A series by November

Chapter 56: A New and Glorious Morn

Christmas 2004 dawned bright and clear. The snow-intensified morning sunlight woke them to the warmth of the bed and each other. He rose and started the coffee. He thought that kids were supposed to be up before the adults but when he checked in on Maggie she was sleeping quietly.

He sat on the couch, listening to the sounds of Marie showering, sipping his coffee. He could hear the creak of the roof under its burden of snow, two floors above, and Maggie’s quiet sleeping breath in the next room. This, he thought, was peace. It was new to him and startling in its purity.

Marie came out in silk pajamas and wet hair and then Maggie bounded into the room, screeching at the sight of the gifts, and the tranquility was gone. Marie turned on Christmas carols and they sat, opening presents, eating nuts and candy out of the stockings. Marie got out the camera and photographed Maggie and Logan. She was less thrilled when Logan took the camera and took a shot of her.

But when Maggie took the camera and took a picture of them, sitting disheveled on the sofa, him in a tee shirt and PJ bottoms and her in her pajamas, she didn’t mind. The photograph came out wonderfully, her laughing cheeks rosy from the shower, white and brown tendrils falling from her ponytail, him looking happily at her. She later printed it out and put it in a frame on the wall.

Marie was more relaxed than she’d been since Hilton Head and she stretched into the space and freedom of the winter break. They went sledding, and into the city to skate at Rockefeller Center. Scott watched Maggie on New Year’s Eve and Logan took Marie into town to his studio and painted her in her pink dress. Then they painted each other, velvet red and persimmon and lemon yellow and Thallo green and aquamarine mixing between them as their bodies moved on the hard studio floor. That night they went out with Jubilee, Leah, Rakim, Bobby and Cody.

There, they met the others. Their group was a motley crew. Some of them could pass for normal, Rogue, Logan, even Storm in her jean jacket appeared to be a somewhat normal woman with a misguided dye job. Of course Hank was furry and blue, so that was out, and Scott had his glasses on. Oleander actually was a non-mutant, but with long blonde hair, her odd name and ethereal looks she joked that she fit in more among the mutants than other humans. They were getting a few odd looks from other tables, which they ignored, even when someone said "papa smurf."

They had dinner and debated on who the designated drivers would be.

"I can drive, because even if I get hammered I metabolize it five times quicker." Logan said, picking apart a chicken wing.

"Yeah but Logan, you will still test positive on a breathalyzer. If we get pulled over, you’re screwed."

"Actually, Scott, that’s not true." Jean said. "Logan is probably the best choice to drive us back, Not only will he test negative no matter what he drinks, as long as he waits an hour before driving, but he has better visual acuity than any of us." She sipped her O’Doul’s. "Damn, do I wanna get drunk tonight." Jean was four months pregnant and was resigned to having only a half-glass of champagne at midnight.

Everyone stared at her.

"What? A doctor’s not allowed to be drunk?"

"Well this one won‘t drink, as I‘m on call, so I will drive us back if you wish to drink, Logan." Hank said.

"Thanks," Rogue said.

Professor X had declined to come with but gave them his credit card to use. They spent an obscene amount of money on dinner and drinks and by the time dessert came no one was feeling any pain.

"I’m gonna go get my skeeball on," Jubilee said.

"Me too," Rogue said. "Oh, if anyone doesn’t want their tickets you can give ‘em to me for Maggie."

"It’s ten thirty now," Scott said. "I propose we all meet back here at a quarter ‘til midnight."

Logan kissed Rogue, then disappeared with Bobby and Scott who were doing free throws at the basketball booth.

She slipped out of her leather jacket and joined Jubilee at the skeeball lanes. That was where he found her, buzzed and warm and doing horribly at skeeball, an hour later.

She turned around to head back to the bar and ran right into him.

"Hey."

"Hey love."

"Are you okay?"

"I’m drunk." she said happily.

"Shame on you," he grinned.

She gave him the eyebrow and a grin and the finger, in that order, and walked to toward the bar.

"Whatcha drinkin’, sug?" she said over her naked shoulder.

He stared at her, hypnotized by the softness of her white skin contrasting with the hair falling behind her. "Whiskey sour."

"Comin’ right up." Alcohol had brought out the slow Mississippi in her voice.

He sat down and watched her walk.

"Hey Logan." Jubilee said without looking at him. She tossed a ball and it bounced perfectly, sailing into the 50-point hole in the center of the backboard.

"Hey Yellow."

"You treating my girl allright?"

"Doing my damndest." He looked at the unbroken stream of tickets flowing from the machine. "What, are you the skeeball queen or something?"

"That is correct. Jubes is in the hizzle fishizzle."

"O...kay."

Marie returned carefully with three drinks. "Oh god, she’s doing her homegirl thing again. Jubes. Beer. Quick, before I drop it."

"Thanks."

Logan took his whiskey sour from her, leaving her with a rather large margarita.

"You’re mixing beer and liquor? You’re gonna have a hell of a hangover."

"I haven’t gotten good and plastered for a long time. Besides, you get to hold my hair while I puke." She joked.

"Okay." He said, utterly serious.

She didn't notice. She was looking in one of the conference room windows. "Oh my god, Hank and them are in there doing Karaoke."

"Holy shit, this I’ve gotta see." Jubes threw the last ball of a game and grabbed her tickets and purse. They went through the red door and joined Jean and Scott.

Hank was on stage, muscular legs spread in his tight jeans, singing along to "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. They were all startled by how much he sounded like James Hetfield, snarling, feral, impassioned.

"I didn’t know he could do that." Rogue said.

"That’s kinda hot." Jubilee said, eyes not moving from Hank.

Rogue giggled and they stared at her.

"Yellow and blue make green."

She giggled again. Jubilee smacked her lightly upside the head and she just giggled some more.

Bobby and Oleander wandered in. "Wow," she said.

"He’s an awesome singer. We’re thinking about starting a band."

"Who’s in it so far," Logan asked, quite seriously.

"So far it’s me and Hank and Darla."

"What does she do?"

"Bass."

"What are y'all called?"

"Well, we were gonna be Five Mutants from Westchester but Darla's not a mutant, so that sort of shot it down."

Jubilee went up and spoke to the DJ. "She’s gonna sing?"

"Oh, you’re in for a treat." Marie said.

"Okay, give it up for Hank," the DJ said in his cheesy DJ voice. "Up next, Jubilee is gonna sing ‘Shoop’ by Salt N’ Pepa."

"Oh, god," Bobby groaned as Jubes began shaking her hips to the beat.

"Just watch," Rogue said. So they watched while Jubes rapped, sang and danced along with the song perfectly. The performance was more than the sum of its parts. Jubilee was a born entertainer. She strutted and shimmied and rapped the song out perfectly. Of course Rogue had roomed with Jubilee for two semesters so she’d seen her burst into song before. Rogue shook her hips slightly to the beat as they watched. Logan was in close behind her, his hand on her side.

"Hey guys it’s almost a quarter ‘til." Jubilee had finished and Rogue catcalled, clapping for her. So did everyone in the room, even the assholes who had made the "papa smurf" comment.

"Come on, get to the bar everyone, I’ve got a treat for you all." Scott said.

All eleven of them assembled at the bar to watch the ball in Times Square drop. Scott had two bottles of Dom Perignon chilling there for them. They were all standing there looking up at the TV.

Rogue’s consciousness was full of Logan’s presence. He stood behind her as the last minute of the year began. She felt his fingers gently tracing a line up her spine and she shivered. She turned around and smiled at him. "Hi."

"Hi," he smiled sweetly.

"You havin’ fun love?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Totally." she said.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You look incredibly gorgeous tonight."

He found it endearing that the same woman who could whip him the finger, give him the eyebrow, and order him a drink all at once could blush at this simple statement. He wanted to marry her at that very moment.

"I love you," she said quietly.

"Rogue, Logan, glasses?" Scott handed champagne flutes down to them. He and Bobby were holding the bottles, ready to pop the corks. "Love you too, baby," he whispered into her ear.

The people in the bar started chanting. "Ten! Nine! Eight!" He wanted to ask her so badly.

"Seven! Six!" She turned to face the TV and felt his warmth at her back like the sun. His fingers spread possessively over her stomach and she leaned into the warmth.

"Five! Four!" The words were on the tip of his tongue. Marry me. But then he thought about what he would do if she said no.

"Three! Two!"

She turned and wrapped her arms around him.

"Happy new year!" Dick Clark’s voice was coming from the TV and confetti was falling. Pop! Went Bobby’s bottle. Pop! Went Scott’s. Couples were kissing. People were cheering.

Rogue touched his face and stood on her tiptoes and kissed him hard. She tasted like lime and tequila. She suddenly felt drunk again and it seemed the room was whirling with noise and light and confetti in a vortex around them. He wrapped her hair around his fingers and kissed back, feeling himself harden. She kissed him and kissed him and nearly dropped the champagne flutes she was holding.

She faltered, a little dizzy, leaning into him. He touched his forehead to hers and tucked a white streak of hair behind her ear. "Happy new year." she whispered.

"Happy new year to you, baby." he whispered back, into the hair at her temple. "I love you."

"Me too."

Finally, they parted, slowly came down to earth and noticed Scott and Bobby pouring champagne into everyone’s glasses, and Scott saying "Oh. My. God." He was looking with his jaw dropped at Jubilee, who had a shocked Hank in a liplock.

Hank's big blue hands made as if to push her away, then stopped, faltered. He didn't know what to do. Then, suddenly, he was dipping Jubilee down low, still kissing her. He appeared to have gotten his bearings. Everyone was clapping and hooting. Logan and Marie looked at each other with raised eyebrows and simultaneously said "green!"

Scott was holding out the champagne bottle. Rogue held out her glass and Scott filled it, then Logan’s.

"To us," She said, holding her glass up to his. He clinked it and they sipped, eyes locked.

"To you and me and Maggie," he said, and they drank again, deeply. The new year dawned on them happily, light and love shining in their eyes.

Then it would all go to hell, world turning on its axis.