“I’m leaving tomorrow morning,” Rogue said, standing in front of Ororo’s desk. Storm looked up at her with a solemn nod.

“Did you talk to Logan about all this,” she asked, her blue eyes narrowing slightly in question.

Rogue frowned and looked away quickly, her eyes falling onto the window that was far off to Storm’s left. She licked her lips, a look of complete resignation on her face. Storm had never seen such an expression upon the girl’s face when they were speaking about Logan. “I tried. Said he was busy and he’d talk to me later.” Storm stood and moved over to Rogue slowly, like someone might around a skittish horse.

“Rogue, honey, is there another reason you’re leaving besides how the students treated you after the cure? I mean, it seems like there’s something more.”

Rogue looked at the older woman for a moment before sighing, looking down at her shoes, and then back up at her. Her voice was quite when she spoke. “’Ro, I love Logan more than anything. It’s not hero worship, it’s not a crush. I love him… and I have a feeling I always will. So, if I find out that you broke his heart somehow, I will come back here to kick your goddess ass into the next century.”

Storm stared at the younger woman. She had always known Rogue had deeper feelings for the man, but she never would have pegged it as love. But Rogue looked dead serious. And then the other part of what Rogue said bothered Storm quite a bit. Did Rogue know about her and Logan? If she did, then who else knew? “What do you mean, ‘If I break his heart’?”

Rogue snorted and turned away. “Oh please. Do you think I’m blind and stupid?” Rogue paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to hold the tears that had just flooded her eyesight back. She bit her lower lip before saying, “I have him in my head. I’m… in tune with him. I can tell when he enters a room… It also means that I know that look in his eyes. The one he’s directed at Jean, and one I’ve seen directed at you… but it’ll never be given to me. I’ve seen you come out of his room and I’ve seen him come out of yours. I’ve seen the stolen kisses. Jubilee has too. I’ve… heard you two.” The floodgates opened and Rogue openly sobbed.

“Rogue…” Storm couldn’t move. She just stared at Rogue’s back heaving with so much pain and sorrow. She wished she could give the girl comfort, but she feared she would only be bringing her more pain.

Rogue looked back at Storm, turning slightly. Tears were still streaming down the younger woman’s face. Her voice shook. “You know what hurts the most?” Storm didn’t respond, so Rogue continued. “Knowing I could never make him happy like you could… Like you are.” With that, Rogue quickly turned and moved out of the office so she could finish packing up the rest of her things.




“Wolvie! I need to talk to you,” Jubilee yelled, running after the feral mutant who seemed to be on a mission to find something… or someone.

“I’m busy kid. Maybe later.”

“Well, well. Look who always seems to be busy nowadays.”

“Excuse me?” Logan raised his eyebrow at the yellow clad, young woman when he stopped and turned to face her.

“You’re too busy to talk to Rogue about something important while you’re changing the oil on a fucking car and now you’re too busy to talk to me about Rogue when you seem to be walking around aimlessly. But if you’re too busy, then go on and do whatever it is you need to do. What I need to say isn’t important at all… even though it’s about the person who cares the most about you.” There was a dangerous edge to Jubilee’s voice and the way she turns on her heel worried Logan. He jogged after her and grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around.

“Wait, hold on. What about Rogue?”

Jubilee smirked darkly at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t you just hate it when guys take advantage of the women that care the most about them?” Jubilee lifted one hand and looked at her wrist, tapping a nonexistant watch. “Oh, look at the time, I should be going… in… that general direction.” Jubilee turned away again with a vague motion towards the dining room and headed off down the hall, leaving a momentarily confused Logan standing there, staring after her.

“When the hell have I ever taken advantage of her,” Logan asked himself while standing there. He heard Bobby snort while shooting him a glare before he stalked off, arm and arm with Kitty. /Mental note: Don’t talk out loud to yourself, dumbass,/ Logan thought.




Rogue heard a knock at her door. She knew who it was. She didn’t need to smell the cigar smoke or the smell of leather to tell her who was waiting on the other side. She sniffled, wiping her tears away with an angry swipe, but didn’t move from her spot on her bed nor did she say anything. If he cared at all, he’d open that door without permission. If he didn’t open the door, then her suspisions would be confirmed. When the door opened just a crack, Logan called out, “Kid, ya decent?”

“My name’s Marie,” was his only response. Logan took that as a sign to come in, but it wasn’t exactly welcoming either. He opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. Once he took in her tear stained face, he frowned and crossed the room in two strides.

“What’s wrong,” he asked her, crouching down in front of her, placing on hand lightly on her knee.

Rogue was quiet for a long time. Logan inched closer to her, reaching a hand up to trace a white streak. “I’m moving,” she said, suddenly. Logan stared at her, looking confused.

“To another floor?”

Rogue snorted. “Sure, if that’s what you want to call it. I prefer to call it Alaska.”

Logan growled and stood up. “To hell you’re moving anywhere farther than the borders of the X-Mansion’s grounds.”

“It’s not your choice, Logan,” Rogue said, standing up as well, glaring at him.

“When the hell were you gonna tell me,” he snarled.

“You know how I tried to talk to you earlier, but you were ‘too busy’?”

Logan’s frown turned into something that could have been interpereted as a grimace. He was quiet for a long moment before looking up at her. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I don’t have to answer to you. You’re not my father, remember?”

“But I am a teacher. It’s nice to know when a student is gonna be leaving, kid.”

Rogue snorted again. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a student anymore. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a kid! I never was. But you wouldn’t have noticed, would you? You weren’t there for my 21st birthday or my 20th. You were off on one of your 'quests' to search for your past. I guess my birthday didn’t mean much to you.”

Logan growled again. “I don’t know who I am, Marie. Knowing who I am is important! You are too, I just… I didn’t think about it.”

“What if you find things that you will forever regret looking for? Will it make you happier? If it makes you happier to look for it, then by all means, go, search. Just don’t expect me to wait around as your friend anymore.” Rogue went quiet, her voice softened and her expression grew melancholy. “I’m too tired to hang on the way I used to.” She sat back down on her bed. Logan was silent as was Rogue. It felt like an hour passed, but realistically it was only a few minutes of uninterrupted silence.

Finally, Logan asked, “Why are you leaving?”

Rogue lowered her gaze to his chest. “Jubilee and Storm both have that answer. Ask them. I have to finish packing, so I’d appreciate it if you left.”

Logan stared at her for a long moment before sighing and said, “I’m sorry, Marie.” He slowly turned and moved towards the door. He opened it and stood there, staring at the ground. Then he walked out and shut it behind him. Rogue tried with all her might to hold back the fresh tears but to no avail. They slipped down her cheeks before she wiped at them with her sleeve and stood so she could finish packing.

“Ready to go, chica, “Jubilee asked, shutting the back door of the jeep for her friend. Rogue nodded silently, staring at the ground. Jubilee studied her for a moment before wrapping her in a hug. Rogue returned it, resting her chin on the other woman’s shoulder. “He’s a dick for acting the way he’s been. Forget about him. Live your life, girl. I’ll make his hell.” Jubilee smirked slightly before releasing Rogue.

Rogue frowned slightly and looked up at Jubilee. She squared her jaw. “Jubes, do me a favor.” Jubilee just nodded in response, staring seriously at her friend. “Don’t interfere with ‘Ro and Logan. If she makes him happy, then that’s how I want it to be. Okay?”

Jubilee gave her a slow nod. “Cross my heart and hope to die if I do.”

Rogue nodded and swallowed hard before setting her shoulders and holding her head high. “Well, here I go.” She smiled and hugged her friend again quickly before climbing into the jeep and turning the key in the ignition. Jubilee waved and smiled sadly before heading inside.

The jeep rolled down the driveway of the school. Rogue sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly. When the open gates rolled in to sight, she gasped. Logan was standing there, leaning against the stone pillars. She bit her lip, seriously contemplating driving right on by without a second glance, but she slowed down and stopped as if someone else had moved her foot to the brake and pressed her foot down. She hadn’t realized she had rolled the window down until Logan came over to the jeep, resting one arm over the top of the window frame. “You didn’t say goodbye,” he said casually.

“You didn’t either when you left the last time,” she responded simply, looking at him.

“Marie…,” Logan sighed, looking at everything but her, “Don’t go.”

“I have to.”

“No… you don’t.” He paused again. “I… this place needs you.”

“For what, Logan? What purpose do I serve? I barely had a place on the team, I hardly had any friends, I wasn’t a teacher… So tell me… Why do they need me?” Logan remained silent, looking like he was trying to come up with something other than what he wanted to say. Rogue nodded slightly. “You can’t even come up with anything, can you?” She shook her head and sighed. “I’ve got to go. Goodbye Logan.” She rolled up the window and pulled away, watching Logan standing there in her rearview mirror, his head hanging.

Rogue felt guilty for treating him this harshly, but he had pretty much ignored her for the better part of a year. She had barely gotten ‘Hellos’ in the hallway from him. Jubilee, Bobby, Kitty, and Piotr were the only ones who stood by her side. Everyone else hated her, or they were oblivious to the sadness she felt.

Rogue shook her head and pushed down the accelerator. She just wanted to leave this place behind. She just wanted to live the life she had dreamed of as a little girl, even if it didn’t include the man of her dreams, a house with a white picket fence, a dog, and 3.5 kids. For now, she’d make do.




Logan walked back to the mansion, mentally kicking himself all over the place for not telling Rogue that /he/ needed her there. He shook his head, running a hand through his wild hair. He opened the door only to get a very cold thing thrown at him. He caught it in his arms and looked at it. It was a pair of jeans… his jeans… frozen solid. Logan turned his eyes onto Jubilee, a growl erupting from his throat. “Sorry. I may have accidently dropped them in the lake and then accidently put them in the freezer,” Jubilee said, glaring at him. She slammed the door right in his face… and then locked it.

“What the fuck,” Logan asked, glaring at the wooden door. It looked like it was glaring at him too. He looked back down at the frozen jeans, growled and then headed for the back door. Once inside, he immediately went to his room and set the jeans out to thaw in the bathroom, and then to hunt down the yellow wearing woman. When he found her, she looked like she was waiting for him. “What’s wrong with you,” Logan ground out at her, noticing the manilla folder that sat in the counter in front of her.

“Me? You’re the one who broke my chica’s heart,” Jubilee said. She held out an unopened, cold bottle of beer. “Here. We need to talk.” Logan begrudgingly took the bottle and sat down across from her at a stool. Jubilee opened her own beer and drank from it. “God, your beer tastes like piss, ya know that?”

“Enough. What did you want to talk about?”

“How do you know I didn’t want to talk about beer?” Logan looked at her pointedly, an eyebrow raised high on his forehead. “Oh, right. Because I’m pissed at you still.” Jubilee nodded and took another drink from the beer. Logan barely touched his. “Look, you have to know why she’s leaving. You have to. It was so blatantly obvious.”

“Well, maybe it wasn’t as obvious as you seem to think it was. Do explain.”

Jubilee rolled her eyes. “You really are a dumbass.” Logan growled. “She loves you. That’s why she’s leaving.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, kid.”

“Of course it does. She loves you, you love Storm. Makes perfect sense to me.”

Again, Logan growled at her. “I don’t love Storm. She’s a friend. That’s it.”

Jubilee nodded mockingly. “Right. A friend with benefits? Tell me, she a good lay?”

“Jubilee…” Logan snarled warningly, “I’m going to gut you if you keep this shit up.”

“You cannot fathom the immensity of the fuck that I do not give about your warnings, Wolverine. Frankly, you should be gutting yourself in my opinion.” Jubilee went silent for a moment, a death glare shot at him. “You pretty much ignored her for a year. That’s what started it all. When she realized why you were ignoring her, when she saw you and Storm… when she heard you, it slowly started to kill her. She became more and more depressed, but she was able to hide it well… clearly.” Jubilee pushed the folder in front of him. “Look at these. And don’t get them out of order. There’s a reason they’re like that.”

Logan looked down at the folder, glanced up at her, then back at the folder. He finally picked it up and opened it, pulling out a very large pack of rubberbanded photos. He saw the top one. It was a familiar scene from a very different angle. He took off the rubber band and tossed it aside. In the picture, Rogue was beamin, her arms wrapped around his neck. It was from when he had just come back from his trip after Liberty Island. The picture had been taken from above, probably from the top of the stairs. He flipped through the pictures and as each one went to the back of the pile, he noticed that her smiles became decreasingly bright. He was in almost every one, but in each one, he also seemed to be decreasing in interest of her.

There were even a series of photos that looked like they were taken one right after the other. Jubilee leaned over. “Ah, this day. Very sad one if you ask me.” Logan flipped through the picutres noting how Rogue was saying something to him while she sat at the dining room table and he was walking past. She had started off smiling, but as the pictures passed, it faded quickly. He also noticed that his eyes were fixed on something, or someone, that wasn’t in the picture.

Another picture that he saw was one of her in the library, sitting in the window seat, a book open at her feet. It was her favorite one. But she wasn’t reading it. Her knees were up to her chest, her arms crossed over them and her cheek resting on her arms, looking out the window. The expression on her face was a sad one. He continued to flip through the pictures.

The last one was of her in the music room, sitting on the piano bench, hunched over the keys, one hand on her forehead, the other braced against the music holder. She looked like she was about to cry. “She loved to play the piano. She was really good at it. You should’ve heard her,”Jubilee said. Logan clinched his jaw and set the pictures away from him, not wanting to look at them.

“What was the point of that,” Logan asked between gritted teeth.

Jubilee studied him for a moment before speaking, “She is so devoted to you...that it is fucking ridiculous. She never told /anyone/ what she got out of your head when she absorbed you. Not even me… and she shares everything with me. She didn’t even talk about your nightmares when she had them. It was bad at first. She threw up a couple times, most of the time, she just cried herself to sleep though. It got better after a while... besides that fact that she hardly got any sleep at all. Insomnia became her best friend… because /someone/ wasn’t there to help her through it… /You/ weren’t there.” Jubilee paused, and then continued. “She told me what you said to her when you realized that the cure was wearing off for her. ‘If it gets real intense, you could always get it again.’ What kind of advice is that? How is that comforting at all? She did get it again so she could move to Alaska, even though she knows it’s going to wear off... again. She'll keep getting it too because she can’t live here. She can’t live here because seeing you and Storm, hearing and Storm together, killed her more and more every day. And then when you stopped telling her goodbye when you went on your trips, her heart broke. And then, when you completely forgot about both her 20th and 21st birthdays, you might as well’ve just cut out her heart and ate it.”
Logan stared blankly at his still full beer bottle. Oh, he was listening, but he just felt… numb. He had made Marie feel that way. It was all his fault.

Jubilee continued on, “You know what the funny thing is? She doesn’t want me interfereing with you and Storm because she cares about your happiness more than she cares about her own. If you want to call, text, e-mail… or see her again, you’ll have to drag it out of me by force because I’m the only one that has her contact information.” Jubilee stood, packed the pictures back up, and patted Logan lightly on the back and smiled darkly. “Good luck with that.” She skipped out of the kitchen, leaving Logan feeling like biggest fucking asshole in the world.

“Jubilee, goddammit! I’ve done everything you fucking asked me too! What the hell else do I have to do before you give me Rogue’s fucking phone number,” Logan yelled, pacing over Jubilee’s yellow carpet.

Jubilee turned away from her computer, sighing irritatedly. “You’re cutting into my music time, Furball.” Logan growled, baring his teeth slightly at her. Jubilee rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright,” she paused for a long moment, collecting her thoughts. Finally, she spoke again, “All those things I had you do were for my own entertainment for the most part. I mean, I made you do things that you wouldn’t normally do… like shop with me… sing kareoke, even though you wouldn’t do it in front of everyone else, clean my dirty laundry, and smile at everyone you ran into for one day. You went through it without too much bitching so I must applaud you on that… But you haven’t done the one thing that Rogue wanted out of you. You haven’t just openly admitted that you miss her and you want her to come back. You haven’t done the hardest thing for you to do. Open up, Wolverine.”

Logan glared at her. He was pissed about doing all that ridiculous shit, especially having to sing the stupid song in front of her. What he was more pissed about was that none of those things earned him Rogue’s contact information. He should have just started his own search. He probably would have found her within a week. /This/ torture had drug on for almost a month now. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Oh, shut up. Look, I’m serious, dude. You have to be willing to open up… and actually do it before I can give you anything.”

Logan growled again and stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind him. Why the hell should he open up to her? Why the hell should he open up to anyone? ‘Because Rogue was the one person you could have trusted with everything…’ the voice inside his head ground out. Logan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Jubilee smirked. Logan would be back, in 5…4…3…2…… 1 and a half…….… 1.

The door opened again and Logan stepped in, a frown still on his face. “I miss her,” was all he said at first. He didn’t look at her, his eyes focused on the floor. “I do miss her. I just want to hear from her why she left. I… Rogue is important to me, Yellow. You know that.”

“You could’ve fooled me, Logan,” Jubilee said, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning back in her desk chair.

Logan finally looked up Jubilee. “I thought… I thought she didn’t need me anymore… she didn’t need me watching over her constantly. She needed space.”

Jubilee was quiet for a while before sighing. “No she didn’t. She got the cure… she only wanted people to get closer… physically and emotionally. You especially. You’re more important to her than anybody.”

“How come she never told me,” Logan asked, sitting down the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.

“Because you never asked,” she replied. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. Jubilee looked at it for a moment before holding it out to Logan, who hadn’t looked up yet. After a few, silent seconds, he lifted his head a little and saw the piece of paper. His eyes locked with Jubilee’s for a moment. “It wasn’t all that hard, was it?” He looked back at the paper and then took it out of her hand.

“Thanks.”

Jubilee smiled at him and gave him a gentle pat on the thigh. “Now go convince your girl to come home, huh?”

Logan stood and frowned. “She’s not my girl.”

Jubilee smirked up at him before turning back towards her computer. “She should be, Wolvie.” Logan stared at her for a long moment before looking down at the slip of paper in his hand and walking out the door.



Storm was sitting at her desk, grading papers when the door opened. Logan was standing there, both his jackets on and a bag slung over one shoulder. She frowned slightly. “Where to this time,” she asked, not moving from her desk.

“I’m gonna go visit Rogue. I need to talk to her.”

Storm nodded and smiled. “That’ll be nice. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.”

“Look… Storm… what we’ve been doing… I…” Logan sighed, frustrated with himself. “We can’t sleep together anymore.”

Storm blushed slightly, but finally stood up, smoothing out her charcoal colored pant legs. “Why not?”

“Rogue.” Logan stared at Storm, seeing hurt flash across her features. “We were hurting her. If I can convince her to come back,” Logan shook his head, “I can’t stand knowing that I’m still putting her through that.”

Storm frowned. "I know."

Logan averted his gaze to the silver paperweight on the desk. “She wanted us to be happy. She didn’t want to ruin anything for us.”

Storm opened her mouth and shut it again before shaking her head. “I know, Logan, she told me before she left.”

"She told you?"

Storm sighed, running a hand through her white locks. “Yeah. I thought she'd tell you or had told you... but..."

Logan shook his head. “She didn't say a thing.” Surprisingly, he didn't look angry. "Do you think we were happy... at all?"

Storm shook her head. "I think it was just comfort." She gave Logan a small, sad smile before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. “Don’t force her to come back here, Logan. Just tell her that the thing between you and I… it’s over and she can come back anytime.” Logan frowned before returning the embrace lightly.

“I couldn’t make her do anything, but I’ll do my best.”

The moment passed and Logan pulled out of the hug. Storm looked sad... and yet relieved at the same time. "Stay safe, Logan."

He nodded, then turned and opened the door. He stood there with his hand on the doorknob and staring into the hallway before he sighed, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

“Marie, you’ve got another customer at table 8. He’s kind of sexy in a dangerous way,” Sandra said, winking at Rogue and nudging her arm slightly. Rogue just smiled and tucked her pen behind her ear. She turned towards table 8 with a smile, but it faded quickly and she stopped mid-step. The man sitting there stared right back at her. She was the first to break eye contact, turning back to the counter. She took a deep breath as she reached down into the glass doored fridge space under the counter. She pulled out a bottle of Molsen and then marched over to his table.

“Thanks,” Logan said, staring up at her after she placed the bottle in front of him.

“Why’re you here,” she asked, an unreadable expression on her face.

Logan didn’t answer. Instead, he nodded at her slightly and asked, “What happened to the streaks?” He blinked a couple of times, as if he was having trouble focusing.

Rogue frowned and sat down across from him. She looked around at the half-empty diner before resting her forearms on the table and turning her eyes back on him. “I dyed them out. Now answer my question, Wolverine.”

Logan sat silent for a while, nursing his beer slowly. Finally, he sighed and looked at her. Rogue could see the pain he was feeling, but she’d be damned if she was going to let him know she saw it. “I came to see you… I missed you. Marie… I want yo-”

Rogue abruptly stood then, frowning. She pulled her apartment key out of her apron and tossed it onto the table. “Not here. My apartment is just down the road. Third floor. I’ll see you there when I get off my shift.” She pulled out a small notepad and pulled the pen out from behind her ear. “Now, do you want something to eat?”

“No,” Logan said, shaking his head, “I’ll just head to your apartment.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her a hundred dollar bill.

“Logan-“

“Keep the change…” and with that, Logan stood and walked out the door, her apartment key in his hand and his beer left on the table only half-finished. Rogue stood there for a moment before sighing and heading back up to the counter.




Logan didn’t have any problems finding her apartment. The place had her scent almost everywhere. He unlocked her front door and opened it only to have some small-bear-looking creature leap at him with a bark. It collided heavily with his chest and knocked him backwards off his feet. His head hit the floor painfully and he blinked a few times as his healing tried to refocus his eyes. When he looked up, there was a large German shepherd crossbreed standing over him, growling. The dog barked again and snapped at his face, but didn’t actually bite him. /Marie has a guard dog… good girl/ he thought.

He growled right back at the dog. It stopped snarling only to stare at him and cock his head to the side. Logan growled again and then suddenly, the dog was beating his legs with its tail and giving his face a bath. “Get off me, ya mutt,” Logan grumbled, pushing the dog off of him. He stood up and moved into the apartment. The dog followed right on his heels. It was large, coming up to his mid-thigh. The door quietly swung closed on its own because of the spring hinges on it.

Logan looked around the small apartment. The living room was decorated simply, but very much in a Marie fashion… and maybe even a few things that he liked. No doubt he had some hand in decorating the room… if he was still in her head that is. A black, leather couch sat on one side of the room and in the corner across from that sat a small, wooden entertainment center that contained a TV and DVD player. There was an old, used looking coffee table in between the couch and the television and across from the couch on the opposite wall was a black, leather recliner. Off to the left of the living room, was a small, sparse kitchen. There was just enough room to have a two-seater table. He then moved down the hallway on his right which wasn’t long at all. At the end of the hall was her bedroom. It was simple, just like the rest of the apartment. A beige carpet with a simple, king-sized bed and a used looking dresser were in the room. The comforter on the bed was her favorite color, dark green.

He moved back down the hall and glanced into the small bathroom. The curtain was a pale yellow, but everything else was a pristine white. He looked down the hall towards the living room and saw the dog sitting in the entrance way, staring at him. Logan glared at it for a long moment before moving out into the living room and sitting down on the couch. The shepherd-mix trotted over to him and rested a head on Logan’s knee, staring up at him with big, brown eyes.

It wasn’t long before Rogue opened the front door. The dog greeted her happily and Rogue greeted him right back with a hug, smile, and a kiss on the head, but when Logan stood up and drew her attention to him, the smile faded and she looked away, setting her purse and apron down. She sat in the reclining chair across from the couch, curling her legs up underneath her. Logan stood there, staring at the glass top of the coffee table before his hazel eyes shifted to her. “Marie-”

“I brought your change with me. Your beer was only 4 bucks.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cash and tried handing it to him, but Logan shook his head.

“No. Keep it.”

“Logan-”

“No Marie. Keep the goddamned money.”

The room fell silent for a moment. Logan sighed and sat back down on the couch, running a hand through his already wild hair. “I’m sorry.” Logan looked up at Rogue at her words. “I should have told you sooner that I was moving.”

“And you should have told me why… but…” Logan sighed again, rubbing his face with a hand before allowing his eyes to meet hers. She looked sad. “I missed you, Marie.”

“I missed you too.” Rogue bit her lip, glancing down at the beast sitting next to her and then back to Logan. “A lot.”

“Why didn’t you just come back, then?”

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t sit by and watch you and Storm. It hurt too much.”

Logan sighed and moved closer to her, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table. It creaked under his weight. He leaned in closer to her, resting his hands on her bent knees. “You don’t have to anymore.”

Rogue looked up at him, a frown on her features. “Logan… you were happy with her… you shouldn’t-“

Logan shook his head at her. “No. ‘Ro and I agreed it was… it was about comfort… not love. We weren’t really… happy.”

Rogue’s eyes met his for the briefest of moments before they settled back on the dog who had tilted his head back, his ears flopping backwards slightly and his eyes trained on her. She couldn’t help it. A chuckle rose up in her and she found she was unable to hold it back. Logan looked at the dog as well who looked far beyond cute with his ears the way they were. He smiled slightly. Rogue scratched behind his ear and then leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of his muzzle, then looked at Logan. “You have a place to stay,” she asked. Logan simply shook his head so Rogue nodded, placing one hand over his. “You can stay here then.”

Logan sat back and watched Rogue stand and move down the hall, the dog trotting after her happily, his tail wagging and nearly knocking over the side table right next to the doorway of the hall. He let a larger smile slip across his face. He hadn’t made up to Marie yet, but he will… he’ll find a way.

Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I've been trying to settle into college since it's my first quarter and now that it's over, I feel like I know what kind of time I'll have in order to write. I promise you, the next chapter is being worked on currently.

Logan’s POV

Steele, the dog, I found out was a German shepherd mixed with a wolf. He’s a good dog; he follows Marie into every room, always alert, always watching. That dog loves her. I can tell. She had told me that he had shown up at the diner looking for food, so Marie had started putting a plate outside with a bunch of food scraps on it. Ever since then, the dog had become quite loyal to her. It’s always good to have somebody that’s loyal around.

I clinch my jaw, turning onto my side and facing the opposite wall. I had once been that loyal person for her. /I/ had been her friend… and then I went and screwed everything up. So, it’s not all my fault really. She could have told me… she could have said something to the fact that Storm and I being together bothered her. But she didn’t. That’s just like Marie. No matter what’s happening, she doesn’t complain… even if it’s hurting her… even if it’s ripping her apart inside. And to think it was me doing that to her. Hmph. Some friend I am.

I hear her shift in her sleep. She had me sleep on the couch. I guess I deserve that. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to lie next to the person that broke my heart either. I miss her though. I want to hug her and I haven’t even been able to give her half of that. She forgave me… but only partway. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m allowed to stay in her apartment… but I can barely even touch her.

I shift again so I’m lying on my back. The couch… it’s not the greatest thing to sleep on, but it’s better than some of the other things I’ve had to lay on. I hear Steele jump off the bed and quietly pad out to where I am. I look up and see him standing at the end of the couch by my feet. He stares at me for a moment before coming around the side. I reach out a hand, rubbing his head and scratching behind his ears. His tail wags slightly and he whines at me. “What’re you complaining about, ya mutt?” He just whines again before nipping at my hand slightly. He backs away and moves back to the hallway. He then stops and stares at me before whining again. I sit up now, watching him for a moment before tossing my blankets aside and moving towards him. Steele leads the way down the hall to her bedroom. I stop at the door, looking at Marie as she sleeps.

Actually… she’s not asleep. She’s not facing me, but I know. Marie never sleeps on her side. She’s always slept on her stomach. The moonlight is coming in through the window, reflecting off her china doll skin. Her brown hair is in a tight bun on the back of her head. Such a shame too. Her hair looks better when it’s down especially if it’s being lit up by the moon. I admit, Rogue’s a beautiful woman and yeah… I was physically attracted to her… but I didn’t want to hurt her. Marie was my friend… my family. I only wish that I hadn’t been so stupid and had just-

“Logan… do you need something,” she asked, almost in a whisper. She always had a strange knack of knowing when I was around. That explained how she’d managed to avoid me while she had still been at the mansion.

I don’t answer for a moment, looking over at Steele who was now sitting by the empty side of the bed. It was now or never, I guess. I had to tell Marie. I move a little further into the room, trying to tuck my hands into the pockets that didn’t exist on the sweatpants. I finally settled for squeezing my hands into fists. “Yeah, Marie. I do…” She rolled over before sitting up, looking at me. “I need… I need you.”

Her perfect little mouth opened and then closed again. Her face was now half hidden in shadow, but I could see her expression clearly. All kinds of emotions ran across her features: Happiness, hurt, sorrow… and fear. “Logan… I…”

“Marie… I was an asshole. I didn’t know I was hurting you and I’m sorry. I /need/ you…”

She just stared at me, sitting there in the dark. I moved a little closer to the bed, moving like you might around a skittish horse. Her eyes then darted down to my chest. Good… she sees the tags she got me for Christmas. I don’t think she ever realized I wore them… constantly. She slowly slid out of the bed, staring at the tags. She hardly wore anything… just a pair of short shorts and a sports bra. I could tell she still worked out. Her stomach was tight and her arms and legs had some nice muscle tone to them… and yet, she still had curves that could kill a man. The shorts were sitting low on her hips, the waistband a good 2 inches below her naval. She reached a hand out and touched the tags, flipping them over in her hand to read the engraving. Suddenly, she smiled and it felt like I had just been lit on fire. I had missed that smile so damn much. It wasn’t that ‘I’m-shy-but-thanks-for-the-compliment smile’ nor was it the ‘I-think-this-kind-of-a-funny-situation smile’. It was the ‘I’m-happy-beyond-words smile’.

“You’re wearing them…”

“Of course I am, darlin’. You gave ‘em to me.”

She looked up at me then, blinking a few times before she released her hold on the tags. She slid her small arms around my neck, standing up on her toes to give me a hug. I close my eyes, wrapping my arms around her waist tightly. God, I had missed this… her hugs… the way her body felt against mine. I was going to make the best of this. I don’t want to push her, so we’ll take some time, get back into our friendship and see where all this goes to from there.

She let me sleep in the bed with her. She cried a little into my shirt for a while before she finally fell asleep. Both my arms were wrapped around her, her head pillowed on my chest. Now this… this, I could get used to.