********************************************************************************************
525,600 minutes.
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes.
How do you measure a year?

Measure in love.

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Chapter One: 525,600 Minutes...

Rogue hated trains. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but she just did. Maybe it was just because she ran away from her parents on one. Then she had been abducted on one and used for a madman’s sick plain for “mutant superiority”. On second thought, trains just simply hated her. She looked out her window and groaned. Everything was going by so fast that it made her sink. She had wanted to drive back to Xavier’s mansion, but it would have taken too long to navigate through the New York City traffic, and she was in a rush to go home.


Home. It seemed strange to most people for her to call it home, but that’s the way she felt. All of the mutants at Xavier’s School for the Gifted were her family, they had taken her in and taught her how to live the best she could with what she still had. After being at NYU for six years, Xavier set aside a teaching job for Rogue. He had taken good care of her over the years and she loved him for it. When she expressed her desire to go to college, he encouraged her. When she said she wanted to live away from the mansion while she studied he set her up in an apartment under the watchful eye of a wonderful mentor and doctor, Hank McCoy (a.k.a The Beast). After much objection on her part, Xavier had even paid her tuition all the way through graduate school.

However, not everyone had been as supportive as Xavier when she decided to go to NYU. After Alkalai Lake, and the loss of Jean Grey, tensions were at a record high and understandably so. Then, when Magneto began to form his “Brotherhood”, which caused the President of the United States to freak out, many mutants began to freak out as well. The ones who didn’t already stand with Magneto’s growing army became increasingly anxious to see what his actions would ultimately create or destroy. With all of this activity, many of her friends (Kitty Pryde, Jubilation Lee, Bobby, etc.) had decided to stick close to the mansion and commute to a nearby community college.

It just figured that Rogue was the outcast who wanted to actually go away. Of course, the mansion was only so big, and people began to spread rumors. Her two favorite were the following: 1) She’d finally had enough of all the house rules and got it in her head to join up with Magneto’s army of mutant thugs or 2) Her mutation was finally driving her over the edge and “going away to school” was a quiet way for her to run away and kill herself. Both of these were completely false, of course, but it worried the professor, Storm, Scott, and Logan so much that they summoned her into a special meeting to rationally discuss her feelings on the subject. It took her almost three hours to explain to them all that she neither wanted to kill herself, nor did she want to join Magneto. She simply wanted to be out on her own for a little while.

Professor Xavier was the first to consent (not that she needed anyone’s permission in the first place) while at the same time agreeing that it could be good for her to spend some time away. Storm was the next one to give in, followed by Scott, but Logan was a different matter. Trying to crack the Wolverine was like talking to a brick wall. At first, he made it sound like she was incapable of taking care of herself, which of course, made her explode. She still remembered that night perfectly. It was her first time standing up for herself as an adult; as a grown woman.

FLASHBACK

They all sat there staring at her as she explained her situation. The professor was listening intently, Scott leaned forward and stared at the ground, Storm listened with a small smile as she usually did, and Logan was gazing at her with disbelief written all over his face as he shook his head every so often.

“I know you’re all very worried about what could happen if I leave for a time, but I need you to understand,” Rogue pleaded. As she continued her voice became stronger and more passionate, “For the past few years I’ve spent every waking moment at this school. Don’t mistake what I’m saying, because I’m so happy here and I’m so grateful to all of you for everything. Everyone here has become my family and you’re always trying to help me, but there’s one thing you can’t help me with.” She stopped and looked down at her gloved hands, then glanced back up at them with intense eyes.

“I can’t touch anyone; not without hurting them, and no matter how much you all care about me, there is a part of me that will always feel completely empty. I will probably never experience the sensations of touch ever again, but I don’t want that to inhibit the rest of my life. I have to get out there and live to some extent,” she gestured towards the world outside of the massive bay windows in the professor’s office. Pausing again to take a breath, she surveyed the dead silence that overtook the room. None of the people before her had ever seen her act in such a way. Rogue walked over to the window and crossed her arms over her chest. After a few more minutes of silence she spoke again, this time her voice laced with emotion, “Please understand,” she turned back around with tears in her eyes, “If I don’t do this now, my mutation wins…and I lose. I can’t let it control me. I won’t. Not anymore.”

“Rogue,” Professor answered immediately, “I don’t think anyone has the right to stop you.” Her head shot up, as did everyone else’s.

“What?” Logan shouted angrily, “Are you crazy?”

“Logan, Rogue has made a decision and she seems dead set on following through on it. Am I correct in making that assumption, my dear?” Rogue responded by grinning and eagerly nodding her head.

“Then I suppose you ought to go straight upstairs and respond to NYU’s acceptance letter so we can send it out first thing tomorrow.”

“Really?” Rogue continued to smile and hoped the professor wouldn’t take it back. When he nodded to her as a sign of assurance, that was all she needed to let out an excited shriek of joy.

“Good luck in New York, honey,” Storm stepped forward and carefully embraced so as not to touch her skin.

“I know you’ll do us proud, shorty,” Scott said from behind Storm and hugged her as well.

“How can you back this up, Chuck?” Logan burst again, “She’s a kid…”

“God damn it, Logan I’m not a kid anymore ” Rogue interrupted and walked out of the room. Logan quickly followed her and caught up to her just as she was about to make her way up the main staircase.

“Marie ” She turned around at the sound of her given name with a fury she didn’t remember ever feeling before.

“Stop it, Logan. There’s nothing else you can say that will change mind.”

“You’re not ready for this, kid.” His voice was stern, almost like he was scolding her, which just agitated her even more. They continued to argue; completely unaware of the growing audience that was captively watching them.

“Enough of the “kid” shit, Logan ” She shouted back, which caused several gasps from the gathering students. “How would you know what I’m ready for anyway? You leave for months at a time and come back for a couple of weeks. You walk through the door every time you own the place, and then you try to tell me what to do with my life? Who the hell do you think you are?”

“This is your home, Marie. We are your family. You know what’s going on out there You can’t just walk out the door ”

“No,” she hissed as she walked forward until her face was inches away from his, “That’s your job.” Her eyes burned into his and he stared back at her, barely able to believe that she had just said that to him. Before he knew it, she had turned and run up the stairs.

END FLASHBACK

She shuddered just thinking about that day. While she had gained her independence, she also hurt a good friend in the process. Of course, she and Logan only stayed mad at each other for a few days before he apologized to her for being so overprotective of her. He told her that he knew she could take care of herself, but he had made a promise to protect her and just didn’t want her to get hurt. Then she tearfully apologized for what she said, but he simply told her that while she was angry and upset, there was some truth in her words and he was sorry for the way he was always brushing everyone off. They forgave each other and hugged and had been best friends ever since. She even agreed to let him call her kid, but only after he assured her that it had become a term of endearment and he knew that she wasn’t really a kid anymore.

Rogue smiled whenever she thought about Logan. She couldn’t deny that she’d always had a small crush on him, but he was first and foremost her friend. Just knowing he would always be there for her even if he wasn’t there gave her comfort and confidence when she needed it the most. While she was in New York City, they talked on the phone at least once a week, even if he was out on the road again. When she came home for Christmas and some of her spring breaks, he made sure to be there and sometimes Logan even surprised her at her apartment. On her 21st birthday he came and took her to this really ritzy bar in Times Square. He truly was the best friend she ever had.

“Excuse me?” A small voice interrupted her thoughts. Rogue turned and saw a little girl standing in the aisle staring at her. The child was adorable with shoulder length, golden ringlets and big green eyes. She was wearing an oversized jacket and carried a rather large blue backpack in her small hands.

“Can I help you with something, sweetheart?” Rogue smiled at the cutie pie standing in front of her.

“I was just wondering if I could sit next to you,” she looked down at her feet and shuffled them around a bit, “The man next to me keeps looking at me all mean when I hum my favorite song, but I can’t help it. There’s nothing else to do and I’m bored.” The little girl whined which made Rogue laugh softly, “Besides, you look much nicer than Mr. Meanie-Pants and you’re very pretty.”

“Why thank you, sugar,” she patted the empty seat next to her, “sit on down next to me.”

“Thank you,” the girl said as she climbed into the seat, “My name’s Samantha, but people mainly call me Sammy or Sam.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sammy,” Rogue extended a gloved hand and the smaller girl shook it happily, “My name’s Rogue.” Samantha wrinkled her nose at this.

“That’s a funny name.”

Rogue thought for a moment then answered, “Well if you want to, you can call me Marie.”

The child nodded enthusiastically, “I like that much better.” Rogue smiled. It was actually kind of funny that she told Samantha her real name. Ironically, the only one who ever called her that was Logan. Suddenly a thought popped into her head.

“Sam, are you on this train all by yourself? I mean, where are you parents, honey?” Rogue wouldn’t know what to do if this little girl was a runaway, but she certainly fit the profile. After all, she would know. She had been there before. Samantha looked up at her with sad eyes.

“My mommy sent me away….it’s because….well….I’m different than other children.” Then she started sniffling and Rogue noticed the tears falling down her puffy cheeks. Not knowing what else to do, she carefully wrapped an arm around the child’s form and stroked her ringlets with her free hand.

“Different?” Rogue repeated in confusion until harsh realization struck her, “Samantha look at me,” she lowered her voice and held the girl’s face in her hands, “Are you a mutant?” Samantha stiffened immediately. Noticing the fear that suddenly shrouded the child’s eyes, Rogue continued stroking her hair, “It’s all right for you to tell me, Sammy. I’m a mutant too and I’m on my way back to a safe place for people like us; a school.”

“Mommy said she was sending me to a school like that ” Samantha chimed and Rogue let out a sigh of relief. This of course meant that Samantha was probably one of Professor Xavier’s new students, and not a runaway with no where to go.

Rogue was about to ask her how old she was when the train jerked abruptly, causing the lights to flicker. “What was that?” Samantha cried.

“Shh,” Rogue tried to calm her, “I’m not sure.” When the train jerked again, people started to panic and scream. Rogue instinctively pulled the child into her arms and dropped to the floor as the train jerked once more and began to pick up speed. The sound of what she assumed were the breaks screeched all around, but to no avail. A few more jerks and the cable connecting their car to the others gave way. Rogue held Samantha closer to her when she started screaming. Then the car flipped over and they both lost consciousness.

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

How do you document real life
when real life’s getting more like fiction each day?

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

Chapter Two: How Do You Stay On Your Feet?

Pain. That’s what Rogue felt as she opened her eyes. Lying on her back, she was vaguely aware that it was almost dark. She sat up slowly, but fell back down when a searing pain spread through her abdomen and down her leg. Looking down towards her feet, she noticed part of what she assumed was the train pinning her against the ground. ‘What happened?’ Rogue thought to herself as tears started to fall down her cheeks. She tried remembering.

She remembered a little girl crying onto her shoulder; screams; lights flickering; the train jerked and she was out. She tried to get up again, but could only cry out in agony when the pain overtook her senses. A slight movement to her left caught her attention. Her vision was blurred, but she could make out a small form crawling over to her.

“Marie?” The voice of a little girl filled her ears.

‘Samantha,’ she thought. Then she repeated the name out loud, “Samantha.”

“I’m here,” the voice replied and Rogue felt a small hand wrap around her own.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Rogue managed to rasp out between sharp intakes of breath. She gave up on trying to move since the the pain was already unbearable, “Is anything…does anything hurt?”

“I’m okay, Marie. Please don’t leave me alone.”

“Oh believe me, Sammy,” Rogue smiled slightly, “I’m not going anywhere.” Then she heard something else, or someone. Someone was calling her name, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even turn her head. Someone was running towards them, or maybe there was more than one person. She was starting to consciousness again when someone gripped her other hand. Forcing her eyes to stay focused, Rogue saw Logan hovering over her. He was talking to her, but she couldn’t register anything he said. Scott appeared on her other side, but she tried to focus on Logan. Her vision blurred again.

“Logan,” she whispered, “I hate trains.” That was all she could manage to say before darkness fell over her again.
*********************************************************************************************

When Rogue didn’t call to tell him that she was at the train station waiting for him almost two hours after she was supposed to, Logan knew that something was wrong. When he was on his way to the professor’s office to see if he knew anything, Storm cut him off saying that there had been a train wreck in the woods almost a half an hour outside of Westchester. Xavier had used Cerebro and confirmed that Rogue was there, along with another mutant child they had been expecting. While the professor was unsure whether or not they were okay, he did sense that they were both alive. So, naturally, the X-men went straight to the scene of the wreckage, hoping that the police wouldn’t get there first and find two mutants hiding out in the woods.

Logan was completely on edge as he, Storm, Cyclops, Jubilee, Shadowcat, and Iceman scanned through the wreckage for Rogue. They were all worried, of course, but it was a given that Logan would be the worst of all. He stepped over body after body, most of which he assumed were dead, which only added to his concern.

He smelled her before he actually saw her. Although, under normal circumstances he could probably smell her a mile away, but there were so many other people, not to mention all of the smoke coming from what was left of the train. Logan called her name as he followed her scent, but no one answered. He could hear the other team members following him and he continued to call out to her. “Marie Where are you, darlin’?” Then he heard someone cry out in pain and knew it was Rogue. When he finally found her, there was a little girl hovered over her and crying. He saw the piece of train siding pinning her to the ground which he easily lifted off and tossed to the side.

Storm beckoned the frightened child who reluctantly moved away as Logan knelt down beside Rogue, taking her gloved hand in his own, “Marie, can you hear me?” Her eyes were open and she whimpered a little but she didn’t seem to hear him. Cyclops knelt down on her other side and noticed the blood seeping through her shirt. He examined the wound and saw a gash that ran down the side of her abdomen and right leg where the train siding had torn the jeans she was wearing.

“This isn’t bad, Logan. We should be able to move her without causing any more damage.”

“Let’s get her back to the mansion,” Storm said before taking off her cape and handing it to Scott to use as a makeshift bandage. Logan nodded and looked back down at Rogue, who had paled considerably in the last few seconds.

“Logan,” she whispered, “I hate trains.” Logan might have laughed a little at this if she hadn’t passed out right after she said it.

Police sirens could be heard in the distance, and a helicopter was closing in on the wreckage. “Let’s move quickly, people,” Scott said as he helped Logan pick Rogue up as to avoid any further damage to her injury. Storm followed close behind with Jubes, Kitty, and Bobby who were trying to comfort a distraught Samantha who was scared mostly because Rogue, who had protected her on the train, was now the one in distress. They crossed the short distance to the jet and took off less than five minutes later. They arrived at the mansion within ten minutes and rushed Rogue down to the med-lab.

When Logan laid her down on the table in the med-lab, Rogue gained consciousness. She knew immediately where she was, which eased her mind, despite the painful sensations coursing through her. The familiar sight of the lower levels at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters was another reminder that she was home. Filled with a new found strength, Rogue focused her vision and hearing on all the action going on around her.

“How bad is it?” She groaned, referring to the wound that was causing her so much pain.

“Marie?” Logan took her hand, “Hey, darlin’. How d’ya feel?” His face was filled with concern and she smiled a little at him.

“I’ve been better,” she chuckled, “but I’ll survive…or at least I hope I will.” She glanced at Storm and Scott as she said this, waiting for one of them to clue her in on the extent of her injury.

“You’re going to be just fine, Rogue,” Storm assured her, “We were just waiting for—“

“Where’s the patient?” A voice interrupted from the doorway. There stood Dr. Hank McCoy next to Professor Xavier.

“Hank? What are you doing here?”

The blue, fuzzy figure crossed the room and stood next to Logan, immediately examining her injury. Ignoring her question, he asked for some antiseptic to clean the wound, “This isn’t bad at all, my dear. You’re very luck to be alive.”

“What about the other people on the train?” Her voice asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. She looked up at Logan, who just stared back at her and shook his head. After seeing that look in his eyes, she didn’t have to hear the answer. “They’re all dead, aren’t they?” She said quietly. Her eyes welling up with tears of grief for all those innocent people she didn’t even know, “And Samantha? Is she alright? Where is she?” Rogue shot up off the table, wincing from the pain.

“Take it easy, Marie.” Logan eased her back down.

“Don’t worry yourself, Rogue,” said the professor as he wheeled forward, “Jubilee and Kitty are keeping a close eye on her. She is quite the spirited child. I daresay we almost had to tranquilize her.”

“What?” Rogue shot up again, “What for?” This time she ignored the pain. The idea of anything happening to such a sweet little girl almost broke her heart.

“She didn’t want to leave your side, even when you were brought down to the med-lab,” the professor closed his eyes briefly and opened them again; “I sense that Samantha trusts you a great deal. I believe I will go speak to her now and let her know you’re alright.” He turned around and wheeled back to the door and paused briefly, “Welcome back, Rogue. We missed you.” Feeling a little weak again, Rogue nodded and lay back down. Hank asked everyone to clear out so that he could finish seeing to her injury and they did, all except for Logan who stood by quietly watching.

“You’re being awfully quiet over there,” she smiled as Hank continued, wincing ever so slightly when he started to apply the antiseptic.

“Well you were too busy being injured to talk to me,” Logan teased.

“Aw, Logan, I’m never too busy being anything for…ouch ”

“Sorry.” Hank chuckled.

“For you,” Rogue finished, sending a brief glare at Hank before addressing him again, “You never did tell me exactly why you were here, Hank.”

“I was delivering the rest of the things from your apartment. Apparently, my timing was quite a convenience for you, missy.”

“You could have used Fed-Ex.”

“Yes well,” McCoy reached for a roll of bandages from a nearby cart, “Fed-Ex wouldn’t be able to personally accept Charles’ offer to join the staff as the doctor in residence for me, would they?”

“Really?” She asked excitedly.

“Of course. Besides, Miss D’Ancanto, when have I ever left a project unfinished? We still have a lot of work to do, and I brought along all of the research we’ve been working on. Sit up slowly now so I can bandage that wound. I’m just going to wrap around your abdomen, alright?” Noticing the difficulty Rogue was having sitting up on her own, Logan moved to assist her.

“I was wondering when the hero was gonna come to my rescue again,” Rogue smirked when Logan helped her sit up, placing his hand on the small of her back where she was still covered and applying the tiniest bit of pressure. Easing her up carefully, their eyes locked momentarily on each other and an awkward silence took over the room.

Dr. McCoy cleared his throat to snap the two out of whatever world they were in. He was inwardly smiling at this display. McCoy had only met Logan a few times before this when he came to visit Rogue in New York City. For six years, when she was studying at NYU he kept a watchful eye on her as a promise to his good friend Charles Xavier. While she majored in political science, she also minored in Genetics, which McCoy suspected had more to do with her mutation than an actual love for the science itself. It didn’t matter to him, though. A few years into her studies, he took her on as an intern. She was a bright young woman and a hard worker, but she was always talking about her best friend, the famous Wolverine. She showed such affection towards this man who had been protecting her since she was seventeen and had saved her life more than once. Then, when Logan stopped in to visit her and he saw them together…well lets just say that the good doctor could sense a budding romance between them whether they were best friends or not. Although, they themselves seemed to be completely oblivious…for now.

Logan backed away a little from the table and let Dr. McCoy bandage Rogues wound. “So what’s this research you guys are talkin’ about?”

Rogue grinned at him. “It’s research that could help me gain control of my mutation.”

“What….That’s great How does it work?” Logan said, stunned. The look on her face made him want to reach out and hug her. Her eyes lit up and sparkled with excitement.

“It doesn’t work yet,” McCoy interjected, “that’s why we’re still researching.” Rogue rolled her eyes at him and continued to explain.

“It all started a few months ago. Now you know how I can’t touch anything with a pulse, right?” Logan nodded, “Well Hank has a cat that wanders around the lab and one night she got up onto one of the tables where were letting some chemicals sit for a top priority project. She knocked this one beaker over with her tail. I was passing by and picked her up on instinct so none of it would get on her. She was so shaken up, the poor thing, that she dug into my shirt and wouldn’t let go. I held her for at least twenty minutes.”

“So? You play with Storm’s cat all the time,” Logan pointed out and Rogue’s smile got even bigger.

“Ah, but this time I wasn’t wearing my gloves…”

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Chapter 3: There’s Only Us


There were a lot of things that Rogue didn’t like to do. For instance, she hated being in
the same room with Logan while he was smoking those God awful cigars. She also hated going on blind dates, but luckily she’d only done that twice. However, the thing she hated most of all was being useless. Not only did she have an ugly “cut” that mad it impossible to move, but she also had a couple of broken ribs and a minor fracture in her right leg. Basically, with the exception of bathroom breaks and showering, she had been instructed to remain immobile for seven days.


She was moved to her new room on the faculty hall. Everyone thought that it would be more comfortable than the med-lab, but as soon as Rogue saw all the boxes that needed unpacking and when she heard people walking past her door with things to do, it was almost torturous. Then, of course, there was always someone (usually Logan, Jubes, or Kitty) breathing down her neck almost every second of the day. She knew that they were just trying to make things easier on her, but depending on people was never something that came easy to Rogue. That’s why the last six years had been so liberating. She had taken care of herself, made her own friends, and worked for her own money.


In fact, the only visitor that didn’t annoy her in the least bit was Samantha. She found herself enjoying the enthusiastic little girl’s company. For a child, Sammy was amusingly witty and thoughtful. They had only met each other a few days ago and both of them showed a genuine affection and attachment towards each other. The thought of the bouncy young girl made Rogue smile as she sat with her leg propped up in bed with C.S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man in her right hand.
‘May I come in, Rogue?’ The Professor’s voice sounded in her head making her jump.


“Come on in, Professor ” She shouted at the door and emitted a giggle as he wheeled into her room with a knowing smile on his face.


“How do you feel today, Rogue?” He pulled up to her bedside and lightly patted her gloved hand with his own.


“I’ll survive. Did you find anything else out about the train crash?”


“Sadly, no. The police are calling the train wreck an accident, however...”


Rogue studied his face intently. She wasn’t psychic like him, but she certainly caught on to what he was thinking. “You don’t think the crash was an accident, do you Professor?”


He smiled slightly at this, “Still the bright and observant student, aren’t you?”


“Ah, but I’m no longer a student. Now I’m a teacher.”


“Indeed, and we must discuss the details regarding your classes, but we shall save that for a later date, closer to the fall.” He paused to read the cover of her book before continuing, “C.S. Lewis? He has some rather intriguing things to say about modern education, doesn’t he?”


“I find that he has some rather intriguing things to say about everything, actually,” Rogue said as she smiled and placed the book on the night stand next to her bed, “but you didn’t come here to discuss modern education or train wrecks did you?”


He chuckled at her perceptiveness, “Perhaps observant was an understatement, Rogue. You’re right. I’ve come to talk to you about Samantha.”


Rogue’s eyes filled with concern, “Is she doing all right? I mean, is she fitting in and all?” It was never easy for someone to be surrounded by a new crowd. Even though many of the students were at home for summer vacation, others had no where else to go. Nevertheless, there were still several students who resided at the mansion all year long and it could be very overwhelming for a new student.
“She’s doing just fine. The other children have taken to her almost as easily as you have. I just wanted to ask you how you met her.” He leaned forward slightly in his wheelchair and studied her as she explained the events leading up to the train wreck when the X-men found them and brought them back to the mansion.


“Something I don’t understand,” Rogue stated after telling her story, “is that Sam is still very young. Isn’t the mutant gene usually dormant until puberty?”


“Good point,” Logan interrupted from the door. They looked up to see him leaning against the doorframe, apparently having been listening to the entire conversation. He walked over and made himself comfortable on the other side of Rogue’s bed, putting an extra pillow behind his back and reclining against the headboard. Rogue rolled her eyes at him and he just looked back at her with a smug smile plastered on his face. She ignored him and they both returned their attention back to a very amused looking Professor Xavier.


“Yes, that’s usually the case,” Xavier continued as if there had been no interruptions.


“But Sammy can’t be any older than nine years old. How is that possible?”


“From what Mrs. Robertson, Samantha’s mother, told me over the phone, Mr. Robertson died recently. However, it was the events before his death that might have caused the stress that brought upon Samantha’s mutation.”


“Events?” Rogue asked, her voice laced with confusion.


“He abused her.” Rogue leaned back in shock, “He died a few months ago in a car accident.”


“In my book its just what the sick bastard deserved,” Logan grunted.



“Yes, well at any rate, between lack of money, and now Samantha’s gifts, Miranda is having difficulty know how to take care of the child. So, I offered to send for her.”


“What exactly can Sammy do?” Rogue asked warily.

“She’s a telepath.” The Professor smiled, “I plan to take on weekly sessions with her so that I might help her meditate and calm her thoughts. Her mother says that when Samantha gets angry or upset, she tends to lash out mentally at people.”


“I hope things turn out well for her,” Rogue leaned back into her pillows, “She’s such a wonderful little girl.”


“I am glad you have taken such a liking to the child, Rogue,” the Professor said enthusiastically, “and I hope you continue to spend time with her. I’m going to leave you now. We hope to see you up and about soon.”


“Hank says I can start moving around again,” Rogue sighed, “I’m actually pretty hungry. I think I’ll try getting up for some food in a little while.”


“Just so long as you take it easy, my dear.” He quickly added mentally, ‘We wouldn’t want Logan to worry any more than he already does.’ The older man squeezed her hand once more before leaving the room. Rogue turned to Logan who was still comfortably reclining next to her. He looked back at her and smirked.


“What?”


“How about you be your usual rebel self and take me out to eat.” She had that mischievous look on her face and that joyful sparkle in her eyes that usually made him do anything she wanted, but this time the Wolverine wasn’t so easily persuaded.


“No.” He said sharply, trying not to laugh at the pout that formed on her face.


“Why not?” She whined, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.


“Just because you’re ready to get outta bed doesn’t mean you should be going out, Marie.”


“Logan,” she whined again, “It’s not like I’m gonna be running around. All I have to do is walk down to the garage, where you can drive us to get food, where I can get out to eat, and then come straight back here to rest again. Pleeeeease,” she continued to plead and pout, “Sugar, I haven’t been outside for days. I was just in a train crash, for goodness sake. I could use a little mirth in my life.”


“Exactly,” he argued back, “you were in a train crash. Which is why you should be here resting and taking it easy.”


“We could jack Scott’s car,” Rogue smiled seductively, knowing that the idea of stealing anything on wheels, belonging to Scott, would be irresistible to Logan.


“Well,” he smirked back at her, “when you put it like that. I guess we could go out for a bite,” he got off the bed and moved around to the other side to grab her crutches and help her on her feet, “but the first sign of stress I see on that beautiful face of yours, darlin’, and you’ll be back in bed so fast you won’t even realize you’d left. Got it?” Once she was up he looked her square in the eye, and for a moment Rogue felt her entire body warm up and she was sure her cheeks were flushed.


‘Must be from getting outta bed for the first time in days,’ she thought to herself. “I got it, dad.” She said cheekily and hobbled past him to brush her hair quickly and pulling it back in a ponytail, leaving the white streaks to dangle and frame her face.


“Finish gettin’ ready and meet me in the garage. If we’re lucky, Scooter might have left the keys to the convertible in the glove compartment again.”


“Like that would stop you.” He shrugged and walked out of the room and she could hear his footsteps down the hallway.


Turning back to the mirror she added a touch of lip gloss and some eyeliner. Suddenly, as she was leaving her room, she paused, “Did he just call me beautiful?” She questioned herself. It’s not like he hadn’t said it before. In fact, a lot of people had said it before, but it was the way he said it that made her flush again just thinking about it. She didn’t know why, but the strangest things were happening to her lately. In the case of Logan, though, she didn’t know what to make of his recent behavior. Ever since she’d gotten back from New York, he’d been acting differently around her. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it just wasn’t like him.


There had never been awkward silences between them (at least not since that first day they met in his trailer). Silence for them had always come pretty easy. Sometimes when they hung out, it was in silence, and that was all because they had never needed words to enjoy each other’s company. Now it just seemed like there were things to say, but neither of them knew what to say or how to go about saying it.

On her way down to the garage, Rogue kept thinking that maybe she should talk to him about this whole thing. Maybe she had done something wrong? Maybe he had to tell her something.


Maybe he was leaving again......no. She refused to automatically assume that. Besides, there was no way he would be leaving her anytime soon. She could tell that just by knowing the way he had been acting with her lately. He’d been sticking to her like glue and barely let her out of his sight. There was something going on with Logan and it was driving her nuts. All Rogue knew was that she had to figure it out soon.


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I should tell you I’m disaster
I forget how to begin it.
Let’s just make this part go faster
I have yet to be in it.
I should tell you.
I should tell you.
I should tell you.
I should tell...

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Chapter 4: I Should Tell You


The first half an hour of their outing went smoothly. After pulling into Mazie’s Diner, Rogue and Logan walked in and settled themselves at their usual booth in the back of the room. Not long after their usual server, Mazie herself, came out to take their usual order, Logan’s cell phone went off. Looking down at it, he chuckled lightly.


“It’s One-Eye.” He grinned and Rogue rolled her eyes.


“He’s probably wondering where the hell you took his car.” She smiled back.


The smirk plastered on his face was priceless. It looked like a child planning to stick his hand into the cake before mommy says its okay. “I think I’ll let it ring a few times just to piss him off.”


“For God’s sake, Logan. I’ll never understand why you love pushing his buttons so much.”


“Why shouldn’t I?” The phone stopped ringing and Logan put it in the middle of the table.


“You know he’s gonna keep calling until you pick up, right?” Rogue quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.


“Yeah, I know,” staring intently at the phone, Logan started counting, “Three, two, one...” *RING* This time he answered it, “What d’ya want?” He said gruffly.


“Logan, have you seen Rogue?” Scott queried on the other end.


“Yeah, I’ve seen her.” Logan glanced at Rogue who simply rolled her eyes again, showing that she was not at all impressed.


“Well she’s not in her room.”


“I know she’s not. She’s with me.”


“God dammit, Logan! Did you take my car again!? Where the hell are you!?”


“Calm your shit, Scooter...” Rogue reached over and snatched the phone out of his hand.


“Scott?” She said in her sweetest voice. Logan’s hearing could make out the sound of Scott’s voice as he started talking to Rogue.


“I’m sorry, sugar, but I made him take the convertible. I just wanted to get out.” There was another pause and Scott said something and she giggled, “Yeah, I was surprised he let me out too.” Logan frowned at this.


“Okay, Scott. Bye.” She hung up and handed the cell phone back to Logan. Noticing the frown on his face, she worried a little, “What’s wrong?”


“You know when I get strict with you, its only because I worry about you.”


“Oh, Logan,” she patted his hand reassuringly, “I know. I was only teasing, but for the record, I already know you’re worried about me without you being so overprotective.”


“How?”


“I can see it in your eyes.” As if tying to prove it she locked his eyes with hers, “I can just see it.”


“Well, I can’t help it,” he grunted, looking away.


“Yeah. I know that too.” Then Maize came back with their food.


“So, are you kids on an actual date this time?” The older woman pushed her glasses back up off the tip of her nose. Logan almost spat out his beer and rogue blushed dark red, “Oh Rogue, honey! What happened?” Maize asked when she finally noticed the crutches tucked under the booth.


“Oh, um...” Rogue hesitated, not exactly willing to tell the older woman she was in a train wreck. Somehow, she knew that Maize wouldn’t believe her anyways, “...um, car accident, Maize. Son of a bitch sideswiped me out on Route 26.”


“Oh, honey. Are you alright?”


“I’m fine. I’m healing up good.”


Turning to Logan, the older woman pointed a bony finger at him, “You better take good care of her, Logan.”


“I will, Maize. Thanks.” He winked at her and she walked away. Sipping his beer, Logan turned his attention back to Rogue. He asked about her final days at NYU and she filled him in on the research she and Hank had been doing regarding her mutation. She explained how the theory hadn’t been turned into a practice yet, and the idea was very complicated.


They theorized that by taking fragments of a cat’s DNA and injecting it into her own and coercing it into replication, she could inevitably gain control over her mutation. Of course, no one had ever carried out a procedure like it before and they were still in the primary stages of figuring out how to manipulate the DNA.


“So is this going to help you learn control or get rid of your mutation completely?” Logan questioned before taking a swig of his beer.


Rogue ignored him, “That’s disgusting!”


“What?”


“I still don’t understand how you can drink that stuff this early in the day.” She grimaced as he shrugged and took another swig.


“Are you gonna answer my question or not?”


Rogue sighed pensively, “See that’s our big concern, Logan. Since nobody has ever done anything like this before, we don’t know what will happen or even if anything will happen at all. It’s completely unpredictable.”


“I’m not sure I like the sound of this, Marie. It sounds dangerous.”


“What’s dangerous here is my skin. This could be the chance for me to change that and get back some of what I lost years ago. You of all people should understand that.”


“Yeah,” he sighed, “I guess.”


Then it was there again, the awkward silence, and all of a sudden the booth they were sitting in was too small for the both of them. He was staring at her again too, and she couldn’t read his expression.


“Are you leaving again?” She asked bluntly.


“Leaving?” He quirked an eyebrow.


“Yes! Leaving as in going away, gone, not gonna call for weeks leaving?” He didn’t say anything so she pressed on, “Because if you need to go or get away or something just come out and tell me now instead of...”


“Marie,” he grabbed her hand and she fell silent, “I don’t know where you got these crazy ideas from, but they’re complete bullshit, alright?”


“Are they?” She tilted her chin up and looked him in the eye.


“I’m not going anywhere, darlin’,” his thumb carressed her knuckles and the back of her hand, “Why would you think I was leaving?” His gaze penetrated hers and she squirmed a little in her seat.


“I don’t know. Its just that,” she paused to look down, then looked up again, “well, you’ve been acting funny lately, Logan.” He grunted and she added hesitantly, “towards me, I mean. You’ve been acting funny towards me.”


He would’ve given her an immediate response if he’d had one, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to put words to his feelings. Now that he had the chance to think about it though, things had really changed between them. The fact that Rogue was Logan’s best friend had been overridden by his growing attraction for her.


The truth was, he was starting to appreciate her a lot more and it had nothing to do with friendship, but should he tell her that? She didn’t have anything but friendly, familial feelings for him, but then again, she had been acting strange too. She smiled at him differently, which usually made him do whatever she wanted (as she had demonstrated earlier that day by convincing him to take her out). She was no longer an excessive chatterbox. Instead, she was more reserved and soft spoken around him than ever before.


In her mind, Rogue was thinking much along the same lines as Logan was. When she thought about how clingy he’d been lately, it occurred to her that it wasn’t really overbearing at all. She knew what overbearing, overprotective Logan was like and this was not it. It seemed to her now that he always wanted to be there just to be there with her. She didn’t mind that in the least, especially not with her growing attraction she had for him. Then again, she thought, what female wasn’t attracted to Logan in some shape or form. Somehow though, it was turning into more than that, and it was secretly driving her insane.


She saw him shift uncomfortably and started laughing, “Look we’re both adults her, right?”


“Right,” he nodded in agreement.


“So lets just talk about what’s bothering us, okay?” They were both sick of the tension and now was their chance to resolve it. They were about to initiate into “serious-conversation” mode.


Then the phone rang again.


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