The school loomed above him bathed in the moon's pale light. Standing there for what felt like hours, Logan just stared up at the grand building. No lights lit the darkened windows and the structure seemed almost ghost-like in its presence.

Although only seven months had passed, he felt now that he had never been gone. In all his life he was sure he'd never as completely at home before, even though he didn't know how long that had been. It was the constant emptiness that pushed him onward and made him restless.

Always the outcast, the lone Wolverine. Always that was, until he'd met her. Now he had a place to belong, he had made a connection, albeit these were things he hadn't yet told Rogue.

With a sigh he crossed the lawn heading for the small door that led into the hallway. Every step he took toward the sleepy building filled him with an increasing feeling of warmth, a rising kind of panic ceasing his body. As he opened the door slowly he pushed all his reservations and thoughts of doubt down into the dark depths of unrecognition.

---

Seconds after the whisper was uttered Rogue heard a very faint noise from the corridor running outside her room. It could just have easily been one of the other kids from the school or Scott going on a little patrol. Something he'd taken to doing some nights if he felt uneasy or couldn't sleep. It made her feel safe to know that the others were there to look out for her. But they could never look after her the way Logan could, the way he had promised.

The sound came again followed by someone's hand closing around the door knob. Then all movement stopped. Silence.

Rogue took a deep breath in anticipation and turned to the doorway. It was unchanged, still the same, empty. Perhaps she was imagining what she wanted to happen so badly. But the same feeling still gripped her whole body. She was almost certain of it. He was there. Heart racing, she wrapped her arms around her body, hugging tightly and turned her back to the door again.

As if her last movement had been seen as some kind of signal there came the sound of the door knob finally turning. Rogue didn't move as Logan quietly stepped inside closing the door behind him.

Logan took a few steps inside and stopped in the middle of the room. His mind was a whirl of questions, apologies and most importantly, how much he just wanted to stay here in her company. He stood there in silence, almost afraid to move. His shoulders slightly hunched, back arched, a troubled and confused frown knotting his brow.

Rogue could feel her body almost humming in his presence. Her mind threw up questions that she didn't want to have to ask, feelings that had been there since he'd left were now amplified with him standing only a few feet away. The next sensation that consumed her took her completely by surprise and she wasn't prepared for it at all. Fighting the urge to break down into sobs she turned to face him.

Gazing upon her curved outline that was silhouetted by the pale glow streaming in from the window behind her Logan tried to fight the growing need to hold her close.

Their eyes met and not other sound was uttered. Logan wasn't sure of how to begin. All the things he wanted her to know, he couldn't make his mind form the thoughts of his mouth the words. As he stared at her searching for the right words it was Rogue who spoke first, her accent becoming thick showing her nervousness.

"Logan..." she whispered faintly.

"...Hey kid." Logan said, his voice barely above a low whisper, eyes never breaking contact with hers.

Silence. Neither of them know how to carry their reunion forward in conversation. After all, now they both had what they'd wanted. They were back together. The hundreds of miles that had once separated them had become barely a few feet. Feeling himself slipping away Logan cleared his throat.

"...I uh," Sigh "I...." he began, cursing himself for such a fumbled start. He looked on as her face fell slightly. 'Damn it just say it!'

There was only one thing he could do right now and no sooner had he thought it than he had taken the three strides toward her and pulled her to him.

Rogue flinched slightly, but nothing other than the thought of protecting Logan's life force from being drained could have made her draw away. She trusted him to know what he was doing at this moment.

He enveloped her in his arms holding her head pressed softly against his chest. Squeezing her tight Logan rocked from side to side slowly and closed his eyes, a feeling of total comfort and ease swept through him and he knew it. This was where he belonged. Not on some God-forsaken quest for an unknown past, the end result of which had left him just as alone as it had her.

She held him just as tightly as he did her. The cold leather felt somehow comforting against her skin. Rogue closed her eyes and a single tear spilled over and ran down her cheek.

The parted slightly allowing them to make eye contact. He saw the tear and frowned again, taking the end of his shirt and drying her cheek gently. He longed to have been able to kiss the tear from her face or at the very least been able to touch her. Every fibre of him longed to comfort her. He couldn't stand to see a face so innocent marred with such pain.

"I missed ya kid." Logan finally finished.

Rogue felt herself smile and she squeezed her grip around his waist.

"It wasn't the same 'round here without ya." she replied.

The look she saw cross Logan's face at that moment was the closest thing she'd ever seen to an actual smile. But she knew how he felt. His eyes seemed so contented as they stared down at her. For once there was no pain or regret in them. It was a man she'd never seen before, but still the one she knew so well.

"I'm sure a spitfire like you was enough to keep 'em busy while I was gone." Logan joked, bracing himself for a slap. Or maybe not, possibly just a real hard pinch through his shirt.

Rogue felt that blaze of anger flicker inside her at that his comment. The quick temper of his that had been left over as one of his 'more charming personality traits' still shone through every once in a while. It quickly dimmed though as she realized 'how could anyone be mad at a face like that?'

She smiled again at his expression, his mischievous smirk and that thing he did with his left eyebrow. She forgot all about the pain and hurt she'd faced while he was gone, the dreams of his that still terrified her as she slept. Just being with him again was enough to make it all fade away.

Logan yawned and Rogue looked round to see the clock on her nightstand. The bright red figures read 3:43 am.

"It's late," she began. "Everyone else'll be asleep. You can, I mean if you wanna, I don't mind any."

She gestured to the bed and Logan stretched. He'd been riding that damn bike down here since the same time the night before, only stopping for the odd nap on his way.

"You're sure?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Ah'm sure." Rogue answered, her accent pouring out thick once again.

Logan followed her to the bed and stopped just behind her as she reached the bedside. He slid his jackets off, leather then denim, then slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Rogue grabbed some pillows and a blanket and turned to see him standing only a step away wearing only his jeans and the same black T-shirt she remembered. He reached out to her and she stood perfectly still as he took hold of the pillows and blanket.

"You go on to bed. I'll take the floor." he said.

Rogue slowly released her grip and turned, climbing into bed.

"Ya didn't think I was givin' y'ma bed did ya?" she teased with a smile.

Logan arranged himself a bed on the floor beside her and lay down. His body was exhausted but his mind couldn't seem to shut off.

Both lay perfectly still in the dark room, the silence enveloping them like a warm blanket for the night. Logan heard Rogue shuffling around in the bed above him.

"Logan?" she whispered.

"Hmm?" he breathed.

"You'll still be here in the mornin' right?"

Silence.

"Always." His voice was gentle and sincere.

Rogue smiled and closed her eyes, falling away into a deep sleep. As Logan did the same he whispered one last thing.

"G'night kid."