Wow, what an awesome chapter -- and covering so much ground! But so evil to leave things there...on such a sensual cliffhanger in both past and present! Not fair! ;-)

Author's Response: But just imagine diving off that particular cliff. I suspect the next chapter's going to be very ... fulfilling. It'll be a nice technical challenge writing two different sex scenes like that ... glad you enjoyed it!

Apologies for not keeping up, been away from the site for a while and am now frantically trying to catch up! Loving the background you’re laying down, little glimpses of what was, what was said/taught and what happened etc. Love the differences/similarities between Wolverine and Sabertooth how she has and still has to deal with them with varying levels of success, also loving the kind of separation between Rogue and Marie and how Logan sees it.

Then there’s the sexual tension………..which I have to say you’re writing very well indeed!

Author's Response: It's always fun to come back after a break and gobble up a few chapters at once, isn't it! Glad it was worth coming back to :D

ROWR. What a scene, hon. You are draaaaaagging the tension out and I'm eating it up. Plus, the fact that Logan can still tell the difference between Marie/Rogue AND that he stepped to acknowledge that walking away had been a bad idea is really making me look forward to that happy ending. But until then any angry sex you wanna throw our way is just fine with me. Hee.

Author's Response: Glad you are enjoying it. Might draaaaaag it out a bit longer, but I'm pretty sure its not too far away. Angry or not, that is the question ...

Yum! I liked it a lot! Very interesting to see the difference between how Rogue is appearing to Logan (her takedown of Joe, for example) and how she is really feeling about things. And their fight was very...intense.

I was confused about this, though: “Rogue,” he corrected, sliding his tongue down over her ear. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t want her.” He pressed closer, his hardness nudging her somewhere that might her convulse and gasp. “But I can’t pretend I don’t want you either.”
Is the first "her" Marie, because he used that name and then corrected himself? I guess I'm not used to thinking of them as so separate, but Logan really does seem to feel that way. Very cool story, can't wait to read more!

Author's Response: Yes, that's right. He's trying to keep it all about Rogue, atm, because Marie is scared to be Marie, basically. I can't seem to get away from the multiple-personality aspect to her mutation, and often write her that way. And in this particular story, where that aspect of her mutation might have arisen from trauma, it could almost be a disassociative thing. Quite a few of my stories revolve around that difference between Marie and Rogue.

RE: your A/N -- I'll tell you a secret: I like backstories WAAYY better than smut! All the possibilities keep my mind whirling for hours. A sex scene is just ... a momentarily thrill of fulfillment, and then it's on to the next thing. Their *story* is what keeps me here, reading.

So, in short: definitely no rush on the smutty chapters from this quarter. I find, generally on this website, that the quality of the story invariably goes down just as soon as they start rolling in the hay. After that, it's like the author stops paying attention to the need for *Good* writing! Like they think the cheap thrill is enough to keep us reading (it's not).

Heh heh. I think I was ranting. Sorry for that! Back to the *review*, and off the soap box...

I was definitely hoping for a Queen v. King of the Cage battle from that first sentence where Rogue talks about The Pen. I loved the pic you painted of the woman she's become with the Marine twins' (& Toad's) reaction to her.

Logan's continual paranoid-sensei advice in her head was a really fascinating commentary, too.

But: You blew me away with that last scene! I honestly didn't think it would be *that* bad, what she'd done to him. And it's shocking b/c it's such an anti-movieverse Marie attitude ... just the opposite of what X1's Rogue would have done in that situation. And it's also an ironic reversal of Logan's first meeting w/young Jubilee. And STILL, even after I know what happened, I'm full of questions! That's the master writing technician's way to package the Big Reveal, sister!

You put so much info in so few words, here. It's a VERY short chapter, but it doesn't feel like it b/c it's packed with sentiment and subtext.

Author's Response: Sorry I didn't get to this before now - I've spent all week writing and rewriting C6, and it kind of ate my brain. Thank you so much for leaving such detailed feedback ... it's really, REALLY appreciated. I'm glad you are loving the backstory ... usually, I try to keep this focused and moving ahead, and I think its the security of knowing I'm not in a hurry that lets me indulge all those little sidetrips. I have a puzzle in my head, with a lot of pieces, and bit by bit, they'll all fall into place to reveal the full picture. Re the quality of writing going downhill with sex scenes ... sometimes. I think the trap is when people don't integrate the scene into the story, ie treat it almost as a standalone, that it can be jarring. I really try not to do that. I doubt it will be too long before it happens, though ... I can't help myself :D But I can tell you that it won't be at the end, in a "and they lived happily ever after *cue sex*" scenario. Finally, glad you liked the Big Reveal. I will admit to being a bit of a schlock merchant and enjoy writing things that make people sit up and take notice; and that's EXACTLY why this story is AU, rather than X1, X2 or whatever. Because this is NOT movieverse Marie; she never had the chance to become that, because another road was taken.

Yikes, those two did a number on each other. I don't know how you're intending this, but this Logan seems like what he could've ended up like if he hadn't gotten amnesia. Like the full weight of his history of violence, all that combat readiness right on his shoulders.

Anyway. Mm-mm. Bring on the fight smut!

Author's Response: Yep, they did a number on each other. But they were also damaged people BEFORE they were together, and sometimes, people do what they must to survive. I wasn't thinking of this as a pre-amnesia Logan, simply a Logan who had managed to straighten himself up (somewhat!) without the Xmen coming into his life. It lacked a heart, however, without Marie, and that makes him a darker, more ruthless individual.

Everyone’s being played and has hidden agendas, games are afoot and this fic is getting more intriguing the further in we get.

As for what comes next.... I’m not going to say a hard fight or a hard fuck or even a lovely combination of the two. I’m just going to say more, more of whatever you feel like giving us because we’ll all be here reading it no matter what.

Oooh...I'm looking forward to what comes next. ;)

I love how they've both teamed up and duped the professor.

And how dark does Logan make Rogue--that is chilling and disturbing.

Their twisted dynamic has gotten me squirming in my seat. I'm going to go with my earlier comment of "More, damn it. Give me MORE!"

I'm hungry for what's next. Feed the beast! :)

Thanks,
Pepper

;-) I couldn't possibly hazard a guess xXx

Ok, that is... wow! I can't wait to see where else you take this. I am intrigued with the evolution of the back story and how it affects the X-Men.

That flashback of killing Marie's father and why was an explanation and a breadcrumb of intrigue all in one. It gives you an idea of why Rogue's powers are the one's they are thereby giving you an inkling (as so many others have done) that the powers a mutant develops are very much psychological. Still, I would love to see some Rogue/Wolverine interaction in a cage fight followed by some rather heated conversation with a little sexual tension and teasing thrown in. *grin*

Author's Response: Thank you for picking up on this, as that nasty little bit was designed to allow me to explore why Marie is like she is, physically as well as socially. I'm very interested in human evolution and that's probably what attracted me to this fandom in the first place. And what I'm liking about this particular piece is that there is lots of backstory, and I spent yesterday thinking about forward story too ... it's going to be a doozy. :D

I'd rather you surprise us with what comes next. Or rather who. You've done a great job so far.

Author's Response: Thank you for you faith in me!

Send Logan off to the fight bar, too! ;)

Author's Response: Am I that transparent? I do love a good fight bar scene ...