Rogue walked out on to the veranda, her thoughts contemplating on the events that happened only a few weeks earlier. She shivered as a cool breeze blew, rubbing her bare hands together to warm them up. Rogue frowned at the irony of the situation. Before she took the cure, she wanted nothing more than to get out of wearing gloves; now she wished she had a pair to put on.

Leaning over, she rested her elbows on the railing and looked up at the night sky hoping to catch sight of a falling star. It was something she used to do as little girl in Mississippi. Ever since she came to New York though, she hadn’t really thought about it. Looking up at the sky now, Rogue thought that it didn’t look quite as big as it did in Mississippi. Maybe it was because she wasn’t surrounded by an open pasture, or maybe it’s because she’s not an innocent little girl anymore.


She sighed and turned to walk back inside, but the faint scent of cigar smoke hit her nose. She turned to see where it was coming from and noticed Logan sitting in the swing on the other end of the veranda; he had his back to her. Rogue wondered if she should say something, or leave him alone. She decided to leave him alone and continued to walk back inside.

“Hey kid,” he called out.

The gruff voice made her smile a little, and she turned to walk toward him. “Hey yourself,” she said as she reached his side. Rogue opted to lean up against the railing, facing his side instead of sitting beside him. She stood close enough that when he swung back the moonlight would shine on his profile revealing a brooding look on his face. He didn’t turn to look at her and for a brief second Rogue wondered if she misread his greeting. Maybe she should have left him alone.

“What are you doing out here this late?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she shrugged, “thinking, hoping maybe I’d see a falling star, so I could a make a wish.”

She stared at her feet listening to the faint sound of squeaking coming from the swing. She looked his way again and caught a quick glimpse of his face before it disappeared back into the darkness. Turning her back to him, she stared back up at the sky.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“About the past few weeks,” she replied, “and everything that happened. Wondering what’s going to be like without Scott or the Professor here.”

He doesn’t respond, so she continues talking, “Bobby told me what happened at Alcatraz. I’m sorry; I know that was hard for you to do.”

She no longer hears the swing squeaking, and wonders if Logan is still there. Turning her head to look at him, she sees the glow of his cigar in the darkness. “Why do you think she did it?”

“Did what?” he asked with a harsh tone.

“Why do you think she killed Scott the way she did?” she asked. She turned away from him again, this time looking down at her bare hands instead of the night sky.

Logan doesn’t answer; instead she hears the swing again. Knowing that she probably pushed her luck with him in bringing up Jean, Rogue turned to leave. Looking back at him one last time, she whispered, “Hank told me the cure isn’t going to be permanent. He said that it will clear its way out of my system in a few weeks…six at the most.”

For the first time that night, Logan turned his head toward her, still not looking her in the eye. “I’m sorry, kid.”

She gave a small laugh that also brought on tears, “That’s the real reason I came out here. I was hoping that this one time I could make a wish and it would come true. But they seem to never do.”

She stood there hoping that he would say something else. When she realized he wasn’t she begun to walk away leaving Logan to brood by himself. “Please don’t say anything, Bobby doesn’t even know yet,” she called out to him over her shoulder. She knew he wouldn’t, but she wanted him to realize that she was confiding in him. Maybe when he was ready, Logan would confide his secrets to her one day in return.

“He was the good guy,” Logan whispered.

Rogue stopped confused by his words. She faced him once again and asked, “What do you mean?”

Logan stood up from the swing and walked to the edge of the veranda and threw his cigar over the railing. “Jean knew that Scott was a good guy, and would have listened to the Professor.”

“But you’re a good guy too, Logan,” Rogue whispered taking a step closer toward him.

Logan shook his head in disagreement, and rested his hands against the railing. “Scott would have allowed the Professor to put the mental blocks back in Jean’s head. He wouldn’t have interfered,” Logan told her.

Rogue remained quite waiting for him to continue. She looked out at the sky one more time and caught a glimpse of a falling star over the tree tops. She looked down at her bare hands, and then up at Logan. He too was staring at the sky. Rogue knew what she wanted to wish for. She closed her eyes and said the words in her head.

“What did you wish for?” he asked.

“I can’t tell you,” Rogue said as she shook her head. “But you should know it wasn’t about my skin.”

Logan turned and looked her in the eye. She saw him give her a half smile before turning his face back toward the sky. “Thanks, kid.”

“You’re welcome,” Rogue told him before she walked back inside.

Logan stood there by himself and thought about Rogue had said. He didn’t feel like a good guy. Turning to leave he saw a star falling. Looking back at the empty door way that Rogue had just walked through, he made a wish also.