“I’m tired Logan.”

“Well it’s been a long day, why don’t ya hit the sack early or somethin’.” I scoff at him for his inability to see what I am trying to tell him.

“I’m not that kind of tired Logan,” I say as I continue to stare at him from the other side of our large king size, four-poster bed. He’s in bed reading like he always does before we go to sleep and I am usually in bed with him, a thousand papers littered in front of me, all needing to be graded by tomorrow. But not tonight, tonight is the last time I want to see him reading before bed. He stops reading his book, probably something about some war that he was probably in and stares at me with just a hint of concern crossing his face.

“Then what kind of tired are you, Jean?” He asks me as he puts down his book, marking his place with his index finger, like this conversation isn’t something to be to concerned over and that makes me slightly angry.

“I don’t want us to see each other any more. I’m tired of being, of just being the same everyday. I mean we never do the same things we used to do. Not since she came back, ever since we brought her back from Genoshia,” I tell him in a short rush.

“I don’t understand? You don’t want us to be together anymore because we are boring and that the reason that we are boring is because the only person that I call family is back in my life? Jean I don’t think you completely comprehended the fact that when you are in a relationship with someone you get them and everything that comes with them. Just because for the first two years that we were together she was a prisoner of Genoshia doesn’t mean that the moment we find her that her and I are no longer family and that the time she spent there means that I no longer consider her part of my life.”

“Logan, she isn’t even related to you by any means! I mean you spend all of your time with her!” I tell him, furry rising quick with in me as I point at nothingness just to make my point clearer, because apparently he didn’t hear me properly.

“So you’re jealous of her because I am trying to help her get back into this world without to much trouble? Come on Jean! This is ridiculous and I can’t even believe we are having this argument! Jesus maybe Scooter was right about you, Jean! You can’t always have it your way! Sometimes you have to make room for others, Rogue has always been a huge part of my life from day one, and for you to just say that you don’t want to be in a relationship with me anymore because of that relationship then maybe you are right, maybe we are better off not together!” He’s furious with me I can tell, he’s put his book on the nightstand and has moved to a standing position on the other side of the bed. We’re now facing each other off on other sides of the large four-poster bed that we had shared so many wonderful nights together in.

“I’m not jealous of her! I am just not happy with this current situation, Logan! You never want to be with me anymore and you know what maybe Scott is right, you did exactly what he thought you would do,” I spat at him.
“And what exactly would that be, Jean!” I smiled sadly at him.

“You would leave me for her in a heart beat. She will always come first to you, above everyone else! Even me,” and with that I turned and fled from the room, tears streaking my face.

Logan stood there in silence as the woman he thought he loved yelled at him and then fled the room. He didn’t know if he should be mad at her for wanting to end the relationship or be happy because she did. He personally was getting tired of all the nagging and whining that was coming from her ever since they found Rogue in one of the bases in Genoshia.

Every night for the last two and a half years Logan had been dreaming of the day of the mission hoping against all hope that, that fateful mission had been a bad dream. He remembered it like it was yesterday still, even now that she was back away from the harm they had inflicted upon her.

2 ½ years ago…

We had just rescued six ‘patients’ from one of the Genishion bases, Rogue and I were heading back to the jet after making one finale run through of the base that held the victims of their horrible experimentation. We were almost at the jet when gun fire had started to rain on us. It had been a year since the ‘Carol’ incident so I didn’t even think about looking back to make sure she was okay until it was to late…

Cyclops had already started the jet and it was hovering (thanks in part to Jean) over the landing area. They were yelling at us to hurry up because we wouldn’t be able to hold our position for much longer and with the surge of military person’s rapidly gaining on us I just hoisted my self into the open side of the jet. That’s when I realized Rogue hadn’t flown in behind me. I turned to see her fighting off as many of the armed men as she could possible. I started to jump back down the lift to help her out; until I heard our intercoms crackle to life with Rogue’s voice.

“There’s too many! Go now why ya’ll still have a chance! Just leave now!” I remember her screaming on to the line before it went dead. I was still going to move out but the lift closed and I knew I couldn’t shred it open or we would all get captured.

“Wolverine, it was her choice to stay behind so we could all live,” Cyclops told me as he and Storm flew the jet out of dangerous air towards home with the six saved victims. I remember falling to my knees in front of the lift, arms laying limply by my side staring at the black lift as if by magic she would eventually be banging on the other side trying to let us, let her back in. I stayed like that all the way home until Jean had to telepathically move me into my room…

6 months earlier…

We searched continuously for her, but in two and a half years there was no sign of her. We were doing a routine rescue and raid of a small base on the out skirts of Canada. There were reports of mutant experimentation at the particular base and with a little digging and watching, it was soon found to be sadly true.

We were to rescue all four of the mutants in the facility and any documents that could help us in locating anyone else, particularly Rogue. That was usually Storm and Jeans job while Cyclops and I released the prisoners. The base was easy to enter, unlike some of the pervious ones we had encountered over the years. We split up into our teams as usual and proceeded in doing our usual search and rescue procedure. Scott and I made it to the lower levels and noticed that a few guards and some scientist lingered below, apparently oblivious to the small invasion above.

The guards were easy targets; we took them out with out even making a mess and sounding any alarms. I guess it was because we were getting a little to good at taking trained guards out, but who knows.

After taking the few guards out, we easily made our way towards the cells that held the experimented mutants. There were three down in the cells, and I helped Cyclops take the three to the surface and leave them with Beast in the jet. After we left them in the company of Beast we went back down in search of the fourth mutant. Since the cells were empty we decided to search the labs. At first I didn’t think I would be able to go into them until I heard the ever so familiar scream of the only person I had ever really cared about. Cyclops grabbed my arm as I was about to rush the room she was apparently be held in.
I turned to look at him and he just shook his head at me.

“We don’t want them to hurt her, we have to go in and take them out quietly,” Cyclops told me as we entered the room as one of the techs came out. Cyclops had covered the lab techs mouth as I slowly let my claws slide into him and watched with a smile on my face as his eyes screamed at me in horror as they glazed over, turning a pale grey. Cyclops just shook his head at me again but didn’t say anything, I think he understood why I did it.

We crept in silently hiding in the shadows of the not so well lit room. I could hear her scream again and beg them to stop hurting her and to just get it over with and kill her. Cyclops stayed by the door to make sure no one else entered or left before I was finished with my small massacre.

“Now, now my dear, this will only heart a little,” a pale looking man said as he leaned over the patient’s body laid out on the slab like a piece of newly cut meat. I growled in anger and could no longer hold in my rage as I brutally cut, sliced and hacked my way through the lab techs and scientist. When finally all that was left was Cyclops by the door staring at it like his life depended on it and the frail woman strapped down on the cold, metal operating table. She wore a blinking metal like collar and thin scraps of cloth over her thin looking form. She had what looked like thin scars running up and down her body, her left arm laid open for all to see, flesh pulled back revealing pink and red tendons and muscles and what looked like some silver.

Tears started to run down my face as I looked from the woman’s worn and broken body to her face. I will never forget that face, her once beautiful features where now laced with unknown scars and pains we will never know. Her white streaks in her hair were caked with unknown substances, blood and dirt where the only two I could recognize and smell.

“Rogue…” I squeaked out as I looked down at her almost afraid to touch her from fear she would break.

“I know what your doing and it won’t work! I know you’re not real and you can’t make me believe it’s you either so you just might as well give up! This isn’t going to work,” Rogue almost laughed out at me with anger in her eyes.

“Rogue, it really is me, I swear…” I tried to convince her, desperation leaking from every pore of my being.

“If your Wolverine then tell me oh wise one, what’s my real name?” She asked me truly believing I wasn’t real.

“Marie, of course,” and then I saw her smile, that brilliant smile of hers and all I could do was not take my blood and gore soaked claws and slice away the bindings that held her down.

I lightly picked her up, thanking god my body was covered, and tucked her close to my body as I carefully walked through the slaughtered bodies that littered the ground. Cyclops opened the door and then led the way back to the jet. Everyone else had already gathered at the jet and was ready for take off when Cyclops and I entered the jet.

“For a minute there guys we didn’t think…” Storm stopped in mid sentence as she realized who I was caring. Her hands immediately went to her mouth stopping the gasp that escaped her mouth. With eyes wide, she tentatively reached out but stopped short.

I pushed passed her shocked form as I made my way over to Beast who was tentatively taking care of the other three patients.

“Hank, I think she needs more attention right now,” I said quietly as I laid her on one of the cots.

“Oh my Rogue,” he turned from the body laid before and quickly started getting things ready to fix the open wound on Rogue’s arm. I stood up to leave so Beast could do his work.

“Logan, stay please. I…I don’t want to be alone,” I sat back down and held her uninjured hand, her eyes bore into mine as Hank started his work on her arm.
“Your never alone kid,” I told her reassuringly as I swept the fallen hair out of her eyes. She would never be alone, never again.

After Rogue’s rescue, she fell into her self. She moved silently through out the mansions long, wooden halls like a pale reflection of a ghost. Lost between the living and the dead with no real way of finding the map that would hopefully lead her out of the state she was in.

Logan watched her drift around the great expansion of the mansion; hollowed looking eyes now stared blankly back at you when ever you tried to talk to her. She was terrified of everyone and everything and wouldn’t let a soul touch her, not since Logan held her hand on the green cot on the jet six months earlier.

“Hey kid how you doin’?” I asked her watching her sit silently on a bench over looking the grounds. She turned slowly to look up at me; those haunting eyes staring back, a shiver ran quickly through out my body.

“How do you think I feel?” She asks me knowing that I know what she feels like.

“Yea I know exactly how you feel, I just hoped that you wouldn’t end up like me as well,” I sadly told her as I moved around her and sat down next to her. I felt her body stiffen a little and she scooted a way.

“And what’ so wrong with you Logan?” She sounds so naïve when she talks to me like that, as if she really didn’t know anything about me and my past.

“Lots of things kid,” I tell her back and pull a cigar out from my old weathered leather jacket.

“Yea well you seemed to have turned out somewhat okay, so I don’t see a problem with ya,” and I have to smile a little at that. I am the furthest thing from okay, I’m god knows how old and the only person who truly matters in my life doesn’t care to live anymore.

“So your going to become me now is it? What being Rogue too hard for ya? And I thought you were stronger than that,” I know what I am doing to her, making her feel like she’s given up. But I hope using reverse psychology will do the trick and bring her back to me.

“I’m stronger than you think Logan, but yes being Rogue is too hard. Even for me.” And with that she stood up and walked back into the mansion, to wonder the halls like the ghost of the girl I used to love. And at that moment I truly hated her for it.

They next couple of days I followed her watching her every move, checking up on her you could say. After our little talk out side I have been wondering if maybe they did something to her that we were unaware of and she would flip out at any moment or worse do something to herself. So I watched her silently and far away so as not to disturb her dream like state she had placed her self in.

“Logan can I talk to you,” Scott asks me as I sit across the room from Rogue, watching her as she watches the others.

“Sure scooter,” I tell him and get up and follow him out into the hallway.

“I’m starting to get really worried about her,” and I know immediately what her, he is talking about.

“We all are Scott,” I tell him trying to make this conversation a serious one.

“We have to do something; I can’t just sit and watch as she slowly removes herself from the world. It’s not natural for her to just sit and stare at the kids like she is and the way she just floats around here are almost freakishly insane.” He tells me trying to lighten up the serious conversation I was trying to have with him. But I know he is right, she removing her self from us, and eventually she will just fade away into the wood work until nothing is left but a memory.

“Well, what do expect me to do about? Shake her until she wakes up from this self induced coma she’s put her self in? I don’t know what to do and we are all out of options here,” I tell him almost franticly, running a calloused hand through my hair.

“I guess we’ll just have to think of away, maybe start her in some danger room sessions and see how she fairs in that. Maybe get her started in a routine again until she assimilates herself back into society. Then if that doesn’t work we will regroup and think of another plan of action.” I almost laugh at him; the fearless leader role is something I don’t think Scott will ever give up. Everything is a plan of action with him. There always has to be a plan.

“Sure Scott, if you think it will work. Tell the Professor to start getting her a schedule started and then we’ll work from there,” and I am almost praying that it will work. I can’t stand to see her as if she is dead already.

“So I’ve seen you’ve decided to pick her over me,” Jean stated as she stared at me from across the room. She was roughly throwing her various items that littered the large room we shared into a couple of bags.

“Jean, I just don’t understand why you are taking this situation like I’ve been cheating on you. I’m sorry that I’ve been spending a lot of time with Rogue lately. We all have, were just trying to get her to open up again. I just don’t understand why you’re taking this situation wrong,” I told her as I continued to watch her throw her clothes into a large bag.

“Because Logan, you care more about her than you do me. It will always be like this, always her and never me. Why can’t I have you, I mean all of you?” At that moment I understood Jean Grey. I always knew she was the jealous type, hell that’s one of the things that made her, her. But I never new she was selfish as well, childish even. If she couldn’t have all me then nobody should. How pathetic to think someone like her who could and pretty much has everything, would ruin a relationship based on the fact that I don’t spend enough time with her.

“Because Jean, not everyone gets what they want in life. Look at Scott he wanted to be with you for the rest of eternity and now look your well you were with me. Even Rogue, I doubt that she wanted to be in that place. But sometimes we just have to except what we can get.” I tired to explain to her and I seriously wanted her to stay with me, but I knew deep down that I wasn’t fighting for her, not as nearly as hard as I had fought for other people before.

“No. No Logan I don’t except that. I always get what I want or I move on,” and with that she grabbed her bags, pushed passed me and walked straight out of the door and out of my life.

I swear we are all watching her, afraid she is going to break into a thousand little pieces and will never be able to put her back together again. It sad really to think that our lives have been dwindled down to watching this slip of a girl as she slowly drives her self into the nothingness around her until there’s nothing left of her but a shell.

She has been doing extremely well in all of her training sessions, anger is fueling her though. But at least we can bring out some emotion from her. Usually she just sits there and stars out a window dead to the world around her. I do however catch her on rare occasions staring at the others, watching them, studying them. It’s creepy at most, to watch her watching the others as if she watching them through a glass container.

But at least she’s doing something other than staring out the window. I mentioned to the Professor the other day that maybe we should board up all the windows, he just laughed at me and told me she would find away to see out them again. The sad part was I agreed.

It’s been two months since we started her on our little program and still the only time we see anything from her is during a Danger Room session. Today we are all observing her from the observation deck upstairs. She’s running one of Logan’s latest Sims for her. Going against guards at an army base and to say the least the carnage she’s spreading is quite scary. I even called Logan out of one of his classes to come and see what she was doing to the fake men.

We watched in almost stocked horror as she used her bare hands to twist the arm off of one of the soldiers she was having hand to hand combat with. We listened to his horrid screams and watched the evil smile cross her blood and dirt smeared face. She picked up his gun and raced towards her next victim.

A Lieutenant, built to hurt and one of our Sims hardest opponents. We couldn’t hear what was going on but apparently the Lieutenant was saying something rather cocky because Rogue just smiled that evil grin and got down into her crouched position again and waited for her opponent to do something stupid. Then we saw it, the opening she needed to take him down. He had thought she was just a stupid little girl with no real intent on killing him (we made the Sims as real as possible, they could even think on some degree). That’s when she lunged forward and took him down hard, pinning him down with her knees as her hands clasped around his large, thick neck and slowly chocked the life out of him. It was almost freighting to think that someone as sweet as our Rogue could even be slightly possible of killing a person slowly. It was almost unthinkable.

“Oh my,” I heard Hank say behind me as we watched Rogue lean forward and crush the Lieutenants Larynx from the pressure.

“I think it’s time for plan b Logan,” Scott told me as we continued to watch Rogue’s deadly assault on her next willing victim. This little session had turned for the worst. This was no longer a simple training session, this was a mass murder without the legal ties. But what frightened Logan the most was the fact that he had done the exact same thing. Actually he still does, almost every night in fact. Killing men with green coats and other nameless people wearing army uniforms, it was the only way he knew how to release the pain and anger built up inside of him.

“There is nothin’ we can do Cyke,” I told him as I continued to watch her kill mercilessly and with a sickening pleasure I only knew to well.

“What do you mean there’s nothing we can do!” He asked me in shock not wanting to give up on her, “there must be something.”

“You don’t understand Scott,” I told him trying to make it sound as serious as it was.

“This isn’t about you Logan this is about Rogue, there is something wrong with her, seriously wrong,” he continued to speak but I wasn’t listening, I was still watching her and I noticed how easily she moved through out the Sim with little or no worry, as if she had done this a million times before and this was just practice.

“Something’s not right with her,” I tell him as I continued to watch her almost perfect moves through out the base. I leaned forward towards the glass watching her continued her own private battle.

“Of course there is something wrong with her! She was in hell for forever!” I just huff at him and his inability to see what was right in front of him. I trained Rogue everyday before she was captured; I know all her moves, and how far she had been trained. But this Rogue, this woman down on the battle field before me was a trained assassin who was very well trained. She was good, almost too good and that’s what made me wonder. How did she become so good at this unless…

“Stop simulation,” I tell them computer as my eyes grow wide with the knowledge I know. How could I have been so stupid, so naïve to think that they wouldn’t try something like this, I should have paid more attention to the signs.

I moved away from the glass and head towards the lift that would take me down to the bottom of the Danger Room where Rogue was. I could feel everyone’s eyes on my back wondering what in the hell was I doing, going down there with a psychopathic woman with a murderous mind. But I knew exactly what I was doing.

I walked out to her, her body was shaking from the exertion she had put it through and beads of sweat trickled down her dirty uniform. Her eyes however spoke volumes to me. Those feral eyes had shown brightest to those who know what they look like. Brilliant green eyes flecked with yellow told the story I should have guessed earlier.

I walked straight up to her my own feral glint slowly coming across my hazel eyes knowing what was to come. I should have seen the signs; I should of notice the way she stared at the people in the mansion almost like stocking. I should have seen it when she would creep slowly around a room without warning or sound. She was just like me when I first got out. This time however they had gone too far.

I was inches from her face as I watched her watching me with those intense eyes of hers. I could hear and feel her hot breath coming out in short, ragged breaths and what I couldn’t get out of my mind was that smile. She knew that I knew her little secret. She just wasn’t their favorite pastime; she was their favorite toy as well.

That’s when I did the unthinkable, nothing anyone up at the observation tower would have guessed. I unsheathed my metallic claws and drove them into her stomach. I watched as her pupils dilated, her beautiful mouth opening allowing one small gasp to leave. Then her eyes slowly came back into focus, her body being held up by my claws as her that beautiful mouth of hers turned back into that murderous smile.

She placed her thin, graceful hands around my large wrists and slowly pulled her self off of my claws just like someone else I had known. Then she pushed her self away from me as I watched her stomach knit its self back together again, just like me. Then I watched as three adamantium claws on each hand slid slowly out from between her knuckles.

“What? You think Stiker is the only one who can weld metal?” She smirked at me and she drew her claws back in, however this time she didn’t smile that evil smile that seemed to company her where ever she went. Instead a sad almost lost one did and that’s what nearly killed me. She was alone and afraid and no one even noticed that they just didn’t fuck with her mind, but her body as well.

“Jesus kid why didn’t you tell someone?” I asked her trying against everything I had to not bring her into a hug and cling to her like water from a man dieing from thirst.

“Jesus kid why didn’t you tell someone?” I asked her trying against everything I had to not bring her into a hug and cling to her like water from a man dieing from thirst.

“And who exactly would I tell Logan? Scott? The Professor? Or you? That’s perfect, tell the man who can’t even remember how he got his and only has broken pieces of nightmares to tell him what happened! What a laugh, well let me tell you Wolverine, I remember exactly what they did to me, in detail,” She was furious now with me and slowly started to remove her uniform.

“Don’t you get it? I don’t heal like you do Wolverine, I scar,” and with that she finished removing her uniform, exposing her pale skin that was lined but long, ragged scars that outlined her skeleton. I looked at them, not even taken notice of her nakedness and my eyes grew wide as she did a little spin to show me how ‘detailed’ they had been on her.

“Who would have thought, that I the untouchable was to become the next Weapon X?” And with that she pulled her uniform back on and smartly walked out of the Danger Room, leaving me still in my horror, struck face as I realized exactly what happened to Rogue in Genoshia.

Now I sit on a wooden bench outside the mansion and stare blankly out onto its great expansion, smoking a cigar and just thinking. Thinking about what would have happened if thing’s had been different. If I was the one who followed her, could I have made it through another experience like the one with Stryker all those years ago? Was she worth the sacrifice of all of our pathetic lives? Was she her pain worth the happiness of a few? These questions and many more that were similar raced through my mind as I continued to smoke my cigar.

“You know it was her who made the decision to stay behind,” a soft voice from behind told me as I continued to stare blankly out onto the grounds.

“There was nothing you could do, no matter how hard you tried to make things different. In the end it was her choice,” I grew angry at that and turned on the beautiful white haired woman.

“HER CHOICE!? IT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ‘HER CHOICE,” I spat at her allowing some of my anger out. She looked slightly taken aback by my outburst but continued to watch me with those sorrowful eyes of hers.

“It doesn’t matter anymore Logan whose choice it was or wasn’t, all we have to matter about is getting our old Rogue back before it’s too late.” With that she turned and left, left me to continue thinking about Rogue.

‘She just didn’t get it,’ I thought to myself, ‘it already is to late.’

Another four months and still no change, Rogue was just as destructive as before, except now she enjoyed it with a sickening happiness that usually left the others with a scared face. But not me, no, I knew what she was doing. She was doing exactly what I have done time, and time again. I am surprised that none of these people have realized it yet. Rogue is becoming a monster, just like Sabertooth and I.

Today is my day for our training session together. Scott had to refuse training with her after she nearly took his arm off with her new pieces of equipment, as many of the new students had said. So here I am training this hell fire of a woman who has absolutely no remorse for anyone or anything for that matter and I am sad to say that I might be good but I ain’t as good as her. Whatever they did to her in that place had enhanced her army tactics to a whole new level and even I had trouble pinning her to the ground, and personally that scares the fucking shit out me.

So like I said here I am with this crazy ass murdering bitch and all I can do is try and not go down. Were doing hand to hand combat (stupid idea of mine let me tell yea) and she’s kicking my ass like its yesterday’s paper.

“So sugar, give up yet or do you want me to continue to beat the living shit out ya?” She asked me for the second time in the last thirty minutes with that fucking evil smirk of hers.

“Me give up? Ha, you had better luck selling that line to one-eye,” I tell her panting like I’m about to die.

“Suite your self, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya,” and with that she slugged me and I fell to my knees barely able to get back up.

“Yea know I kinda like super strength, comes in handy when you’re kickin’ the shit out of the one man you thought you could never beat.” However during her little speech she had let her guard down and Logan took that moment to attack her with all he had left. With a little maneuvering he finally managed to pin Rogue on to her stomach.

“Sometimes Sweetheart it’s just best to be quite, so you ready to give up yet?” I whispered into ear, holding her arms behind her back.

“If I was would I allow you to at least have some advantage over me?” She told me with a quirk or her eyebrow. I was slightly confused by her remark and I could tell she caught my confused glance.

“Why don’t I just show you what I mean?” She then, with very little effort, flipped me on to my back and pinned me to the ground, and I knew at that moment that I was royally screwed. There was no way in hell I would be able to weasel my way out of her hold.

“Fine you win this one, darlin’” I tell her trying at least to have some pride left in me, seeing as how I just had my ass handed to me.

“Always win sugar,” She told me releasing her hold on me and walking away with a gentle sway of her hips.

Today was the day. Today the Professor was allowing Rogue to go on her first mission. It’s been over a year now and sometimes I preferred her to being ghost like than animal like, like me. She become vicious in everything she does and most of the time I am afraid she’s gone up an leave us to join the Brotherhood or some other stupid evil mutant terrorist group.

Today is supposed to be a recon mission. Just a simple pick up. Some boy that’s apparently gotten himself into a lot of trouble down south in the back water’s of the bayou. I wasn’t really paying that much attention to Scooter’s little speech but when I looked around the oval room I noticed Rogue. Sitting on the edge of her chair with that silly evil grin on her face like she was four and Daddy just bought her a fucking pony.

“He is apparently a very skilled mutant and if he decided to join the team I could not hope for anything better. Now everyone please move to the Blackbird,” Scott said officially ending the conversation. We all got up and made our way to the jet.

Inside the jet Jean sat in the back alone away from us, Cyclopes and Storm sat at the cockpit. Storm rapidly talking to Cyclopes about the kid we were picking up, apparently they new each other back in Cairo. Across from me sat Rogue with that damn evil smirk on her face and all I could was watch her and wonder what she was thinking in that little mind of hers.

A few hours later we landed on the outskirts of some swamp and slowly made our way to New Orleans’s to pick up this kid. Rogue was basically skipping with joy. Once we got into the main part of the heart of New Orleans we began our search. Like a needle in a hay stack if yea ask me.

“Storm do you know where the kid lives?” I overheard Cyclopes ask Storm.

“I am sorry Cyclopes but no, I do not. He never really told me much about his past, so I will not be much help,” she told him honestly and we continued to make our way down some alley way.

“Yea know one-eye you’re goin’ the wrong way,” Rogue piped up from beside me. A hand on her hip and that stupid smirk, I swear I am going to knock it off her face on of these days.

“And how do you know that I am going the wrong way?” Scott asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Because if ya haven’t noticed I am from just across the river, and let’s just say these people are hard not to miss,” and with the wave of her hand she started to lead the small pack of us. Scott gave Storm a worried look by allowing Rogue to take the lead but all Storm could do was shrug and follow.

A few minutes later we stood outside an old looking pub with soft jazz music playing from with in. Rogue’s evil smile finally turned to a slightly happy grin as she opened the large glass door and made her way through the crowd of people enjoying the atmosphere.

Rogue made her way to the back of the pub and immediately stopped making Jean run smack into her back. Hands on her hips and her left hip cocked to one side Rogue finally spoke to the small group of men.

“Now Sugar I thought you where taught better than to just go and ignore a lady when she’s trying to grab your attention,” Rogue said with a smirk. At that a lean figure stood up from the center of the group. He wore an old duster and black sun glasses in the dark pub.

“Mon chér Marie!” The stranger said to Rogue and when he said her name, her real name I felt my heart strings pull tight in my chest. I thought I was the only man in her life who knew her name and I felt the unfamiliar pains of jealousy grip me.

“Hello Remy,” she said as the figure stepped out of the darkness and immediately stood in front of Rogue.

“You gonna tell Remy where his chére ran off to for so long? Or is Remy going to have to drag it out of ya?” He asked her looking at her with the same smirk she had and I almost grinned at that.

“Well let’s just say ya ain’t the only one around these parts with some pretty cool powers Rem’s in fact I’ve been stayin’ with an old friend of yours,” with that she motioned towards Storm and the Cajun’s face lit up at the sight of her.

“Mon Dieu, Stormy!” He said walking away from Rogue towards Storm to wrap her up in a tight hug.

“Gambit how many times do I have to tell you to please stop calling me Stormy?” She said with a sassy grin on her face.

“Remy will stop calling yea Stormy after ya ask about four more times Stormy,” with that Storm just rolled her eyes but kept that big smile of hers. At that the man known as Remy turned from Storm and immediately went back to Rogue.

“Now ange you gonna tell this poor ol’ swamp rat what yea be doin’ here?” He asked placing a hand around Rogue waist and I noticed I let out a small growl when Scott turned to look at me and smirked.

“We came to take ya back with us, ya know give ya a chance to start anew and stop all this thieving business,” she said with a smirk.

“And give up my life of petty crime? Remy don’t know Marie your gonna have to give him a better offer other than ‘to start anew,’” he said with a smile and placed his other hand on her other hip. She just reached up and pulled off his sun glasses to reveal a set of red on black eyes.

“We live in a mansion; filled with free food, nice beds, and all yea has to do is save the world. So you get to get some ass kicking in and it’s all for a good cause so there ain’t a down side really to the whole thing,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck causing me clench my hands and bare my teeth.

“Your proposition sounds pretty good Marie, Remy might just take ya up on that offer,” he said as he looked from Rogue, to Storm and then to Jean.

“Get ya filthy swamp rat head out of da gutter Gambit before I have to knock some sense in to that brain of yours,” Rogue said as she followed his eyes across the three leather clad women.

“You know Remy, always gotta see how the hands dealt,” and with that Storm and Rogue laughed.

“Yea Remy I do and because I do I know you will be more than willin’ to join our little group,” Rogue said removing her arms from around his neck.

“You got Remy dare chére, so what time we leavin’ because Bella be looking for Remy tonight and you know how that always turns out,” with that Rogue turned around and grabbed Remy by the hand and helped escort him out of the pub and back towards the x-jet. I for one was not happy with the newest member of our little team one bit. No fucking way was this sweet talking bastard going to screw up everything I worked so hard for with Rogue.

Because damn if I didn’t love that girl and no snot nosed Cajun was going to take away what the Wolverine rightly called his.

That damn Cajun, every where I went he was there. Every time I went to go and find Marie she was with him and that damn Cajun was all over her, and the Wolverine didn’t take that to kindly either.

“Logan? Something bothering ya sugar?” Rogue asked as she plopped her self down right next to without a care in the world.

“Nothin’,” Logan grunted in response to her nonchalant ways. Ever since that stupid Gumbo came to the mansion Rogue had been acting like a wild child. Gambit and she had been sneaking in and out of the mansion almost every night for going on a month now. It was almost like she ditched her old life and was finding a new one that suited her mood better.

Not a care in the world attitude and looks to boot. This new Rogue didn’t care if someone accidentally touched her skin-to-skin, and that Gambit fellow didn’t mind that much that she had deadly skin. In fact he thought of it as some kind of game. However this is probably one of the reasons why her carefree attitude never seemed to falter. She was absorbing so much of that Cajun she was actually picking up some of his more tasteless habits. Such as smoking like a chimney and playing cards. Her accent has even gotten thicker in the passing weeks.

But no one really cared what was going on with her any more. She looked and appeared to be happy. So that had to be better than terminator Rogue they had been dealing with recently.

“Yea sure sugar, you keep telling your self that little line of tall tails and we’ll see how well that goes for ya,” Rogue said patting Logan’s shoulder as she moved away from the couch.

“I am perfectly fine Marie, what about you? This little façade you’re putting on goin’ to last much longer?” Logan asked her his hazel eyes looking into her bright green ones.

“You should be careful Logan, don’t want everyone knowing that you can use big words like façade now do we? How about you just do what ever one else is doing and follow the flow? Will be easier for us all in the end, dontcha think?” Rogue asked as if this was so kind of game he decided to play with her this afternoon.

“No, I don’t think so. I am getting really tired of this carefree attitude. It’s gonna get ya into a lot of trouble if you keep it up the way you are,” he told her with a knowing smirk.

“Really? Ah didn’t think many people could defeat me Logan? Ah mean how much trouble can little ol’me get into if ah am nearly invincible and ah’m running with the number one thief in the world?” Rogue asked with trouble maker’s grin that one only saw on Bobby now-a-days.

“Well, we all thought you where invincible before that government got their grubby little hands on ya. But like I said Rogue no one’s invincible even me,” Logan told her as he watched that smile on her face slowly fall as he rose to get up and leave her where she stood.

“You don’t know anythin’ Logan!” She yelled at him when he reached the door.

“I know everything Rogue; I did it for seventeen years of my life. That carefree attitude won’t last forever and when it’s over and done with I hope you will be happy with what’s left behind,” and with that he left a baffled Rogue standing in the living watching the retreating back of the only person who ever fought for her.

Later that evening….

Logan rested on his bed staring blankly up at the ceiling still reviewing today’s earlier conversation with Rogue. Maybe he should have just kept his big ol’ mouth shut. Then he heard the resonating sound of someone knocking his door.

“Who the hell is it? And what do you want now?” Logan just growled out as he rolled off his bed.

“It’s… it’s me Logan,” a small voice squeaked behind the old wooden door. Surprised by the familiar sound of Rogue’s voice Logan opened the door.

Rogue was standing in front of him wearing her old boomer jacket she had, had when she arrived at the mansion all those years ago. Her face, from what he could see of it that wasn’t covered by her long curly hair was tear streaked and running with mascara.

“You where right Logan I guess I am not really that invincible,” Rogue said in a silent defeat.

“What are ya talking about darlin’,” Logan asked as looked at her curiously. Hoping that this wasn’t another front she was putting on.

“I can’t do the hating anymore, it’s exhausting,” Rogue said a little defeated. Logan just cocked his head to the side and moved aside so she could come into his room.

“We’re more the same than you think Logan,” Rogue said moving across his room towards his dresser.

“What you mean kid?” Logan asked as he watched her. She trailed a gloved finger a cross the dust that had settled on the barely used oak dresser.

“Who would have thought that the feral wolverine and the innocent, pristine Rogue would be one of a kind?” Rogue said ignoring his question.

“I’m not innocent anymore Logan, or pristine, just like you’re not feral anymore. It took the government to do that. How ironic. If the government hadn’t fucked with you, you would probably wonder around the Canadian woods in a log cabin. You wouldn’t be a teacher at a school helping others,” Rogue said as she played with the dust on the dresser.

“Don’t really know now do I?” Logan mumbled as he continues to watch her.

“But you do, don’t you? Deep down you know that’s exactly what you would have been doing. Just like me, I guess. If the government hadn’t gotten me I would still be little Miss Rogue innocents wrapped up in deadly white skin. Gods own chastity belt as Jean said once,” Rogue said with a smirk.

Logan winched at the mention of Jean’s name and at her inability to be hateful without meaning to.

“Guess that’s not the case anymore now is it? They had there fun with us and in the end they made us the same. Claws and memories to boot too, you should really see the nightmares I have now. At least yours are just fragments of what they might have done. While mine are the realities, a horror movie being replayed over and over again with no pauses or stop button,” tears where running down her face now.

“I over heard them today, when no one thought I was around to hear,” Rogue said as she moved towards the window.

“Damaged goods, is that what I am now? Damaged goods, nothing innocent or pristine left so I ain’t worth the time?” Rogue questioned him or herself she wasn’t really sure at this point.

“Who said that?” Logan asked anger slowly boiling at the surface.

“I guess my question is Logan, through our shared pain am I damaged goods to you as well?” Rogue asked as she turned from staring out the window to stare into his hazel eyes that had flecks of yellow in them.

Logan stared back at her for a moment, calming the anger that seethed beneath his calm and hardened features. He moved quickly towards her and grabbed her roughly in his hands almost shaking her.

“No one is fucking ‘damaged goods’ especially not you. Never you, you’re perfect in everyway and you deserve better than anything those bastards say they or anyone else can give you. Got that?” Logan asked as he bared his teeth the anger finally peeking over the small barer he had built. Rogue had let the tears fall down her face, all the months and days of emotions showing through her deep forest green eyes.

“Yes,” Rogue said hoarsely.

“Good,” and with that Logan crushed his lips to hers. Tasting the salt from her tears and the sweet minty flavor of what ever toothpaste she had used today.

Logan’s grip on her arms loosened and moved to wrap around her waist when he felt her respond to his kiss. Her own arms found their way around his thick neck and her body pressed against his, deepening the passionate kiss they where sharing.

They stop moments later to catch their breaths. Rogue looked sheepishly into Logan’s eyes and found a love she never thought she herself could experience now that she was damaged.

“Logan?” Rogue said quietly as her eyes moved to his lips, wet from their kiss.

“Umm…?” Logan said almost hazily.

“Would it be okay if we shared something other than pain?” Rogue said as she brought her lips closer to his again.

“Yea darlin’ that’s fine with me,” Logan said as he closed the already small space between them with another kiss as he lifted her and moved towards his unmade bed. Hopefully sharing something other than pain and maybe instead sharing something worth both their time.