On the Topic Of Marriage

The days seemed to flyby. The Avengers had a few missions but Natalya was not among them when they faced them. Usually Isabella, Tony and Serena spent Thanksgiving with her parents and family. This year though do to several factors, Natalya and Peter, they decided to just host their own celebration right there in the tower. Isaebella, Kate, Serena and Peter did the cooking and they were all working all day to get the massive meal together. Steve, Tony, Logan, Natalya and Pharaoh were in the main living area watching a football game.

Natalya’s wounds had been nearly all healed though she had developed an infection and had to go to a real doctor to get it taken care of. She and Logan had not had sex since she had been captured but once in a while she opted to make out with him when the mood struck her and Logan accomodated her completely though she knew he missed that part of their relationship alot.

Peter and Serena had spent a great deal of her first 2 days back alone but now it was family time and Peter opted to help the women with the cooking so he could at least be close to her. The bird was coming along quite nicely and the delicious smells that came from the kitchen were driving everyone who was in the living room crazy with hunger and expectation of a very good meal.

Steve was in the large recliner with William on his lap. Pharaoh was on one end of the large couch and Natalya was curled up on the other end with Logan sitting on the floor in front of her so she could touch him whenever she wanted to. Logan tilted his head back far enough to catch her eyes. He pursed his lips into a kiss for her and smiled at her then tilted his back forward.

“I don’t know why you two don’t just get married,” Pharaoh said offhandedly as he continued to watch The New York Jets getting whooped up on by the New England Patriots. Natalya was taking a sip of beer while he said it and Logan just looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Steve grinned at hearing that but said nothing. Pharaoh had a saucer and a cup of tea and he lowered it to his lap as he turned to look at them. “Oh, I don’t mean the whole wedding production, just a ceremony. I am an ordained minister...among other things. I could do it whenever you wanted,” he said. Logan finally turned and looked at him poleaxed. Those in the kitchen heard him as well and Peter grinned at Serena who apparently also heard him.

An official statement was made regarding Natalya’s return. No great detail was given on what had happened to her, but the public was told that she had been held captive and then escaped and was now recovering. Her physical wounds were almost entirely healed, but her mental wounds were another story. Logan was being extremely patient with her and was constantly there for her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to do this without him. She was almost ready to start training again. She was back up to her normal body weight and with her wounds being healed she had been cleared to do so. She decided she would talk to Logan later about a training schedule.

The entire Tower was filled with the smells of the cooking turkey, the pies, and all the sides. Thankfully they had a large kitchen with several ovens. Natalya was happy to be getting back to a normal schedule. She liked routines and today was the first day where she didn’t feel like a patient. She was sitting on the couch with Logan on the floor in front of her. She gave him a little smile when he tilted his head back to look up at her. However, her attention was immediately pulled over to Pharaoh when he casually commented that he thought they should just get married. She blinked and glanced at Logan. They had never discussed getting married. Their relationship seemed to work the way it was. She didn’t need to be married to be happy with him. However, if he wanted to be she wouldn’t deny him that.

“Uh...thanks Pharaoh for the offer...”

Logan tilted his head back again. “See Pharaoh, you don’t know me at all. If I ‘did’ want to get married, it would be ‘because’ I’d get to see her in a wedding dress,” he said and twerked his eyebrows at her then tilted his head back to face forward. “And to rip it off of her after,” he murmured, though only loud enough for her to hear. Though that was partly fueled from the lack of sex and how much he loved her and ‘wanted’ to make love to her but she wasn’t ready for that. ‘Would she ever be?’ He wasn't certain but even if that were the case she was still stuck with him whether she liked it or not. She belonged to him and he her, no matter what happened to them and on that day that she died. He would mourn her death and likely never be the same from that loss. Evan just thinking about it now made his stomach go queasy.

Natalya could be a model for gown and dress designers if she had wanted to be that. And in fact, she posed as one while she worked at the SSB though only to get a meeting with a weapons dealer so she could murder him….which she had. Logan relaxed and laid his neck up against her shin. That had been a new thing to recently. He had begun to touch her unprompted. Nothing sexual just a hug or just sitting or lying idle like they were now.

“So hun, would ya take the ladies and ‘say yes to the dress?” he said trying to be funny.

Natalya sometimes didn’t know how to take the things that Logan said. Like now. She just stared at him and was unsure of what to say. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her and she didn’t like that. She felt put on the spot and didn’t like that either. She suddenly stood up and looked at Logan.

“May I talk to you alone?”

When he followed her to their room she looked at him. “What did you mean by that?”

He could feel everyone’s eyes on them as she led them to their room. Logan looked at her when she rounded on him just as the door was closed. With her lips drawn in a line he knew she was upset. Logan grinned at her. “It was...a joke? You know, those things people tell one another to ‘A’, make them laugh or ‘B’, to make fun of them and get their back up. I can see it was option ‘B’ for you...though it wasn’t how I meant it,” he said but wasn’t certain if she was about to explode on him or not.

“I’d never make a decision like ‘that’ unless I talked to you first. I mean I’d have to ask you first and I’m pretty sure I didn’t,” he said honestly then thought about that for a moment, then nodded confidently.

Natalya sighed and shook her head and looked away and then back at him. "I just really don't like being put on the spot like that in front of everyone and then have you say something to me where I'm not sure how serious you are being. I don't need to get married Logan. I'm happy just being with you as we are now. However, if you wanted it then I wouldn't say no."

Logan’s eyebrows drew up and he had a look of surprise on his face. “No? Why would you say no? Not that I’m asking because in not. But no?” He asked.

Natalya looked at him. “I said I wouldn’t say no. But you’re not asking so it doesn’t matter. As I said I’m perfectly happy with the way things are now between us.”

Logan blinked in understanding. “Ok, don’t put you on the spot...I got it,” he said in obvious disgruntlement and he crossed his arms over his thick chest and his eyes looked angry. “Anything ‘else’ I should be aware of? Any more ‘eggshells’ I need to tip toe on around you?” he asked. It had been a long 2 months and he was far from the most patient person she knew. And he had put up with alot from her.

Natalya looked at Logan with anger growing in her eyes. “No,” she said coldly. “And if you asked me now my answer would be no.” She opened the door and stepped out and walked into the kitchen to help the others. She didn’t even look at Logan.

Logan was beyond angry now and if Natalya had stayed near him she’s likely get punched for how she had just treated him. He stepped out of the room with his jacket on and slammed the door then headed for the elevator. “If she thinks im takin her shit…” He growled though everyone likely heard that. The elevator opened he got inside then he was gone.

“Damn, I need to take lessons from you,” Peter said trying to lighten the mood. “Is...everything alright Natalya?” Isabella said though obviously it was not.

Natalya heard Logan leave and it actually upset her quite a bit, though she did her best to hide it. “Everything’s fine,” she lied. Thankfully, no one pushed her. She watched as everyone began to sit down and all the couples sat next to each other. Natalya just stood there a moment before she just left. She needed to get away from everyone. She just wandered around the Tower before walking out onto the helipad. She just sat down and looked out over the city.

Logan had walked to his favorite bar and he had decided to get himself completely smashed. It was possible but the trick was drinking enough so that his healing ability could not catch up for a while. “Jimmy, hook me up!” He said and the bartender set down 2 glasses and promptly filled with a dark brown liquid. “Lady probs Logan?” Jimmy asked and Logan laughed. “Well yeah you COULD say that!” He said as he downed the first one. “Set ya up a tab big guy?”Jimmy asked. “Yup, its going ta be a long night!” He said then downed the second one as Jimmy filled them up again.

William still didn't have much as far as teeth went and he gummed the mashed potato Kate put into his mouth and made happy noises seeing everyone nearby. Tony looked at Peter. “So I guess you and Dr. Octavious got some pretty interesting experiments running. The college asked if we could loan them a arc reactor,” Tony said and Peter nodded. “Pretty high tech stuff and I’m pretty excited about it,” He said and he and Tony began talking about the power output of his reactors.

“You staying out of trouble Serena?’ Steve asked. “There was something on the news a few weeks ago about a disturbance at the college and two men found burned by the campus police,” he said. “The men wouldn’t say anything to the police, even at their arraignment,” He said with a grin.

Serena smiled at Peter as he and her dad began to talk. Her father really liked Peter and she was glad to see how good their relationship was. She knew that Peter looked up to him as a father figure she both of his parents were dead.

She took a sip of her wine and then looked over at Steve when he began to speak to her. When he mentioned the disturbance on campus she looked away and then back at him. "Yeah...I'm staying out of trouble," she said with the slightest of grins. Serena had come across the two men Steve had mentioned trying to sexually assault a young woman on campus. Serena had hit them each with an energy orb, not enough to kill them or even really hurt them, but it was enough to get them away from the girl. She then called the campus police.

Steve smirked then extended a fist toward her. When she hit it he smiled and drew his hand back.

“How many pounds is he?” Isabella asked Kate when she told him.

“Nuclear physics,” Peter said to Pharaoh as he took a bite of his turkey with cranberry sauce. Tony has set to his plate with a Will and his mouth was full.

“The turkey is delicious Isabella!” Steve said as he also had started eating and he gave William a small bit of stuffing. William tried to figure out if he liked it or not and eventually it was gone without him spitting it out so he must like it. Others agreed as they began to eat eagerly as well.

Hours later everyone had gone to bed and Natalya was alone. She was hungry and so she had snuck out into the kitchen and got out a plate. She fixed herself a plate of left over turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. She sat down at the kitchen island alone. She was wearing a pair of black leggings, some socks, and one of Logan’s t-shirts that she loved.

“Hah! So I can get ddrunkk!” Logan said as he lifted up his bottle and took another swallow. This one was his third but last call was a while ago. He tossed several bills on the bar top then walked out, bottle in hand.

He got about half way to the tower when it began to rain and he giggled maniacally as he ran toward the tower trying to protect his bottle. When he arrived he was a soaking mess and he offered the guards some of his scotch but they didn’t take part. They helped him into the elevator and up he went until it opened in the main living area.

As he moved further in he left a trail of water behind him. He smelled Natalya and the food she was eating. He was feeling particularly mischievous and he decided to go up to her and give her a hard time. Not because she deserved it. Oh no! Just because he wanted to! However he began to remember that she had been through a lot lately and he abandoned that idea immediately. He chuckled and shushed himself as he opened the door to ‘his’ room. Not the one that he slept in now. But the one he ‘used’ to sleep in. “Treat me like shit well!” He murmured drunkenly as he took another long swig and opened his door. The lights came on immediately and his let his jacket drop behind him as he turned on the television. His shirt came off next then his boots and socks until he wore only his jeans as he got into his recliner.

From the kitchen Natalia only saw brief changes in light as Logan watch tv with his door open.

Natalya heard the elevator and sighed as she looked over and saw Logan. He was clearly quite drunk and was also soaking wet and dripping water everywhere. She saw him go into his room but he left the door open. She figured he probably hadn’t eaten anything either. She got down a plate for him and filled it with everything she knew he liked. She walked into his room and handed it to him. She looked at him for a moment. “I love you.”

She then walked out of his room and closed the door behind her before grabbing a towel and beginning to wipe up the floors.

Logan was awoken by an all to familiar sound. Natalya grunted and cried out in the middle of the night. He only had on his small clothes and he raced into her room, shit the door behind him then shimmied behind her onto the bed from the bottom. He snakes his right arm under he neck and grabbed hold of her left hand unless he wanted her to break his nose again which he decidedly did not.

“It’s alright l, it’s just a nightmare Natalya. Just a dream baby,” he murmured as she cried. His kissed her head and her cheek and put pressure on her up against his chest. He continued like that until she stopped crying and her breathing began to level out. She was sweaty and he could tell that this was a particularly bad one because she had torn the sheet again.

“I’m here Nat, your Logan is Here,” he said in a soothing tone as held her tight.

Natalya trembled against Logan as he held her tightly. His scent filled her nose and the feel of his heart beating against her back brought her some comfort. Her heart was still racing and her body was covered by a thin sheen of sweat. She didn’t want to cry, but she did and Logan just held her quietly and let her cry.

After a while she slowly got ahold of herself and she became quiet for a time before finally breaking the silence. “Do you want to know why I got upset? It was because you have sacrificed so much for me. You never ask anything of me and you love me for who I am. I just want you to tell me what you truly want...to let me do something for you for once.”

“What do you give a man that has everything he ever wanted?” Logan murmured as he softly kissed her cheek and jawline. “We worked so hard moving you forward and all of it, all of our time and work is gone Natalya,” he said softly and a bit sadly as well. “I dont want you to put yourself in this kind of danger anymore. We had other avenues to take...other ways of destroying those munitions,” he said as he snaked his fingers in between hers. “If I lose you...I don’t know If I can handle that again,” He murmured as he kissed her neck then lifted his head up to look at her. He smoothed her damp hair back out of her face then turned her face to look at him. He gently held her chin and looked deeply into her dark eyes.

“I love you Natalya, do you hear me? I love you,” he said and he kissed her passionately, allowing his soft lips to touch hers and felt her kissing him back.

Natalya kissed Logan back with as much passion as he kissed her with. She turned over in his arms so she was facing him and she wrapped her arms around him. She moaned as his hands ran down over her body. For the first time in two months they made love and it was incredible.

The following morning she lay in his arms and she looked at him. “I love you Logan.”

That morning, it was early Logan set down a plate of pancakes and sausages in front of Natalya. Butter slid from the center down to one side and he set out the syrup for her to drizzle on as much as she liked. The coffee was done as well and he filled up 2 mugs and slid one over to her on the quartz countertop. Logan sat across from her and lifted up his fork. Things were not going to be any easier. Natalya’s capture and subsequent torture had set her back years. But there wasn’t much he could do about that now. What’s done is done and to keep his dark goddess, there was little more he could do but grin and bear it.

To look at her no one would see anything different than just a beautiful woman. Well defined, athletic musculature. Perfect skin, large, dark eyes and long, black hair that fell down her back in waves. He set down his fork and picked up his mug and contented himself with watching her eat. She grinned when she saw him looking at her and Logan smiled back.