The last couple of weeks have been the happiest of my life, and I don't mind admitting it. If you think that makes me sound like a pansy, well.Up yours.

I say that with the most cheerful of grins, by the way.

In a way, my life has been a roller-coaster of emotions since I met Marie, with nearly every one represented. Fear, trust, frustration, longing.love. It's funny - I spent so many years before her feeling nothing but anger and confusion. But since I met her it's been up and down, back and forth.But now that we've sort of dealt with our issues, we're happy. Almost disgustingly happy, according to Scooter, and he's one to talk. I've never seen a man make googly eyes at the woman he loves more than Summers does.

Well, maybe me.

We don't get the weird sideways glances anymore, not from anyone. Scott was right - no one really cares what we do. Even Ororo has somehow become convinced that we're going to be okay, that we're doing what's best. She even came up to me the other evening after a training exercise and patted me on the back, saying how nice it was to see me looking so chipper.

Chipper. Have I ever before in my life been described as chipper? I don't think so. Strangely enough. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. If anything, I'm glad that everyone on the team and at the school seems to accept us, even if they don't approve. If there's one thing Marie doesn't need, it's the scorn of her teachers and peers.

With the threat of potential weirdness lifted, we moved Marie's bed into my room. It seemed silly for her to stay in her old room when everyone knew she should be with me, so I got One-Eye to help me move stuff around. He smirked at me the whole time, but I was in such a good mood that I couldn't even work up a decent growl. So he ragged me about being a whipped little puppy, and I told him to kiss my ass.

It was great.

I would have liked for Marie to sleep with me. She always covers herself from head to toe at night anyway, so I didn't see much danger in it. We tried it for one night, and she was so terrified of hurting me that she barely slept at all. So now, for the most part, she stays in her bed, and I stay in mine. Which is still good, because I can watch her sleep and listen to her slow, even breathing. It's nice, you know, just being in the same room with her.

And I've been more than willing to be a little adventurous when it comes to the fooling around stuff, but Marie told me to put that notion out of my head. She said that she'd rather wait until she can touch me again, skin on skin, without a barrier of cloth between us. What man in his right mind is going to argue with that? Especially when she says it with an adorable little glint in her eye.Besides, I'm not all animal lust and careless abandon, you know - I can handle waiting, if it's what makes her happy. So we make out a little, roll around on my bed like a couple of horny teenagers, but nothing heavy.

Which would be fine, except the little vixen's been teasing me.

Yep. Teasing.

I got out of the shower one morning last week to find Marie strolling around our room, naked as the day she was born. No problem whatsoever -I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the view. Anyway, she got in the shower, and I returned to the bathroom to shave. But I forgot about the fact that our shower stall has a clear glass door. I stood there, gaping, as she poured gel onto one of those poofy spongy thingies and began to soap herself.

It was a good ten minutes before she looked my way, winked at me, and started washing her hair.

Temptress.

It's become sort of a ritual now. I shave while she showers, and I think it's a pretty damn good deal. Well, except that I sort of feel like there should be a support group for this kind of thing - "Hi, I'm Logan, and I'm addicted to watching my girlfriend bathe."

Now, ain't that just the manliest thing you ever heard?

Aside from the basic principle of a naked woman in my shower, I guess it's something about the way she looks when she runs that sponge across her skin - like she wishes it were my hand instead. And the expression she gets in her eyes when she knows I'm watching, when she knows I'm really feeling it.It's like shotgunning a couple of fifths of Jack Daniels on an empty stomach. Makes me damn near lightheaded. Woozy, even.

It's almost as good as when she smiles at me. Yeah, you heard right - big bad Logan gets all mushy inside when little Marie smiles. Especially when I've inadvertently done something that makes her happy; it's the best feeling in the world. Like I'm twenty feet tall and nothing bad can touch me, as long as she's with me. I told her that once, and she just got this little grin on her face.She tried to hold it back, but she couldn't. I don't know why she'd ever try to hide one of her smiles from me. They're the most beautiful things in the world.

But I love being close to her the most. Just doing things like stroking her hair and talking to her. Sometimes she holds me, whispering in that sexy drawl of hers about the things she wants to share with me - everything she's never done but wants to try. It's enough to drive a man insane, you know, that soft voice of hers saying things like that.

Plumb crazy. Stark raving nuts.

But hey - three-plus weeks of slow-boiling seduction followed by four days of mind-blowing ecstasy? I can deal with that. Sweet Jesus, can I ever.

If her teasing doesn't kill me first, that is.