The Wedding of the Century

A few weeks passed. Steve and Kate were no longer able to keep their engagement a secret and an official press release was sent out with a formal announcement of their engagement. The media went crazy upon hearing the news that not only were Steve Rogers and Kate Blackwell back together, but that they were now engaged. It was all everyone was talking about on social media and in entertainment magazines. They were asked by multiple sources to give interviews but they politely declined each one. Every time they stepped out of the Tower they were mobbed by people trying to get their pictures or ask them questions. It was a little overwhelming for them both and they were looking forward to their Honeymoon, which would take place on an island that Tony and Isabella owned. They would have an entire beach to themselves and a private jet to take them wherever they might wish to go.

Amidst the chaos they were trying to plan their wedding. They decided that, despite the chaos surrounding their upcoming nuptials, it would take place at a church in downtown New York where Steve had always wanted to get married. They finally decided to just embrace the chaos and their relatively small wedding began to turn into something much bigger and more extravagant. The guest list climbed and Kate even sent an invitation to Nick Fury who, much to her surprise, RSVP'd 'yes'.

Their wedding date was only two weeks away and Kate was already exhausted. She walked back into their room where she found Steve lounging on their bed and she collapsed next to him and felt him pull her into his arms.

"I am really looking forward to getting away for two weeks on our Honeymoon. When did Tony and Isabella buy an island? That must have happened when I was gone."

Steve closed his book just as Kate collapsed next to him. He tossed it on his bedside table then pulled her back toward him and kissed her neck. “They’ve had it a while but I’ve only seen pictures. There is a huge house there and a white, sandy beach. And all the privacy we want,” He whispered into her neck as he continued to kiss her there. Steve was always reserved in the tower. He didn’t like to have crazy sex when he knew the others might hear them. He always seemed to hold back and though it was certainly good, he never really just let go.

Steve had no real family that would be at the wedding but he would have everyone at the tower and maybe even more who had come to know him over the years. It was Kate who had alot though it would have been nice for her father to be alive to walk her down the isle. “Is Phil going to walk you down the isle?” steve asked as he snaked his hand under her shirt.

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Logan blew a large smoke ring from a fat stogie that he held between his fingers. Two topless women danced on the bartop right in front of him and on the bar was a rye whiskey that he knew would not get him drunk. The music was loud and annoying but it helped to drown out the thoughts that rummaged around in his head.

The past couple weeks had not been easy. Natalya had had several nightmares and once she had kissed him by accident when he held her trembling body. What ‘was’ he going to do? He did like Natalya and he trained with her, spent time with her. As much as he could stomach but he didn’t love her. How could he? And every time she looked at him her eyes were went from love to sad to mournful and it was beginning to grate upon him. She was an excellent fighter though and he was learning alot from her but he wasn’t the man that she was looking for each time she looked into his eyes.

Pharaoh had done his ‘odd possession’ thing and confirmed that his memories were inside his head so, if the man could be believed it all could come back at least. That was something but it didnt account for now. And right now he wanted to pack up his things and get the hell out of this madness!

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This time Gambit stood behind Serena. It was a private poker game and she was up just under $25k. The pot in the center of the table was well over $12k and her opponent, Martinez, a spanish man in a white suit and dark sunglasses had selected 5 card stud for this hand. Serena was a fast learner and she had learned how to silence her ‘tells’ and also, at the same time, read her opponents and her cards all at the same time. She had 2 jacks and 2 6’s. Not a terribly strong hand but three out of the 6 players had folded already. The other man that was still in the game was older and he had probably more money in his thick, gold rings than what he spent for the young, quite beautiful woman in a very low cut red dress that stood behind him. She was there to distract the players but obviously her wiles did not work on Serena but she was certainly spending alot of time looking at Gambit.

Serena asked for 1 card and it was another 6. That gave her a full house. Better than 2 pair or 3 of a kind. It was a fairly strong hand and her opponents both asked for 2 cards each. He knew the spaniard was bluffing but the older man...he couldn’t really tell. Though he still drew 2 cards which meant he had a 3 of a kind. The odds were he didnt draw anything useful and he waited to see what he did have. Serena matched the bet to call but the Spaniard foolishly raised the bet another $8k. The old man considered and then tossed his cards in on a fold. Gambit smiled and watched as Serena called. The grin on the spaniard faded and when he laid down his cards he did only have a 3 of a kind, 10 high. Seren’s full house won the hand and she raked in nearly all the remaining chips the men around her had. The men stood nodded or murmured ‘good game’ and promptly left the table. The dealer brought over his chip case and began to count her chips as Gambit hugged her.

“I’d say you’re amazing but I think you already know that,” He said as he kissed her cheek. “Not a bad haul, I’d say about $50k tonight. Think you can afford to take me out for some drinks and dancing? I know a place,” He said smiling wide at her and he could tell she could barely contain her excitement. Not 5 minutes later Gambit was taking her from behind as she held onto the railing of the balcony to their room that overlooked the ocean. The waves crashed up against the nearby shoreline and palm trees swayed with the warm breeze. They were on the island of St. Kitts and they didn’t have a care in the world.

A little while later while she was checking her hair she received a text. To her surprise it was from Peter.

‘Hey, I know it’s been a while but I wanted to tell you that I’m coming home in a few days.’

‘I was studying but I was also busy doing spidey things’

‘I know that’s no excuse but I have missed you and this absence has made my heart grow fonder’

Kate closed her eyes as she felt Steve's lips on her neck. She had missed moments like this when they were apart. His lips were soft and yet firm at the same time and he knew exactly where to kiss to elicit a reaction from her. She thought the island sounded amazing. It sounded like exactly where they needed to be for a while. She and Steve each worked very hard and hardly ever took any time off for themselves. On that island they would be away from work and the pressures of being an Avenger and also away from the media frenzy. They would be able to relax and enjoy one another's company.

Going through the wedding planning had been exciting for Kate, but also hard for her. It only just reminded her that her parents were both dead. Her mother wasn't around to help her plan, and her father wasn't around to walk her down the aisle. Thankfully, she still had Phil. Despite her leaving SHIELD they remained close. He had even recently had dinner with Steve and herself and for the entire night none of them talked about SHIELD or the Avengers. It had been a wonderful evening.

"Yes, he is," she confirmed with a little sigh as Steve continued to kiss her neck. "I still can't believe that Nick is coming."

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Serena and Gambit had been doing some traveling recently. She really wanted to just travel the world with him, but she was still in school so they took shorter trips here and there. St. Kitts was beautiful and she had already developed a bit of a tan from laying out on the beach. Her confidence in herself at the poker tables was growing because of Gambit's coaching. She didn't always win, but she won enough to show the others at the tables that she wasn't to be dismissed because she was a young woman.

That night she had walked away with $50,000. It was nice for her not to be relying constantly on her parents for money and to be able to provide some for herself. She was putting quite a bit of her earnings into a savings account she opened for herself and she had also invested some in stocks that weren't apart of her parent's portfolios.

She was getting ready to go out with Gambit to get some drinks and go dancing when suddenly her phone went off alerting her to a new text message. She was surprised to see it was from Peter. She read it a dozen times and just held her phone in her hand, unsure of how to respond or what to say. She saw Gambit look over at her and see her expression and she sighed.

"I just got a text message from Peter. He's apparently coming home soon."

Steve moved his left hand to the back of her neck. He shifted her hair to the side and began kissing her at the base of her neck where he knew it would make her shiver. He smiled as he saw goosebumps appear on her forearms and if he stopped kissing her he knew she’d complain that he had stopped. So he just continued for a while longer, hoping it helped her relax.

Steve had missed Kate more than he ever thought he could miss anybody. Her scent, her hair in his face, the little noises she made while she slept. All of it, all of her. He now realized how foolish he had been. If he had just trusted her more...well, second guessing changed nothing, he thought. They were together now and that's what mattered.

“Shh, no more talk,” he murmured in between his kisses and his hand began to explore her body.

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At dinner there was Pharaoh, Tony, Isabella, Steve, Kate and Natalya. No one had seen Logan go but the guards down in security had said that he had left. He had taken to wearing his old brown leather jacket. The assumption was that it was probably the last thing he remembered wearing. Everyone knew that he had been sleeping on the floor in Natalya’s room and also training every morning with her. They also knew that Pharaoh confirmed that his memories were indeed in his head. A promise that if they all continued to work with him that eventually his memories would return. For Kate and Isabella, it was all they could do to help Natalya. She had come so very far from the agent assassin she had been. Logan had been quite studious about staying close to Natalya. Tonight though his place at the table was empty and it was clear that Natalya had become unsettled about it.

Pharaoh chuckled as he took a bite of his salad. “It appears that even Logan is not immune to a woman’s scorn. He is late, yes?” He asked but when he saw three sets of disapproving eyes look at him his mirth faded and he went back to his meal. Steve nearly chuckled himself but he had sensed the tension in the air when Pharaoh obviously did not. Tony had spoke to Logan and, as a personal favor to him, he asked that he try to be consistent for a few days. To spend time with Natalya and to try to keep his temper.

The elevator beeped and Logan stepped off of it. He was smoking a cigar, something he had picked up recently though apparently he had always smoked them. Just not recently. He saw them eating and he stepped up to the table. “Sorry I’m late, I had...things to do,” he said. He had blood on his shirt and on his hands as if he’d been fighting. He looked no worse for where though, Logan never did with his healing ability. “What?” He asked when they only looked him over. “You shoulda seen the other guys,” he said jokingly.

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Gambit remembered her talking about Peter and he frowned when he recalled what she had said about him. “The guy you were dating? Is...everything alright? What did he say?” He asked diplomatically. He had never met the man and didn’t feel threatened by her first, real love. Serena had told him all about what her and Peter had been. What they ‘thought’ would happen and how certain they had been that they would end up together. He knew Serena and Peter were young but he was confident in his hold on her. He knew she loved him, she proved it everyday it seemed.

Kate and Steve spent the remainder of the afternoon in their room making love and then just lying there together talking quietly. Finally, the smell of Isabella's cooking roused them from their bed and they got dressed before heading out into the main room. As they joined the others at the table Kate noticed that Logan wasn't there. It had been a relief for everyone to learn from Pharaoh that Logan's memories were not lost. They were still there, but they were all struggling with how to bring those memories back. It was interesting to Kate, however, that Logan continued to choose to sleep in Natalya's room. She wasn't sure if it was due to those subconscious memories, or if he just felt that he needed to for Natalya's sake.

For Natalya it had been difficult to give the brown leather jacket back to Logan after he had given it to her. However, he couldn't remember that and clearly he remembered the jacket and had wanted it back. Natalya was trying everything she could think of to jog those memories, but she also didn't want to push him either. He chose to sleep in her room and to spar with her everyday. He would also sit next to her whenever they joined the others for a meal. She could tell though that he was not happy being in the Tower and she was starting to think that he was going to leave. If he chose to do so she wouldn't stop him. She loved him and wanted him to be happy and if he wasn't happy here then she would let him go.

She was worried when he was late for dinner. He hadn't been anywhere in the Tower and they had learned from the security guards that he had gone out. Suddenly, she heard the elevator beep and as she looked over she saw him get off. She blinked when she saw blood on his shirt and realized that he had gotten into a fight. She knew he was alright though. She decided not to question him herself since she didn't want to smother him and push him away. She did miss having her best friend though and she had been feeling incredibly lonely lately.

"What happened?" Isabella asked.

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Serena nodded to Gambit when he asked if she and Peter had dated. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, it seems that everything is alright. He was just telling me that he was coming home in a few days and told me he has missed me. I don't understand why he is suddenly getting in contact with me after I had tried several times to text him, but he never responded."

“I was at Charlie’s,” he began just as Tony was sipping his wine and as he heard what Logan said he sputtered, nearly spitting it out and cleared his throat. “Some of the girls knew who I was I think and a few of the guys didn’t like me ‘hogging’ their attention,” Logan said. He smiled when he had said that. Obviously he had liked being their center of attention. He did not look at Natalya though and he put his stogie back into his mouth then pulled it out again.

“Hey, is that the place on 5th street?” Steve asked genuinely curious. He had never been in there, strip clubs were not his scene but he was a man and obviously wanted to hear about Logan’s experiences there. “They make a mean...Prime...Rib,” Pharaoh had said though when Isabella looked at him his voice fizzled out to nothing in the end. “Oh yeah, We ‘do’ need to do a Bachelor party for you right?” Logan said and Tony even had to grin at hearing that.

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“So he misses you...do you miss him?” Gambit asked with a smirk. He was looking into the mirror at her face. He did feel just a tinge of jealousy but he managed to keep it at bay. Serena was a very beautiful woman with large, dark eyes, thick eyebrows and even a few freckles that only just enhanced her beauty. She had gorgeous brown hair and more than enough curves for his liking.

Serena and Peter had been high school sweethearts even though they had dated other people. They had gone to the prom together and had been Co-Valedictorians to boot. They were...young though and compared to Gambit, Peter seemed more boyish in how he acted and especially how he had made love to her. Gambit was all man in that department. Charming and confident and quite intuitive to her needs and desires. Each time she climbed into bed with him, if they even used a bed was an amazing experience. Passionate but also quite gentle as well. Some of his inner confidence was rubbing off on her, especially when she gambled and he delighted in her successes which only seemed to endear him to her that much more.

Natalya knew the place Logan mentioned. He told her that he used to go there, but he had stopped going after they had met. It was in that moment and the fact that he wasn't looking at her that she knew she had lost him. It felt like her stomach had been dropped through the floor and at the same time like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart as hard as they could. Without saying a word, Natalya stood up and pushed back her chair and stepped away from the table. She walked away and headed to the gym. She didn't even change. She turned on some music and turned up the volume as loud as she could stand and then wrapped her hands before throwing her first punch at one of the boxing bags.

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Serena glanced up towards Gambit and saw him watching her through the mirror. She didn't want to lie to Gambit. She loved him and she knew that he loved her. She wanted to be honest with him.

"I have missed him...yes. Peter and I were best friends for a long time. We did everything together. He supported me and made me laugh like no one else could. I...loved him and I thought we were going to be together for the rest of our lives. When we broke up I didn't just lose a boyfriend...I lost my best friend and until you came back into my life I felt alone."

Logan’s brow furled in irritation when Natalya got up from the table. They all watched her leave and Kate was about to get up but Steve put his hand on her shoulder then leaned in and whispered. “Let her go, she has to work through this on her own. Isabella just rubbed her forehead as if she were getting a headache. After a few moments of no one speaking Logan got up. ‘Logan, just…” Isabella began but he put his hand up. “I got this,” he growled. He had had enough of this ’pretending’ he was someone he wasn’t. How could anyone be anyone but themselves? The concept was alien to him and he wasn’t going to accommodate her anymore. He saw her with the bag and saw how hard she was hitting it. The music was terribly loud but she just danced around, jabbed, kicked and danced some more.

“Natalya!” He shouted but she hadn’t heard him. “Natalya, I want to talk to you!” He shouted again and this time he thought she just ignored him. In a burst of anger he stepped forward and put his left claws into the audio case and the music abruptly stopped as sparks flew from the system. “What in the HELL was that?” He growled. When she continued to ignore him, she continued to fight the bag though more vigorously his temper had blown full tilt. He leaped forward and sliced the chain that held the bag. However even before it fell Natalya, with a quick shift of her momentum kicked the bag as it fell so hard it hit Logan and sent him backward several feet. He landed hard with it on him and like a ferocious beast he sliced though it with both of his claws and the bag blew up into pieces of wood, stuffing and sand. He kipped up onto his feet and barely missed her with his claws.

“I think maybe I made a mistake by not killing you!” he growled and then attacked her.

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For some reason Gambit frowned. He didn’t know why but he felt...somewhat threatened by this Peter. The way Serena talked about him, the inflection in her voice made it clear that she still had feelings for him. He didn’t like that nor where this conversation was going. “By how you talk about him Serena, it appears you two have some unresolved feelings for one another. Should I be concerned that when we go back I’ll just be pushed aside?” he asked honestly and he felt a little irritation enter into his voice. He and Serena had never fought nor even had a single argument since they met. But he felt one brewing now. Over an old boyfriend no less. Why was he acting like they were in highschool? He didn't know but he did feel his question was valid.

Natalya could not hide the look of terrible pain that came to her eyes at what Logan had just said. However, that pain quickly shifted to anger when Logan lunged forward and attacked her. She fought back. Years of sparring with him had taught her all she needed to know about how he fought. However, he didn't remember all those years of fighting together so she had the advantage in this fight. She rushed him and jumped up onto him. She grappled her legs around his neck and then swung her body around, throwing him onto the ground. This was her signature move and she had not used it yet in their previous sparring matches. She stood back and looked at him.

"I want you to answer one question for me Logan before you call me ridiculous for feeling the way I am about this situation. Your girlfriend in Canada, you loved her right? And she loved you? Imagine waking up one morning to find that her memories of you and your history together have just vanished. How would that make you feel? I'm feeling just as fucking frustrated as you are and I am dealing with it in my own damn way. And, by the way, I never asked you to come down here after me nor did I really want it."

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Serena looked at Gambit and she immediately shook her head. "Things between Peter and I just ended...badly and very suddenly," she said as she got up. She slowly walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "But there is no reason to be concerned. I'm with you now and I love you."

“Don’t you EVER compare my situation to yours! Kayla is NEVER coming back and I didn’t just ‘sit in my room’ and mourn over her! And I DID love her! More than anything!” he said as he stepped up to her. They were very close, close enough to touch one another easily. “Logan…’your’ Logan did not define YOU! You chose to change Natalya! You chose to help people and to risk yourself and love again! I’m sorry you lost your best friend and I’m sorry I’m not him! But I’m not!” he said forcefully. He was trying not to cry in front of her but he had never really dealt with the loss of Kayla. It was like a recent memory that he had shoved away in that dark place he tossed all of his unwanted pain. Memories of her were like acid in his belly. A toxic poison that made him want to lash out. But he wasn’t angry at Natalya. In his own way, he mourned for her. For her, For Kayla, for himself. Life had dealt them all some pretty fucking bad cards and they had no choice but to play what they were dealt.

“I can see what he saw in you Natalya,” He said in almost the exact way Logan had said her name in the past. “And I know he’d not want you to give up, because I don’t,” he said.

It was now exactly one week before the wedding. Serena and Gambit had returned from their trip to St. Kitts. Serena was one of Kate's bridesmaids and she needed to be there to help with the final details. She had never responded to Peter's text, mostly because she hadn't known exactly what to say. She had had a dream about him though. In that dream they had actually gone to the Prom and had danced together. She hadn't told Gambit about her dream. She knew it would only upset him and she knew she had only had that dream because she was thinking about him because of the text.

Natalya was finally coming to grips with the fact that Logan was likely not going to get his memories back. She would just have to deal with a new reality, as much as it pained her. She had contemplated leaving, but only briefly. This place was her home and this team her family. They had all helped her and she couldn't abandon them...not when they were counting on her being there. Logan...her Logan had taken a risk in saving her and she wasn't going to throw that away. She and this Logan were not close...not by a long shot, but she didn't avoid him either. He no longer slept on the floor in her room and they trained separately.

Serena was in the kitchen. Logan hadn't made pancakes since his memory loss and she was craving some that morning. She got down a bowl and mixed up some batter from scratch as he had taught her to do. She heated up the griddle and melted some butter on it before starting to pour out some of the batter. The smell soon filled the kitchen and then wafted down the hallway...

Logan woke up to the smell of bacon and pancake batter. His sense of smell was incredible and he had made pancakes enough to know when a griddle was about to be used. He had had the strangest dream. They were on a mission and he suddenly lost consciousness though he did recall protecting Natalya from...something.

He yawned, stretched and put on his gray jogging pants and white tank top. He was surprised he wasn’t in Natalya’s room but they had just began a new chapter into their relationship And likely they decided, or just her, that they would not sleep together every night. He felt though that he missed that but set that thoightnaside because they had only just professed their love for one another.

He peered out of his door to discover that Serena was who was making breakfast. He had taught her how to make the pancakes from scratch and by the smell of the batter she had it right. It was a rare instance to have pancakes that Logan didn’t make so he decided to see if Natalya was up.

Her room was dark and he padded in his slippers up to her bedside. She looked peaceful as she slept and he smiled as he watched her. She was unbelievably beautiful, even when she slept and he moved to hover over her. As he listened to her breathing he lowered his face down and lightly kissed her lips.

“You up for some pancakes Nat?” He asked softly.

Natalya was slowly starting to awaken. She had worked out until she nearly collapsed last night in order for her to sleep. She hadn't been sleeping well since this whole thing with Logan started. However, this night she finally was able to fall asleep. She had dreams, but these dreams were about Logan...her Logan and not nightmares. She thought she smelled...something...

Suddenly, she felt lips on her own and she just reacted without hearing what was said. Instinctively, she punched the guy...hard in the jaw. When she opened her eyes she was shocked to see it was Logan...who was looking at her from the floor in shock as he held his jaw. She just blinked at him. "Why did you just kiss me?"

Natalya’s lips were soft and he saw her shift as if she might invite him into her bed but then he felt a sharp pain. As he was struck he saw a silvery light with black flecks in his vision as he fell back onto the floor. His hand went to his face almost immediately. He blinked his vision clear and raised up onto his elbows. He winced as he held his mouth and cocked his neck as his healing reset the cartilage in his neck.

“Jesus Nat, was it another nightmare?” he asked with a scowl on his face. He had thought she was past striking out at him like that when she had bad dreams. “And why shouldn’t I kiss you?” he asked as his scowl changed into a smirk. “You were irresistible just laying there,” he added.

As Logan looked at Natalya he would see a look of utter confusion on her face that slowly transformed to one of absolute relief. Tears actually came to her eyes. "You remember." Now it was Logan's turn to look confused and it was in that moment that she realized that he must not remember not remembering. She invited him up to sit with her on her bed and she began to explain to him everything that had happened, starting with the last thing he remembered. She told him that he didn't remember being an Avenger, living in the Tower, or her. She reached over to her bedside table and pulled something out. What she put into his hand was the bullet they had removed from his skull.

"This bullet was designed by the SSB. It's a bullet made to pierce any armor, which is why it was able to penetrate your skull. It...it was meant to hit me Logan. You were not the target...I was and if it had hit me it would have killed me....instantly. You saved my life...again."

Logan listened to Natalya with more than a little skepticism. He did not remember being shot nor did he even remember going on the mission she spoke of. His last memory was of making love to her though it was all hazy like a dream might be. He thought it was a dream in fact. But Natalya was not one for flights of fancy. If she said it, it likely had happened and his thoughtful look shifted into a scowl.

“Did I...uh, this other Logan. Did I do anything...bad?” he asked. He tried to hurriedly think if there were things in his past that he had never told Natalya about and discovered there were lots of things. Kayla Silverfox for one. And how he found out that she had been a plant and wasn’t dead. He had never mentioned her to anyone.

Natalya sighed when Logan asked her if he had done anything bad. She explained to him in more detail about his behavior and about some of the things he had said and done. She wasn't angry at him for not telling her about Kayla and his relationship with her. She understood that there were certain things that people wanted to keep to themselves and while she had told Logan quite a few things about herself she hadn't told him everything.

She thought about anything else Logan needed to know and thought of one big thing. "Oh, Steve and Kate are back together. She left SHIELD for good this time and they are getting married...in exactly a week from today. The media has gone crazy over their engagement. It's pretty much like they are royalty. They can't leave the Tower without being hounded by photographers."

Logan groaned. “Eh, couldn’t I have gotten my memory back ‘after’ the wedding?” he said then laid back onto the bed in exasperation. He hated social functions and likely Steve would want him to stand up for him. He ignored the disapproving looks she gave him but then he smiled at her. “Com-ere,” he said his smile growing even wider and he pulled her onto him and kissed her. Oh how wonderful it was to be able to express his feelings for her. Her lips were soft and warm and wonderful. He took her face into his hands and held it back slightly so he could look deeply into her large, dark eyes. “I’m sorry I went away, but I’m back now Natalya. And I love you,” he murmured as he felt more tears stream down her face onto his hands.

Natalya looked down down into Logan's eyes as tears filled her own. Even though he had been here it hadn't been him...the Logan she knew and loved and that had made her feel even more alone than she would have felt if he hadn't been in the Tower at all. What that other Logan hadn't understood that this one did was that their lives were so intertwined together that it was like they were apart of each other and losing him had been like losing apart of herself. Their relationship wasn't just love and friendship. It was so much more than that. It was something that no one else but them would ever understand.

"I love you too Logan," she whispered before kissing him again.