Xavier's Mansion.

Logan was sitting next to Rogue and Bobby, watching in disgust as they flirted with each other. He was sipping on a Dr. Pepper bottle, he was prohibited to drink any "alcoholic" beverages. This was a school after all. On the opposite side of Logan was a large window leading to a large room. It was virtually indestructible, and it had changeable scenery. It was the Danger room, where little kid's played with Xavier's toys.

He'd never used the danger room himself, never felt the need. He hadn't faced defeat yet, he didn't think there was much reason to train. He was just sitting there, when he saw Bobby lean in and actually kiss Rogue. It was fast, but not fast enough. As soon as it was over he gasped for breath. Logan felt his claws shoot out and he glared at Bobby who was still gasping. Rogue looked sensitive for Bobby, and somehow at the same time was amused with Logan's reaction.

Logan didn't even notice Scott walk up to him. "Hey." Scott said, catching Logan's eye. He was talking to him.

"What?" He growled, forcing his claws back in his skin.

"You, me, battle, Danger Room, now." Scott ordered.

Logan just looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you serious? No. I have better things to do than play "games" with you in one of your Professor's little machines."

"Like what?"

Logan couldn't say anything. Like make sure the next time Bobby tries anything on Rogue I can slice his throat. Jean started laughing on the other side of the room, looking at him. She was reading his mind again. "Goddamn it, Jean!"

"What's wrong, Logan? Afraid he'll beat you?" Bobby said recovering.

Wolverine spun around to face that little boy, and Bobby fleetingly wished he hadn't said that, when Rogue started giggling he was glad he had though.

"Come on, Logan." Rogue finally said. He starred at her and back at Scott. He looked at the Dr. Pepper in his hands. Why can't you be a beer? He looked at Scott.

He took a long swig of his soda, not taking his eyes off of Scotty boy. He slammed the empty bottle on the table. "Fine." He said standing up. Rogue pulled him over and whispered: "I'll be rooting for ya." He smiled at her and glared at Bobby as he followed Scott out the door.

---

DANGER ROOM

Logan and Scott entered the room and they listened as a recording told them the rules: 1. Mutation abilities are allowed, weapons are not. 2. To stop the battle at anytime just say: STOP PROGRAM and the sequence will end. 3. This is not a battle to the death.

That was it, plain and simple. No killing, easy to give up, no weapons, all acceptable. Logan wondered if weapons included his claws, he considered them a mutation but technically they weren't. Scott didn't say anything so Logan didn't bring it up. He figured since this wasn't a fight to the death he wouldn't need his claws.

He looked back over at where the window was, he couldn't see it but he knew it was there. He smiled and waved coolly to the window, mainly to Rogue. Scott was looking at him like he was crazy.

Screw you Logan thought, looking at Scott with a "What-the-hell-are-we-doing" look. "When do we-"

Cyclops charged and slammed himself into Logan, pinning him to the ground. Logan was thrown off guard but realized that there wasn't anything to be afraid of. Scott couldn't use his mutation either, it could kill him. So this was just a competition on who had the balls and strength to win. Piece of cake.

Logan found his footing as he landed on the cold floor. He was smirking, this was going to be a blast, kicking Scotty-boy's ass, he couldn't think of a funner thing to do. Actually...

The Wolverine pounced on Cyclops, throwing him to the ground. Logan pinned him there, holding his hands to the ground so he couldn't use his visor. He just starred at him.

"Get the hell off me."

Logan smirked, "Make me."

Somehow Scott broke free from Logan's grasp, and elbowed him in the chest. Logan hit the wall and fell to his knees. Cyclops jumped and pinned him to the wall, punching him in the chin; hard. Logan fell and Scott began kicking him, much as the bald man in the bar had, right in the balls. Logan could feel the pain surging through his body, but he didn't show it, just took it like a man.

---

On the other side of the window...

The team watched Logan and Scott fight, watched them get more and more pissed by the minute. Bobby looked over at Rogue and saw her starring heartily at Logan, cringing when he appeared to be getting his ass kicked, smirking when it appeared he was kicking ass.

Storm sat on the other side of the room with Jean, she was watching the fighting, typing stuff on her computer. It was statistics the professor had asked her to perform for him, to see how his X-men would perform fighting against each other. Next to her Jean was sitting, starring intently at the two men fighting.

Jean thought about her relationship with Logan. At Alkali Lake they had a sensual moment where they kissed and Logan had tried to convince her that he could be a good guy. That night he had entered her tent and started kissing her, it was too aggressive, even for Logan. She instantly knew it wasn't him, and told the shape-shifter to get out.

After she was submerged with water she could feel how devastated Scott was, and how much lack of devastation Logan felt. He had been hurt, but it wasn't anything like Scott, she could hear him crying nights later. Logan simply got over her.

He had set his sights on Rogue now, he wasn't happy with her having a boyfriend, and something in him had always felt something for her. He knew it was love, just didn't know how to express it. Jean had read his mind, knew what he felt for Rogue, knew how alien it was to him, knew who he was really kissing that night. She knew how he couldn't express himself, how he didn't know how to tell her. She was the kid, to him he was just her hero.

But Jean knew better. She knew how Rogue felt about these things too. She knew she was attracted to Bobby, but more in a friendly way. She loved Logan not like a father, not like an older brother, but loved him, far beyond just a simple crush.

Jean tried not to read either of their minds very often, when she did she always stumbled on Logan's past memories, and that wasn't fun. She admired Rogue for being able to carry the memories and still be a kid. Logan did too.

The group watched Cyclops and Wolverine fight, Jean rooted for Scott, Rogue for Logan, and Bobby, because of his disgust in Rogue's interest in Logan, wanted Scott to kick Wolverine's ass. Storm was indifferent, she was busy working on the tactics to really care. Nightcrawler was in the room too, silently starring at the two men fight.

Rogue began to use her voice in a form of cheering Logan on. It just slipped out at first, but then she realized she was rooting for Logan, the man she loved, and she didn't want to hide it. Jean quickly found her voice in the matter, as did Bobby. It soon became hard for Storm to concentrate in all the chaos.

From inside the room the fighters couldn't hear their cheers and booing, but those inside could hear what the fighters were saying.

Rogue watched in awe as Logan effortlessly pinned his opponent to the ground.

---

DANGER ROOM

Logan was on top of Scott again, smacking him with forceful blows to the face with his bare fists. Scott was just taking it, trying to get free. Finally Logan stopped.

"Have you had enough?" Logan asked him calmly.

Scott gritted his teeth and got one hand free from Logan's grip. He quickly brought it to his visor and turned a knob before pressing a small unnoticeable button. It toned down his beam so it wasn't deadly, but could still hurt the opponent.
The beam shot off into Logan's face. Logan was thrown back, leaving him with a bloody gash on the head.

"I think the question is have you had enough." Cyclops smirked.

Logan dizzily got to his feet. His healing power would kick in soon but until then he didn't care. "Go to hell," he snorted at him, "if that's how it's gonna be."

Logan's claws popped out of his knuckles and he charged at Scott, who jumped aside and turned to give him another blast on the shoulder. Logan's blood was all over the place now, his face almost fully healed. Logan jumped at Scott, pinning him against the white wall and scrapped his claws across his face.

Scott punched Logan in the face, and then kicked him in the torso, sending him to the floor. Scott used his optic blast again, this time getting him in the leg. "Goddamn it." Logan howled. He forced himself to get up, to face the jackass.

"Had enough Logan? Your healing abilities a little too slow?"

Logan shrugged, "Hell no. I can heal just fine. That scratch fits your face so perfectly though."

Scott bit his lip, "Why don't you go back to the hell you came from. Oh. That's right. You don't have a home. You don't have a past. Without us you don't even have a future."

Scott hadn't mean to let all that slip. But this was a part to fighting. You had to let the truth out sometimes. The truth hurts. But Logan didn't seem hurt. He just looked extremely pissed off.

---

The other side of the window...

Jean starred at the two men, her mouth was gaped open. Even she was shocked with what Scott had said. How could he say that?

Rogue's face twitched with newfound hatred for Scott. How could he fucking say that to Logan? Logan. He didn't deserve that. Not after all he's been through. But what he said next made her even more shocked.

"You're right." Logan said. "You were right when you told me to stay away from Jean."

Scott shouted, "Leave Jean out of this!"

Logan continued, "She loves you, always will. Don't know why you still see me as a threat, though. I don't even want her."

Scott hissed, "What's wrong with her? Did she shoot you down? Too bad assed to have a woman in your life?"

Logan obviously didn't know the people in the other room could hear them, and judging from what Scott said he didn't think so either. "As a matter of fact there is a woman in my life."

Jean's eyes widened when she realized what he was going to say. She turned to Rogue and Bobby, noticed that Bobby was hoping he'd name a local striper or something. Rogue looked sad, she had a lifeless expression on most of her face but her eyes gave her away.

She thought he was going to name off someone he'd met in a bar.

"She has a heart of gold, she's the sweetest, kindest woman in the world. I'd give my life for her, if I even had a life to give. And you're right again, Scooter. I don't have any type of future with you. I've got a future with Marie."

Jean detected it, but no one else did. Everyone called Rogue by the name she had given herself, but the only people who knew her real name was Logan, the Professor, and since she imagined Jean had read her mind.

Bobby seemed relieved, assuming it was some hooker or something. Storm shrugged it off and started typing again. Scott obviously didn't know a 'Marie' so it didn't matter. Jean looked surprised with how Logan just flat out said it. He doesn't know we can hear him. She thought.

Rogue starred at him. He looked completely serious, he really meant it. Her mouth fell and her eyes began to flood. Oh. My. God. Rogue never told Bobby about her real name, so he wouldn't think anything of it. It was the name he called her when they were alone, watching hockey games or him holding her at night when she woke from one of his nightmares. She was his little Marie. And he loved her.

---

DANGER ROOM

"She's someone you met in a bar isn't she?" Scott said laughing.

Logan was silent for a moment, "I did meet her in a bar." That was kinda funny.

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Jean never would have had you. You're just a stupid freak with claws and no past. That woman you met in a bar probably will only stick around until she gets tired of you. She's probably already got another guy she's dating."

Scott didn't know that last part was true. Logan felt the rage swelling through him. He wasn't going to stand there and let him just say that about her. No way.

Wolverine finally growled at him. "To hell with you!" He charged, as he swiftly moved through the air his claws popped out. *Shink*. He didn't care how much he'd hurt Scott, just to kick his ass for what he'd said.

Shouting in rage, Logan slammed into him, throwing his claws into his chest. Scott's eyes widened with surprise and pain. Logan threw him to the ground, breathing heavily.

Scott was uneasily breathing, and he felt himself slipping into the darkness.

"Damn it!" Logan looked around. "Shit. End Program." Nothing happened.

".... Halt program, Stop!" The program stopped, Wolverine could see through the window at the viewers. He didn't look at Jean, afraid of what he'd find there. He stared at Marie and felt a surge of hope, "Marie! Help me!"

Rogue jumped from her seat and ran into the door leading into the Danger Room. Bobby's heart fell to the floor. Marie. Marie was Rogue. Holy shit.

Rogue ran up to Logan, he could see something different in her eyes... She stripped off her gloves and knelt beside Logan and Scott. She touched Scott's bare leg, lifting up his uniform, and reached over to Logan's face.

Her touch was amazing, he knew she was excited to feel skin to skin contact too. He looked at her, she was studying him. Logan felt the vacuum again, but held back, just forcing the healing factor to her. She had possession of it. Through her other hand she pushed the power into Scott, trying to take as little as she could from him.

Logan and Marie watched his three marks heal and Scott beginning to sit up. Marie took her hand off Scott but kept it on Logan, she stared at him. He didn't seem effected besides a few veins popping out of his skin.

Rogue wanted to try something. She closed her eyes and thought. I love you. Then, like the mutation she had given to Scott, she pushed it out, and then it was gone. She looked at Logan, she felt the tears rolling down her face with her effort. She was exhausted.

He was still unaffected, but he looked confused. Had she done something wrong? They could hear me. He looked at her, not so confused. "Well, that's one way to break the ice." He looked at the window, knowing now they could hear him. He brushed his finger against her face, she smiled with the touch. I love you too, Marie. He brushed away her tears.

She smiled and helped him up, Cyclops was already standing, glaring at Logan. Logan shrugged. "Sorry."

Marie and Logan walked out of the room together, Jean charging in and running to Scott. Logan rolled his eyes and Rogue laughed. When they walked in they sat down in their usual seats. Bobby looked like he was about to cry and Rogue and Logan didn't know how to help him. It was over and he knew it.

Rogue and Logan shot each other funny glances. What the hell were they going to do next?

The end