A New Beginning (September 2014)

Much had happened in the last two years. William continued to grow and was now a curious toddler who could talk and walk. Thankfully, the energy emitters that had been installed throughout the Tower had helped and prevented William from phasing through the floors and walls. He was still too young to really understand his abilities or how to control them so they continued to leave these security measures in place. Steve and Kate had discussed having another child, this one the more 'traditional' way. They decided though to wait another year before starting to really try. They were both still extremely happy in their marriage and their love only seemed to grow every day.

Serena and Peter had both graduated from MIT this past spring. Peter had been able to transfer to MIT at the beginning of their third year in college and they lived together off campus. It had been freeing for them to be able to share a living space without having her parents or the other members of the team around. Living together in such a way was challenging at times, but also helped their relationship. Since they graduated they had now moved back to the Tower and were officially members of the Avengers team again, but also had been hired by her father to work for Stark Industries. This meant they were making money that was their own and even though they weren't married or engaged yet they knew they would be eventually so they had started a joint banking account. Peter had officially moved into the Tower, though he and Serena went to visit Aunt May quite often.

Serena was not a morning person and Peter knew that. He always was quiet getting out of bed and always brought her some coffee to help her wake up. She could already smell the coffee that morning and she smiled when she opened her eyes and saw Peter there with her cup. She rubbed her eyes a little and sat up and grinned at him as she took the cup.

"You spoil me. You know that, right?"

Peter chuckled. “Every chance I get!” he said happily and he was happy. “Last night I had sex with the woman of my dreams, ofcourse I intend to spoil her rotten,” He said as he paused where he stood and took a sip of his coffee. Serena had begun to wear tank tops and panties to bed more often than not now but Peter missed the sexier things she used to wear. They didn’t have sex every night or even every week but this week, for some reason they were doing it like rabbits and he missed seeing her in her sexier wear but he wouldn’t tell her that.

He was glad that college was done with and that they actually were full members of The Avengers. For one the pay was great and they socked most of their money away because they lived in the tower and besides clothes and everyday things they didn't need money. The tower and the Starks provided for everything.

Serena’s ‘Solstice’ suit had just been completely redone by Tony, Peter and Serena. Her rocket boots and maneuvering jets allowed her more speed and agility than any suit Tony had ever created. She could make her energy bolts, balls and fields which she could extend over herself and now even other people. Her suit had the standard repulsor beams as well as a toned down version of her mother’s Medical Suite.

Peter’s suit had been revamped as well. He had all kinds of different set ups for his webs and he had 8 retractable spider legs that came out when he needed them. His suit had a stealth mode and a glide mode as well which helped him use less webs to move around. His suit could even keep him alive in a vacuum for a limited time.

As he looked at her he recalled what it was he was going to tell her. “Do you recall my old boss at the Bugle, Jonah Jameson? Well his son John just came back from his space mission and he’s brought me presents!” He said excitedly. A large rock from an asteroid for one. I can’t wait to get a look at what it’s made out of,” he said and sounded like the boy she knew in high school right then.

Serena took a sip of her coffee and savored the flavor. Peter knew exactly how she took it and seemed to actually make it better than when she made it for herself. She wasn’t sure how he did that, but he did. She had kept her hair grow out, as Peter had asked her to do. She wore it up in a bun or ponytail at night to keep it out of her face while she was sleeping. It certainly needed to be brushed, but even so she still looked beautiful.

She smiled and then laughed a little at Peter’s boyish enthusiasm over the asteroid rock. She loved him so much and it showed. “That’s exciting. I can’t wait to see it too.”

As their eyes lingered on one another there was that feeling again. How easy it would be to just set his coffee aside and have at her again but they had things to do today. “Ok, so, you got your coffee, im gunna step out gorgeous. Kate asked me to watch William for a bit while they went shopping,” he said. Serena was one of those women that said alot with just her eyes. He didn’t know what had brought on that look she gave him but it made butterflies flutter around in his stomach. It was always like that when she made love to him and lately she had been the aggressor. Her gaze shifted to a more innocent look but the slight curl to her grin, right on the corner of her mouth told him he only had moments to get out of the room or he wouldn’t be leaving for quite some time.

William was quite the handful. He spoke a few words but seemed to know what people said. His mind couldn’t speak the words but it knew what certain words meant. He was a very heavy boy for his age and size as well. For Kate he was quite the handful, especially if he became stubborn and tried to get away with breaking a rule. Steve and Peter had no issue picking him up and putting him back in his play area protected by reinforced baby gates that did not allow him to climb. Those had energy fields as well or he’d simply move through them which Kate found quite disturbing. It wasn’t that he was a bad boy really. With his powers he just didn’t put up with confinement. Something that they had since disabused him of.

“Alright Kate, I’m on William Watch, you and Steve are all set,” Peter said. They set up his play area near the main living space. He had plastic baskets filled with toys and Peter got onto the floor to play legos with him which he and William both seemed to like doing.

Serena watched Peter leave and she smiled happily. She knew she was going to marry him one day and they had both agreed that they wanted children. Nothing could make her happier than knowing that. Peter was her best friend and her soul mate. She would be utterly alone without him.

She finally rose and got dressed as she finished up her first cup of coffee. She stepped out into the kitchen and made herself a protein smoothie before going down to the lab to work on a few things.

Meanwhile, Natalya was in the gym with Logan. They were going through some training exercises. They had not discussed the topic of marriage since it had been brought up that one time two years ago. But they were still together and quite happy and content. She grinned and laughed when she beat him again.

"You're slow this morning old man," she teased with a playful grin. Only she got to call him that.

“That’s only cuz this is practice and you’re actually breakable,” he said. Not in a defensive way, only as a matter of fact. Logan could not fight to the fullest of his potential because he could seriously hurt or kill her where she did not have to worry about such things with him. It didn’t make the training any less of a good thing. Their combat skills were razor sharp and they always improved at least a little. Logan tossed Natalya her water bottle and picked up his and drank from it thirstily.

“I...had a long conversation with Pharaoh early this morning. He had some kind of odd dream but it was as if he couldn’t really focus on any one thing. He said a whole series of events passed through his head like a freight train and then began to disappear. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it except one thing. He mentioned the name Jean Gray,” he said.

Natalya rolled her eyes, but grinned at Logan in a loving way. They took their training very seriously and were always improving and preparing for anything and everything. Natalya caught the water bottle and took a long drink as she relaxed some. Her interest was piqued though by what Logan said about Pharoah.

“What do you think it’s all about?”

If that was all he had said Logan would not have spoken but it wasn’t and he wasn’t certain if he should tell Natalya what else Pharaoh had said. He had time to think on the subject and he wasn’t exactly certain if he wanted to ignore that voice in the back of his head that said it should happen, for them both. He looked at his water bottle. Focused on it in hopes that what was on his tongue would just go away. Natalya had come so very far in the past 2 years and he did not want what they had to be corrupted by anything. She meant everything to Logan and he wasn’t certain he wanted to exist on this world if she wasn’t part of it.

No, the water bottle had nothing to do with his indecision right then but he scowled at it like it did. When he saw her looking at him and her eyebrows raising he just blurted it out.

“He said we should...you know...get married,” Logan said in a low rasp just above a murmur.

Natalya blinked at Logan when he blurted out that Pharaoh had told her that they should get married. She didn’t know what to say for a moment. “We had this conversation two years ago and the result was an argument.” She became quiet again and something in the back of her mind told her to just say yes. “I think he’s right.”

“No, the result-t, was you getting all upset and dragging me to our room. THen you asked me if it was what I wanted. I lied about not wanting to and then we made love,” Logan said. In a rush. He mumbled something about ‘All he said was seeing her in a wedding dress’ Then scowled at her when he ran back through what she just said.

“You think he’s right? Ok, who are you and what did you do to Natalya?!” He asked pointedly.

Natalya rolled her eyes again at what Logan said. She shook her head and then crossed her arms over her chest. “You clearly want to. You wanted to two years ago but you had to be a stubborn ass and say you didn’t. Well I’m not falling for that again. You are going to let me do something for you for once and I’m not taking no for an answer. So are you going to ask me or are we just going to skip that part?”

Logan’s scowl only seemed to deepen and he tossed his water bottle down which sent water squirting everywhere. “If you think I’m gunna get on my knees and propose, you got another thing cummin lady!” He growled. “I only get on my knees for one thing and beggin ya to marry me aint it bub!” He said in an angry rasp. In truth he only did when he went down on her but she had his head so spun around he didn’t know which way was up right then.

“I think me marryin ya is doing something for YOU missy! Makin an honest woman outta ya all official and what not. “But I’ll ask anyways,” he said and narrowed his eyes at her. “Will you marry me Natalya? I love you and I don’t...want to live...without you.” He asked as his eyes opened up and in a tone that could only be described as ‘meek’. Logan...meek? Well that was a first.

Natalya looked at Logan with a scowl on her face at first. But then a genuine smile suddenly appeared and she looked at him with love in her eyes. She walked over to him and slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply before pulling back to look into his eyes.

“You are the only man in this world I would ever marry. Yes, I will.”

Logan’s heart went from zero to 100 in a blink. He took her up into his arms and kissed her. He continued kissing her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He moved toward the stairs like that and then step by step up the stairs as they continued to kiss one another. When he made it to the top he stepped onto the main area and he just held her to him as he turned toward their room where he undoubtedly was going to do some pretty nasty things to her in a few moments.

Isabella saw them and stepped out of her office with a puzzled look on her face. “Natalya, are you alright?” She asked. Natalya’s chin was on his shoulder as Logan continued to walk awkwardly with her legs wrapped around his waist.

Natalya felt truly happy with Logan. He made her feel alive and like a woman and not like the monster many people saw her as. He had saved her life in more than one way and he would be the only man she would ever love. She wanted to make him as happy as he made her.

She continued to leave her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her towards their bedroom. As Isabella stepped out of her office Natalya looked at her over Logan's shoulder.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. We just got engaged," she told her rather casually.

Serena choked on her smoothie when she heard that and Peter stood up from where he was to smile at them. Tony was not in at the moment and Pharoah wasn’t leaving his room for a while.

Once the door closed behind them a few moments later there was a faint moaning and groaning and the sound of something banging up against the wall...hard. Peter mouthed to Serena ‘OMG!’ And then went back to watching William who building a lego tower so he could Godzilla it into pieces. It was one of his favorite games though only Uncle Pete let him watch the old Godzilla movies.

A considerable time later Logan and Natalya decide to go ring shopping. Both Logan and Natalya had been Avengers for quite some time and neither of them spent much money at all. Nor did they really go places much. Logan had said that the sky was the limit on her ring though he knew Natalya knew what she was about when it came to Jewelry.

Logan stopped to get a glass of water as Natalya finished getting herself ready after their sexual wrestling match. This just in, Logan lost again! Peter brought William over and sat him on the table. “So you’re engaged huh? So did you do the whole kneel down and propose thing?” Peter died.

Logan only pointed at him and laughed like what he said was a grand joke. “So I don’t even know where to..” He began then Isabella chimes in. Greenwich and Happy can take you,” She said. “Oh...ok then,” Logan replied as Natalya strode up to them.

Natalya and Logan left the Tower and got into the car with Happy and he started to drive towards Greenwich. She had talked to Happy and told him where to go. There was a very nice jewelry store there. She and Tony knew the owner very well. Tony had gotten her engagement ring there and every other piece of jewelry she owned. She called him up and informed him that Natalya and Logan were on their way there to pick out an engagement ring.

Natalya sat in the back with Logan and Logan was still in a very good mood because he was kissing her neck gently. "Logan...would you be alright if we just got married very casually in the Tower?"

Logan didn’t stop kissing Natalya’s neck as he answered. “However you want as long as you wear a wedding dress and we can go on a honeymoon together” he murmured in between his kisses. Greenwich was not a short drive and Logan breathed in her scent. When he kissed her like this her scent became stronger and more potent and he loved that.

Natalya wasn't sure she really wanted to wear a wedding dress. She wasn't really the 'wedding dress' type. She knew however that Logan wanted her to wear it, although she knew the only reason he wanted it was because she was anything but pure and innocent and he wanted to be able to rip it off of her. "Ok, I will wear a wedding dress on two conditions. 1. You are paying for it since you are going to be ripping it off of me and 2. You have to wear a tux." She knew he hated wearing anything formal.

He looked at her calmly and thought about that for a moment. “Alright. Hose and garters too then,” he said upping the anty a little. The look she gave him made him grin.

Natalya wanted to roll her eyes but she forced herself not to. Instead she just looked at him and decided that two could play at that game. "Fine...then you have to wear a top hat, tails, and gloves." Of course she wasn't being serious, but the look he now gave her made her grin.

Logan suddenly stopped his kissing and looked up at her. He was thankful that she wasn’t serious about the top hat. They managed to keep it pg13 in the Limo until Happy let them out. The Jewelry Store was huge. And intimidating at first glance. Happy went in with them bit the moment they hit the door they were approached by a young woman, sharply dressed who introduced herself then asked who they were.

The woman whose name was Emily offered them refreshments. Ofcourse they both chose beers and then they were led to the counter where they were met by an older woman who introduced herself as Danielle. “Now, Isabella called, The Starks are very good customers and told me that you were looking for an engagement ring?” She asked.

“Yep, something elegant and beautiful just like my bride to be,” he said and flashed a smile at Natalya as he took a sip of beer.

Happy stood near the front door, which had been locked after Logan and Natalya entered. They were the only people in the store. This was done when Tony and Isabella came in as well. The store owner wanted to offer them some privacy. Natalya was rather overwhelmed by the store, but quickly overcame that. She accepted the beer and took a sip before looking at Emily.

"I'm not looking for anything trendy. I prefer a round cut." She looked down into the case and saw a ring that was a round cut that was then haloed in smaller diamonds with diamonds along the band, which was platinum. "Do you have that ring, but in a larger carat size?"

Danielle was pretty and Natalya would consider her handsome more than beautiful. She had bleached blonde hair, most likely to remove the gray, that fell down to her shoulders delicately.her light blue eyes had a kind but intelligent look to them and she wore purple framed glasses. She tilted her head down so she could see Natalya without looking through them and she smiled.

“We can get anything you want Natalya. And all of our diamonds are from reputable sources,” she said in an informative way. She slid a tray covered in black felt over in front of Natalya and then slid the case open and brought the ring up for her to look at. “How many carots for the larger diamond were you thinking? I think anything above 4 or 5 will be to big for your delicate hands,” she said. Her saying that Natalya’s hands were delicate made Logan nearly spit out his beer.

All eyes shifted toward him for a moment and he covered by saying, “Sorry, wrong pipe.” Danielle nodded to Emily and Emily moved to a counter just behind Danielle and began placing diamonds of different carots on another small felt tray. She brought them over to Danielle who shifted them onto the larger tray in front of Natalya. There are 3, 4, and 5,” she said, all GIA.”

Logan moves around looking into the various cases.he almost never did any kind of shopping. He felt out of place there with all that fancy finery.

Natalya shot Logan a sharp look when he began to cough on his beer. She knew why he was coughing. He would never use the word 'delicate' to describe any part of her body. She rolled her eyes and shook her head and looked back down at the ring Danielle had brought up and then at the diamonds. Natalya never wore any jewelry, unless she was going undercover and needed to in order to blend in. She had never imagined owning a diamond ring and though she knew it was going to be expensive her eyes drifted towards the 4 carat diamond. She knew that was what Isabella and Kate both had in their rings, though Isabella's ring was still far more expensive than the one she was looking at.

She glanced over her shoulder at Logan. She wanted his opinion on the ring. "Logan, what do you think of this ring with the 4 carat diamond?"