Letting the warm water of the shower wash over her tired body she wished that she had stayed in bed. Logan was still asleep, and he looked really comfy. Too comfy to pass up, but she had promised she would go shopping with Jubes today. And Logan had to re-programme the danger room.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a rough hand smacking her on the buttocks. "What the hell are you doing? Trying to give me a heart attack? Don't you know it's not polite to sneak up on people?"

Logan got in the shower, naked! "I could smell you from in there and had to have you." Not bothering to even ask her, he turned her around and quickly took her mouth with his. Pulling her by her bottom he guided his already-aching penis into her. Once all the way in, he held himself and leant his head forward on her shoulder with a groan. "How do you do that?"

"What?" She panted a reply. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

"Make every time feel like the first time?" It was true; she was always hot and tight.

"It's called Pelvic Floor, sugar." He began to thrust into her with ease. Clinging to his shoulders, she tipped her head back and began to moan. Grabbing her hair, he brought her mouth down to his and his thrusting became erratic.

His length grew as he neared ecstasy and filled her completely. Groaning into each other's mouths, they came together in an explosion of fireworks. It was a quick fuck, just the way he liked it first thing in the morning.

She got dressed and put on her make-up, while he shaved and tried to sort his hair out. Honestly, the man took longer than she did!

He was still in the bathroom when she shouted a good-bye. "Yeah see ya," was the response she got, and it nagged at her slightly. Normally she would have got a `Luv ya' or `Bye darlin''. She shook it off and headed to meet Jubes.

Rogue jumped out of Jubes's car, taking her shopping bags with her. Leaving Jubes to park, she ran through the front door of the mansion and headed for the main stairs that led up to her room.

The room she shared with Logan and had done for the past three years. She was happy. Everything had fallen into place, and they were all still there safe and well. Bobby, Kitty, Jubes, Logan, Scott, Kurt, Pete, `Ro and the Professor, safe. A couple of new arrivals, included Remy and Hank, and they were welcome ones.

A year ago when the Professor and everyone else had realised that she and Logan were serious, they all helped them knock their rooms into one. They were next to each other anyway, so why not? At first she'd been unable to trust it, but after three years....

She opened the door and put her bags down on the plush leather sofa and threw her keys on the table. She was excited and wanted to show him the new underwear she had got. That's when she heard the first sound, a groan, a manly groan.

She silently edged towards the bedroom door. She smiled to herself, the man couldn't go a day without having sex with her at least twice, sometimes three times, and if he couldn't do that, then he would jerk off instead. He didn't think she knew he did it and she often wondered if she would ever be enough for him. She stifled a giggle and was about to open the door and shock him when she heard the second groan, a female one.

She took a step back, the giggle dying in her throat and the smile fading from her lips. Over the past three years, Logan had passed on some of his mutation. Through accidents, quick kisses and the times before she had control, when he said he simply had to touch her beautiful pale skin. It wasn't keen or perfected, but she could still pick up on the basics: a lie, fear and sex.

She could vaguely smell sex. Forget vague; that was definitely sex. He was cheating on her right in there, with some cheap bitch who had no respect for someone else's relationship.

She took a step and was flush with the door. Leaning her head on the cool wood, she felt her world fall apart. She heard the woman sigh and then gasp. She could only picture what he was doing to her. She remembered the things he did to her to make her sigh and gasp. A couple of them only this morning.

She took off her glove and her hand closed around the door knob. Then she quickly took a step back again, putting her hand over her mouth. NO! She would kill him, unceremoniously and without a care.

She. Would. Kill. Him.

She didn't trust herself not to kill him. She put her glove back on just as she heard the couple through the door moan in unison, oblivious to her presence.

Grabbing her keys and handbag, she ran from the room silently. Racing down the halls, she went trough the kitchen and into the large utility room at the back. Grabbing her emergency bag, she carried on to the garage. Every member of the team had one of these bags. In it were some essentials: one spare set of clothes and underwear, cash, a fake passport and papers, and a weapon of choice.

She sent a mental message to the Professor, telling him she was going away. That she was fine and that under no circumstances did she want Logan anywhere near her. He agreed and asked her to contact him in 12 hours to check in. She said she would, but had no intention of doing it.

Entering the garage she ran to her WWII-replica Army Jeep, a gift from Logan. For two pins she would leave it here, but she needed to get out of here now. Starting the engine, she pulled forward and stopped. His Harley was in the way.

She could run it over, but why damage her car because of him? She got out and rolled it back, giving her enough room. His leather jacket was on the seat. She took it off, threw it on the ground and jumped on it several times while shouting.

"BASTARD. BASTARD. BASTARD!"

She could kick the bike over, but that wouldn't do much damage either. She ran over to the utility cupboard and grabbed the pink spray paint she and Kitty had used on the Valentine's posters last month and went back to Logan's bike.

Starting at the tank and moving on to the leather of the seat, she spelt out her feelings in bright, fluorescent, pink paint.

B. A. S. T. A. R. D. She added a big pink exclamation mark for
good measure.

Picking up his jacket, she figured, as she was already being childish, she may as well carry on. She drew a big cock and balls on the back with the spray paint and chucked it back on the bike seat.

She turned around and threw the spray can as hard as she possibly could. It made a satisfying breaking noise as it crashed through the windscreen of his truck.

Jumping back into her car, she took off. The gates were already open when she reached them. She went straight through onto the open road without a backwards glance.

**************
Meanwhile Logan walked into his room, noticing the shopping bags on the sofa he smiled. He peeked into the top of the one with the Victoria's Secret logo, and his smile got wider.

"Baby, you in here?" There was no answer, unless you counted the female voice in his bedroom hollering for more. He edged closer, and the smell hit him.

"Jesus!" He knocked on the door with growing annoyance.

"Pete, get you and that piece of ass you call a girlfriend, out of my bed, NOW!"

There was some swearing behind the door, and he could hear the sounds of two people putting their clothes on in a hurry. Then the door opened. Logan leaned of the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest.

Pete came out, while still shoving his jumper over his head. "Logan, man, I'm sorry. You said the room would be ours all day, `cause Rogue was out, and you were going to spend the day re- programming the danger room."

"I said you could borrow the room, to get a little peace, not get a little piece of her in my bed. MY BED! Now it's gonna smell like you, having sex. That's not a smell I want when I'm in bed with Rogue."

"Look, I'm sorry, we'll leave." He backed up towards the door with the girl behind him. Logan tried to remember her name, Anne or Pam or something like that.

Logan sighed. "Its ok, I probably would have done the same thing. Forget it." The Victoria's Secret bag was making him feel nice.

"I'll buy you some air freshener." Pete chuckled and then shut up when he caught Logan's expression. Logan raised an eyebrow and Pete and the girl left rather quickly.

Looking around the room, he could see her shopping but not her keys, handbag or green cloak. "So where the fuck is she?" At that moment he got a mental page from Chuck to go to his office.

Grumbling he walked down and opened the door roughly. "This had better be good. I was looking for Rogue."

"I know. She left, Logan, about an hour ago. She was extremely upset. Can you shed any light on that?" He looked at Logan with his usual calmness, but Logan could smell the anger on him.

"What do you mean she left?" He was unconsciously clenching and unclenching his hands as the man in the wheelchair talked. His stomach was in a tight knot. He couldn't mean that she *left* left!

"She ran. She took her emergency bag and the Jeep. Gave me instructions that you were not to be anywhere near her. Have the two of you had a problem?"

"Problem? No. She went shopping with the firecracker this morning, and I've been in the danger room all fucking day. I haven't even seen her. What the fuck's going on?"

"I spoke to Jubilee. She said that Rogue was happy when they got back. She was running off to find you, apparently to show you what she had bought today."

Logan thought for a moment. He had seen her bags in the room. But when he got there only Pete and….. Oh, shit! He closed his eyes and smacked himself on the forehead.

"She went upstairs and found Pete and Anna or whatever-her-name-is having sex in our bedroom. She must have thought it was me with someone else."

"Scott said she left you a rather expressive note in the garage." What the hell does that mean?

"We've got to find her. Can you contact her?" If he lost her, he would die. He knew it: he would die.

"Over the last few years, I have been unable to use Cerebro to track either Rogue or you. I have tried telepathically several times since she left, but she is successfully blocking me. We will have to try calling her until she answers."

"I'm going to look for her. Get Scooter to check the security tape to find out which way she went out the gate, then get him to meet me in the garage. At least her Jeep will be easy to find."

He stomped off to the garage to see this `expressive note' she left. How the fuck could she just leave? Why didn't she burst into the room? Then she would have known it wasn't him.

He was on the verge of panic. What if he never found her? What the hell would he do without her? She was the only reason he remembered to breathe, remembered how to be a person, remembered to care!
*****************

She had no idea how long she had been driving in the same direction. An hour, maybe two, all the time ignoring the buzzing and whirring of her cell phone. She just kept her hands on the wheel, only taking them off to wipe the occasional tear that fell silently from her eyes. But they were falling more frequently now.

It was getting increasingly hard to concentrate. Her tears were flowing more freely now, and she was starting to have trouble seeing. She noticed a lay-by and pulled in without signalling. The car behind honked at her but she couldn't give a damn.

Stopping the Jeep next to the cow field, she slumped onto the steering wheel and sobbed. She hit it a couple of times and sobbed harder. She got out and slammed the door, then hit that a couple of times as well, kicking to see if that helped.

How could he do this? She took a couple of shaky steps towards the field, put her hands on her head and screamed. A full-on, gut wrenching, scream. When she finished, she sank to her knees.

The only response she got was a loud, long moo from one of the cows. She started to laugh at it, but her laughter soon turned into tears. She buried her head in her hands and cried into her lap.

How could he throw it all away? She'd always...and he'd never--- she was panting and light-headed and... What had she done to deserve it? She loved him, but could she ever forgive him for this?

There were no voices in her head to help her anymore. She had lost them all over the last few years. Even Logan, it had been so long since she touched him with her skin turned on. She was alone, completely alone.

She had images of him and some busty blonde—scratch that, redhead— fucking like bunnies. Touching some slut with the hands he touched her with. Bringing some dumb bitch to orgasm the same way he had her, over and over.

Tangling his long fingers in her red hair, biting her neck and growling at her in passion. She could see his hand slide up her long leg and grip her tanned hip as he drove into her. Kiss the slut's lips and smile at her. See her hands slid up his back and
then tangle into his dark hair.

She needed to calm down. She knelt forwards and threw up on the grass. Coughing, she sat back up and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. The tears flowing again.

Why? Why now, after everything they had been through? Jean's death, missions, controlling her skin, and everything else. They had survived, and she thought she was enough for him.

Obviously not. She had been stupid, made a mistake trusting him, giving him her soul and her body. She felt like he had slammed his hand into her chest and ripped out her heart then unceremoniously shoved it up her ass.

She had given him everything, her life, her love, her virginity, being with him was a mistake, from the first moment she saw him in that stupid fucking bar. Why couldn't he have just left her there? Left her in the frozen fucking North to die, be raped by truckers, killed by Magneto, who cares? Anything would be better than this—this rape! That's what it was: she was being emotionally raped, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She would stop it!

In an instant, she sobered up. Calmed down. Fuck! That annoyed her even more, because he taught her to do that. Be calm in any situation. He always said that, even if your best friend was killed right in front of you, you remain calm. He taught her that.

He taught her other things as well. How to disappear, be invisible, to hide, and that's exactly what she was going to do. He said the secret to a good disguise was not to blend in but to stand out. People may remember the quiet little girl with the brown hair, but they will always remember someone who stood out more. The pretty,
black-haired, mouthy woman with a ring through her lip!

She got up and walked back to the jeep. Calming down even more, she grabbed her handbag. Taking out her cell phone she noticed that she had 16 missed calls. She took out her purse and removed her credit card and her debit card and left them on the seat next to her cell phone. She had $1,000 cash. It wouldn't last long, but it would get her away.

She then got her keys out. Removed the miniature Stature of Liberty. It had been another gift from him, a joke, and she had laughed her ass off. She knew what he meant. Even though she nearly died, it was the beginning of their own private connection.

She also took off the Jeep key. Putting the two together, she put the key in the ignition. As an afterthought, she took off her green cloak and shoved it on the back seat.

If someone stole the Jeep, drove a thousand miles in the other direction and used her credit cards all the better. She felt bad for whoever did it; Logan would catch up with them, and quickly. She walked away from the Jeep. She loved it and it pained her to
leave it, but she had too.

She stood by the side of the road and waved at some passing cars. After about ten minutes, a VW camper van with two girls in it stopped.

"Hey, wanna ride?" No, that's why I'm waving people down!!!

"Thanks." She climbed in the back. "Can you take me as far as the
train station?"

"Sure, honey."

She slid the door shut on her Jeep, her life and her love
***************END OF PART ONE

Since the rain stopped an hour ago, something else was pissing him off, his passenger. Scott had been humming along with the radio for the last couple of hundred miles and it was really starting to grate on Logan’s nerves.

“Scooter, I swear to God, if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna shove the fucking radio up your ass!” He clenched the steering wheel even harder; causing is knuckles to go white. Why the fuck Scott had to come along, he didn’t know.

“Logan, you need to relax. We have a good lead this time. We’ll find her.” He was right they did have a good lead.

It had taken six months, but finally they had a lead. She had completely gone of the radar. Chuck couldn’t contact her and she never called, not once. She left her phone, credit cards and her cloak in the jeep. Logan and Scott had found it all at the side of the road. Abandoned, like he had been.

They managed to track her as far as the train station, her handbag was found in the trash in the ladies toilets, along with a blonde hair dye kit. They had lost her.

There had been a couple of leads, but none had ever been successful. The latest one had come from a bar in San Diego of all places. An old friend of Remy’s called to say that there had been a fight in his bar and the main culprit was a young woman, with short jet-black hair and a bar through her eyebrow. He suspected that she was a mutant, because she really knew how to fight and afterwards made some kind of wise crack about what little girls were capable of.

Xavier hadn’t been interested until the guy said she had a southern accent and deep brown eyes. Everyone in the mansion had wanted to come, they all wanted her back and Logan wanted it the most.

Logan and Scott took off the next day. The Professor had insisted that Scott go with him. They had been on the road for a week, travelling together, and it was starting to piss Logan off. Enormously.

They had been to the bar and were on their way back to the motel. Planning on searching the other motels and rest stops tomorrow.

Pulling up outside the room, Logan turned off the engine and opened the door. “You alright?”

“Scott, I’m not going to be alright until she’s home. Even if she hates me for it I’m not leaving her out in the open, where anyone could get to her.”

“If we can’t find her after six months, then there’s not much chance of anyone else finding her either.” As the walked through the door of the room, Logan couldn’t help but feel a bit pissed off at Scott’s attitude.

“Well, I’m so fucking glad you’re relaxed about the whole thing. ‘Cause damn I was beginning to fear for her.” He took his jacket off and threw it forcefully onto his bed.

“Logan, I didn’t mean I’m not worried about her, I’m just saying she’s good at keeping hidden. We’ve just got to keep looking.”

His anger at Scott didn’t go away. How could the man be so blasé about everything. He knew what it was like to lose someone, God they all did. “I can’t loose her. I haven’t got a lot to start with, loosing her brings me down to nothing.”

“You know for such a badass you’re starting to whine like a girl.” Logan turned on him and was about to shout when he caught the mischief in Scott’s face. He was trying to calm him and it had worked. Logan chuckled.

“Have I mentioned that I hate you?” He ran his hand through his hair and sat down on the bed.

“Several times. Go to bed. I getting in the shower.”

That night he was restless, he slept fitfully. Each time he closed his eyes his head was filled with images of Marie, writhing under him whispering her love in his ears and screaming his name in pleasure. The same dream he had for the last six months

In the morning they ate breakfast and headed out to the rest-stops at the edge of town and the surrounding area. One did recognise Logan’s description of Rogue, but he said it was a good month since he had seen her. After getting as much information out of the guy as possible they headed back to the town.

He was desperate; he had to find her, had to explain that it was all a stupid mistake.

He missed her, the smell of her, she ate cinnamon bread for breakfast everyday and somehow the smell got into her skin, he loved it. He missed the sound of her voice and the feel of her skin under his hands. The curve of her breasts, the feel of her breath on his ear, the soft mouldable flesh of her backside, and the sounds she made when he touched her, a sigh, a gasp. It all made his heart stop.

“There’s a market over there. Since the rains stopped, lets get some lunch before we check out the first set of motels.”

Scooter was always thinking like a fucking girl. ‘Make sure we eat’, ‘Gotta get enough sleep’, dumbass!

He mumbled “Girl” under his breath, but Scott never heard him. Pulling into the parking lot he took his seatbelt off and was out of the SUV in a flash. Despite Scott whining like he was his mother, he did like the idea of being out in the air for a while.

They walked to the café and sat at one of the outside tables. There were market stalls everywhere, selling fabric, clothes, food and a lot of other stuff he didn’t want. There was one selling incense sticks and they had a couple of them lit. He signed and rubbed his eyes. It was cinnamon.

“We’ll find her, Logan.” He raised his head to look at Scott.

“I know, but what happens then? What if she doesn’t want to come home?” The waitress comes over to take their orders and Logan’s question was left well alone.

Logan simply ordered coffee and Scott ordered some donuts to take away as well. Their coffee and donuts arrive and they walk back to the SUV in silence. Logan would have his whole life with Scott in silence, but it never goes the way you want it too.

They jump in and he stares into his coffee. Scott takes a swig from his and then coughs and spits his mouthful over the windscreen. Logan chuckles and slaps him on the back “I’m guessing that was hot!” But Scott just coughs even more and points widely out the front of the car.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Scott shakes his head and points out the front again. Logan huffs at him and looks in the direction of Scott’s hand. “Shit!”

Right there in front of him, standing next to a fabric stand is a young woman. She has chin length jet-black hair and a bar through her eyebrow.

Christ, it amazed him how she still looked like jail-bait, but in a good way, a way he liked. She was wearing blue jeans cut off just below the knee, Doc Marten boots and a dark blue hooded jumper. “Marie.” He didn’t care that he had just told Scott her real name. They had found her.

He slowly got out of the SUV; Scott followed but was still coughing and wiping coffee off his cords.

Standing there looking at the red fabric, she wondered if she could make a new scarf out of it. It was nice and soft and it looked pretty. She heard a car door slam to her left and couldn’t help but look up.

Oh God! She saw the tall heavy frame approach, as he came round the topiary bush. She took two steps backwards. How the fuck had he found her. She didn’t want to see him, ever.

She had to get away before he lied to her, before her made her hurt again, before he smiled at her and made her remember she loved him.

Turning she bolted through the market. “MARIE!” She ran from his voice shouting her name. She was small and able to dodge people easily as she raced through the crowd. She turned her head to see how far behind he was. She saw him barging through with Scott on his tale. Fuck, Scott had come too.

She carried on running until she came to the end of the market stalls. Turning right she ran into the shopping centre behind the market square. Racing into the elevator, she hit the top button and then kept pressing the button for the doors to close.

Scott and Logan turned the corner just in time to see her in the elevator, pressing the buttons. “MARIE!” Logan shouted her name again and she looked up, their eyes locked as the doors slid shut, brown and hazel both reflected pain.

“FUCK!” He charged forward and banged on the door, then doubled back to the escalator with Scott close behind him.

She ran out of the elevator just in time to see Logan and Scott run up the escalator. She had held the elevator at the bottom making them think she had headed up. She ran back outside the centre and through the market stalls again. When she reached the road she hailed the first cab that came past.

Resting her head back on the seat, she signed. That was close, too close. “Westvale Motel please, and hurry up.” She let her breathing and heart rate get back to normal. The cab driver drove slower on purpose she was sure of it.

When he stopped outside the motel she chucked him a twenty. “Forget me!” She leaped out and ran to her room. She slammed the door behind her and ran into the bathroom. Grabbing her stuff she started shoving it all into her bag.

In a way she had no idea why she was running, he wouldn’t hurt her and he wouldn’t force her to go back. She just couldn’t bear to see him, to want him again, hear his voice or smell his skin. She didn’t want to remember him, the way he looked at her like she was precious china and the way he handled her like she was too. He had hurt her too much.

She zipped up her bag just as she heard a car screech to a halt outside. Looking through the net curtain she saw Logan and Scott jump out of the black SUV with Westchester plates.

Taking in his appearance, she thought he look tired and very very angry. God, maybe he would hurt her, he certainly looked angry enough, and running out on him really was a bad idea. Too late to stop running now!

She was panicking, what the hell was she supposed to do now? Logan went in the other direction obviously trying to pick up on her scent. Scott walked towards the office. She knew which one of them would find her first and she wasn’t going to wait for him.

She went back into the bathroom and opened the small window. She threw her bag out first and then climbed out after it. She landed without making a sound and ran through the back alley towards the main street again. She ran along the side of the road and it began to rain again. She ran backwards waving at lorries and cars. Finally a lorry stopped and she jumped in.

As it pulled away again she looked in the side mirror just in time to see Logan and Scott run to the edge of the road and look at the passing cars. Logan put his hands on his head and looked at the sky, then he put them on his hips and looked at the ground. Scott touched him on the shoulder and Logan turned and raised his fist ready to punch him for what ever he just said, but didn’t. They hadn’t seen her.

She put her head in her hands and started to cry sob.

“You alright sweetheart?” She raised her heard and looked at the driver.

“Yeah, parents. You know how it is. Can you take me to the next town?” He was rough looking but he had nice eyes and they smiled at her when he nodded.

Logan turned to punch Scott, not because he said anything, but simply because he was there and Marie wasn’t.

Scott put his hands up in defence and took a couple of steps back. “Calm down! We’ll find her, lets go back to the car.” Scott turned and started to trot quickly back to the car.

Logan shook his head like a wet dog and followed Scott. When they reached the car, Scott got into the driver’s seat and Logan looked at him sharply. “What? You think I’m going to let you drive while you’re pissed off? You may have a death wish Logan but I don’t.”

Scott pulled onto the main road. The only sound was the engine and the wipers going back and fourth.

“There was a Greenachers Farm lorry pulling out as we got to the street, maybe it picked her up. Logan? Are you listening to me?” Shaking his head, he carried on driving.

Logan scanned the sidewalk but couldn’t see her. She had looked scared, scared of him. What had she been through the last six months to think that she had to be scared of him? He loved her, didn’t she know that? Guess she didn’t. She must hate him. She must think he’s really is horrible enough to cheat on her in their own bed, otherwise she wouldn’t have run. She ran away from him. From everything they had, had worked hard to keep and she had run from it.

“Turn the car around. We’re going home.” His voice was tired, calm, strained and full of pain. Scott looked at him and then back to the road and then back at him again.

“Logan, are you crazy, we just found her, we can’t go back now.”

“I said turn the car round.” He still sounded quiet and calm. “She doesn’t want me… home, or she wouldn’t have run. I tired of chasing her is she really doesn’t want me too.”

Scott sighed and clicked the indicator.

*****************END OF PART TWO

The lorry pulled into the motel car park. Rogue looked out of the window at the sign.

“This is the next town, sweetheart. Sorry, can’t take you any further. I need to refuel and head in another direction.” She nodded at him, got out of the lorry, and smiled.

“It’s fine. Thanks.” She swung the door closed, and he pulled off.

She looked at the motel sign and shook her head. How clichéd. The Westbridge House Motel had a few sign issues: it flashed, and some of the letters were missing. So now, when it flashed, it read “b i g H el”. Big Hell. About right.

She walked to the office and booked a room. The desk guy had leered at her, but she paid him her money and ignored his dirty smirk as she walked to her room.

Logan used to give her dirty smirks. When he got back from missions, or fresh from the gym or danger room. He would smirk at her like that and then jump her until she was screaming his name.

It had been nine hours since she had seen him. His big shoulders, large heavy thighs, perfect orbs of hazel that reflected pain and sadness. He looked just the same. She shouldn’t have expected anything else. He always looked the same: sexy and dangerous, but he was a good man. Technically, you could have called him a murderer, but he was still a good man.

Why did he affect her like this? He had the first time she saw him. Made her feel like she wanted to take all the hurt away, wash his skin clean, make him feel what he was worth.

But he had done this. He had hurt her. He was the one that should look sad and feel sorry for himself, not her. Good, he was tired! Good, he was upset! Good, good, and fucking good!

Seeing him again made her feel weak, washed out, and helpless. She went into her room and closed the door. Leaning against it she sunk to the floor. Crying with her face pressed against the cheap wood, she realised she couldn’t stay here for too long. He would catch up. He would be coming for her soon. She sobbed until her head hurt, and her eyes were sore pools of sorrow…

Lying in bed, she felt the mattress shift. Turning, she once again saw the large frame of the man she loved. He touched her face gently. “I’m sorry.” She nodded and sat up to hug him fiercely. He breathed in her scent, and she heard him whimper against her. Taking her face gently, he kissed her and laced his hands into her short hair. Then he took off his jacket without breaking the kiss and his shirt.

She became frantic, tearing at his jeans as he laid her gently back on the bed. It was going to be fast; they both needed it to be. “I’m sorry.” He said it again, and it was enough. She loved him. What else could she do?

Pulling her panties to one side, he slammed into her with his enlarged flesh. She was already so very wet and accommodated his urgency. They had fucked like this before, and once he had begged her to do it with her mutation switched on. He said he liked the danger.

Cupping her face with his hands and kissing her roughly, she began to moan. He pulled her head back by her hair so he could harshly bite her neck. All the last six months of pain and raw emotion was coming out in the way they joined.

Half on the bed and half standing, he pushed her legs wider and thrust more forcefully, if it was possible, and she was crying out with pleasure-pain, as the tip of his flesh hit her at her base. “AAHH, LOGAN!” He sped up as she came and snarled into her throat as he emptied himself within her small, tired body.

Then he spoke to her again. “I’m sorry. I don’t love you anymore…”

She woke with a jump. She hadn’t even realised she had fallen asleep. She was still on the floor, pressed up to the door. Her head hurt like merry hell and the last part of her dream made her feel sick.

Sunlight was coming through the window. She looked at the clock: 6am. It had been nearly 17 hours since he had found her in the market. He would have been here by now.

He wasn’t coming. He was never coming.

It was a mistake; she shouldn’t have run in the first place. She should have let him have his tramp and then she should have moved on, at least she would have seen him.

She slowly got up. Her muscles ached from the position she had been in all night. She went to the bed and put her bag on it. She took out her soap, shampoo, clean panties and a towel and laid them on the bed. She stripped her clothes off and took off the back holster with her handgun in it.

Walking into the bathroom, she put the gun and clean panties on the toilet seat lid. It wasn’t for him, just for security.

****

Scott woke up in the driver’s seat and stretched as much as his position would let him. Logan hadn’t wanted to go into the motel room last night. He’d wanted to stay in the car and sulk. So Scott had stayed too, for fear of what he would do to himself, or the car, or the motel room. They had been there all night. Parked in silence.

“You awake?” Looking over at Logan, he could see it was a stupid question.

“No, Scott, I often sleep with my eyes open; it’s a military thing!” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Your mood hasn’t improved then.” Scott reached into the back seat and pulled out a map. “What do you want to do?” Logan was just sitting there, staring straight ahead at the motel room.

“Something.” He pushed the door open and strolled to the motel room door.

“Shit!” Scot jumped out and followed him to the door.

Logan didn’t knock; he just walked right in, breaking the lock quietly as he went. They could hear the shower, and Scott saw the empty gun holster on the bed.

He whispered at Logan. “She’s armed. My guess is that she will shoot you!”

“Well, Holy Toledo, Batman! I never thought of that!” He whispered back. Scott was slightly taken aback; he had never known Logan quite so tightly wound before. They settled to wait for her.

She let the water wash over her, she felt like shit. Felt like screaming. She’d stopped crying ages ago; there was nothing left. That’s how she felt: nothing.

He had let her go. He hadn’t come for her. From the moment she ran from her Jeep six months ago, she had known that he would come for her. But she never realised that she had wanted him to. She was still angry, very angry, and she could quite easily still kill him. But she wouldn’t because…he hadn’t come for her.

Stepping out of the shower, she dried off and put on her clean underwear. She left her hair loose; she couldn’t be bothered to wrap it in another towel. Out of habit, she put her gun in the back of her lace panties and wrapped her towel around her. It wasn’t very big, but it covered her butt. She opened the bathroom door and stepped into the room.

She was immediately pushed back against the wall, with one large hand in her hair, slightly tipping her head back, and one on her collarbone.

“LOGAN, NO!” She heard Scott’s voice from behind him.

Logan had anger and pain in his eyes. He was close to losing it, she could tell. He had looked like that on missions just before he started killing people. His breathing was ragged, and she could feel his pulse through his fingers. He had never directed it at her before. She was scared. For the first time ever.

“Why did ya run?” He shook her slightly, causing her scalp to sting. “TELL ME!”

“Logan, let her go.” Scott was standing in the centre of the room looking scared; he had one hand raised to the side of his head on his visor. It spoke wonders for how much he didn’t trust Logan to contain himself.

She stared at Logan’s eyes. She could feel his pain, his anguish. Then she felt angry herself. Why did he have the right to feel pain? He cheated on her!

Her right hand slowly came out from the back of her towel; he never noticed the gun until she had it secured under his chin, pressing into him.

His eyes darted downwards and then back to hers. “Darlin’, that won’t …..”

“Kill you? I know. I’ve seen you get shot in the head before, remember? But it’ll hurt like a fucking bitch, and right now that’ll do!” His grip on her didn’t loosen. “Wanna know what else it’ll do? While you’re lying bleedin’ on the carpet, I’ll be outta that door and five thousand miles away before you can crack an eyelid. SO BACK THE FUCK UP!”

As he slowly took his hands away and stepped backwards till he was level with Scott, she lowered the gun to her side.

“I think we all need to calm down.”

“SHUT UP, SCOTT!” they both shouted in unison.

“You gonna answer my question?” He raised his hands to his hips and looked very dangerous and very sexy. But she tried to ignore the sexy part.

“I ran because I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see you.” The tears started to fall again, but she wouldn’t sob, she just wouldn’t. “I don’t want to hear you, smell you or feel you. I want to be left alone, to live my life away from the hurt and pain and shit that comes with living with you!” Shouting at him had stopped her crying, and she could feel the adrenaline start to course through her system.

“Six months, Marie. Six fucking months. Not knowing if you’d been killed, had an accident, or God-fucking-knows-what! Do you know what that’s like?”

She took a step towards him and waved the gun to emphasise her point, and Scott flinched. “Why should I give a fuck what you feel? You did this. You caused this, you not me. I loved you.”

He noticed that she said loved and not love. He was losing his cool, what he had left of it.

“Me, you think I caused this? Well, how about you running off and not bothering to even talk to me?”

GOD, she felt so angry. How dare he? She wanted to make him feel the hurt that he had caused her.

Scott took another step back from the arguing couple. He didn’t know whom to watch more closely. Logan could smack her, but she could shoot Logan.

“Talk to you, talk to you? Do you have any idea what’s its like trying to talk to you? You don’t talk, Logan. You growl or grunt or hit someone. Animals don’t talk, Logan, they just fuck! And that’s all you want, isn’t it? And it doesn’t matter who it is. Let me guess: redhead, right? ‘Cause you’ve never been able to keep your dick in your pants for one of them, have you? Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and fuck Scott! ”

Without any kind of warning, he smacked her hard across the face. “LOGAN!” Scott shouted but didn’t do anything. She yelped and fell against the wall. Pushing off of the wall, she stood up and pointed the gun at him again, cocking it as she went.

“Gimme an excuse, please!” She flicked her tongue across her top lip and could taste the blood. “For someone who wanted me to talk to you, you kinda just proved my point, didn’t ya, sugar?”

Logan put his hands up, and his face paled, the sudden realisation of what he had done, hitting him full force in the chest. “Baby, Marie, I’m sorry, I …. I didn’t mean to, I…”

“You what? Couldn’t get me to do what you wanted, so you try and force it, or lash out? Another thing you’re so very good at. GET OUT!” She didn’t lower the gun, just kept it trained on his head. “GET! OUT!”

“You don’t even wanna know what happened? You don’t want me to explain?”

Jesus, even Scott knew the answer to that one. He put his hand on Logan’s arm and tried to pull him, but Logan shook him off with a rough growl. “No. I don’t want anything from you, ever again.”

He looked at this woman he loved pointing a gun at him and asking him to leave, and his heart broke into a thousand pieces. She really did hate him, and he knew he deserved it. Every ounce of his metal skeleton was suddenly so heavy, and he simply didn’t care anymore. There was nothing left to care about.

He grabbed her hand with the gun in it, pushing it away from him and holding onto her throat with the other hand, he quickly pulled her to him, snarling into her face. “That’s what you want darlin’, you got it.” He pushed her against the wall with a loud thud and stalked out of the room.

*****************************END OF PART THREE

She stood there; resting her head against the wall as she heard a screech of tyres that signalled Logan had gone.

Scott left her alone to get dressed. She could hear him outside on the phone. All she could think was what’s the point. “I know it doesn’t work Sir, but if you could at least get a general area it would help us. I… I know Sir but I think he’ll do something stupid this time. Yes sir. Yes, ok, thank you.”

Scott came back into the room. “I’m guessing you came with him, to keep him in cheek? Good job with that Scott!” She finished shoving her things back into her bag.

“Well you didn’t exactly help the situation did you.”

“Whatever.” She turned away from him and zipped up her bag.

“Look, there’s a car rental place over the road, I’ll get us a car. The Professor is going to try and give us a general area for him and then send ’Ro and Remy.”

She looked at him; all she could feel was her lip burning and her anger returning. “Why? Why would I want to go and look for him? He’ll get drunk, laid and be back home in a week.”

Scot shook his head. “Rogue, it’s all been a mistake, he didn’t cheat on you.”

“God he must have pulled out all the stops to get you on side.” She crossed her arm sin front of her chest and glared a him.

“Rogue, you found Pete and Anne in your room, not Logan! I didn’t believe him either, but the Professor checked his mind. He didn’t cheat on you. This is all a mistake!”

She took a step back and sat on he edge of the bed. “Oh God!” She began to sob, her heart aching and hurting as much as her head. “He didn’t …..” She stood up and shouted at Scott. “I ruined six months of my life for a mistake. I gave away everything, I took away his love for me and fucked up my whole life, for a mistake. He hates me and it’s all my fault. Oh God.” She wobbled on her feet.

Scott put his arms around her and she collapsed into him as she started sobbing uncontrollably. “Shh, it will be ok. We’ll find him.” She hated herself and the choices that she had made.

She carried on sobbing for about an hour and Scott was brilliant. He let her cry and whine. He even let her shout about and rant a little. Once she was finally gathered enough to be on her own for a little while, Scott went to get them a car. She went into the bathroom and washed her face.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she hated what she was seeing. Drawn out features, tired and sorrowful eyes and anguish in every small gesture, exactly the way he had looked. Drying her face she went back to Scott.

“Why are you helping me? All the shit I’ve caused.” She stood in the doorway looking at him.

“Because Rogue, I’m tired of this. I want my Friends back. Logan is an asshole, but he’s my friend and so are you. I want to go home, I want to go back to the point were my only worry is trying to convince Jubilee that my glasses don’t come in yellow.” He took her bag out of her hand; walked to the small car he had hired and put her bag in the back.

“Ok, but, I’m not waiting around any longer for the Professor to call. I say we go look for him now.”

Scott nodded. “Ok, he’ll want to get drunk, lets find a bar, a bad one, where he can sit in a corner and quietly drink himself into a coma.”

“Scott, he’ll want to get drunk alright and he’ll want to be in a rough bar, but as for sitting in a corner and quietly drinking himself into a coma, I don’t think so. He’ll look for a fight, so the rougher the better.”

They got in and he looked so upset and tired. They all did. Pulling onto the main road and turning out of town she knew she had to apologise to him.

“Scott, look, I’m sorry about what I said earlier, I was just trying to get a reaction. I wanted to hurt him.”

“You got a reaction aright. I have to say I never thought he would ever hit you. But the man just keeps on surprising me.”

“It’s not his fault. I pushed, I always do. You’ve heard us before, we’re world class at arguing. But I mean it, I’m sorry.”

“Rogue, you can’t throw that at him, it’s not fair. He lost the woman he loved, so did I. We both got over it and moved on. The only person who still has a problem with Jean is you. And it’s about time you let it go.”

“I don’t have a problem with Jean!” That’s not strictly true, but who cares.

“Then if you don’t have a problem with whatever Logan and Jean did or didn’t have, why the redhead comment?”

“Because I wanted him, all he wanted was her and all she wanted was you. A big unhappy family of lies. The only one of us that never had to worry was you, she would never have left you.”

Scott signed. “I wouldn’t have been so sure.”

“What do you mean?” He couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he did.

“Jean had an affair. Before we found you and Logan that’s why I was so on edge with him.”

“Who?” It was none of her business but she had to know.

“She was giving a four day science lecture at Trinity College in New York. I didn’t pay much attention to it, I was just happy she was happy. I went to pick her up on the last day and caught her and the College dean screwing on his desk. They didn’t see me and I never told her I knew. So yeah I know how it feels.”

“Jesus!” That was a shock, but somehow not an unexpected one.

“He could have had her if he wanted, she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. I know that. What kept him from doing it was you. That’s why we need to find him.”

She fell silent and he concentrated on driving towards the first rest stop that him and Logan had checked in the morning. All he kept thinking was if they didn’t find him before the night was out, they probably wouldn’t.

Logan drove away from the motel and away from the town and away from the woman he loved with what was left of his heart. He was angry, very angry and he hated himself.

He had hit her. The one thing in the whole world that meant something, the one person that he promised himself and everyone else to take care of. One stupid moment and it was all gone. He had hit her. He had ruined everything, lost his cool and fucked it all up. What he had, what he wanted, her. She was what he had and she was what he had wanted from the moment he had seen her in the stinking bar.

He cursed his darker side, the side of him that made him angry, the part of him that made her hurt and the part that had lashed out at her. At her for God sake. She was his saviour. She was his, period. And look what he had done to her, he had made her hate him

**“No. I don’t want anything from you, ever again.”** Her last words to him kept repeating him his head. She wanted nothing to do with him ever again. He had driven her away, made her hate him.

What the hell was he meant to without her, he would be lost and there was no point to anything anymore. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel and shouted at the windscreen. Looking around he spotted convenience store. Puling over and getting out, he slammed the door so hard that the whole SV shook.

He waked into the store and bought a bottle of Tequila and two of Jack Daniel’s. He threw the clerk two twenties, it wouldn’t have cost that much, but he was past caring by now.

He got back in the SUV and drove off towards the edge of town. He wanted to get drunk and forget what and asshole he was. The first dirt track he found off the main road, he raced up it and parked at the end in a clearing. Breaking the seal on the Tequila he drank about half the bottle in one breath.

He wound down the window and let in the scents of the world. He couldn’t smell anything past his own anger, hate and sorrow. For the first time in his life he wanted to cry, he wanted to open up his heart and burst. For her, it had all been a mistake.

He sat there and finished off the bottle of Tequila and lit up a cigar. The booze was having an effect but not the desired one. He now felt worse. He felt lost. That’s the trouble with drinking, if you want to forget about something don’t get drunk and don’t do it alone.

Chugging on his cigar he opened the first of the Jack Daniel’s and chugged on that instead. He was half way through when he felt dizzy the first time. He ran his had over his face and sniffed, he was happy it was a manly sniff and he would never admit that tear were the reason his face was wet.

He could smell her pale cinnamon skin, feel her soft hair on his fingertips and taste the sweetness of her lips. Knowing that the sensations he felt weren’t real he drank more, trying to erase the feeling of guilt and hurt from his mind.

Guilt because he hit her and hurt because she hated him now. **“No. I don’t want anything from you, ever again.”** Her voice rang out in his head again. He saw his hand fly and heard the sickening noise as it connected with her soft beautiful face.

Why? Why her? How could he? What the hell was wrong with him? He knew that he was an animal, a beast, a menace to normal people and he should be eradicated. He shouldn’t be allowed to be with decent people. People like is sweet beautiful Marie.

He should have stayed in those labs, been kept there like the digesting creature he was and he should have died there. He wasn’t worth it, he knew that now. He wanted to go back to Alkali Lake and drown himself in that horrific green tank that plagued his dreams and memories. Walk around like a ghost. Join Jean in her deep watery grave. But then he had been in that tank for prolonged periods of time and never drowned. He guessed he couldn’t die like that. He was covered in metal and it would have to melt.

He finished off the first bottle, tossing it in the back and opened the second. His reactions and movements were sluggish and didn’t contain his usual grace. That’s why he swore and growled when he spilt whiskey all down his front as he tried to take a swig.

Feeling a fresh wave of anguish and guilt was over him, he lit another cigar. He watched the flame of the match spark and flicker, then die out. Dropping the match he lit another one and watched in the same manner. Each time letting the it burn down to the tips of his fingers. It didn’t hurt, not really, it stung and he wasn’t sure if that was because of the drink or because of the pain he was already feeling in his chest.

They had been driving in silence when Scott’s phone rang. “Hello, no nothing. We stopped at a store and the clerk said he sold a big guy three bottles of alcohol, but had no idea which way he went. Well Gosh Jubilee, I never thought of trying to call him, of course I have. She’s fine. Sure…” he passed the phone in front of Rogue. “Its Jubilee, she wants to talk to you.” She signed and took the phone.

“Hi honey. Yeah I’m fine. I know I’m sorry but… I know he didn’t do anything. Jubilee I’ve been over this with Scott, ok, I’m not in the mood to go over it again.” She lent her arm on the window and rested her head in her hand.

“Jubes, its all my fault, I know that and I’m trying to make it right. I’m never going to run off again, ok, I promise, never again. Has the Professor come up with anything yet? Ok.” She began to cry again but silently. “Miss you too honey. We’ll find my stubborn man and be home before you know it. Ok, I’ll tell him. Thanks. Bye.”

She passed the phone back to Scott. “She said Xavier is still looking. She said she feels sorry for you stuck in the middle of us two.”

“I’m always stuck in the middle of someone.” He sounded resentful and she felt guilty again. “Look, more seriously, he hit you. I know you want to find him, I do too, but you have to consider the fact that, if he does it once he could do it again.”

“Scott, have you forgotten the fact that I can drop him in a heartbeat? One flick of my mutation and the man is on his knees. He won’t do that again. The look on his face told me that.”

“I’m glad you think like that, I’m not so sure, he’s never exactly stable when it comes to you. When we all get home, I think it needs to be addressed.”

“Scott, I’m sure! He’ll kill himself before he’d hurt me again. I’m sorry, for all this.” He put his hand on her leg and squeezed slightly, smiling at her.

“Not your fault. Don’t worry about Jubes she’s just annoyed I’m not at home.” Rogue thought that was a funny thing to say. Why would Jubes want him at home?

“Are you and Jubilee…? An item?” He smiled and glanced at her quickly, that would explain his comment about the glasses earlier.

Shrugging shyly he blushed. “Kind of, we, um, ended up in bed and seem to, um, keep ending up there.” He glanced at her again.

“Oh my Gawd, you and Jubilee. That’s just strange!” He laughed gently.

“Strange but true and actually very nice. And I have to say it Rogue, this whole thing with you and Logan, kind of makes me realise life if to short, too harsh and too crap at times to ignore a good thing when its thrown at you!”

“I know Scott. That’s why we have to find him. So I can tell him I love him.”

Logan watched the flame again, right up until it died at his fingertips. He could smell the alcohol in the car and on his shirt. It would burn, his shirt would burn and so would his bones. He took another swig from the bottle and with a load snarl threw it at the passenger door. It shattered and spread whiskey all over the interior of the car. Some glass had cut his hand, be brushed it off and his hand healed over.

“I always heal. Well not from her.” He lit another match and threw it in the same direction as he had thrown the bottle. The match stayed alight and it flickered brighter as it caught some of the whiskey spreading over the material of the door.

It spread past the door and over the seat, dancing across the car floor and licking at the dashboard. The fire spread into the back seat and Logan put his window up locking in the smoke and flames. The whoosh of the fire as it spread was the only sound as Logan closed his eyes, letting the smoke fill his lungs and the sorrow, pain and self-disgust in his heart melt along with the metal of his bones.

Rogue was staring out of the window as they came round the corner in the road. Scott could see smoke rising above a small clump of tress. “What’s that over there?” She looked at the pillar of smoke and back at Scott. “You don’t think?” All the colour drained from her face.

“He wouldn’t? Would he? Scott GO!” He turned the wheel and screeched along the dirt road.

As the burning SUV came into view Rogue was already taking off her seatbelt. “NO! no no no no no!” She threw open the door and moved around the front of the car.

“LOGAN!” Scott was out the car just in time to catch her around the waist and stop her from running to the SUV. Just as he caught her, the engine caught fire and the hood exploded into the sky.

She knew she was screaming his name “LOGAN!” but she couldn’t hear anything past the fire, past her pulse in her ears, past the pain in her own voice and her silent plea for this not to be happening. Her world pulled into slow motion as she watched the car burn. The hood came down to earth with a load crash and she screamed even more.

Scott was holding her and she didn’t have enough strength to get away from him. Deadly mutation forgotten, she couldn’t get away and unsure of what she would do even if she could. She gave up and fell backwards onto Scott screaming the name of the man she loved, adored and would never see again.

Scott held onto her. He didn’t know what else to do. He knew that the others could be on their way, but he had no idea how far away they were, the Professor hadn’t called and chances were they had no idea where they were.

They would be too late. They would be lost, Logan would be lost and ultimately so would Rogue.

**********************END OF PART FOUR

It had been three weeks, three whole weeks. She had watched a car with the man she loved in it blow up.

He had taken his own life.

Because of her, because of the things she had said to him. The mistakes she had made and the stupid choices that had taken her away room him for six months.

He loved her, she knew that and he had never betrayed her. She felt so stupid, ridiculous, and completely lost. He was everything to her and she had run from him because of what she thought he had done to her.

If she thought about it, now, she knew he would have never cheated on her. If only she had tried to talk to him, walked into the room or even told the Professor, someone, what was wrong. This could have all been avoided. She wouldn’t be in such emotional pain, she would be happy and she would be in his arms. Not curled up in a ball, covered in blankets and silently crying for the man she loved.

She didn’t care that he had hit her, he could hit her a thousand times a day if it meant he was alive. If he was standing in front of her now, she would be happy for him to hit her, to do something, to do anything and she would take it because it meant he was ok. She would take anything

After the car exploded, ‘Ro and Remy had arrived in the jet, apparently the Professor had been trying to call Scott form the moment that she put the phone down to Jubes, but he couldn’t get through, the signal had faltered because they were in a small valley.

They held her back, they stopped her from saving him. She could have got to the car, she could have got him out and she knew it. But they stopped her, took the choice away from her, made her the one that was left to deal with the knowledge that she could have saved him, but didn’t or couldn’t.

She kept thinking, maybe she should have tried harder to get away from Scott and Remy, maybe she should have used her mutation on them and made them let go of her. She shouldn’t have let herself be herded into the Blackbird like a hurt child. She should have fought them, Logan would have fought them and they would have let him go. But she was Rogue, not the Wolverine.

She had been quiet and tearful and lost for three weeks. It was all to much Pete had apologised profusely but it made no difference, it wasn’t his fault it was hers. She made the choice to run without trying to solve the problem. She had made the mistake. The last six months and three weeks of her life were a mistake and it was her who had orchestrated that mistake. Made it flourish, made it possible and made it worse.

They had all tried to talk to her, they had all begged her to eat properly to sleep and they had begged her to leave the room. They said it was unhealthy for her to stay here, they brought her meals and she ate as much as she needed to, enough to keep the hunger at bay, she didn’t deserve to enjoy her food. She didn’t deserve to enjoy anything because he wasn’t there enjoying it with her. All she did was fall asleep in the plush armchair and silently cry for the one person in the whole world that made her truly happy.

Logan opened his eyes slowing, painfully and tried to take in his surroundings. He was in the med lab. The smell told him that. Shit it hadn’t worked. Fuck Scooter, he must have brought him back here. He didn’t want to be here without her. He didn’t want to be alive with out her. She was his life, the reason and the only reason to be a decent human being.

He rolled on his side and tried to raise himself up onto his hand. He slowly got up. He felt a slight wave of dizziness hit him and he shook it off. Getting up apparently helped he was feeling a lot better. His skin still hurt, a slight buzz in his head and the metal against his bones still felt hot and uncomfortable.

He thing that hurt the most was when he looked across the room to see a small bundle of blankets curled up on Hank’s armchair. He hadn’t smelt her before but not he concentrated he could smell her now. Salty tears, sorrow, pain and a slight musty smell of sweat. She hadn’t had a wash in a couple of days he could tell, but she still smelt wonderful to him. He tiny little bare feet were poking out from under the blanket.

He slid of the bed, grateful to find himself wearing a pair of sweats. When his feet hit the cold floor his head decided that it was the perfect moment to feel dizzy he wobbled and as his knees gave out a family pair of hands caught him.

“You alright? You probably shouldn’t be standing up yet.” Scott helped him back a bit so he could rest on the edge of the hospital bed.

“Keep your voice down Scooter, you’ll wake her up. She looks like she could use the sleep.” He whispered but his voice was croaky and he had only just caught his breath. Maybe he didn’t feel as good as he thought he did.

Scott kept his voice down. “She’s only been out of this room a handful of times, she doesn’t eat, sleep and she blames herself for the whole thing.”

“She shouldn’t.” He ran his hand over his face and stood up again. He walked over to her and stood over her sleeping form. Whispering again. “I’m gonna leave.”

Scott walked up behind him. “Logan if you leave her now, you really will be an asshole. She needs you and as much as I hate to admit it, you need her. You leave her now and she wont be here when you eventually come back, she wont be anywhere.”

Logan turned and looked at Scott’s face, he was telling the truth and he really believed that Rogue would hurt herself if he left her. “That’s blackmail.”

“No you idiot, its called love. After the last few months you can’t honesty think that you’re better off without her? ‘Cause you’re not. Wake her up, apologise for hitting her and get on with your lives.” Scott walked to the door that led out to the hall. “And another thing, you ever lay a hand on her like that again I’m going to give you laser surgery buddy.”

With that last warning Scott left him alone with his beautiful Marie. He wouldn’t do that again, he would make sure that nothing ever hurt her ever again.

Her soft even breathing made him feel calm, solid and better than he ever had before. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and instantly he felt her deadly skin tingle and begin the pull. Before it had taken any of him in he pulled his hand away.

He sank to his knees in front of her. God what had he done. Since the first moment she had been able to control her skin, she had completely control and that meant that even when she was asleep, she had enough control for it to be turned off. He had ruined that; he had worn her out so much that she couldn’t even manage to keep it off when she slept. Her energy was spent and it was his fault.

Everything that had happened, her leaving him, finding her jeep, loosing her at the train station, right up until he hit her then tried to kill himself, it all came flooding back and he couldn’t handle it. He lent forward and gently placed his head on her lap, resting his hand on he arms of the chair. And he began to cry, the tears falling onto her blankets and soaking through to her clothes.

She awoke gently to find a wonderful, handsome and ultimately powerful man crying in her lap. Mentally flicking her mutations off switch, she reached for him. She placed her hand on either side of his head and gently lifted it so he was looking at her.

His eyes were red and his mouth was turned down in a grim frown. She smiled at him and brushed his tears away with her soft fingers. Tuned in her chair and moving the blankets off of her, so he was positioned between her legs. She leant forward and kissed him. He sobbed onto her lips and she broke the kiss and held him to her fiercely.

“I love you so much Marie. I’m so sorry. Please, please forgive me.” She began to cry too. Pulling away she held his face again.

“I love you too.” It was all they needed to say for now. He needed to know she loved and she needed to know the same.

Sniffing she wiped her face and laughed. “God I must look a state.” She ran her hands over his chest. “You on the other hand look kinda good. All healed?” She could see that he was. All the skin had grown back and the charred blackness that covered him for at least two whole weeks since the SUV, was now completely gone.

Nodding he laughed and rubbed his face with his hands, erasing any evidence that he had been crying and sobbing like a big fat flowery girl. “You look good darlin’. Really good.” He put his hand on the back of her neck and puled her froward for a kiss.

It soon turned from a chaste peck, to a passion filled frenzied one. He lowered her jaw with his thumb and she let his tongue into her mouth. He could believe the taste of her, sweet and perfect. Just like he remembered. She tasted like cinnamon rolls. Fresh hot sweet and really fucking tasty ones. There was a slight taste of salt from her tears but he knew that wouldn’t last long now.

She pulled away and giggled, wiping her mouth. “We need to talk before we forget what it is we need to talk about!”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded and leaned forward again, took her mouth before another pesky word came out of it. He was now towering over her as she sat in the chair. Tasting her perfectly wet tongue and devouring her beautiful lips. She pushed him away again.

“I mean it, we need to discuss what happened in my motel roommpppph.” She finally realised that he wasn’t going to let her mentioned the slap he had given her. Well she had another way to address it. Any minute now, she would just let him kiss her thoroughly first, yep any minute now.

He knew what she was talking about but he wanted to kiss her. He didn’t want to admit what he had done.

God she tasted good. This wonderful beautiful woman who was currently griping his hair, starting to smell really fucking good and making his sweats feel really tight around his crotch.

Untangling her hands from his hair she slid them forward on to his chest and pushed. While he still had his eyes closed and he was breathless and completely unaware of what was happening, she hauled back and slapped him square across the face. The sound echoed through the room.

He slowly brought his head back round and locked his eyes with hers. His were filled with controlled anger and hurt, hers matched them. “Now we’re even. Let’s leave it that way!” She raised her eyebrows and then smiled at him, making sure he got the message she was trying to convey without actually saying ‘Don’t ever hit me again.’

His features softened and he smiled back at her. Nodding he simply said “Point taken.” He growled loudly and roughly snatched her face back to his for another kiss.

She ran her hands over his muscled chest again, trailing them down his abdomen. She heard him growl into her mouth when she slid them inside his sweats and onto his bare butt. It was tight and a little hairy, but if felt really nice under her hands. She squeezed him and pulled him to her, thus deepening their kiss.

She started to moan as her nipped his way down her neck. “I want you. Right now.” She smiled at his words and she nodded when he looked at her again. She knew that anyone could walk in on them but that was kind of half the fun.

He slid his hand under her top and massaged her breasts. He had always loved her breasts, they weren’t perfect by her standards, but they were a bit wobbly and really soft. The way he liked them. She moaned and kissed him as he rolled her nipples between his fingers.
He moved his hand out of her top and touched her lips. Getting up he walked over the Hank’s desk and started rummaging in his draws. “Logan what are doing?” He found what he wanted and came back to her, settling between her legs again.

Holding the foil packet up he smirked at her. “Turn your skin on.”

She was slightly taken aback, she hadn’t expected this. “Why? Its dangerous, we haven’t done that for ages. A year at least.”

“I like the thrill. And if I catch your skin…” he shrugged “you’ll know how much I love you.” He had told her that once before, he had begged her to do it. He said he could feel a slight buzz from her body when it was switched on. He said it had made his senses hum and tingle.

She smiled the most brilliant smile of her life. It meant so much to her that he would do this, because he wanted to. She grabbed the packet out of his hand as he crushed her mouth with his. She pushed his sweats down and rolled on the condom.

Taking her hands off of him as well as her lips, she looked him in the eye. “It’s on. And the condom.” She giggled again and he shook his head at her.

Luckily she was wearing black leggings, so he let out an inch of claw and cut a small whole through them as well as her panties. He grabbed her bottom and pulled her to the edge of the chair. He would buy Hank another one, because this chair was spending the rest of is life in his and Marie’s room!

He slid into her and his eyes flew back into the roof of his head. He had forgotten what she felt like. Tight and hot and wet and good fucking god she was perfect. “Logan, Jesus!”

“I know baby. Wow!” He began to move slowly, torturously slow. Both of them were moaning together. She raised her hands to put them on his chest, but suddenly remembered her skin was on. She put them in her hair instead and leant her head back on the chair.

“Faster.. uh.. God yeah just like that!” She was begging, but she didn’t care. He went faster, pushing her legs wider and then leaning his hands on the back of the chair. He pounded into her harder than he had even done before. She was coming before she knew it. Crying out with a sharp yelp as she did. “Ahh! Uhh!”

“GGGRRRRrrr…. yeah! Uh God!” Just as he came and was shuddering the last dregs of his cum into her, the condom broke. “Shit!” The all too familiar veins started to show on his face.

She felt hot wetness inside of her and the hardness of his skin. The pull began almost immediately and in her fuzzled post orgasmic state it took her a good five seconds before she could scramble around in her brain to turn her skin off.

She pushed him back from her slightly and giggled. “You laughing at me darlin’?”

“I caught that thought mister and yes I’m laughing at you. Pelvic floor is not another name for my diaphragm!”

“Guess you’ll have to explain it to me them.” He kissed her and nipped at her bottom lip as he pulled away.

He got unsteadily to his feet and got rid of the condom. While he was doing that, Marie rearranged her underwear and put the blanket round her again to cover the whole in her leggings.

He stalked back to her looking smug and predatory. He scooped her up in his arms and walked towards the door. “Not meaning to be rude darlin’ but you’re the best fuck I’ve ever had and I don’t care what you pubic door is, I love it.”

“Back to your old self again sugar?” He stopped walking and looked at her with so much love and relief. It would take a while for all the scars on the inside to heal for both of them, but they knew they would get there if they had each other and a good band of friends around.

“Yeah. And another thing, you owe me 60 bucks for a new windscreen and another 35 for paint remover!” He raised his eyebrows at her a she started to giggle.

“Did it come off your jacket?” She was trying so hard not to laugh.

“Well, I was going to leave it on, because, you know it was a big cock darlin’. But then I figured a big pink cock on the back of my biker jacket would give the wrong impression!”

She burst out into hysterical laughter in his arms, as he carried her to their room and began to make up for the six months that they had lost on mistakes.

END