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[x-mactaggart.livejournal.com]

After Marie's posts about being not-sick, Moira goes to see how she's doing. It's obvious distraction is in order and the topic of conversation quickly goes to the men in their lives. Gossip, lots of gossip and girly talk.



With a wry smile, Moira knocked on the door. She doubted if Marie was still sick, knowing how Logan and her powers worked, but she still wanted to poke in and check up on her. It had been a while since they'd talked and she really wanted to say thank you for the picture. "Marie? 'Tis Moira...brought ye some tea. I promise it's nay drugged."

"Come on in, Mo." Marie sounded tired still and more than a little sullen, but she mustered up a smile when Moira entered. "Hey. I'm not sick, I'm just tired. According to Logan. I'm fine according to me."

Laughing, she shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed. "Men, always so bloody stubborn." The cups clinked together as she shifted them in her hands. "Ye do look tired, though, probably th' rest is doin' ye a world o' good."

"I'll admit, I did have a fever this morning," Marie said, sitting up in bed. "I had such a great day yesterday and it was such a crappy way to wake up. And I don't think Logan liked waking up to me being sick either. He was perturbed and said I had to stay in bed and that was /that/." She sighed and shook her head. "It was just a cold or something."

"Still, ye've probably been runnin' yerself ragged. Can't say I'm displeased ye got some rest." Carefully, she sat the cups down and poured out the hot tea into both of them. Normally, she'd want coffee but it wasn't so bad drinking tea once in a while.

Marie laughed. "Running is right. I pushed myself too hard on Tuesday, in the rain, and that was kind of stupid."

With a worried look, she sat herself on the edge of the bed. "Ye okay? I know 'tis been a rough few weeks 'round th' mansion."

"I'm mostly okay." Marie nodded and took a cup of tea. "Thanks. Something just hit me wrong and I got upset. It happens. I'm still adjusting to things that happened last May and it's almost May again."

"Need ta talk? Ye've been there for me lately, think 'tis time we swapped roles again?"

"It's not really stuff I can talk about," Marie said quietly, looking into her tea. "And I feel so stupid that it still gets me, you know? And yeah, I can't talk about it. Or I would."

"'ey, no worries," Moira soothed. "Trust me, wit' Nathan I know all 'bout those thin's tha' worry ye but ye cannae talk 'bout them. Any other way I can 'elp?"

"Just you coming by is nice. A lot of it has to do with friendship and honesty... which is why it's even more irritating that I can't talk about it." Marie scowled and took a sip of her tea. "Nothing to be done but wait it out and hope it's partly the weather and whatnot."

The thought "or something in the water" crossed her mind but she didn't say it, after the potion incident that wouldn't be funny for a long while. "Keepin' company is somethin' I can do," she said, instead. "When's Logan releasin' ye from bed...if ever?"

Marie smiled at Moira. "I think I'll be allowed out tomorrow if I'm good. He's so funny. He made me lunch and everything." She laughed a little, shaking her head. "His reputation is suffering horribly, I'm sure."

Moira snickered. "But all tough men turn inta mush balls when it comes ta th' women they love! Really!"

Marie tried not to laugh and failed, dissolving in giggles. "Oh god," she said when she could talk. "We're perpetuating the myth." She sighed heavily. "We just got lucky. Or we have good intuition. That's the truth."

"Bot' I think," she replied, grinning. "An' damn, did we ever. Logan's all...grr an' everythin', Nathan's th' same in different ways. Does Logan make wee pouty noises at ye when ye roll away in th' middle o' th' night?"

"More like grumbling," Marie said with a little smile. "And then I get hauled right back. That's if I get away at all in the first place." She giggled. "He's so cute."

"Nathan's a bed hog," Moira confided. "Massive, massive bed hog."

"Mm, Logan's just snuggly," Marie said affectionately, looking over at the empty half of the bed. "I'm the blanket-thief because I get cold. I never thought I'd get to snuggle up to someone at night, you know? I love that, that he trusts me enough to sleep with me."

"'Tis a good feelin'. Feel th' same way wit' Nate, ye know. Always jumpy an' now look at 'im, complainin' in 'is sleep when I move away." Her smile turned wistful. "Amazin' wha' life 'olds in store for us, isnae it?"

"Definitely." Marie's smile held the same wistful edge as Moira's. "I'm so scared it'll just end, or that he'll do something that'll hurt me enough that I can't keep going," she said quietly, reaching over to run her bare hand lightly over the pillow beside her.

"I dinnae think 'e will. 'e loves ye, I doubt there's much 'e can do ta push ye away completely. Ye'll fight, God only knows ye will, but at th' end o' th' day 'tis still wort' it."

"I don't mind the fighting, we do that all the time. It's just... no, there's not much he can do, but God knows he's had a go at it," Marie said dryly. "And yes, so far it has been worth it, so very much. And I'd probably skip all the repression and trying to be okay if there's a next time and go straight to the screaming at him and all that good stuff. That would help." She gave Moira a crooked smile.

"They do try our patience," she murmured, reaching out and patting Marie's knee. "'eartattacks, bein' stubborn, wha's next after all o' tha'?"

"Logan has a couple centuries of stupid stunts up his sleeve," Marie said with an edgy giggle. "I can't wait to see what he'll come up with next. Though God knows, walking into a burning building last month was pretty good. I didn't need visual proof that his bones are coated with adamantium. He's going to be the death of me, I tell you. And I'll forgive him for it too."

"O' sweetie...ye know we really need ta beat them over th' 'ead sometimes. Many, many times, repeatedly. Wit' large objects. They'd recover. They'll worry us ta deat' an' them tell us nay ta worry. Men."

Marie nodded vigorously. "Every time I tell myself he's the stupidest man on earth, a voice in my head says, 'You're in love with him, what does that make you?'" She laughed and sank back into the pillows. "And my bloody heart answers, 'Very, very happy.' We're worse than they are."

With a smirk, Moira shrugged. "But we're cuter, so it all adds up, aye? But at times, aye, we can be. We're stupidly in love wit' two o' th' most stubborn, stupid men in this 'ouse."

"Lucky us," Marie said wryly.

"It 'as its perks. Quite a few, in fact."

Marie had the good grace to blush a little and covered her mouth with one hand to stifle her giggles. "Just a few," she admitted, eyes sparkling.

It took a second before Moira finally facepalmed and blushed herself. "Dinnae mean...okay, so I *did*. Evil ol' woman tha' I am."

Marie laughed outright at Moira's expression. "Not as evil as I am, apparently. Or were you referring to the perks where any wrong done to us may well be righted by means of extreme violence and much wading in the blood of the offenders?"

"'ah! Bot' I think. Nathan's chompin' at th' bit wit' th' stuff about Pym." She couldn't help a small shudder. "Bloody idiot doesnae realize wha' 's up against."

"Nate's not the only one," Marie pointed out. "I'd be happy to go take a strip out of Mister Love there myself." She shuddered. "You should invite him to the school and then make him wait for you while your students grill him up one side and down the other."

"Oooo." She perked slightly. "Oh, tha' be fun ta watch. Get some popcorn an' a lawn chair an' let everyone who wants a piece get one." Moira blinked, confused. "Seems ta be a good number o' people want ta make sure 'e gets 'is fer throwin' me fer a loop. Odd."

"Hey, you're one of us," Marie said firmly. "We look out for each other. And we don't like people harassing you. It's not okay. There's all this shit in the world that we can't fix, when something comes along that we can, we're going to do it. It's only reasonable."

Grinning, Moira tilted her head a little. "I know, 'tis nice 'avin' tha' many people want ta beat someone up for me." She beamed. "Sweet in a weird sort o' way."

"That sums us up. We should put that on the sign out front, you know?" Marie suggested. "Xavier's School, sweet in a weird sort of way."

"Sweet in a way tha'll make ye insides 'urt. An' nay in a good way." She paused. "Unless ye like tha' sort o' thin'."

Marie flashed her an impish grin. "It's an acquired taste."

"I think I'll leave tha' ta th' younger folks!" Moira protested, laughing.

"And the ones with a healing factor," Marie added half-seriously. "It's not nearly as fun otherwise. And it makes work for you."

"Aye, tha' it does. Nay more work for me right now. Nay for a while, 'opefully. Th' rotation in th' MedLab's down right now, thank God."

"How are you doing anyway?" Marie asked, looking at Moira curiously. "You've sounded a little better lately."

"Much better, rest an' knowin' Nathan's all right 'as done me wonders." She smiled at Marie. "Thank ye for th' picture, I love it."

"Oh, good." Marie brightened and smiled. "I kept seeing it and thinking about you and so it needed to be yours. It just sounded right."

"It fits well. I put it next t' me picture o' Kevin tha's now in there." She smiled a little wistfully and then suddenly jumped as her beeper went off. Both Marie and Moira frowned but the older woman relaxed when she saw it was just her experiments finishing. "'andy wee thin'. I'll stop by later if'n Logan let's ye out?"

"Sure. I'll let you know," Marie said. "If you need help in the lab, just tell me, okay? I'm trying to cut down on my training a little and I could use some distraction."

"Ooo, a willin' victim this time!" Moira beamed. "I could always use an assistant, ye know. Whenever ye feel th' need, or when Logan lets ye go, come on down." Carefully, she leaned over for a quick hug. "Get some rest, drink th' rest o' th' tea...it'll make Logan feel better." With a quick wink, she headed back towards the door.