Laughing softly Marie brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a short ponytail her gaze on the two year old running around with her father hot on her heels. The day Emily had been born had been like a flood gate opening, Marie had taken one look at the little girl and known that she belonged to Logan.

The relief of that had caused her to go into a tail spin from which Logan’s love and the desire to be there for Emily had pulled her out. She’d spent nearly a week crying, and Doc had been there for her when she couldn’t face Logan. She’d told the other woman things that she hadn’t told Logan - although she didn’t doubt that he knew them. Indeed he knew them better than most having lived through the emotional, psychological, and physical violations of the experiments he’d endured.

Doc had merely listened, explained her options and never judged. For that Marie was grateful, it had helped heal the last few wounds although she wasn’t naive enough to think that she was fine. What had happened would always mark her life, she feared men in military uniforms, and despised black jeeps. She’d also developed a phobia of small spaces and ropes, but even that Logan accepted.

Even the nightmares while infrequent were still haunting and often resulted in nights spent lying wide awake praying for the dawn. She’d lost track of the number of times she’d wakened Logan with her screams, with fighting the demons in her mind only to realize that he understood, that he knew what she’d endured and didn’t hold it against her. It was in that faith that she’d found a level of strength she didn’t realize she possessed, just one more reason for her to love him.

“Hey how’s the getting ready for work going?” Logan’s laughter filled voice had her grinning and pushing aside all the dark thoughts.

“I’m ready, how about you two?”

“We’ve been waiting on you,” Logan grinned at his daughter. “Ain’t that right Ems?”

“Wight Mommy, we’s waiting for you.”


“Well come on, sooner we get to work, sooner I can get home and we can have ice cream!” Marie laughed as Emily screamed and bounced in Logan’s arms. The girl loved her ice cream almost as much as Logan loved kissing Marie.

Driving to the bar, Rogue and Logan parked in their customary spot and made short work of opening. It had taken a lot of hard work to build up the place, to establish it in the eyes of the locals and it had paid off in the end. The locals knew that the place was mutant friendly and they often watched for the first signs of the place opening - usually meant that the small town would see a little action although nothing that resulted in the police being called.

This weekend was cage fights, something that everyone knew Marie despised but she tolerated it for Logan’s sake. With the fights, it meant new money coming into town as challengers who followed the circuit came in. New money was spent everywhere not just in Marie’s Bar and Grill so they didn’t mind the rather violent weekend fights that were kept under strict control. In fact the bar had been a big help in turning the failing economy around, and people were actually starting to move into town as opposed to out of it.

“Hey Southern Belle how’s it going?” a deep, throaty voice had both Logan and Marie glancing up to smile as the man moved toward them a cocky grin on his face.

“Hey Smoke, see you managed to get your behind back here in time for the fights,” Logan grinned mindful of his daughter’s presence. “You ready to lose some money?”

“You got coffee on?” the man asked sliding an arm around Marie’s waist and squeezing, smirking at Logan’s dark look that would have been series except for the smile in his eyes. Everyone who knew the couple knew better than to seriously try to flirt with her, the last fool who’d done it had spent a week in the hospital with nasty gashes from Logan’s claws.

“Of course,” Marie said pouring a cup and smiling at the other man. He was compact and built like a tank, thick, corded muscles lined his body and he smoked like a chimney - something that amazed everyone who didn’t know about his mutation which ironically was very similar to an old friend of Marie’s from Westchester.

“Thanks, I needed it,” Smoke took the cup as Logan joined him before Marie moved off. “So we still on for the game tonight?”

“Soon as Emily’s in bed,” Logan confirmed with a nod his gaze on his wife as she moved around the room.

“Good, I need a chance to win my money back.”



“Bobby would you please just stop at this place?” Kitty snapped, she was tired, hungry and in need of a bathroom. “Stop or I will kill you,” she threatened, glancing at the clock uncomfortably. She’d been begging him to stop for the past hour and he hadn’t even considered it. Perhaps if she phased through the car..

“Fine, fine I’ll stop. Stop whining. I still ain’t figured out why we couldn’t have taken the jet,” he grumbled. They were on a rescue mission for some kid and the professor had insisted they drive. Great, he hated driving but at least it got him out of the mansion and away from Rogue’s memory.

In the years since she’d disappeared he’d learned to cope, learned to let go but that didn’t mean he didn’t still love her. Heck he did, but he knew that she was probably dead, or still within the hell of a lab and he blamed Logan for running off on her. Pulling to a stop in the parking lot he’d barely gotten the gear shift out of drive before Kitty was sliding through the door and running toward the bar. Glancing in the rearview mirror he shrugged at Gambit and Jubilee.

“Guess she had to go,” Jubes laughed softly leaning back in her seat.

“If you need to go, you might wanna do it now,” Bobby said softly and glanced sharply at the opening bar door. Tensing as he saw Kitty stumbling in her haste to get back to the car he glanced at the pair and reached for the door handle just as Kitty morphed into the car.

“What’s got your panties in a knot?” Bobby snarled, his guard coming up so quickly as his mind went from semi-relaxed to battle mode in a half a heart beat.

“I saw her!” Kitty gasped, out of breath as she sat there staring at Bobby.

“Saw who?” Jubes asked suddenly sitting upright, all hints of exhaustion gone. “Rogue?”

“Yeah, she’s inside waiting tables.”

“Come on,” Bobby said opening his door and sliding out followed quickly by Kitty, Jubilee and Gambit.

“Dis be the chere you still in love wid?” Remy’s Cajun accent rolled easily into the warm summer air.

“Yeah,” Bobby said softly, if it was Rogue maybe they could convince her to come home with them. Maybe he could.. His thoughts stuttered to a halt when they walked through the door and saw the interior of the bar.

It was like any other backwater bar, tables sat scattered around, loud music pounded from a jukebox in the corner, a wire cage sat on one side of the room, and a multitude of people sat around drinking, laughing, smoking until the air was blue with it. A battered chalkboard hung on the wall with a list of names and beside them bets. In a small square cleared for it a couple were dancing, and the sound of someone singing in the back with the tune clearly reached those out front.


“Wow, dis be de most interestin bar Remy be in before,” Gambit muttered softly his gaze darting around noting the rough looking crowd and yet there seemed to be a level of control most sleazy bars didn’t have. Despite the fact that it was filled with truckers, bikers, and red necks there didn’t appear to be any bouncers, or other security and the level of tolerance to animosity was slim to none.

“Come on, I see an empty booth,” Jubilee said dragging Remy behind her as she headed for the booth near a set of swinging doors.

Sinking into the leather, she waited for the others to slide in with her and sat there for a few seconds, her gaze skimming the room until it stuttered to a stop on a familiar looking woman. Her hair was shorter than it had been at the mansion, cut in a stylish look the streaks longer - framing her face, the rest of her dark locks were cut shorter, and pulled back into a ponytail, her face had a touch of makeup on it, and her clothes were simple, elegant jeans and a work shirt that looked like it had come outta some guy’s closet.


“Hey boss, another round?” the baritone shout had Rogue smiling and waving her hand in the air.

“Be with you in a few seconds Smoke, got a new table.”

“No worries, when you get a chance.”

“Yeah, whenever I get a chance. Can’t get up and get it yourself though,” Marie muttered good naturedly walking toward the new table. Stopping at the edge of the table the first thing that caught her attention was the smell of leather, the second the smell of heavy cologne, and the third the familiar looking gold X on the belt of the young woman sitting closest to her.

“What can I get ya?” she asked with a slight smile as she glanced up, hoping they wouldn’t pick up on the slight tremble in her hands.

“Uh..” Bobby gaped at the woman before him.

“Coffee, and menus if you’ve got ‘em,” Kitty butted in quickly. “I’m starving.”

“What’re you looking for?” Marie smiled at that. “Cause if you want something quick I recommend the special.”

“What is it?” Kitty asked, she didn’t want fried raccoon or something.

“You got a choice, liver and onions or a buffalo burger and fries,” Rogue said watching Kitty intently.

“Oh the burger and fries sounds less harmful than the other,” Kitty sighed. “And lots of coffee.”

Marie nodded and glanced at the other three at the table, “Anything for you three?”


“Uh, coffee for all of us,” Jubes said. “And we’ll all have the same as Kitty.”

“Cool, be back in a few seconds,” Marie said as she wrote it down and headed for the kitchen. Giving the slip to the cook she grabbed a few beers and a tray of coffee cups before heading back out onto the floor.

“Hey baby, you need a break yet?” Logan asked glancing up from where he sat holding five cards in the quietest corner of the room. As was the norm his gaze scanned the room, checking the hot spots for trouble before sliding to a halt on the woman next to him.

“No,” Marie whispered setting the beer on the table softly and smiling weakly at him.

“What the fuck happened?” Logan asked bristling easily, his cards tossed face down on the table easily, his attention focused on the woman he loved, most of the people in the bar knew better than to hassle her but there was always somebody just passing through that didn’t know the rules.

“Kitty and Jubes are here with Bobby and some guy I’ve never met before,” Marie whispered softly. “What if they want me to go back? I don’t want to go back Logan. What if the Professor..?” The soft lilt was gone replaced by panic and a harsh tone.

“Look baby, you don’t have to go nowhere you don’t wanna go. If you want I can throw ‘em out?”

“No, no!” Marie shook her head. “It helps knowing that you’re here. Old fear I guess.”

“Problems?” Smoke asked glancing between them, his body taking on the familiar tension that came from being involved in more than one bar fight.

“No,” Marie sighed. “My irrational fear just rearing its ugly head.”

“You aren’t being irrational. They aren’t going to do dick squat babe, not as long as I’m here.”

With a nod Marie picked up her tray only to pause when Logan caught her wrist and pulled her down toward him. Feeling the familiar pressure of his lips she sighed, kissing him back easily, welcoming the slide of his tongue along her lips. “I love you,” she whispered.

“Love you to. Now get outta here, I’m winning!” Logan grinned at Smoke’s disbelieving look.

Despite her control with Emily and Logan, she wasn’t stupid enough to think that she could touch everyone and she was very careful not to touch anyone else; in fact she wore gloves to do everything that required her to be out in public. Walking back across the bar, she smiled and joked with the regulars before delivering the coffee to the X-men’s table.

“You gotta few minutes?” Bobby asked as she set the coffee mugs in front of them.


“Not really,” Marie replied steadily, raising one eyebrow in a familiar gesture that had carried over from Logan. “Why?”

“Just wanna talk,” Jubes said softly. “How long you been here?”

“Nearly three years,” Marie replied with a soft, happy little smile. “We bought this place when we got here.”

“We?” Bobby asked slowly, smoothly, his hand starting to frost the edge of the table. Who was here with her? Who had she stayed with for this long? It couldn’t possibly be Logan..

“Hey baby, why don’t you sit and visit with your friends. Danny’s here she can pitch in and help out,” the gravelly voice had those at the table wincing slightly even as the large figure moved through the smoke to stop next to Rogue, one hand going possessively to her waist, his thumb brushing the underside of one breast.

“You sure? I mean I can handle it.”

“Baby they ain’t stickin’ around long. Might as well take the chance to visit. Besides, Smoke left Doc paged him.”

“You mean he quit a poker game for a booty call?” Marie giggled at Logan’s tolerant look even as he glanced at the door before turning back to the table.

“Hey, its been known to happen..” Logan looked at her with an easy grin before glancing back at the table. “Have fun visiting, I’m gonna check on Ems then I’ll join ya.”

“Cool,” Marie said with a grin and snagged a chair from the nearby table with an apologetic smile at the table’s occupants. Sinking into it she leaned back and stretched her legs out, her hands splaying across her belly peacefully.

“See Logan’s around,” Bobby drawled coldly.

Marie smiled, “You hoping he wasn’t?” she asked quietly.

“He’s still in love with you,” Jubilee said softly eying her team mate. “Damn fool ain’t got over you.”

“Suggestion here, get on that.”

“You look good,” Kitty smiled. “You’ve put on a few pounds, and you’re glowing!”

Jumping suddenly when with a slight screeching noise a fan started to whir to life, everyone noted the easy way the patrons suddenly started putting their cigarets and cigars out. “What’s up wit dat?”

“Smoke level’s getting too bad in here. Logan must have turned on the smoke eater,” Marie replied softly.

“How have you been Rogue?” Jubilee asked, noting the way the other woman flinched for a few seconds before relaxing and smoothing her shirt over her abdomen.

“I’ve been fine,” Marie replied. “I keep busy with this place, with my friends, family. Twice a year we all go into Calgary for a few days so I have a good life.”

“A good life? Pouring beer for a bunch of drunks? Living with that psycho day in day out?” Bobby asked in disbelief. “Why don’t you come home?”

“I am home,” Marie replied firmly feeling her anger beginning to stir.

“Oh come on Rogue..”

“Marie, Rogue’s dead,” Marie snapped angrily. “Rogue died a long time ago. Its Marie.”

“Marie you can do so much better than this?”

“No, no I can’t. Because this is mine, I choose who sits in here, what’s served, what isn’t served. I deal with all this shit because I can. I can decide what I want hanging on the walls, what I want to wear, what I want to do with my hair. This is my home,” she replied sharply, “my life.”

“He did a real number on you,” Bobby winced when Jubilee reached over and hit him soundly, her glare cold enough to freeze his blood.

“Shut up Bobby,” Jubilee growled noting the fury that was banked in Rogue’s eyes.

“Logan loves me, he would never do anything that I didn’t want to do.”

“He left you to the mercies of that lab,” Bobby pointed out.

Marie smiled and glanced up into the doorway to stare at the man walking toward her. “I ain’t your girl anymore Bobby. I haven’t been for a very long time, longer than you would like to believe - I wonder if I ever really was your girl.”

“Whose girl?” Logan asked shoving Bobby over and sinking onto the booth next to him with deceptive ease and a barely controlled hostility.

“Just talking about the past.”

“Oh,” Logan shrugged and put his beer to his lips to take a long drink, “That’s easy, you’re my girl, always have been always will be.”


“Yeah I know,” Marie grinned at him as he squeezed her thigh gently before shifting and resting one leg across her thighs. “So how’s Ems?”

“Sleeping soundly, growling a little.”

Shaking her head she watched Logan eying the roomful of people. It was the normal thing for him, he was often on guard and having the X-geeks show up wouldn’t put him at ease that was for sure. Moving slightly she rested one hand on his thigh, her fingers tracing over the seam of his jeans with sickening familiarity.

“Comes by it honestly.”

“I know,” Logan grinned at her. “Have fun, I’ll be around.”

“Cool, I’ll be here.”

“You better be, I’ve got plans for later for this table,” Logan growled lovingly in her ear and watched her flush prettily. With a squeeze of her shoulder he headed for the floor, he could smell trouble coming off one of the tables and he didn’t want it breaking out.

“So,” Marie smiled and glanced at everyone. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, this is Remy. Code name Gambit, he’s new to the team.”

“Nice to meet ya,” Marie said offering her hand and shaking his quickly before pulling back.

“Pleasure is all Remy’s,” he drawled sexily with a flirty smile at her.

“Save it for someone who might be interested,” Marie advised him. “You might be good, but you aren’t better than six adamantium claws. Logan’s kinda weird that way.”

“He’s a possessive bastard,” Bobby explained. “Figure’s he owns her?”

“Way I see it, it’s a fair trade,” Marie drawled coldly. “See I own him so it works for us.”

“Whatever,” Bobby shook his head, waving off any thought of Logan. “I think you should come back to New York with us. Come home.”

“No,” Marie sighed. “I ain’t leaving Logan and Ems. Granted my life isn’t filled with mansions and a never ending flow of money but still, I’ve got something most people spend their entire lives looking for.”

“Was it really bad in that lab?” Kitty asked softly a curious frown marring her pretty face.


Marie glanced at the young woman and sighed, “I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on my worst enemy. The only upswing to any of it was the fact that Logan found me, Logan got me out, and that is something that I will never forget.” Pushing aside the darker memories, she focused instead on the still vivid memories of what Logan had done to those two men.

“Gratitude is a rotten reason to stay with someone,” Bobby whispered seeing the shadows in her eyes along with a dark pleasure, the sick, twisted little smile that crossed her face along with a wave of pure, unadulterated satisfaction.

“Give it a rest Bobby,” Marie snapped her patience at an end. “I ain’t about to fall into that poor pitiful Bobby routine. I’ve got it pretty good here, I have no intention of selling it off cheap.”

“Rogue..”

“My name is Marie,” leaning forward she glared at him. “Rogue doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Marie, the Professor will want you safe..”

“I am safe.”

“Here’s your orders,” the soft tone of the young woman drew everyone’s attention and Marie smiled at her.

Small, fine boned, Danny was the epitome of a walking china doll, her pale skin was flawless, her dark eyes big in her face, a face surrounded by a cloud of dark hair. Despite her appearance though, Danny could and often was dangerous. With a mutation that allowed her to take on solar energy and turned it into physical strength, she was often wore more at noon that at midnight.

“Thanks Danny, hows it going?”

“Pretty good. Threw Trevor out though,” the young woman explained.

“Sorry, I know..”

“Fuck boss, he should’ve known better. I don’t take it when someone hits me, and he made that mistake one too many times.”

“Yeah, ain’t it funny how men like him seemed to think its okay?” Marie smiled softly. “You doing okay though?”

“Yeah,” Danny smiled at the table then at Marie. “Better every day.”

“Good, look would you mind bringing me..” Marie paused when the woman pulled a bottle of milk from her apron pocket with a familiar, teasing smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Logan looks busy.”

“Yeah,” Marie glanced at Logan who was standing toe to toe with some jerk who was either stupid or suicidal - Marie couldn’t decide which. “Lets just hope that he don’t get into a full scale brawl, last time it took me a week to get this place cleaned up.”

“I know, I had to help. Well I got work to do, best get to it,” with a slight smile Danny moved away, leaving them to eat in peace.

“As much as I would love to sit here and trade insults with you Bobby, guys I really must be going. Got a big night ahead..”

“What’s tonight?”

“Cage fights start tonight,” Marie replied quickly gesturing to the chalkboard. “Which means I have to have everything in order.”

“Uh is there a hotel or something around here?” Kitty asked hiding a yawn behind her hand. “I’m tired of sleeping in the car.”

“Sure, you can stay at The Stationhouse, its only about a half block east of here. Pretty reasonable rates to. Tell ‘em I sent you.”

“Thanks,” Kitty smiled as Marie rose.

Patting the dark haired woman on the shoulder Marie grinned, “What are friends for if not to get you a discount on your hotel bill? Enjoy your supper.”

Laughing as Marie walked away, Kitty glanced at Bobby and sighed. “Would you quit already? She isn’t yours, not now, not ever.”

“Its Logan’s fault..”

“Merde, non it isn’t. De fille she don’ wann you, give it a rest.”

“You don’t know what it was like before Remy. Before Logan and his return from Alkali Lake..”

“You were a far distant second,” Logan’s drawl had them all glancing up. “So you want her to go back to New York and be with you huh? You couldn’t handle it Ice Prick, you aren’t man enough to handle it. The first night would kill you.”

With a shake of his head, Logan walked away, he had no time for fools and Bobby Drake was one. A delusional, desperate fool who hadn’t figured out yet that he wasn’t the center of Marie’s world.

“I’m gonna call the Professor,” Jubilee said pulling her cell from her pocket easily.


“Xavier’s School for the Gifted..” Storm’s voice had Jubilee smiling slightly.

“Hey Storm, is the Professor still there?”

“Yes he is Jubilation. Can I tell him why you are calling?”

“Yeah, we found Rogue - but she isn’t Rogue anymore.”

“Just one minute please,” Storm said and a few moments later Jubilee swallowed quickly as the Professor’s calm voice came over the line.

“Jubilee, you found Rogue did you?”

“Yep, she’s living in some tiny little town running a bar,” Jubilee said munching on a fry. “Logan’s here to.”

“I assumed that he would be,” Charles said glancing at Jean and Scott who were sitting in the room with him. “How is she?”

“She’s gained a few pounds, looks happy, is even glowing. She’s talking to people, planning things, acting like a normal woman would.”

“Is there any evidence of her treatment in the lab?”

“I don’t know sir. She’s covered from head to toe, with gloves on so its hard to tell physically, emotionally I’m not sure. Logan seems to know something that we don’t and I hesitate to dig into it.”

“Did you get the target I sent you for?”

“No, kid moved on already.”

“I know you invited her back..”

“No, Bobby opened his big mouth and basically told her to come back with us,” Jubes said. “Had nothing to do with inviting.”

“Regardless, offer her an invitation to return. I will expect the four of you back at the mansion by the beginning of next week.”

“Yes sir,” Jubilee said hanging up quickly. “We’re supposed to invite her back and get our own asses back there.”

“Great,” Bobby grunted. “She ain’t gonna go without Logan..”


“So what? He obviously cares about her so back off,” Jubilee snapped. “God how many more months of this are we gonna have to listen to? She does not love you, get over it!”

“Jubilee..”

“No, no you listen to me. Logan loves Marie, Marie loves Logan and trying to come between them is only gonna result in you being gutted like a fish!”

“I think we all agree with that,” Kitty said glancing at Remy before glancing toward Bobby. “Let her go.”

“He’s gonna hurt her..” Bobby said glancing up at Marie’s soft sound of her laughter. She stood leaning against Logan talking to an older couple who were smiling at Marie and talking about something that had her nodding and Logan looking slightly uncomfortable but completely relaxed. His friends were right, but it still bothered him that she was with the tough Canadian.

After dealing with the bill, they headed for the hotel and crawled into the beds. Putting Bobby on the floor, Kitty took one bed, Jubilee and Remy took the other. “I’ll talk to her in the morning,” Kitty yawned. “Maybe if I ask nicely she’ll consider going back.”

“Perhaps,” Jubes said rolling over to snuggle into her pillow. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Yeah,” Kitty sighed. “It would be nice if she did come back though. We could have a blast.”

“Yeah we could.”

“Go to sleep chere, long day tomorrow,” Remy said pulling Jubilee back against him, his arm around her waist in an affectionate embrace.

“Night Remy.”


Tossing her jeans over the back of a chair, Marie glanced at Logan who sat in their bed watching her get undressed. With a faint smile she moved toward him, “What are you thinking darlin’?”

“How lucky I am,” Logan replied seriously as he watched her. “And how you got the short end of the stick.”

“How do you mean?”

“Being with me. Enduring my shit..”

“You forget I’ve got a mountain of shit myself?” Marie asked slipping beneath the covers and curling up against him to kiss him gently.


“Naw, if it wasn’t for me you probably wouldn’t have that mountain of shit.”

“Yeah, I’d either be dead, stuck in some lab, or struggling to survive,” Marie shrugged and reached for the lamp by her side of the bed. “In all honesty, I’d rather have my mountain of shit and be with you! Than without!”

Logan grinned slightly at her statement as the room was cast into darkness, “They want you to go back you know.”

“Well we could use a holiday. Haven’t had one in three years.”

“I didn’t say they wanted us..”

“Us or nothing.” Marie yawned and curled up against him. “Get some sleep Logan, I have a feeling tomorrow’s going to be a very long day.”

“Yes boss.”

Laughing softly she sighed, drifting off to sleep easily, one hand resting on the slight swell of her abdomen, the other tucked into Logan’s rough hand. Her world was complete, the soft snoring of her daughter echoing through the baby monitor, her baby kicking gently and Logan wrapped around her meant she was safe and she smiled in her sleep. She wouldn’t trade anything for what she had, not even the nightmares and faded scars because they were reminders that she was still alive, that Logan loved her enough to accept them!