At night I wake up with the sheet soaking wet
And a freight train runnin' through the middle of my head
Only you can cool my desire
Oh, I'm on fire.
-Bruce Springsteen


It started out innocently enough. A playful rub on the arm. A casual arm around her shoulders. An “accidental” brush of her hand when she lent him a pencil. With every touch, no matter how momentary, she could feel the heat of his body lingering on her skin, even through her sweaters.

Rogue knew Johnny’s body temperature ran a few degrees hotter than most people’s, but the day when the back of his hand had briefly grazed over her chest while he reached past her to hand Bobby an apple, his contact burned. That night, after saying goodnight to Bobby-always with a chaste kiss, she didn’t trust her new found control enough to go further, yet-she had fallen back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking only of her boyfriend’s best friend’s hot hands.

After a few restless nights full of dreams that left her sheets sweat stained and her panties wetter still, she was forced to admit to herself that she was harboring a growing crush on the boy who control fire. She started to pay closer attention to him. Observation was easy: he had always hung around with Bobby and her. She began to notice little things she hadn’t before. The way, when he was nervous, he fiddled with his lighter, his tendency, when he was sitting in front of her, to look up and let a half-smile play across his lips. His beat up checkered vans, which she had never taken notice of before, became endearing to her, and her heart began to skip a beat whenever she came in from outside and saw them resting by the front door.

But, Rogue also noticed that, while he was always respectful of Bobby’s and her relationship, he often flirted with her. She had never been able to see the sly looks and winks he tossed her way. His grazing touches, she had always chalked up to clumsiness or accidental. Now, she saw that they happened much too often to qualify as either. And, they were becoming quite brazen, in her opinion. One night, while watching a movie, Johnny’s hand had passed the bowl of popcorn over Rogue to Bobby and had dropped his hand right above her knee. It had rested there much longer than usual. Another time, while talking about a recent danger room session, his hand had found its way to the strand of hair that had come out of her ponytail, and tucked it behind her ear for her. She knew the fact that her ears were burning had nothing to do with his burning heat. At night, she wondered if it could at all be possible that Johnny liked her, too. And if he did, could they ever be together without it killing Bobby? He had always been a good boyfriend, and, she supposed, a good friend to Johnny, and it caused her much guilt to know that she could be hurting him. But, every time she tried to resolve herself to think only of Bobby, it made it that much harder not to think about his friend instead.

A few weeks of near painful self control later, Rogue found herself alone with the boy who had been in possession of so many of her thoughts. Bobby had gone home to see some friends for a long weekend, and Rogue and Pyro were spending the night sitting on one of the mansion’s balconies and drinking beer she had pilfered from Logan.

“Are you sure he’s ok with you taking these?” Johnny asked as he popped the top of his 4th can of Molson.

“Well, he lets me drink in his room, and he’s implied that I can help myself,” shrugged Rogue.

“Implied?”

“Well, maybe I just inferred. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like it’s stopping you,” she said as she finished her can.

He chuckled as he tossed her another. “I just want to make sure I’m not gonna get kebabed for drinking Wolverine’s beer. He’s not as …accommodating…to the rest of us as he is to you, Roguey.”

Rogue laughed. “Maybe if you just tried to get closer to him. He’s a good guy.”

“Maybe to you. But I lack the, hmmm, how do I put this? Charm. I lack the charm you have,” said Johnny, emphasizing charm in a way that told Rogue he really meant something else. She raised an eyebrow at him, a trait she had picked up from Logan.

“Oh, come on, Roguey, you know what I’m talking about,” Johnny said, scooting his Adirondack chair closer to hers. “You’re a cute girl. Something he can take care of.”

“Cute girl?” Rogue felt herself blush a little. Johnny had, in a backhanded way, called her cute.

“Oh, don’t give me that. You know you’re a knock out. I…” Johnny paused, looking hard at her, “I…fuck, well, let’s just say Bobby’s a lucky guy.” And with that he slumped back into his chair and took a large swig of beer.

Rogue continued to stare at him. What the hell had that been about? Moving her own Adirondack over to close the gap between them, she leaned over. He gave her a sidelong glance. She could see that he was fidgeting with his lighter.

“Show me a trick Johnny,” she requested. She always loved watching the firey stunts he could pull off, especially at night.

He smirked, and performed a Zippo lighter trick. “There you go.”

Rogue pouted at him. He had shown her how to do that very same trick months ago, his warm hands guiding hers as she fumbled the first few times.

“No, a real trick,” she pleaded, placing her hand on his hand that held his lighter. He stared at her, then grinned rakishly.

“And what’ll ya give me for it?”

She giggled. “I don’t know. What’s the going rate for fire tricks these days?” Their faces were very close.

“How about a kiss?” Johnny said nervously.

Rogue was taken aback, but not unpleasantly so. “Ok, we’ll see.”

“We’ll see?” Johnny mocked. “All right…” he flipped open his lighter and sent a stream of fire out into the night. It exploded in streaks, not unlike a little firework. “What does that get me?”

Rogue bit her lip, steeled herself, leaned forward and pecked him on the corner of his mouth.

“Is that it?” he whispered.

“I’ve seen that trick before,” teased Rogue.

She could see him thinking. Then he said, “How’s this?” and let out a longer stream of fire, which then curled and wrapped until it spelled R-o-g-u-e. The letters hung in the air for a few seconds, then faded into the night. Rogue gave a little gasp at the sheer intricacy of the trick, and the audacity behind it. But, she was more than willing to pay up.

It wasn’t just a peck, this time. Her lips found his in the dark, and when they reached their target, they stayed there. Awkwardly leaning over the sides of their chairs, they continued to kiss, relieving a tension neither had truly known the weight of until it was gone. Rogue opened her mouth and allowed Johnny’s tongue to snake past her lips in into its dark recesses. His hand reached up to cup her face, and he leaned in, further deepening their kiss.

After a few minutes, they broke away from each other, panting slightly. Rogue could only stare at his eyes, darkened with lust.

“Rogue,” he began, searching her face for direction. He gave her one of his crooked smiles, the kind she loved. “Tell me that wasn’t just a payment for a pyrotechnical show.”

She shook her head. “Johnny, I have been waiting to do that for,” she considered, “well, maybe not a looong time, but for at least some time now.”

He smiled and put a hand through her long dark tresses before leaning towards her again. “You’ve gotten really good with controlling your power, Roguey.” And he kissed her again.

Suddenly, a noise from within the mansion forced them to remember where they were. Or, more importantly who they were.

“What about Bobby?”

Rogue searched her thoughts and her heart. “I don’t know, Johnny. It’s nice with him, but lately, it’s seemed like he’s been fading. Or at least what I felt for him once.” She got up out of the chairs and stood, leaning against the balcony. “And, he’s certainly been eclipsed by thoughts of someone else recently.”

Johnny had gotten up to join her. He placed his hands on her waist, and drew her close to him. Their bodies were flush together. “And who, pray tell is that?” he whispered, his hands wandering around to the small of her back. They rested there, splayed, so that the ends of his long fingers reached the upper part of her bottom.

Rogue turned and nuzzled his neck, whispering, “His best friend,” into his ear before flicking his earlobe with the tip of her tongue as if to punctuate her statement. She felt him take a ragged breath against her. She could also feel something else indicating his evident arousal. She giggled.

He gave her is lusty look, and grabbed her hand. “I think we should go inside,” he said.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed, and allowed herself to be led in, never noticing the light that had just flared from another balcony. It was small, no more than a pin prick in the darkness, about the size of a cigar end.

Rogue and Pyro crept down the mansion’s hallway, easing their way to the steps that led to the dormitory section. They could hear from the one room the sound of the TV blaring, no doubt surrounded by the students for Friday movie night.

Pyro still held her hand in his as they ran up the staircase, giddy from anticipation. Rogue couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as well. She hadn’t planned this in advance, and she was yet unsure how far she wanted things to go. She had thought she wanted to wait until she was one hundred percent sure she could control her power for the duration of the act, and that was what had been holding her back from taking the leap with Bobby. However, she was finding that it was much easier to control her skin while kissing Johnny then it had ever been with her boyfriend. She mentally shrugged. Maybe they were just a better fit, so to speak.

She noted that Johnny had pulled her into the room that he and Bobby shared. “Good thinking,” she told him, “Jubes would surely be in our room right now.”

“I just don’t want to risk anyone interrupting us,” he grinned as he slammed the door shut and locked it behind them. The finality of the gesture caused both of them to pause. They looked at each other from an arms distance.

“So,” said Rogue, unsure what to do. “What do you want to do?”

John chuckled. “I’ll give you one guess,” he said as he closed the distance between them and resumed kissing her. She melted into him, savoring his warm mouth on her’s. She felt him gently begin to navigate them to his bed, which they would up falling upon. They took a break from kissing for a moment to rearrange themselves. She straightened herself out, smoothing down the cotton skirt she was wearing. She barely had time to do it before John had come to rest on top of her. He began to kiss his way down her neck, leaving a fiery trail. Her legs shifted automatically to give him room to rest between them. The shock of feeling him, hard, against the most intimate part of her made her gasp.

Hearing that, he smirked and ground his hips into hers, making her moan and arch her back. Her hands flew to his shoulders and down his back, pulling at his t-shirt. He allowed her to remove it from him, pulling her own over her head afterwards. She began to run her fingers through his blond locks as he kissed her once more. He grabbed her hands and, with one hand, held them above her head, leaving her torso exposed to his wandering kisses. She sighed as his free hand kneaded her breasts, his mouth coming down to suck at her already hardened nipples. He released her hands and picked her up into a sitting position, allowing him access to her back so that he could rid her of her bra.

“Jesus, Rogue,” he whispered hoarsely as the site of her breasts, “You have amazing tits.”

Rogue answered by laying back down invitingly, only to be rewarded by the sensation of his tongue directly against her nipples.

She could feel a new kind of heat emanating from her, not Johnny, and she kissed him back forcefully and brazenly trailed her one hand down his stomach to the bulge in his pants. She watched as his eyes squeezed shut and he let out a hiss as she wrapped her hand around him through his pants. This must have been a catalyst for him, as he lost no more time in removing the rest of their clothing.

Coming to lie above her once again, he dipped his fingers into her core, licking his lips nervously. Rogue knew he could feel her barrier, and she whispered to reassure him, “It’s okay, Johnny, I want this.”

He nodded once, and positioned himself at her entrance. Rogue looked into his eyes and nodded slowly. With that, he entered her, tearing away her virginity. She gasped at the sharp pain and became rigid beneath him, willing the pangs away. She had to hand it to him, he kept himself still until she was ready to proceed.

After a moment, Rogue felt the pain subside and, in its place, a new feeling of fullness overtook her. “Johnny, I’m ok, keep going,” she told him.

“You feel so good, Rogue,” he sighed as he began to move inside of her. As he pulled in and out of her, she felt the wonderful friction and heat begin to mount. She had a wild thought about whether or not you could actually start a fire this way.

Sweat glistened on both of their bodies and Johnny continued to move above her, faster now, and harder. Rogue began to feel a tightening in her pussy, and gasped, “Oh God, Johnny, I think I’m going to come!”

In response, he reached between them to her swollen clit and began to thumb it rhythmically while continuing to thrust. The added sensation was too much. She could feel the spasms in her vagina as her world spun out. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she cried out once more. He sped up, faster still until, moments after her own orgasm, he came, too.

Panting and sweaty, he remained inside of her, the two of them riding out the aftershocks of their orgasms. Finally, he withdrew from her, and flipped to his side to lie next to her.

The poet Philip Larkin once described how talking in bed with one’s partner can be a surprisingly difficult thing to do. Rogue now knew exactly what he was talking about. After all, after an experience like the one she had just had, what was there really to say? She resolved to say nothing, and fell asleep in Johnny’s warmer than average arms, assuming they could talk in the morning.

Rogue woke up, and was immediately confused. Why was she in Bobby’s room? And why was it so freaking hot? She sat up in the bed she was in, and in a split second it all came rushing back to her. The previous night, the beers, and the fact that Johnny now had her v-card.

“Shit,” she mumbled, rubbing the sleep dust out of her eyes. Her stirring had woken her bed buddy up, and he turned and smiled up at her.

“Morning, sunshine,” he grinned at her.

“Johnny, I think we might have, um,” she paused, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

He jokingly tried to finish her sentence: “Fucked?”

Despite the gravity of the situation, she laughed. “Well, yes. That we did.” She couldn’t help but smile back at him, even though her mind was whirling with thoughts of Bobby.

“Did you, uh, enjoy it?” asked Johnny quietly, as he began to brush his fingers over her bare arm, causing little sparks of excitement to run up and down her spine.

“Yeah,” she sighed, sounding dreamier than she’d have liked. “But, what about Bobby? I’m really not sure how to handle this, Johnny. I guess this means I should break up with him, right?”

“Roguey, I can’t tell you that. It’s up to you,” he said as he sat up and continued to run his fingertips up her arms and down her back. It was very distracting.

“It would affect your friendship you know,” she pointed out. She could see through his sheets that he looked like he was ready for round two, and the very sight of his erection caused her begin to feel wet in a very personal area.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t tell him. At least not just yet.”

“I just don’t knowwwahh,” she started to moan as his fingertips came around to her front and dipped down to her ready nub and began to stroke her. She felt him turn her head and she acquiesced, kissing him as they lied back. As they started up again, she could feel herself slipping, but into what she was not sure.

**********

It had been a month. A month of the two of them sneaking around behind everyone’s back-including her boyfriend’s, his best friend’s-and hooking up in dark corners or fucking when either of them had their bedrooms to themselves. As far as they knew, no one knew what they had been up to. They knew they had several mind-readers running, or in the Professor’s case, wheeling, around, but they also knew that both Xavier and Jean stayed out of people’s heads unless they were welcomed in. What surprised them most of all was that they had been able to keep it from the two people most likely to figure things out: their roommates.

But, Jubilee had recently become very preoccupied by Pete, and Bobby, well, Bobby never had any reason to think that his best friend could often be found in one of the mansion’s coat closets or perhaps the pool shed, having very indecent relations with his girlfriend.

For Rogue’s part, she still hadn’t quite worked out what she wanted to do. It seemed like every time she had balled up the courage to talk to Bobby about how she was feeling, he would say something that would completely disarm her, like, “I’m so glad we’re together, you’re so beautiful.” And she would sigh, and put off breaking his heart for another time.

Johnny didn’t seem to mind the sneaking around at all. He was much braver than she was, pulling her away at times when she was sure someone would notice, or engaging her in a place where she was sure they’d be caught.

Rogue knew what she was doing wasn’t right, but Johnny had become like a drug to her. She was addicted. She would at times come to the conclusion that she should try to break her addiction, but then she’d feel a tug at her sleeve and turn to find him beckoning her into his room-Bobby had gone to rent a movie, he’d say-and she would fall back into his arms and back into her bad habit. She had gotten her control down pact. She theorized that it was because she had been practicing so much.

And then, after a month of playing hide and seek with Johnny (in so many ways), the XMen had announced that they were going on a class field trip to the Natural History Museum. The older kids, like Rogue, Johnny, and Bobby, were invited, even though they had graduated already. And so they had gone along, looked at the T-Rex skeleton, and, while Bobby had offered to escort two young boys to the rest rooms, Rogue and Johnny had gone down on each other in the dark of the 3D aquarium show.

Afterwards, they had joined Bobby in the cafeteria, and Rogue had sat there, witnessing Johnny’s surprisingly hostile reaction to the jerks who had approached their table. While exiting the museum, she yanked him aside.

“What the hell was that about, John?” she hissed at him, not wanting to be overheard, although she was probably safe, what with all of the students streaming out around them.

“Oh come on, those guys were asking for it. Did you see that douche’s face?” John began chuckling.

Rogue opened her mouth to tell him off, but she was prevented by Bobby coming up to the two of them. She settled on glaring at Johnny, and the three headed to the waiting buses.

That night, citing exhaustion, Rogue took a break from hanging with her two boys. Instead, she sprawled out on her bed, reading her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. She inwardly sighed. Oh, that Mr. Darcy. So dark. So closed off. So unattainable. So hot.

Her wandering thoughts were cut short by Jubilee entering the room. Rogue looked at the clock and then looked at her friend with raised eyebrows.

“In by 10? Wow, Jubes, I’m surprised. Where’s Pete?”

Jubilee sighed overdramatically and flopped back on her bed. “Ugh, I’m in here for the night. No point in spending it with him. Aunty Flo has come to town.”

Rogue laughed. “Sorry to hear that, honey. You need any…” but she trailed off. Mentally, she worked through the last month in her head and tried to remember the last time she had gotten her period. Fuck.

“Shit!” she gasped, smacking her hand to her forehead. How could she have been so stupid? She was supposed to be a mature, smart, responsible girl who knew better, and yet she could not think of one time when she and John had used any sort of protection. With all of the spontaneity and secrecy, plus the fact that her head was half consumed with what to do about Bobby, she had forgotten all about the possible consequences of sex.

Jubilee looked up. “What?”

Rogue knew she needed to get herself to a pharmacy, and fast. She weighed her options. She really didn’t want anyone to know about this. Not just yet. She loved Jubes, but her friend loved to gossip, so she was automatically out. She didn’t want to worry Johnny without knowing for sure, and she sure as hell didn’t want Bobby taking her to pick up pregnancy tests. She needed someone who wouldn’t ask too many questions. She needed someone who she knew she could trust. She needed…

“LOGAN!” she demanded as she pounded on his door. He finally wrenched it open, looking down at her, amused.

“What’s up, kid?”

Flustered, she fidgeted with her hair. Not looking directly at him, she mumbled, “Can you drive me to the drug store, please?”

“This late? Can’t it wait, kid? The hockey’s on,” he added, jerking his thumb in the direction of his TV. “Come on in and watch with me. I’ll take you to the store tomorrow.”

“Logan,” Rogue was bringing out the big guns. She opened her eyes real wide and pouted her already full lips. She wasn’t proud of this tactic, but it always worked with Logan. The softy. “Please, I reallllly need to go nowwww.”

Looking at her pouty face, he sighed. “Fine. But, you’re getting too old to be pulling that sad-puppy shit. It’s gonna get you into trouble some day,” he said as he grabbed his coat.

Driving along to the nearest pharmacy, Rogue sat silently and stared out the window. Finally, Logan cleared his throat and asked her the question she’d been dreading. “So, what do you need so bad that you can’t wait ‘til tomorrow to get it?”

Rogue squirmed uncomfortably. “Stuff,” she muttered evasively.

“Stuff?” he mocked. “Come on, Marie, if you’re gonna drag me out for a midnight CVS run, you might as well tell me what you’re getting.”

He had a point. Rogue wracked her brain for something to shut him up with. “Uh….female stuff,” she eventually told him. She figured he wouldn’t take that any further, and she was right. He even informed her that he would stay in the car while she ran in, much to her relief. She made a mental note to pick him up a few cigars at the register on her way out.

Unfortunately, she took a little too long standing in front of the maternity test display. There were so many brands, and she was surprised at how much their prices ranged. Did that mean their quality was all over the map as well? She was still standing, trying to make up her mind which to buy, when Logan came stamping up behind her.

“Jesus, Rogue, how long does it take to pick up a...” he drifted off as he fully took in the scene: his little Marie, standing wide eyed and blushing in front of the pregnancy test aisle. “Aw, Christ, Marie,” he said quietly as he saw her eyes start to water. He pulled her into him, and gently kissed the top of her head. “Come on,” he told her, pushing past her and grabbing five different tests and a gallon of water on the way back up to the register. He paid for it all.

Rogue still hadn’t said anything as they drove back to the mansion. She had kept her tears at bay, but her head swarmed with thoughts. She really hadn’t wanted Logan to know what her true purchase would be, and she had been extremely embarrassed when he had come back to find her. His reaction had puzzled her, though. She had thought that he would have been angry, or maybe disappointed in her. Instead, he just seemed…sad?

Just as he had on the way to the store, it was Logan who broke the silence. Quietly, gruffly, he asked her, “How late are you?”

Rogue bit her lip. She had never in a million years ever imagined having this conversation with Logan. “Um, I’m not sure, a month? Maybe a little more.”

He nodded. Then shocking her, he said, “It’s John, isn’t it?”

She whipped her head around to look at him, her mouth wide open. “What? How? How’d you know?”

Logan stole a glance at her, then kept his eyes on the road. “Darlin’, not a lot goes on in that mansion that I don’t know about. You don’t need to be a telepath when you have my senses,” he explained. “And recently, I’ve been smelling him on you a lot.”
Rogue stared at him. “We haven’t been together for very long, just…”

“Since that night you stole my beer and put on that fireworks show on the balcony?” he managed a wry grin at her astonishment. “Yeah, I saw the two of you.”

“But, you never said anything!”

“Kid, after spending time in that mansion, I know not to get involved with other people’s love lives.”

“But, you knew we were sneaking around behind Bobby’s back! We were doing something, something bad,” she finished lamely, thinking she sounded like she was eight.

“Eh, I never cared much for that boyfriend of yours. And what would you have done if I would have called you out?”

Rogue was silent the rest of the way home.

Once they got back to the mansion, Rogue had fully intended on thanking Logan for the ride and all of the support before leaving him and taking the tests in private. But, she never got a chance to: as soon as she got out of the car, he had grabbed her hand and, firmly holding it, led her up to his room.

“Listen, Logan,” she said shakily when he had closed the door behind them, “you really don’t have to do this.”

“Do what?”

“Get this involved. I mean, I appreciate the ride and stuff, but you don’t have to hold my hand through all of this.”

Logan looked at her. He had a very serious expression that Rogue had never seen before. “Marie, have you ever done this before?” he asked. As she shook her head, he continued. “I thought not.”

Rogue couldn’t help it. She raised an eyebrow at him and sassed back, “Oh, and like you have.”

Still calm, he informed her, “I might not have been the one pissing on that strip, but yeah, I’ve been here before.” He laughed bitterly at her expression of shock. “What, are you surprised? Think about it. I’ve been around for awhile now, and after so long, you’re bound to get yourself into this kind of situation.”

“Was she pregnant?” Rogue asked him quietly.

“Luckily for the both of us, no.” Logan said looking down. He then straightened up and gazed steadily upon Rogue. “But, that doesn’t mean we weren’t scared shitless for a few minutes. So trust me, you want someone to be with you when you’re doing this.”

“Okay,” agreed Rogue. She emptied out the contents of the drug store bag on Logan’s bed. After lining up the tests in a neat little row, she turned to the jug of water. “Is this yours?” she asked, handing it toward Logan.

“I got that for you, darlin’. You’ve got a lot to piss on. Normally I’d offer you some beer, knowing how it speeds through your system, but given the circumstances,” he shrugged.

Rogue nodded. “I think I’m good,” she said, as she scooped up the tests and walked into his bathroom.

Five minutes later, the two of them looked over the five tests, reading and rereading to make sure they had decoded them all properly. Pluses, minuses, stripes, and a happy faces all looked up at them. All meant one thing. Rogue was, indeed, pregnant.

“Fuck my life.” Was all she could say, sinking down on Logan’s bed.

He looked down at her, his heart breaking for his girl. He sat next to her, pulled her close, and began to absent mindedly run his fingers through her hair. “So, what’re your plans, kid?”

Marie briefly thought it was weird that, now that she was going to be a mother, he was still calling her ‘kid’. She looked up at him, tears brimming her eyes. “I’m gonna have it, Logan. I have to.”

Logan nodded. He could have figured she was that kind of girl. “You’re gonna tell Pyro?” he asked.

“Yes, of course. And I guess I’ll have to come clean to Bobby, too. I don’t think ‘immaculate conception’ is going to cut it with him.”

Logan chuckled. “Yeah, someone’s already used that one.”

Rogue laughed a little. It felt good. She wiped her eyes. “Thanks, Logan, for being here. I’m glad you made me stay.”

“Of course, kid,” he smiled down at her as he squeezed her tight. He took a deep breath. “Listen, would you mind if I snuck downstairs quick to grab a quick beer? I know you’re going to be off the booze for awhile, but I gotta tell you, I really need a drink right now.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

He got up and walked to his door. He looked back and, grinning, asked her, “Can I get you anything? Pickles? Potato chips? Watermelon?”

“Haha. I’m not craving anything yet. But, when I start, you’ll be the first to know,” Rogue gave him a little smile.

He left, and Rogue laid back on his bed. She couldn’t believe she was pregnant. And with John Allerdyce’s baby, no less. If she could travel back in time even 4 months ago and tell herself what would happen, her past self never would have believed her. She wondered what Johnny would say. Or, perhaps more importantly, how she would tell him.

She was puzzling this all over in her head when she heard a commotion from the other end of the mansion. Sitting up, she cocked her ears, listening. The sounds were growing. She could hear people running around, glass breaking, and then a shrill claxon-like sound. She jumped off Logan’s bed and ran out into the hallway.

***************A While Later********************

Rogue stood in the jet with Bobby and Johnny. She could hardly believe the events of the last few hours. As if finding out she was pregnant wasn’t crazy enough, after the break-in at the mansion, the Pyro induced firestorm at Bobby’s house, and her near death plunge out of the jet, she was surprised she hadn’t fainted from mental fatigue.

She glanced up between the two boys. She knew that this obviously wasn’t the right time to break the news, and for that she was a little grateful. She had come close to telling Johnny last night when they had all been forced to camp out, but Bobby had interrupted them, and then hadn’t left her side for the evening. She was understandably nervous about having the discussion, but now more so than ever. The last few hours had shown her a side of Johnny that she had never seen before.

Sure, he had always been sort of a ‘bad boy’, but his little episode at Bobby’s had been downright malicious. He might have been defending them, but he had taken things way too far. And then, perhaps most unsettling of all, he had gotten along a little too well with Magneto and Mystique. It hurt Rogue a little that he could so casually befriend them after what they had put her through. She self-consciously tugged at her white streak.

After a few hours of waiting in silence, Johnny jumped up. “That’s it,” he said, seemingly to himself. He hit a button and the entrance ramp of the jet began to lower.

“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Bobby.

“In there. I’m sick of this ‘kids table’ shit. I want to fight.”

Rogue looked at him, panicked. He couldn’t possibly think this was a good idea. She didn’t want him to leave.

“John, they told us to stay here,” was what she said. What she meant was, Johnny, I want you to stay here with me.

He turned and looked at her. She knew the look in his eyes. “Do you always do what you’re told?” And with that, he walked off. She slumped down in her chair, feeling like she might faint.

*************

Rogue lay on her bed, sobbing into her pillow. She couldn’t believe John would abandon her like this. She hadn’t gotten to tell him about the baby, his baby. She had no idea when or even if she would ever see him again. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to say a proper goodbye.

She rolled over. She would still have the baby, she knew that, but what now? Should she try to send him a message? She couldn’t figure out how in the world a letter would reach him. The stress of being knocked up at age 18 was already enough, but now, knowing that she would probably be raising it on her own…she burst into tears again.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock at her door.

“Go away,” she muttered.

“It’s me, Marie,” she heard Logan say through the door.

“I don’t care.”

“Well, I do, and I’m coming in so you’d better be decent.”

She sat up on her bed and wiped at her eyes. Logan opened her door and looked down at her tearstained face. Her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was a little mussed, but she was still beautiful to him. He sat down next to her, and stroked her hair. “Geez, it’s hot in here,” he mumbled, and took off his flannel shirt, leaving him in his white tee.

“How could he just leave like that?” Rogue demanded of him. She knew he would realize to whom she was referring.

“I don’t know, darlin’, I don’t know. I just know he was a prick for doing it,” Logan growled the last part, making his distain known. Rogue just sniffed into his shoulder. “You never got around to telling him, did you?”

“No.”

Logan sighed. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I think that might have been for the best.”

Rogue looked up at him. “What?”

“Kid, it’s not like he was always the most trustworthy person around. This was just him showing his true colors. You might be better off without him. This kid’s life,” he said, placing his hand gently on Rogue’s still flat belly, “might be better off without him.”

Rogue was incensed. Holding herself back from slapping him, she snapped at Logan, “Well, I guess I’m not fucking likely to find out now, am I? And now I have this baby that I have no clue how to take care of, and I’m all alone. You think Bobby is gonna help me raise the bastard son of his best friend? He’s a nice boy but he’s not a fucking saint.” She glared at Logan.

“Listen, Rogue, you’re not all alone. You got me. Remember? I made you a promise once, and I don’t break my word.” As he spoke, her glare softened. He continued, “Now, I know you’re upset. A lot of us are, and apart from perhaps Scott, you got more of a right than any of us to be upset by what happened up at the lake. So, I’m gonna give you your time to grieve. But, I’m coming back tomorrow, and then I’m going to take care of you. And that’s gonna start with a trip to the doctor.”

Rogue nodded her head. She knew he was right. After kissing her forehead, he got up and left. Rogue felt a new sense of comfort knowing that Logan was looking out for her. Then again, he always was. Smiling for the first time that evening, she reached over and grabbed the flannel shirt that Logan had left behind. It smelled like him, she noticed as she lay back down, hugging it. She soon fell asleep, grasping his shirt like the security blanket she had had when she was a little girl.

The next morning, Rogue woke up with a headache, most likely, she decided, from all of her crying the night before. She wandered over to her vanity and picked up a bottle of aspirin. She had shaken 2 pills out into her hand before she froze. Were aspirins safe for pregnant women? She didn’t know. She felt a surge of gratitude toward Logan. She had known she needed to see a doctor, but hadn’t really planned on going any time soon. She was starting to realize she had a lot of questions about being pregnant.

She dressed and made her bed. She was still upset about John leaving, but she would be damned if she was going to spend more time crying over him when she was certain that he wasn’t crying over her.

She was straightening up her desk when Logan knocked on her door. She opened it, and beamed up at him.

“That’s the beautiful smile I like to see,” he said, grinning back. “You ready?”

“Yeah. I definitely am,” she told him, referring both to her appointment and her attempt to get over Johnny.

They rode in Scott’s car to the doctor’s office. She signed in and sat down in the waiting room next to Logan. She was a little nervous.

After a few minutes, a nurse came out and called her name. She stood up, turned, and asked Logan, “Aren’t you coming?”

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to,” he said, shrugging.

“Of course I do!” she told him, holding out her hand. He took it, and together they followed the nurse into an empty examining room.

The nurse glanced down again at her clip board. “Ok…Marie, we’re going to have to perform a test to confirm that you are, in fact, pregnant.” She had Marie lie back and began to perform the ultrasound.

“Can you actually see anything?” asked Marie. “I mean, I can’t be more than a month pregnant. If that.”

“Yes, we might be able to see a gestational sac by now, which would be a definite confirmation,” the nurse told her. “Aaaand, yes, there it is!” She pointed on the monitor to a small round shape. “Congratulations,” she said smiling at Rogue, “I’ll go get the doctor.”

She took off her gloves, and walked toward the door, pausing to squeeze Logan’s shoulder. “And, congratulations, Dad!” she said softly as she exited.

Logan opened his mouth and shut it in rapid succession, looking like a goldfish. “But, I’m not the…” he drifted off as he realized she had gone. Rogue could only laugh.

A week later, Rogue stood in front of her dresser, lining up her pre-natal vitamins. Her stomach felt uneasy, but she knew it wasn’t because of morning sickness. She had invited Bobby to come “hang out” and she was planning on telling him the truth. She didn’t know just how he would take it, but she had a feeling he was going to be more than just a little upset.

All too soon, she heard Bobby knocking and called for him to come in. He entered, his face a mix of smile and concern.

“Hey, babe,” he said, coming up and hugging her from behind.

She turned and hugged him back. When they pulled back, he asked her, “How are you holding up?”

“Um, fine I guess. I still can’t believe Johnny left, but you know, I’m trying to get over it, I guess. How about you?”

“Yeah, I’m about the same.”

He already looked so sad, but Rogue knew she couldn’t put it off any longer. She took a deep breath and gathered her nerves. “Bobby, I need to talk to you about something,” she said, taking his hand and leading him to sit with her on her bed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his blue eyes clouding with concern.

“This is hard for me to tell you, and I can’t imagine a worse time to tell you,” she began, then took another deep breath and continued. “I’m pregnant.”

She watched as his eyes widened. She could see him working it out in his head, how things didn’t quite add up. His eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “What? What the fuck, Rogue? Are you kidding me?”

She shook her head. Bobby stood up swiftly and began to pace. He began yelling, “I cannot believe this. First my best friend deserts me, then I find out my girlfriend, who never wants to have sex with me, has gone and gotten knocked up by someone else!” He stopped and faced her. “Who was it, Rogue? Wait,” he held up his hand and closed his eyes. “It was fucking Logan, wasn’t it?”

Rogue started to correct him, “Actuall…” but was cut off.

“I fucking knew it. Goddamn it, I always saw the way he looks at you. Like you’re his for the taking. I never thought you felt the same way, Rogue.” His volume had gone down, but he was still obviously pissed. “Jesus. He’s like older than the professor, and a fucking letch to boot! And, he’s a scumbag to do this to you,” he added.

Rogue had heard enough. “Oh my God, SHUT THE FUCK UP.” She got up and got in his face. “Don’t you ever talk about Logan that way. Ever. Again. Or, I’ll kick your ass worse than he would. Besides,” she hissed at him, “he’s not the fucking father.”

Bobby looked like some of the wind had come out of his sails. “Then who is?” he spat at her.

“John,” she said quietly, looking at her shoes.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Bobby swore, glaring at her, before he turned and walked out of the door. Rogue ran after him.

“Bobby! Wait!” she called down the hallway after him.

“I don’t want to talk you anymore!” he yelled back. Students were starting to peek out of their doorways. “I don’t want anything to do with you anymore!”

Rogue stared after him. She then noticed all of the students staring at her. “What?” she yelled down the hall, tears burning her eyes. “Haven’t you ever seen two people break up?” She began to cry again and she felt two strong arms pick her up and sling her, fireman style, over broad shoulders.

Logan carried her back to his room and went and got her some tea.

“Thanks,” she sniffled.

“Yeah, no problem,” he said gruffly. They sat in silence for a bit. Finally, Rogue said, “He was the first boy who ever told me he loved me.”

Logan cast a sidelong look at her. “I’m sure he won’t be the last, kid.”

Rogue snorted. “Right, because in the next few months I am gonna look soooo sexy. Nothing makes a boy coming running like pregnancy.”

“Hey, women get that whole glow thing when they’re knocked up, didja think about that?” he said, nudging her playfully in her side.

She giggled despite herself. “”Logaaaan,” she warned.

“What? You ticklish or something?” he grinned, nudging her again, and then assaulting her with tickling fingers up and down her side. She was soon laughing so hard she could barely breathe. They collapsed back on the bed, rolling around, struggling for dominance in the situation.

“Logan…hahahaha…please!” Rogue gasped, trying to fight him off. “I can’t breathe!”

He kept it up, laughing as well, “Jesus, kid, you’ve gone soft!”

“Logan!” she shrieked, “Cut it out! Hahahahaha, I’ll turn my skin on!” The threat of a good skin sucking made him cease his torture. Rogue hiccupped and attempted to get her breath back. When she did, she finally registered the position they had come to rest in. She was on her back, and Logan held himself up over her in a push-up like position. Their bodies were flush together from their hips on downward. She sucked in a breath at the sheer intimacy of it.

She gazed up at Logan’s face. He was still chuckling, but as his laughter faded, it became clear that he was noticing how they had ended up. He looked down at her, and his expression changed. She couldn’t read it quite clearly. It almost looked like hunger. He reached down and tucked the white streak in her hair behind her ear. And, she let him. The action had caused their faces to come closer together. She couldn’t help but look at his lips. They looked so perfect. How had she never noticed before?

Her gaze returned to his eyes. Her heart rate sped up a little as she noticed his pupils were dilated. She had read in one of Jube’s magazines that that indicated arousal. Could Logan possibly be…excited? By her? She felt herself hoping so. She could feel her breathing become a little shallow, and knew it had nothing to do with the weight of the man resting on top of her.

Suddenly, he spoke: “Oh, fuck it.” And, with that he bent down and kissed her. Her eyes flew open in surprise, but, then closed. The kiss was warm, but rather chaste. When it finished, Logan pulled back and looked at Rogue, ready to gauge her reaction. It was extremely positive.

Putting her arms around his neck, she pulled him down once more, seeking his lips with hers. His mouth opened, and she timidly snaked her tongue inside, tasting his cigars and beer. She relished the feeling of his hands in her hair as he kissed her back. She knew he had been around the block once or twice, and figured that must account for him being such a great kisser. Because he was. He was the best kisser she had ever lip locked with, and even though the list of other boys wasn’t very long, she didn’t feel like she needed to go out and test this theory with any other male.

His tongue, swirling around her own, caused her emit the smallest of moans, and suddenly he pulled back, looking concerned.

“What?” asked Rogue, half in a daze.

“It’s just that, I think we should stop.” This struck her as a fantastically bad idea. Why would she ever want to stop? She looked up at him quizzically, and he explained, “Marie, it’s not that I wasn’t just enjoying myself. I think it’s pretty clear to the both of us that I was.”

Rogue’s brow furrowed as she worked out what he meant. It abruptly hit her, and she wiggled beneath him to test his words. Yep, he really was enjoying himself.

Her moving under him caused him to give out what sounded like a growl mixed with a groan. “Baby, you gotta stop. Trust me, I think we need to slow down,” he rasped.

She knew he was right.

"I'm gonna go, I think," she told him, and he allowed her to get up.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her arm. "Don't be upset."

"I'm not," she assured him.

"Ok. I just need to work some shit out. I'll come find you tomorrow, all right?"

She smiled. "Can't wait."

The day was a restless one for Rogue. She had waked up early that morning, still in happy shock from the events of the day before. She had thought going into the afternoon that it would have been one of the rougher days of her life, but it turned out to be one of the most exciting. And all because of Logan’s kiss. The memory of it stirred up butterflies in her stomach.

It was now 3 in the afternoon, and the butterflies were still going strong. All day Rogue had drifted around the mansion, waiting for Logan to come find her, hold her, and tell her he wanted them to be together. She knew he had some serious emotional hang-ups, and she could acknowledge the fact that she now came with some heavy baggage herself, but she hoped he would be willing to work through all that.

At 2 o’clock, after a walk around the grounds, she had come back to her room and flopped on her bed. She pulled out a book, resigned to pass the time the best way she knew how. She had gotten a quarter of a way through the book when Logan had finally come to her door.

“Hi,” she said shyly, the butterflies flaring uncontrollably.

“Hey darlin’,” he said as he bent down to kiss her gently. She savored the kiss, but it was over much too quickly for her liking. Logan pulled away from her and went to sit down on her bed. He patted the area next to him, and she joined him there.

Once she sat, he jumped right in. “Okay, here’s the deal, Marie. I did some serious soul searchin’ last night after you left. I gotta come clean, I was a little confused about what was all happening. With me, between you and me, everything. But, when I was honest with myself, I was able to see that you mean an awful lot to me. And have, for a long time.”

He seemed to be rambling. If Rogue didn’t know better, she would have assumed he was nervous. But, Logan, the Wolverine, never got nervous. Did he?

He continued, “You know I never liked that Ice-prick. At first I thought it was because he was a boy going after a girl I had come to think of as needing protecting. Kind of like a guardian thing, you know?”

Rogue shook her head but remained silent. She didn’t like the sound of that.

“But, that night, when I saw you and John going at it on the balcony, it hit me like a load of bricks. I wasn’t concerned, I was jealous. I didn’t want any boy putting his goddamn hands on you, much less any other body part. Do you see? With Bobby, I thought I just didn’t like him because he was a goody-goody sack of shit. But, with Pyro, I saw someone who has a lot more in common with me. I never had a reason to hate him. But as soon as he kissed you, I did.”

A soft smile crept its way across Rogue’s face. This, she liked to hear. Her hand found his, and held it.

“But, what could I do?” Logan said. “I’m not your father. I couldn’t come barging after you, pull you away from him, and announce that you’re mine. Plus, I figured it wasn’t really gonna go anywhere. The kid was your boyfriend’s best friend. How long could it last? So, I waited. For what, I don’t know. But, last week, when you came pounding on my door, when you found out…I worried that I was too late. I thought if you had John’s baby, there would be no place for me.”

Rogue started to tell him that there would always be a place in her life for him, but he interrupted her. “Marie, wait, I’m almost done. I just gotta get this all out. Where was I? Oh yeah. So, that brings us to yesterday. Marie, I’ve always thought you were beautiful, but when I wound up on top of you, I wasn’t at all prepared for the view. I’ve dreamed of you from that angle, if you can believe it. And you were even more gorgeous in real life. I couldn’t help myself.

“So now I found myself at a cross roads of sorts. Do I ignore all that I’m feeling and go back to just watching over you?” he chuckled bitterly and gestured to her mid-section. “Which, clearly, I wasn’t doing a great job to begin with. Or, do I say fuck the consequences, and go for it?” He then looked her squarely in the eyes. “Marie, I wanna go for it. I don’t care what anyone else says around here or if anyone gives us shit about being together. So, now it’s your turn. You wanna be my girl? Or,” and he smiled at her, “you wanna break this old man’s heart?”

Rogue’s stomach was doing flips. She barely waited a second before blurting out, “Of course I want to be with you, Logan. You’re the one person on this earth that really gets me, the one person I can trust.”

“Oh, thank God,” Logan laughed and rolled his eyes at his own melo-dramatic-ness. He grabbed her roughly and planted a kiss, hard, on her mouth. They rolled back on her bed, lip locked. Logan’s hands travelled down her neck, down her chest, barely brushing her breasts, and planted themselves on her hips. She entwined her hands in his hair, pulling gently to make his head go back, allowing her access to his neck. She kissed down its side, enjoying the roughness of his stubble against her cheek. She sighed when he hands made a return trip up her body, lingering longer on her breasts, cupping them firmly. She could once again feel him against her, and noted that, even through his jeans, she could tell he was bigger than Johnny.

They rolled over, and Rogue came to lie on his chest and she looked down at him, a reversal from the other night. Logan brushed a hand over her cheek. “Marie,” he said, “I know it’s all kind of happening fast but…I love you.”

Rogue’s heart fluttered and her stomach flopped. She promptly ran to her bathroom and threw up. “Was it something I said?” Logan muttered.

He followed her in and held her hair back as she violently emptied the contents of her stomach. She figured their kissing was done for awhile, but this was the least of her problems. She felt awful, and there was a cramping in her lower abdomen. She crouched in a ball next to the commode and tried to breathe the pain away. Logan looked worried. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Rogue said weakly. “My stomach’s been feeling funny all day, but I just thought I was nervous about this,” she gestured toward him. She groaned as another cramp wracked through her. “I think I might have to go to the bathroom. Could you please leave and close the door?” she asked him.

“Sure, I’ll just be in your bedroom.” He told her, closing the bathroom door behind her.

Trembling, Rogue stood up and unbuttoned her jeans. She slid down her underwear as she sat on the toilet, and gasped. There, in the crotch of her panties, was blood. Way too much to be just casual spotting. Breathing erratically, she tore off her jeans and underwear and wrapped a towel around her lower half.

“Logan!” she called as she opened the door into her room. He looked up at her from her bed, and, noting the look of terror on her face, jumped up and ran over.

“What’s the matter, kid? What’s wrong?”

“Logan, I think something bad happened. I need to go to the hospital. NOW.”

He scooped her up in his arms and ran her out her door, through the mansion and down to the garage. He strapped her into the backseat of one of the cars and proceeded to drive her, at breakneck speed to the hospital.

***************

Hours later, Rogue lay on her side in a hospital bed, eyes red and watery. She clutched a pillow against her body and allowed the waves of sorrow to wash through her, although frankly, she was surprised she had any tears left to cry after the last week. She didn’t even look up when Logan entered her room.

He sat down on the edge of her bed, and put a hand gently on her shoulder. Beginning to rub it gently, he spoke softly. “I’m so sorry, Marie.”

She just nodded, unable to speak yet.

“They said it could have been a bunch of things. They mentioned it can happen with extreme stress. Which, I guess,” he said, looking sadly down at her, “you’ve been under a lot of recently.”

She snorted.

Logan seemed unsure of what to do. Looking around him, he said, “If you want, I’ll leave you alone.” He got up and started to leave.

“Don’t.” She said it quietly, but he heard. He came back to her bed. Sitting up slowly, she gazed at him through tear soaked eyes. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel. But, I know I feel like shit,” she told him. He nodded. “One part of me is waiting for my heart to break because I just lost something that was a part of me. And, as much as I care about you, I still feel like the last part of Johnny that I had was just stolen from me.” She took a big breath, and went on. “But, that’s just it. I’m waiting for my heart to break. It hasn’t. And that’s what confuses me. I can’t help thinking that maybe this was, in a horrible way, all for the best. I know it sounds selfish,” her voice wavered and a big tear slid down her cheek.

“Shhh, it’s ok. No one can tell you how you’re supposed to feel, darlin’,” Logan said as he drew her to him and began to rock her.

She nuzzled into him. “Thank you. I just want to go home. I want all of this to be over.”

“Ok.”

Rogue slept the whole way back to the mansion. After parking the car, Logan walked around and carried her back in, just the way they had come out. He took her up to his room, and dressed her sleepy form in a pair of his own boxers and a t-shirt. She snuggled down between the sheets of his bed and he got in next to her. His last thought, before he also drifted off to sleep was how, despite all she had been put through, she still managed to look like an angel to him.

Rogue awoke the next morning in a bed that was not her own. No, she thought, casting about, this bed was larger and, she discovered with a small gasp, filled with a still sleeping, but nevertheless very tangible and very shirtless Logan. The site of her still snoozing companion brought the memory of the previous day rushing back to her. She began to feel tears, once again, flooding her eyes, and she stifled a sob.

Besides her, she felt Logan begin to stir. She had not been quiet enough. She tried to quickly wipe away any tears as he rolled over to face her. Flicking a crumb of sleep dust out of the corner of his eye, he looked up at her and smiled gently.

“Hey, kid,” he said softly. “How are ya feeling?” He reached out and rubbed her arm.

“I’d be lying if I said I’ve never been better,” Rogue said, attempting a grin.

“You just need time, Marie.”

“I know.”

He reached out his arm, as if to beckon her into his space. She accepted his invitation and shimmied down so that her body was in line with his. She sighed in contentment as his strong arms enveloped her. Whatever she was feeling, she felt immensely better just being held. Perhaps it was a sense of security, one she so desperately needed after the rattling events of the last several weeks. She realized that Logan had been the one who had basically carried her through the awful episode. And, she had not forgotten their heartfelt exchange just before she…she didn’t want to even think the word.

Rogue looked at him. He was basking in the morning sunlight: awake, but keeping his eyes shut. She stretched up and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Without opening his eyes, he smiled lazily and asked, “What did I do to deserve that?”

Rogue kissed his other cheek and waited. When he finally opened his eyes, she replied simply, “For everything.” He grinned and returned her pecks, but his wandering mouth eventually made it to her own. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, Rogue pulled herself as tight as she could against Logan, savoring the touch of his lips and the feel of his large, warm body.

His kisses grew more intense, his tongue probing its way into her mouth. She felt him shift and allowed him to roll on top of her, supporting himself above so as not to crush her. Logan’s hands roamed the length of her body, squeezing her hips and cupping her breasts. She moaned into his mouth, arching her back as if to request more. He did not disappoint. In one fast move, he had whipped his own t-shirt off of her prone form, leaving her naked save for the boxer shorts he had outfitted her with the night before. He began to lathe at her nipples, alternating between licking, sucking, and biting. She groaned in response, and ran her fingers through his sleep tussled hair.

She brought her legs up and around his hips, locking him into position and effectively bringing their pelvis closer together. Feeling his jutting erection, Rogue writhed beneath him, knowing full well what it would do to him. She heard him growl in pleasure as he nipped at her ear. She reached between them and found the hole in the front of his shorts. Snaking her small hand through the opening, she grasped at his shaft, rubbing it up and down and enjoying Logan’s reaction. His hips bucked and his eyes shut tight.

Then, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of his boxers mumbling what sounded like, “wait, wait, wait.”

She looked up at him, questioning. “What?” she asked.

“Marie, baby, we don’t have to do this now,” he whispered, looking concerned.

She registered what he was saying and appreciated his concern. It made her want him even more. She tweaked a lock of his hair playfully. “I know,” she told him, “but I want to.”

She recaptured his mouth with conviction and resumed rubbing her pelvis against his. Hiking up her legs even further, she was able to get her toes under the elastic lining of his boxers, another trick she had learned in one of Jubes’ magazines. She then began to push his shorts down his legs until her own could reach no further. He finished the job, kicking them off and starring at her in amazement. He wasn’t without his own moves, though, and with a *snikt*, he popped a claw and ripped the pair of boxers she was wearing off of her body. Logan paused, admiring the beauty beneath him.

“Hold on,” he breathed. Rogue sat up a bit, annoyed. What more could he possibly want? She watched as he reached over to his side table drawer and pulled out a condom. He held it up for her to see and then ripped open the package with his teeth and rolled it on.

Rogue felt a little embarrassed. Even after all she had been through, she still hadn’t thought of protection. She was glad Logan did.

He got back on top of her and positioned himself between her legs. She squirmed downwards, as if unable to wait any longer. He smirked, and drove himself home inside of her.

Rogue realized at once that he filled her up much more than Johnny ever had, and she breathed heavily, adjusting to his girth. He soon began rocking into her, keeping a steadily increasing pace. She loved the feeling of him inside her, and began raising her own hips in order to take more of him in. Raking his back with her fingernails, she moaned. “Oh, God, Logan. Harder….just like that.”

She heard him grunting with effort and felt the sweat forming on his skin and mingling with her own as he pushed in and out of her. Quickly, he spun them across the bed, leaving her on top. She began to roll her hips back and forth, enjoying the new angle she found in that position.

Logan had begun to thrust upward into her, matching her movements. He reached up and cupped a breast, fingers sweeping over her taut nipple. His hand dropped, tracing patterns along her stomach until it found its resting place on her clit. He thumbed it in rhythm with their movements and soon it was more than Rogue could bear.

She came hard, gasping and calling his name. The feeling of her inner walls clenching around him was his undoing, and he found himself careening over the edge as well.

Afterwards, they lay in each other’s arms. Rogue remembered once again what he had told her the day before. She had known, in the split second before she had rolled off of him to go hurl, exactly how she wanted to respond, and she figured now was as good a time as ever.

“Logan,” she nudged him.

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you yesterday, when you told me, but…I love you, too.”

He kissed her gently and whispered, “I know.”

They lay in bed for the rest of the day, sometimes taking a break to get food, sometimes taking a break to make love. And for the first time in awhile, Rogue felt truly at ease.

~Epilogue~

Rogue sat on the bench in the park holding her satchel on her lap and checked her watch. Twenty minutes late, she thought, he’s lucky I love him so much. Still, she reasoned that a well placed slap to the back of his head would not go amiss.

She continued to pass the time, tapping her foot impatiently. After a few minutes, a shadow crossed over her lap. Squinting into the sunny day, she looked up.

There he stood, looking slightly older, but not much worse for wear. His face had thinned out, making his cheekbones appear slightly more angular. His hair was blonder, courtesy of some bleach, and slicked back. In her mind she knew that this was the boy who had abandoned her at a time of need, and yet she couldn’t help the flicker of desire he was still able rouse within her. It caused her to resent him immediately.

They stared at each other for moment before he finally broke the silence.

“Rogue,” he breathed.

“Johnny.” She answered curtly.

His eyes darkened at the sound of the name. “It’s Pyro now, actually.”

“Sorry, but no matter how badass you think you are, you’ll always be Johnny to me,” she sassed as she stood up, shifting her bag to her side to reveal the growing bump under her sun dress. He gaped at it.

She smirked. “You’ve been gone a long time, John. A lot happened after you left.”

“When did you…? Who?” he stuttered.

“Logan. We’ve been together for about 3 years now,” she told him, putting a hand protectively over her belly as he continued to stare at it.

“Figures,” he shrugged, as if attempting to regain some aloofness. “I always thought he had a thing for you. But, tell me the truth. You miss me?” He stepped in close to her, invading her personal space. “Remember, Roguey? All the good times we had?” he whispered, reaching out a hand to touch her face.

Rogue had heard enough. She slapped his hand away and snorted. “Good times? Sure, Johnny, I remember the ‘good times’. But, you missed the best time of all,” she said sarcastically. “I’m talking about the time you left right before I was about to tell you that I was pregnant with your baby.” She glared at him.

“What?” Pyro’s eyes had gone wide and his face looked paler than usual. Rogue waited for him to calm down.

“Well, look who it is,” she heard from over her shoulder. She whirled around to find Logan standing there. Grinning, she went up on her toes to peck him on the cheek.

“You’re late,” she informed him.

“It looks like you were kept busy,” he said, gesturing at the hyperventilating man in front of them. “I guess this means she told you, huh, bub?”

Pyro calmed himself down. “Where’s the kid?” he asked, looking worried.

Rogue said nothing, and looked down at her feet. She felt Logan step forward next to her. “Funny how you care now,” he mocked. “Lucky-and apparently unbeknownst to you, you’ve narrowly escaped being a daddy.”

“Huh?” Pyro looked confused.

“She lost the kid, jackass.”

“Lost?”

“Miscarried, due to stress. Stress that you were mostly responsible for.”

Pyro ran his hand through his hair. “Shit,” was all he could say.

Logan put an arm around Rogue. “Now,” he growled, “might be a good time for you to apologize for all the shit you put my girl through.”

Pyro looked like he was about to say something, but Rogue beat him to it. “No, Logan,” she said softly. “I don’t want anything from him. Not anymore. Not ever again.” Her glare had softened into a look of what could have passed for pity. She made to leave.

“I’ll be in the shop. Come meet me when you’re finished here.” And with that she left the two men.

Pyro watched her leave, then realized he had been left alone with the Wolverine. He nervously licked his lips and flicked his lighter. “So, now what? You gonna kick my ass or something?”

Logan shook his head and allowed a slow, cruel grin to pass over his features. “No, I’m not, asshole,” he told the smaller man. “I’m actually gonna thank you.”

Pyro raised his eyebrows. “For what?”

“Well, bub, if it weren’t for you acting like a complete dick, Rogue and I never might have gotten together. You see, with you gone, she came running right to me, like she always has, and the rest, as they say, is history.” He chuckled.

“I know it might sound a little weird to admit,” he continued, “but sometimes I think of you when I’m balls deep in that sweet little pussy-and you know how sweet it is, no one could ever forget a girl like her-and I think to myself, ‘thank God that little shit fucked up. Because now I have Marie, and soon we’ll have our little girl, we’ve never been happier, and it might never have happened.' So thank you, Pyro.”

Pyro had a look of deep envy and anger on his face. “Fuck you,” he hissed.

“Sorry kid, that’s a privilege that belongs solely to the little lady.” Logan turned and followed after Rogue, waving over his shoulder at Pyro, his hand eventually turning into a middle finger salute.

Pyro was left alone in the park. He walked over to the bench where Rogue had previously been sitting and slumped down on it. He sighed.

He was a hard man. Most of enemies believed that the man who could control fire had no weak side. So, if any of them had walked by at that particular moment, they may have been surprised to see a single tear run down from his eyes.