::X-Men:: In The Claws Of An Angel ::Wolverine::

Chapter Fifteen.

The pumpkin orange sun had almost sank completely below the crystal water's horizon as Logan and I made our way through the Sawgrass and onto the beach, taking a left and leaving the campsite behind for a while.

My mind was still racing a mile a minute, blowing through everything that Logan could possibly want to talk to me about. No matter how hard I tried to focus on one idea, though, my thoughts scattered and scrambled up, making it impossible to think of anything rational.

So instead I concentrated on the feeling of my bare feet brushing through the velvety soft sand, and the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore. It helped to calm my bundle of nerves a little bit, but not much.

"Nice night, huh?" Logan spoke up softly from next to me, hooking his thumbs into his front pockets.

I did my best to push my frantically anxious thoughts aside and smile up at him, nodding my head.

"Mhm, it is." I agreed as I reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

Silence fell over Logan and I again as we walked along the beach, and I swear I could feel a cloud of tension brewing around us like some sort of forcefield. A cool breeze flowed inland from the water, brushing my hair from my shoulders and rippling through the long strands.

"So, um..." Logan hesitantly piped up again, sounding just a little unsure, which was unusual for him, "Ana, I-"

Suddenly, a loud, crackling sound filled the air, followed by a colorful flash across the beach. I instantly felt my heart jump and my eyes widen as I gazed up at the sky, just in time to catch my first firework of this 4th of July.

It was a gorgeous burst of shimmering blues and purples, topped off with a golden fizzle at the end. A few more popped off after that, filling the clear sky with contrasting greens and reds, before dying out for the moment.

I didn't realize how wide my smile was until I turned to Logan, only to catch him gazing at me already. I felt my cheeks warm to a rosey pink, and I was thankful for the darkness that was hiding it.

"I love fireworks," I told Logan softly, watching as a smirk tugged his lips upward slightly, "4th of July's always been my favorite holiday."

"Yea," Logan agreed as just a few more small fireworks popped off above us, but he never took his eyes off me, "I've always liked it too, even though I'm pretty sure I'm Canadian."

I let out a giggle, causing Logan's smirk to grow into that smile that I had come to be so attracted to. Inside my ribcage, my heart was pounding furiously, and my stomach felt like it was doing jumping jacks right below it.

As quick as his smile grew, though, it disappeared.

"... Ana..." Logan spoke up again, his tone totally changed. I swear I could hear nervousness in voice, which was so unlike him. "About what I wanted to talk to you about... Y'know, the whole reason I brought you out here for this walk... I just have to get something off my chest."

Oh, God. Here we go... I was about to find out where this walk on the beach was leading to. I swear, my stomach stopped doing jumping jacks and instantly dropped to my knees.

"... What is it...?" My voice was so small and meek, I could have kicked myself.

Logan paused for a moment, staring out at the water and running a hand through his thick, wavy hair before turning back to look at me. "... Ready for my personal question of the day?"

My head tilted to the side in slight confusion, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Personal question of the day?" I repeated, the anticipation starting to get to me now, "We haven't done that in a while."