, that's not hurtin' me. That don't have nothin' to do with me and you." That's the scrunchy Marie-face in response. Oh, yeah, we're well on the road to serious conversation. Might as well get comfortable.

"It's not really that. Well - wait, maybe it is that, kind of. I think it might be hurting you, but you don't realize it."

"I think if I was gettin' hurt, I'd know it. Or are you thinkin' 'cause she'll go back to Scooter. Are you thinkin' I'm gonna get hurt then?" I know Jeannie'll go back eventually. I'm just gonna love lordin' it over one-eye that she hadta have a go with me before settlin' down. 'Cause she'll tell Scooter about all this shit when she does decide to go back for sure. Jeannie - she ain't that much of a mystery.

"No. I mean hurting you now." Shoulda caught that. One thing I picked up about Marie - she's pretty literal. Means what she says, says what she means. And no more than what she said, no less. She's pretty precise about words. "I think hiding the relationship from everybody is hurting you now, but you might not realize that."

Hmm. "I don't really give a shit if people know or not. Jeannie don't wanna say nothin' 'cause of Scott." How that would hurt me, I have no idea.

"Yes, but you're both hurting Scott. He's - he's really in love with Jean, Logan, and he's going to be devastated when he finds out."

"Yeah, probably, but that's hurtin' him, not me."

"But it is hurting you because you're doing a bad thing. Not - not that having a relationship with Jean is bad per se, but hiding it when you know Scott's in love with her too and when you know he thinks they have an exclusive relationship.well, I just think of you as not like that. As more above-board, more of a straight shooter."

"OK. OK. There's a couple things in there I wanna answer back to." Her expression's still pretty open. That's how she usually is - she waits to hear both sides before gettin' pissed or formin' any opinions. That's *definitely* not from me, gotta be all her. "First of all, I'm not 'having a relationship' with Jean. We're just screwin' around a little, you know, kinda gettin' it outta both of our systems, that's all. It ain't like we're gettin' married or some shit."

"Logan, I don't know. I mean, Jean.I don't know her as well as you do, but I can't picture her as someone who'd have a fling like that. She's - she's pretty serious. She likes commitment."

"That's true, but this - this is just somethin' to work out before she commits to Scooter. It ain't serious."

She's not convinced, but she either can't think of anythin' else to argue back or she's gonna hold it all to the end. I know how she does the serious conversations. "What else did you want to answer back to?"

"That thing you said about hidin' it - that's not my decision, that's Jeannie's decision. And that should show ya that she's not serious. If she was, she'd have told Scooter and shit."

"That's wrong. I mean - it is your decision. You're making a decision to hide it, even if that decision is prompted by a decision to acquiesce to Jean's decision to hide it. Did - did that make sense?"

When she gets on a roll like that, eager to get a thought out, sometimes it comes out all mixed up, but that one was understandable. "Yeah. But - so what? I mean, Jeannie's the one who's got somethin' on the line here. It should be her decision."

"She has a lot at stake, but so do you. Your reputation - what everyone thinks of you - "

"Kid, I don't really give a shit about that."

"There's also what you think of yourself and who you are. That's what's bothering me. That's what I'm talking about with you getting hurt. You're acting contrary to some basic characteristics here - you're usually a straight shooter, like I said. You're not usually the kind of person to hide things, or help keep them hidden. You don't care what other people think. That's changing now."

Now, that made me think a minute. 'Cause there's some truth in that. A lot. But - "Just 'cause I do that in this situation, this one time, that doesn't change who I am."

"Maybe not. It's - it's the whole question of - does one lie make someone a liar? You know, no, probably not, but once you do it once, it's easier to do it more, and at what point *does* it make you a liar?"

She's gettin' into this big, philosophical shit, which always is hard for me to follow. "So you're sayin' that if someone lies once, then they're startin' to be a liar?"

"Maybe, if it's a bad enough lie. It's like - how many people do you beat up before becoming an abuser? Maybe one. Maybe more. It all depends on the circumstances, and how it changes you inside, how it changes what you're willing to do, what you're willing to consider."

"I think it takes a lotta lies. I mean, you - if you told one lie, I wouldn't think of you as a liar, and neither would you. I know you're basically not that way."

"But what if it was a big lie? What if - for example, what if I was really some undercover agent working for Magneto or something? Wouldn't that be enough to make you think of me as a liar?"

Hmm. "Truth? Yeah, it probably would. But that's not the same as me and Jeannie. It's not - " I was gonna say what we're doin' ain't hurtin' anyone, but that's not true. It is hurtin' Scooter. That's part of why I like it - it's a way to get at him - but there's gonna be a serious hurt there when it all comes out, more than 'cause he lost and I won. Not that I really give a shit, but it's a fact.

"Look, I'm not saying that you're a bad person, it's just - you're acting different than you are in my head and how I know you to be so far. It's throwing me off a little." That's botherin' me now. You know, that's what I don't like about havin' serious conversations. Most of the time you get shit settled, which is good, but sometimes, you just feel worse after.

"You expect me to tell Scooter or somethin'?" Maybe I should. Well, not me. Maybe Jeannie should say somethin'. Yeah, he's got a stick up his ass and he's never let me forget for a second that he's saved my life, but I think Marie's right. He is gonna get seriously hurt. He'll forgive her, but everything in the mean time will be kinda fucked up.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. You asked what was bothering me, and I told you. That's all." She never does tell me what to do. I shoulda known that.

"But you'll think I'm an asshole if I keep on not sayin' nothin' and still doin' Jeannie."

"Truth? No, not really. I mean, I can feel you pretty good in my head on the subject. I think you think it's just having fun, getting back at Scott for whatever, and you're doing it because of how you feel about Jean.I know you're not being malicious or anything. If you were, then I'd think you're an asshole." That's my girl. Straight shooter, just like me.

"You know what? I'm gonna say somethin' to Jeannie when she gets back. I dunno if - I dunno what she'll wanna do, but I'll say what you said and tell her to think about it."

"Don't tell her I said it - she'll lecture me until kingdom come to stay out of her business." She said that like it's happened before. I didn't know Jeannie ever really talked to her that much.

"You ain't really pokin' into her business. It's between you and me." After all, she didn't say nothin' about Jeannie at all, just about me.

"Loganjust - just be careful, OK? I mean, Jean - I know you might not want to hear this, but I think she might really love Scott. I know she loves you too, but.."

"Nah. She don't. It's just fun."

"If you're right about that - well, I'm sorry if that's the way it is." That's the sad-Marie look and I can't figure that one out.

"Because - well, because I know how you feel about her. I know you care about her a lot."

"Hey - I'm not gonna get hurt, kid. Don't worry 'bout that." I mean, I do care about Jeannie. She's a good person and all that shit. But there's nothin' invested in it for me, not really. It's not like I put a ring on her finger and asked her to take a walk down the aisle, like Scoo - aw, fuck. I fuckin' hate serious conversations, I do. My life is so much simpler when I don't worry about other fuckin' people.

"Just be careful, OK?"

"Yeah. Wanna make some popcorn for the game? Should be comin' on soon."

"Sure." That's a better Marie-look. Enough serious conversation. Time for hockey and to have some fun with Marie.

"That was SO slashing! He didn't even try to pretend it wasn't." She hates the Flyers. So do I. Told you - same hockey opinions. It's gettin' close to the end of the third, game almost over. Jeannie'll be comin' back soon. Gonna nail her, then talk. 'Cause after we talk, she's probably not gonna wanna have sex. "Don't you just wish Bobby Clarke would drop over dead? I mean, he knew this guy was a thug when he traded for him."

"Can't expect one of the Broad Street bullies to go all soft just 'cause he's in management insteada on the ice, darlin'." Whoa. Whoa. Did I just call her darlin'? 'Cause that's a bedroom word for bedroom people. That's not a Marie word. Kid - that's a Marie word.

"Well, it's not like I liked him as a player either." She didn't seem to notice. Good. "Hey Logan - have you ever seen that commercial on ESPN that they show for the Devils games sometimes? The one with the priest? That's - oh, hi Jean."

Fuck, wonder how long she's been standin' there. Shoulda smelled her. "Hey darlin'."

"You two look like you're having fun." She really does look damn good in that dress. Low cut, clingy in all the right places. Yeah, definitely sex, then talk.

"Yeah. You just get back?"

"Uh-huh. Logan - would you like to, um, join me in the kitchen?" For a telepath, she's not real subtle. Plus, I think she knows Marie knows. Or she should. So why beat around the bush? I guess I am more of a straight shooter, 'cause - "Logan?"

"Yeah - hey, I'll meet you upstairs when the game's over. Just a few more minutes unless it goes into overtime."

"I - uh, I don't think that would be.." What's wrong with her? "..I'll - I'll just see you later, Logan."

"OK." Ouch! Why is Marie hittin' me now? Fuck, are all women just destined to be pissed off at me today? "What?"

"Why are you whisperin'?"

"Because I don't want anyone to hear me when I tell you that you shouldn't do stuff like that - Jean doesn't want anyone to know, she was trying to be discreet!"

"Aw, whatever. I mean, you know. She knows you know, I think. So what?" It's not like I've been tryin' to hide from Jeannie that I ain't hidin' us two from Marie.

"Even if she does know I know, she's probably not too happy about it."

"Why should she give a damn if you know? And stop whisperin'." 'Cause that's irritatin', the way her voice goes lower in register when she whispers. Makes me think she better not be whisperin' like that to her little boyfriends - they'd get all kindsa ideas that I'd just end up kickin' ass for.

"Logan, you're having a *secret* affair. It's not the kind of thing anybody but the two people involved are supposed to know about. If I know, Jean's got to be worrying that I might let it slip or tell someone. Duh! And now she's going to be even weirder around me."

"Whaddya mean 'even weirder'? I didn't think you two were really around each other that much or anything."

"Well, no, not really, but after you sent her to talk to me about - you know, stuff - since then, she's just been really weird."

"What the hell are you talkin' about - when did I send her to talk to you? What stuff?"

Now she's rollin' her eyes pretty good. And blushin'. "You know, when you first got back and you sent Jean because you were too embarrassed to talk to me about things." I'm still *really* not gettin' it. "Oh, Lord. When you sent her to smooth things over, to make sure I realized that you didn't have feelings for me, romantic feelings. You know, you can be pretty dense sometimes, because I have you in my head and I really, really get that you don't look at me sexually and it was embarrassing enough to have Jean thinking I've got this huge crush on you then - "

"Kid, I don't know what the hell you're talkin' about. I - why would I send Jeannie to talk to you about that?"

"What?" Flinching back a little. That's definitely a surprised Marie look right there.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about. I didn't tell Jeannie to talk to you. Why wouldn't I just talk to you myself? I ain't embarrassed about - I mean, you do have me in your head. What's gonna be somethin' embarrassing that you don't already know about?"

"But - but she saidoh. Oh. Never mind. Never mind. You know what, just forget I said anything at all because - "

"Oh, no. You tell me. What were you gonna say?"

"Um, I'd really rather not. Because that's going to open up a whole can of worms that I - "

"Marie." I only use that name in that tone when I'm really fuckin' serious. And I'm about as serious as a heart attack right now. I don't like people pullin' shit behind my back and if Jeannie took it on herself to have this little talk, she sure as hell never said anythin' to me about it - before or after.

"Jean, um, said that you - well, that you, you know, loved me. Like a brother. Not - not like - you know, a person or a man would. She said you didn't know how to tell me that, and that you were getting kind of embarrassed because you knew I liked you - you know, NOT in a brotherly kind of way. But I - I know you don't - I mean, I know in my head, the you that's in there, I know that you don't think of me sexually. I'm just - I'm just Marie to you. Not really like a sister or a friend or.I don't really know what to analogize it to, but it's just - I'm just Marie to you. I mean, I understand - good Lord, I almost killed you with my skin twice, there's no earthly reason you especially would want to get up close and personal with lots of my naked skin, but it was - "

"Whoa. Whoa. Let me get this straight. Jeannie talked to you about this?"

"And she said I said to do it."

"Well, no, not exactly, but she implied that. She said that she knew that you were uncomfortable about it but didn't know how to tell me that yourself. She said she knew you'd want to get it straightened out. I mean, the way she said it, I thought you must've said something to her - she said what your thoughts and feelings were. I guess I just assumed."

"I'm gonna have a little talk with her." 'Cause I don't appreciate that shit. If I got somethin' to say to someone, I talk to them my own fuckin' self. I don't need no intermediary. And especially with Marie. That's just - that's just disrespectful of her to do it that way and - "Marie, I didn't - I didn't say I was embarrassed or anything. I'm not. I wouldn't send someone to talk to you for me. I just - " You just what, Logan? You don't mind her havin' a crush on you 'cause it makes you feel nice? You don't mind her thinkin' of you like that 'cause you're not entirely opposed to the idea? You're not havin' sexual thoughts about her 'cause you had feelings for her before you ever noticed she has a nice rack? " - I just don't want you thinkin' those things. Whatever was said about what I thought - just ignore that. OK?"

"Um, OK, but I'm not sure you should say anything to Jean because I'm sure she was just trying to help. Trying to be nice to me. I mean - "

"I don't need no help, not with you." Shit, that's the one thing in life I do pretty well - Marie care and maintenance.

"Well, good. Good. I'm - I'm glad. II would want to think there's nothing we can't talk about."

"Logan - do you - what do you think about all that? About me thinking those things about you."

"Honest? I ain't embarrassed. I kinda like it. You're - you're a good person and I kinda like that you'd think about me that way."

"Even if you don't think the same things."

"Marie, I can't think those things 'cause you're - you need time. You need time to date those obnoxious fuckin' kids, to have friends and a life, and get yourself sorted out. When the dust settles, if you're still thinkin' about me like that, well, then we've got somethin'. But now.now it can't be all about me and you. You need time."

"You know, you're a pretty smart guy." That's the feeling - the end of a serious conversation that has sorted some shit out - that's the feeling I like.

Well, six months later it's almost the end of hockey season. It's definitely the end of me and Jeannie. That night, after Marie and me talked, I talked to Jeannie about Scooter, Marie, and the whole shebang. Which, admittedly, was a little crazy. Because it meant the end of regular sex with a hot babe. Of course, I nailed her that night before I started talkin' about all that shit and made sure it was a good one, since I knew it'd probably be the last one. Crazy, not stupid.

Jeannie got all nuts about Scooter - didn't wanna tell him shit about her and me. "Not right now," she kept sayin' and I knew what it meant. Not 'till she was good and ready, not 'till she had it on her terms. Well, I told her I got to thinkin' about it and how maybe it wasn't right to be hidin'. I also said Marie mentioned their little talk, and I told Jeannie I didn't appreciate that. Maybe she was just tryin' to help, but Marie and me don't need a mediator. That pissed her off even better than the Scooter comments and, for some reason, she said that Marie would never love me like she did. I said, well, no shit. I mean, that's pretty fuckin' obvious even to someone as dense as I can be sometimes. Whatever happens with me and Marie - love, like, friendship, whatever - it wasn't gonna be like anythin' else.

So Jeannie pretended nothin' ever happened between us, and I started to spend more time with Marie. She'd been datin' that Remy kid pretty seriously, but she still made time for me and her, like always. It wasn't until we were watchin' a Rangers game - they really needed to win this one to make the playoffs - that I realized somethin' was up. Like I said, I can be dense sometimes.

"Hey where's Frenchy tonight?"

"We broke up." She didn't look too sad about that, so I might not hafta kill him. Just, you know, hack off a piece here and there.

"What happened?" Maybe I should get a little more information, just in case. You know, to be sure.

"You remember when I said I was thinking about having sex with him?"

Yeah, that's a pretty fuckin' vivid memory. And I'm not sure I like where this conversation might be headed. "Yeah."

"Well, I did. Two nights ago. And, you know, I didn't really like it that much."

"Whoa. Whoa. Why didn't you like it?" 'Cause if he did somethin' weird or somethin' to hurt her -

"I just.I wasn't that excited. I don't know. Maybe I did something wrong. I mean, we did it a couple times, and..nothing."

"You didn't do nothin' wrong. If it didn't feel good for you, he did somethin' wrong."

"Maybe. I just..it didn't feel like I thought it would. I mean, it was just sex, sex, sex, you know? It didn't really do anything for me or make me love him or something. I don't think it really did anything for him either - you know, emotionally. He didn't even really look at me the whole time and he was really preoccupied with avoiding my skin. Not that I blame him, I mean I would be if I were in his shoes too. JustI thought it would be really different than it was. So, when it was all over, I just said I think we should break up. He was kind of surprised, and he didn't really want to break up, but if I didn't feel anything for him then, after all that..well, I just knew I wasn't going to."

"I'm sorry, kid. You shoulda had a better first time." I'm not gonna kill him, 'cause, after all, he didn't hurt her. But he didn't make it nice for her either. Injury. Moderately severe. Yeah, that's about right.

"It was OK. And I'm kind of relieved to have it over with, you know, the whole virginity thing." For some reason, that's makin' me pissed as hell. Now that she said the v-word - maybe it's the possessive thing again - I don't think I wanted anyone else to be with her the first time. "Logan?" I wonder if that's showin' on my face. "Say something?"

"I kinda don't like that you had sex with him, Marie."

"I know you don't like him and I - "

"No, no. I kinda don't like that you had sex with anybody." Yes, even *I* can tell that's hypocritical, but still.

"Well, geez, Logan, I'm not going to be a nun! I mean, I'm stuck with a pretty strong sex drive from both you and Magneto, not to mention one horny as hell teenage boy bouncing around in my head and I'm not - "

"No. I don't want you to be a nun. I didn't mean that you couldn't have sex."

"So what? You're saying that I should just start focusing all of my attention on my shower massage?" She's laughin' but that's paintin' an interestin' mental picture for me. "That'd give a whole new meaning to April showers, that's for sure."

"Oh, you know, it's April and - "

"Yeah, OK, got it. But, ah, that's not what I was suggesting."

"Well what then? Because there's either having sex with someone else or by yourself or not at all. These are pretty much the options."

"You could, ah, you know, have sex with me." That was definitely NOT how I wanted that to come out, but she's right about me - I am a pretty straight shooter. No pun intended.

"Logan - " She's REAL surprised, but not in a bad way. I think. "What about - you said I - wait a minute here, what about giving me time to find myself and dating other people and - "

"Ah, no more of that, OK? I mean, it sounded like a good idea and all - until you actually had sex with someone who wasn't me. I know that sounds bad. I know that. But I don't like the idea of you having sex with other people. Not at all. So, ah, go ahead and go find yourself and stuff, but no more sex with other people. Other people who aren't me."

"That's really sweet." See? I knew she'd understand what I really meant and - "But really unfair."

"I mean, you can't put rules on me like that - 'no sex for Marie' - that's not really fair. You're not saying no sex for Logan with other people, just no sex for me with other people. You just had sex with that waitress at the diner two days ago and - "

"OK, OK, fine. No sex for me or you except with me or you. Fair?" That came out fairly angry, but she's just smilin'.

"That's fair. But are you sure? Are you sure you really want to do this? Because, I swear to God, if you ever look at Jean's ass after we've had sex, or pick up some random stripper, as much as I love you, I'll leave your sorry ass in a heartbeat. I mean it, Logan." And she does. She's lookin' at me real serious to make sure I know that. But really - my brain is still stuck on the 'as much as I love you' part of the conversation.

"Deal. And I'm sure. But it's only fair that the same rule applies to you, darlin'. No frenchmen, no popsicles, none of that. 'Cause as much as I love you, I'd hafta fuckin' kill the guy and then I'd leave ya 'cause I'd be goin' to prison."

"As much as you love me? Is that what you just said?" She's smilin' real big and bouncin' up and down a little 'cause she realized I said the L-word. Did I mention that we pretty much think the same?

"You know what? I like that. I like that a lot. So - sex now?"

And did I mention that I love it when she thinks *exactly* like me? I do, I really do. "Yeah, sex now. Right now."