Twisting her hair up into a smooth ponytail, Rogue watched her bare hands in her mirror. She seemed to be fascinated by the little things. The white streaks of hair that were uniquely her own and that came about her face so as to frame it. How slippery the gloves felt as she pulled them on that morning. Yeah, it was the little things that she hadn't noticed before.

Noticing had changed things last night. They had noticed each other's feelings, a small part of them at least. That was beautiful and she was struck by the feel of his lips burning against hers and the look in his eyes. A kiss...she'd had a kiss that wasn't someone else's inside her head. She would have thought she'd be as giddy like the school girl she once was, but it didn't. It calmed her and made her nervous at the same time. She smiled at the serenity in her features. She'd never seen that there before, not since before...before David.

Stepping out into the hallway she strode down to the stairs to see Logan just walk into the dining room with Xavier. She grinned and hurried to catch up with them. As she came to the doorway, she heard her name being called almost frantically from behind her.

"Rogue, oh gawd Rogue, come here!!" She turned quickly to see Kitty run towards her. The two stood there, Rogue staring concernedly and trying to figure out what was up, while her friend caught her breathe.

Logan saw her get to the doorway and his keen hearing picked up the girl's voice. Marie turned quickly to see her with a frightened and shocked look on her face. His Marie...where the hell did that come from...was looking at her with a worried expression and curiosity rolling off her in waves. The girl caught her breath and grabbed Rogue's hand, pulling her away back into the hall.

Kitty pulled her friend down the hall back up to the rooms. She opened her own room and stepped inside with panic written across her face. Rogue pulled up two chairs and sat Kitty down in one before seating herself in the other.

"Kitty?" she almost whispered. The girl in front of her wasn't even meeting her gaze, and with Kitty, that was a truly bad sign. Finally she looked up and spoke, even then her eyes were fixed on a point on the wall behind Marie.

"I...I went down to the medical bay this morning...real early...I didn't know what to do...Jean doesn't know I was there...Hank doesn't either...Gawd...I went there and I...I had to..." The girl was crying now and Marie sat patiently waiting for her to collect herself. A few minutes later she wiped her eyes and continued.

"I was late...supposed to start two weeks ago...Gawd...two weeks and I didn't do anything...Bobby and I...well...you know...and...and...I didn't expect this...no...I'm too young...this can't be happening to me...it musta been wrong! It had to be!"

Marie stared for a moment before speaking up. "Yah mean...Kitty...yah're pregnant?" The girl cringed at the words but nodded. Rogue took her by the arms and pulled her into the chair beside her. She put her arms around her and held her as she cried. Soon her friend had fallen asleep and Marie sat there with her, thinking about what she'd just been made aware of.

Her mind turned over the possibilities and consequences and hopes until Kitty stirred and awoke about an hour later. She paused, then turned her face sharply away from Rogue, but Rogue wouldn't let her get out of it so easily.

"Okay honey, this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna go down ta thah med lab again an' double check, 'kay sugah...no, no don't give meh that look. Then we'll see where weh go from theah. Kitty, this isn't thah end, no matter what thah results ahre, it's only thah beginnin'." Kitty looked doubtful, but stood and followed Marie down to the lab in a daze of sorts.

Once there, they were forced to confide in Hank who was there at the time. Kitty looked away ashamed, but the big blue man wouldn't let her feel that way. "Kitty, you may be young my dear, but this is truly only the beginning. There is so much ahead of all of us, and that includes you, Bobby and your child. Yes, your child, congratulations my sweet girl, you will be a mother, and I do say a wonderful one. There will be obstacles, but there always are. You are a smart and strong woman and you will make it through this just as you have made it through everything else which has occurred thus far."

While the doctor made Kitty feel better, Marie could see that her friend was in dire need of some fun. She took her arm and led her up to the wing of rooms again. She stopped at her own and got her jacket and keys. Then she lead her friend out to the garage. She unlocked hers and tucked Kitty in the passenger seat. She took a deep breathe to gather herself and then took her seat in the driver's side. She drove off out of the mansion without looking back, Kitty needed her, and hell, they were gonna get some ice-cream. Major major chocolate!

They arrived and ordered at the fancy restaurant. They sat at a back table and conversed on lighter subjects at first. Then Rogue leaned back, holding her cappuccino, and smiled brightly. "Wow, yah're gonna beh a mother. Ah momma chica, think 'a that. Yah can't tell meh yah aren'y kahnda excited 'bout it. Think about it. May be ah bit early, but honey, this is beautiful."

Kitty got a far away look and smiled a small smile for the first time that day. "Maybe you're right Rogie. I'm just so scared. What am I gonna tell Bobby? How's he gonna take it? Is he gonna want the baby? Will we get married? I'd like to, you know, anyways, without the baby thing and all. I think he was thinking about it too, even though we're only eighteen.

"Ah don't know how, but it'll work out. An' no mattah what, Ah'm here for yah. We got each other, an' even though Ah think Bobby'll be happy after bein' surprised, if he's not, yah got meh."

"You really think he'll be happy? I just don't know."

"Kit, yah know him bettah than Ah do. An' while Ah think he'll be happy, Ah really can't say fer sure. Yah're gonna have ta tell him, that's really thah only way. An' thah best. C'mon, it's gettin' kahnda late, we should be headin' home. Yah gonna wait till tomorrah or tell him tonight?"

Kitty stood up with a grateful smile on her face, one of happiness, excitement, fear, and worry. She walked with Rogue out to the parking lot and as they sat inside the car, she turned suddenly to her and smiled wider. "Tonight."

They were back at the mansion before dark and Kitty hurriedly went to look for Bobby. Marie smiled wearily, but with an indirect contentedness. Bobby would be shocked, maybe even angry and hurt too, but she knew him kind of well, and she knew he loved Kitty. He would marry her. They would have their baby and it would be some kind of storybook ending. As much of a one one can have in a world full of prejudice about to explode and things that just never seem to be what they seem.

Her thoughts were interrupted sharply by a pair of strong arms encircling her waist gently. She stiffened at the touch at first, then turned and saw Logan's concerned face.

She smiled, "Hey sugah" The feel of his arms about her was indescribable. The feeling of knowing that it was all right, that thing were going to be okay between them, better than okay even, exhilarated her.

He snuggled in against her and leaned forward, his face closer to hers. "Hey Darlin'. Where ya been all day? I was lookin' for ya, you know." He grinned and breathed heavily against her bare neck just inches away from him.

She laughed and leaned back against him. "Kitty kahnda needed a talk." She grew serious and Logan knew it was as bad, if not worse, than what he'd been able to determine from that morning. "She told meh...she told meh that she's pregnant." She sighed and held on tighter to Logan's arms around her as the tears fell from her emotional day. She couldn't have cried in front of Kitty. That would have made it worse. But she was worried, and scared. None of them knew what the future would hold anymore. The tension was growing more and more everyday between the government and mutants. A breaking point was going to be reached soon.

Logan held her to him as he processed what she said. He stroked her silky hair and looked off into the now darkening sky. His girl was so strong. He was so proud. He understood exactly what she was
feeling though she hadn't spoken a word about it.

They stood there until the sun was down completely and Rogue had cried all of her tears. She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "Ah guess none of us know what's gonna happen. Fer all weh know tomorrah could change everythin'." She reached up a gloved hand and ran it down his cheek and chin. "Ah know that last night things changed..." He nodded carefully and watched her face and eyes. "...for the bettah Ah think..." He nodded again, this time with a beautiful smile on his face that made her grin. "...an' Logan...thank yah, for everythin' yah've ever done for meh. Ah don't know what ta say sugah...Ah..."

She was cut off by his mouth over hers through her scarf. She yielded happily, cherishing the feel of this intimacy that she'd never really truly known. He caressed her lips and she could hardly breath out of the pure emotion in his kiss. When they broke apart, he held her chin in his own gloved hand and smiled. Then he spoke to her in the slightest of whispers.

"I love you Marie." She looked up at him, her eyes locked with his for a second, then smiled softly when she saw the truth in what he said. He meant it with everything he was.

She kissed him softly, reverently, again. "Ah love you too Logan." Maybe there was no silver lining of perfection here, but there was good, no matter what else would happen, there was good.