Anger, pain, fear, and confusion all muddled together the instant another’s skin came into contact with her own. The emotions coursing through her weren't her own. Marie wasn’t certain who they belonged to, nor did she care at the moment. The brunette wanted nothing more than to have her own mind back to herself. Silence was long overdue for her mind. There was never a dull moment within it. Between Magneto, Logan, Bobby, and Cody there was always someone jabbering away in there.

Her eyes opened slowly, her vision blurry for a few moments before everything snapped back into sharp clarity thanks to the enhanced senses of a certain Wolverine. Her green eyes peered around the room, taking in her surroundings. The room was one Marie had only been in a handful of times, the med-lab. It was vacant except for one other person. A young man, not much older than her, was lying on top of a steel table, a coarse blanket on top of him to combat the chill of the room.

It didn't take Marie long to piece together that he'd been the one she had inadvertently touched. Lucas her mind supplied for her. She sat up, slowly so her head wouldn't start spinning. It always took her some time to adjust to another person being added to her mind. Marie gingerly lifted herself from the table and stepped onto the cold, hard floor. Before she had a chance to step towards the boy and make sure he was okay, a voice made her jump.

"Rogue, you really shouldn't be up just yet." Her voice was stern, but contained a hint of concern for the younger mutant.

"Dr. Grey. Ah hadn't even heard ya come in." Marie replied, spinning around too fast to meet the eyes of the red head.

The sudden action made her gasp as a bolt of pain shot through her skull. Jean swiftly made her way over to Marie; her hands gripping the brunette's covered arm and keeping her steady.

"What's wrong, honey?" Jean asked the concern much more evident in her voice now.

Jean and Marie had never been close by any means, but Jean couldn’t help but feel for the young woman. The redhead understood more than anyone about having one’s head invaded by outside thoughts. At least Jean had learned to tune them out a bit, and they weren’t stuck with her.

"Nothin', just a headache. That's pretty much normal, though. Ah figure it's mah brains way of tellin' me to stop being such a klutz and absorbin' more people than it can handle." Marie said softly, running her fingers through her hair and pushing it out of her face.

The good doctor's expression only became more sympathetic towards the untouchable young woman. Marie hated it. She hated the pity that she saw on everyone's face when they learned of her mutation. Logan was one of the few people she’d come across who had never looked at her that way. That was part of the reason she typically preferred his company.

"Ah'll just go and finish recoverin' in mah room. If it gets worse or somethin' Ah'll come and let you know. Ah'm sure it's nothin', though." Marie said, a small smile on her lips. She didn't want to just take up space down here when she obviously wasn't suffering from anything more than a headache.

"Well, alright." Jean replied almost reluctantly as she let go of the girl. It went against her better judgment, but Jean figured this was something Marie was better off handling on her own.

"Ya worry too much." Marie muttered with a embarrassed laugh as she grabbed her gloves from on top the polished table and promptly pulled them on.

Jean smiled knowingly as she rolled her sparkling eyes, "It's kind of my job, dear."

Moments like these were what offered Jean hope that she could ultimately develop some type of relationship with Marie. She knew Marie somewhat resented her for the way Logan looked at her, but it wasn't as if she could suppress the older man's actions. Jean had consistently turned down his advances, but someone would have to be blind not to observe the way Marie cared for him. Jean didn't like it one bit, but there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't jealous by any means, but she knew nothing good would come out of a girl as young as Marie pinning after a man like Logan.

Marie just simply smiled at Jean, her headache already subsiding. "Tell Scott Ah'll be skippin' the next danger room session, though."

Jean nodded in understanding as she watched Marie's retreating form. At least she wouldn't have to worry about the girl working herself to death. Jean turned to glance at the young man who'd joined the school only a few days ago. That's got to be one hell of a welcome gift, she thought bitterly as she carefully checked over his vital signs.

~~~

Marie retreated as quickly as she could to the privacy of her own room. The professor had deemed it too risky to let her share a room like the other students. As a result her bedroom was placed in the teacher's wing of the building, which Marie really didn't mind. She gently twisted the doorknob and stepped eagerly into her room, a slight frown forming when she realized she couldn't recall how she'd managed to touch the boy in the first place.

The last thing she remembered was she'd been down in the kitchen fixing a late night snack, alone. Marie glanced at the illuminated clock on her bedside table and groaned. It was 2:30 in the morning, and with all the recent excitement, she doubted she'd been sleeping peacefully any time soon. Maybe she could just skip all her classes tomorrow and hang out in her room. Surely the professor would understand her reasoning. A knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts of playing hooky.

"Come in." She called out, wondering who the hell was up this late besides herself and Jean.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, kid." Logan stated as he cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.

Marie smiled warmly at him. He looked so uncomfortable when it came to actually showing any kind of concern for others. Cute but uncomfortable. She understood how hard it was for him. He did little to mess up his tough as nails, don't-fuck-with-me reputation. It meant a lot to Marie that he was at least willing to throw a little of his rep out of the window when it came to her.

"Ah'm fine. A little wound up now, but mostly fine." She replied. No matter what was going on in her life, just simply being in the vicinity of Logan made her smile.
"I know how hard it is for you, every time you… use your mutation." He told her hesitantly.

Logan wasn't even going to pretend to understand what she went through every time it happened, but he could at least try to be there for her. He held his arms out and open for her, a smile almost threatening to tug at the corners of his lips. Marie launched herself at him, more than thankful for his comforting presence. He'd saved her life countless times, and she couldn't be more grateful towards him.

Logan buried his face in her hair, almost getting lost in her scent as his grip around her tightened instinctively. The constant need to protect the younger woman was always there whenever Logan saw Marie. He had saved her life more than a couple of times, but in a way she saved his life just as much. Marie restored Logan's humanity and made it possible to actually care about another person's feelings. Granted he wasn't entirely 'domesticated', he was at least putting in the effort for Marie's sake.

Others obviously took notice of the two mutant's fondness for one another but shrugged it off or simply denied that anything would ever come of it. It was no secret that Marie had a slight crush on the Wolverine. Hero worship, they called it. Harmless. Marie knew Logan was in love with Jean and would never regard her in such a way.

Marie looked up at Logan her face visibly more relaxed now. "Thanks. Ah know hugs aren't your favorite thing in the world, but Ah really needed this."


*

Logan stared down at the southern beauty, a warmth in his eyes only present when alone with her. "Think nothin' of it, kid." He replied modestly, trying to shrug it off as no big deal.

Logan wanted to punch himself every time an inappropriate thought of Marie entered his mind, which too often for his liking. She was only seventeen years old for Christ's sake. He longed for her to just accept him as a friend or possibly even an older brother figure. Maybe if Marie accepted it, Logan could too.

He felt like such a dirty old man when his gaze lingered a little too long on her impressively filled out form. She'd come such a long way since they'd first met. Marie wasn't nearly as shy as she'd once been, but her mutation still kept her at a distance from everyone. Everyone but him.

Logan was the one person she could be around, and none of it really mattered. He didn't care that she could possibly be the only person in the world to kill him. He didn't care that everyone else was terrified to even look at her for too long.

Marie pulled away from the embrace and smiled sheepishly, a light blush covering her cheeks. "Ah should let ya get to bed. Ah'm sure ya have things ya need ta do tomorrow."

Logan nodded reluctantly, "You know where to find me if you need anything. Night, kid." He said, stepping away from her and exiting her room.

Anyone who looked at Marie could certainly tell she was far from being a kid. Logan just needed to remind himself that she was much too young for him. The entire female population could possibly be too young for him honestly, since he had no idea how old he really was. The walk back to his own room wasn't a particularly long one. Logan often thought in the beginning that having Marie so close would be a blessing, but it just proved torturous for him at times. The only beneficial thing that seemed to come from it was that if she ever had a nightmare, especially one of his, he could be there quickly to bring her out of it.



*

Marie stared at the shut door with a foolish smile still adorning her features, her body still warm from where he had been embracing her. Shaking herself out of it, she walked over to her bedside table and turned on the small lap before flipping off the main light. She changed into her night time wear, which was simply a pair of thin shorts and a cami. People knew better than to venture into her room at night, so she could just be free.

Alone in her room was the only time she didn't have to worry about covering up from head to toe like some kinda mummy. Every so often it got extremely oppressive and stifling for Marie, so she would retreat to the silence and privacy of her room. People surrounded her during the day, but she was always somehow detached. She would always lack any type of intimacy with another being.

Marie had dumped Bobby only a few weeks ago. The young brunette could see how much not being able to touch hurt him. He was male after all anyway, and Marie figured if she didn't break up with him he'd do it eventually. It wasn't fair to him either. He deserved a girl he could kiss, cuddle, and make love to without the imminent threat of death. The Rogue could do none of those things.

She crawled under the cool covers of her bed and let out a sigh. She had no idea what she'd do all day tomorrow since she had inevitably decided to skip her class. Maybe Logan would be up for some quality time in front of the tv. A hockey game or something like that was bound to be on. She left the light on and rolled over onto her side, facing away from it. Marie almost laughed out loud at herself. She was an extremely dangerous mutant who could kill almost anyone with a simple brush of her dainty fingers, and she was afraid of something as trivial as the dark.

~I require everyone in the conference room immediately.~

Marie groaned at the familiar sound of the professor's distinctive voice in her head. Couldn't he use the telephone like normal people?

~I think it's reasonable to say, my dear, that no one here is normal. Now get dressed,~ spoke Xavier's voice again.

She couldn't resist the smile forming on her lips. He did undoubtedly have a point. His voice held somewhat of a content tone to it, so she didn't necessarily feel the need to hurry.

Marie walked over to the private bathroom connected to her room and brushed her teeth quickly before making her way over to her closet to get dressed. She looked back over her shoulder at the clock. 7:30 in the morning.

She rolled her eyes, no wonder she was so damn tired. She thought as she slipped on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve black shirt.

Marie closed her bedroom door behind her before tugging on the dark green gloves she'd picked out for the day. She looked down the hallway and glimpsed a surly looking Logan.

"Woke you up too, huh?" Marie asked, a slight smirk making its way onto her face, despite the tiredness she felt.

He merely grunted in response which Marie took as a yes. She figured the other teachers had already made their way there since she didn't see them. Marie figured herself and Logan would be typically the only ones who were actually still sleeping at 7:30 am. Neither of them was a morning person.

By the time the two got there, most everyone had already showed up and were comfortably seated around the large circular table. Marie and Logan selected their seats, and Xavier cleared his throat.

"Now that everyone has been so kind as to join me, we have a pressing matter to attend to."

A few seconds after he finished speaking Hank walked in clutching a tiny pink bundle. A few gasps were heard as he delivered the baby to Xavier, who cradled the child lovingly.

"I'm sure most of you know intuitively this is a baby. The child was abandoned here very early this morning. The child's parents were both mutants. So the chance the child is one as well is very likely, although there is no specific way to be certain until the child is older."

Marie's gentle heart melted as the tiny baby yawned and wiggled a bit to get comfortably settled before drifting to sleep again. It couldn't be more than a couple of weeks old.

"I myself am too busy to take on the daunting task of caring for an infant and many of the teachers feel the same as well. Therefore I am seeking a volunteer to take care of the child. Help will be available whenever required, but with accepting this child you accept the full responsibilities of being a parent as well." Xavier continued.

No one in the room seemed to want to undertake the challenge the tiny infant girl presented. Marie recalled what it felt like to have no one. Being alone was something Marie would never wish upon another being.

"Ah could take care of her. Ah graduate in a few weeks, and ah plan on working around the school anyway, so college isn't really an issue." Marie spoke, instantly wishing she didn't.

The look of fear on the faces present was something that only served to intimidate her. Without a doubt they were all thinking the same thing.

"You can't, like, touch people, though." Kitty spoke up, addressing the elephant in the room.

Marie just looked down at her cloth covered hands in her lap. Kitty was right. The brunette’s eyes stung a bit as she was once again reminded how dangerous she was to those around her. As if she could ever forget.

"I think Rogue is more than capable of accomplishing this. I believe in her completely. I genuinely think it'd be quite beneficial for Rogue." Xavier's voice made Marie look up with a startled expression.

The look of concern was still on most of the other faces, but she refused to even glance at Logan. She couldn’t even imagine what he was thinking. The fact that Xavier believed in her though meant a lot to her and merely reinforced her desire to care for the small person.

"Ah live in the teacher's wing anyway, so if ah needed help it'd be right there." Marie reasoned.

She could do this. Back home in Mississippi she had babysat for the whole neighborhood. Xavier motioned for her to come forward, and she stood up attentively and walked towards him. He smiled warmly as he gently placed the baby in Marie's arms.

Marie was convinced she was going to cry. She was just so tiny and adorable. She ran a gloved finger down the tiny baby's cheek and smiled. Yes, she could do this. Marie would have to be more cautious than most, but teenagers had babies all the time.

"I'll send someone to gather more baby supplies this afternoon. We have the diaper bag that was left with her outside, however. You'll of course have to name her as well." Xavier spoke as Marie looked up.

She bit her bottom lip before looking back down at the infant. "I'll name her Kayla." Marie said softly. The name had come to her in a dream the night after the Liberty Island incident. She didn't know exactly where the name came from, but she liked it all the same.

She didn't dare look at the others in the room. Marie couldn't handle the fear and sympathy on their faces right now. She didn’t want anything breaking her resolve right now.

"Come on, honey." She muttered softly as she exited the room.

Hank seemed surprised as she grabbed the diaper bag from his hands, but expressed nothing as he watched the girl retreat up the stairs. Hank fully trusted that Xavier knew what he was doing when it came to his students.

The tiny being slumbered on as Marie entered her bedroom. She set baby Kay down gently on the bed, and just stared at her for a few moments.

What have you gotten yourself into, kid? The Logan in her head asked.

"Ah'm not sure just yet." She replied out loud softly as she placed the diaper bag down. She hadn't informed anyone that the people she absorbed talked to her sometimes from inside of her mind. Marie didn't need everyone thinking she was crazy too. She had a suspicion that the professor knew. He was a telepath after all, but he never addressed it.

The soft knock at the door caused Kayla to stir slightly, but thankfully she didn't wake. Marie hurried over to the door and opened it. The look of confusion on Logan's face was almost laughable. Marie stepped aside allowing him in. He stepped into the room wordlessly and walked towards the bed where Kayla was sleeping. He had sniffed the child a few times before Marie said anything.

"Logan, why the hell are ya sniffin' the baby?" She asked more than a little confused by his behavior.

Logan looked at Marie, his face almost embarrassed. Almost. The Wolverine did not get embarrassed.

"It just.. smells familiar, I guess." The feral mutant replied as he watched her walk over to where he was standing and sit on the edge of the bed. Marie rolled her eyes in slight irritation.

"She's not an 'it'. Her name is Kayla and she's a baby." She advised him sternly, much like a school teacher would scold a bad student. Logan looked down at Kayla, still slightly perplexed.

"Whatever." He muttered grimly, the word coming out just above a whisper.

"Did ya just come in here to sniff Kayla, or did you actually want something?" Marie asked as she picked up the diaper bag on the floor.

"I just wanted to make sure you were really okay with doin' this. Just cause nobody else wanted to take care of it, I mean her, doesn't mean you have to." He stated to Marie, who was only half listening as she rummaged through the contents of the bag.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She muttered half-heartedly as she fawned over how adorable the tiny socks in the bag were. Logan let out a groan and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Marie listen to me damn it. A kid is a big responsibility. You should be thinking about your future." The use of her real name captured her attention. Logan used it when he was irritated with her, but only when they were alone.

"Ah already know my future. It's here at the school. It’s highly unlikely Ah’ll ever be able to even have sex, let alone have a child. And Ah doubt the adoption agencies will be fighting to hand me over a baby. Ah’ve always wanted a baby, it’s a little soon than Ah would’ve liked but here we are. Besides, look at how cute her chubby wittle face is." She informed him, pinching Kayla's cheek very softly with her gloved fingers.

Logan just stared at her with one raised eyebrow like she was crazy. He couldn’t help but think her future was destined to be as bleak as she described it. The kid hadn’t even tried attempting a ‘normal’ life.

"I just hope you know what you're doing, kid." Logan said seriously as he walked over to the door.

"Ah got this." Marie replied as he walked out of the room.






The number of times Danielle looked anxiously over her shoulder in one day was rapidly increasing. The blonde couldn't lessen the feeling that he was closing in on her. The emotional decision to give up her baby had not been an easy one. The first time she set eyes upon her newborn baby she knew she couldn't let him have it. Her baby girl would be better off now, without either of her parents in her life.

Danielle silently slipped into her darkened motel room. She extended her hand along the wall, feeling for the light switch. She squeaked when a lap on the other side of the dingy room came on, revealing the same man she'd been dreading sitting comfortably in a shabby chair.

Dani knew she couldn't run, he'd merely capture her and drag her back. She was done for and they both recognized it. Dani was only glad she'd had enough time to drop the kid off somewhere he hopefully could never reach her.

"Hello, Danielle." His gruff voice was calm. It inadvertently sent nervous shivers down the young woman's spine. Calm was never a good thing for a man like Victor Creed.

"I've been tracking you down for some time now." He stated bluntly, nonchalantly picking at the dirt under his sharp talon like fingernails.

Any offensive words her brain conjured up died in her throat. She was too frightened to move. Too afraid of how angry he'd be to learn she'd given their child away.

"Where's my cub, Danielle? I might just let you live if you tell me." Cold, hazel eyes bore into her blue ones as he spoke.

"I-I don't h-have it." She stuttered out, gripping the cold door knob with her frail hand.

Victor's calm façade shattered and his eyes were vibrant with violent rage. Dani squeezed her eyes shut tightly as clawed fingers gripped her throat tightly, cutting off her air supply. He had moved more rapidly than her eyes could track. Victor rammed her head into the wall for good measure.

"What the fuck do you mean you don't have it? Where the fuck is my cub Dani?" He practically roared at the already terrified female.

Victor's crushing grip on her neck tightened and spots were appearing in her vision. Why couldn't she have a useful mutation? Empathy wasn't going to get her anywhere. "Fuck you." She rasped out as she felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

Victor stared at her, disgust written all over his harsh features. How dare she just give his child away? He had never seen himself as father material, but he was an animal and animals looked after their own. That cub remained his and the fact that it was currently in the hands of someone else angered him.

The bitch would be in a world of pain when she woke up again. Victor would drag as many screams out of her as humanly possible and get his hands on the cub. Initially, the news of her pregnancy was unwelcome to him and Victor even considered eliminating her. The longer he thought about it the more the idea of making a son his apprentice seemed reasonable. A partner in crime.

His child would learn to appreciate the screams of a good-looking woman as he slowly extinguished her life. Victor just had to find the damn thing first. He set Danielle down in a chair and ripped a sheet off the bed. He tore it to shreds with his sharp claws and tied Dani's arms and legs securely to the chair. He walked towards the door and extended his head out, looking left and right down the corridor. Victor smiled, flashing his fangs to no one in particular as he placed the 'do not disturb' sign on the door handle and retreated into the room once more.

In a bumfuck town like this one, there would hardly be anyone around to even care what was happening inside the cheap, rundown motel.