The air was tense at the mansion. Wolverine had just returned after two years; two years of no communication. Many things had happened in his absence.
Rogue sat in her room deep in thought. Not a day had gone by these last two years that she hadn't thought of her dear Logan. She felt a kick in her stomach and reached down to feel it. She was seven months along. The impossible had happened. The untouchable Rogue was pregnant, though not through happiness.
Ten months ago a stranger had come begging shelter. He claimed to be a mutant, his power was immunity to many of his fellow mutants powers. The professor tried reading his mind but found that to be impossible. His impulse was to turn him away, not trusting someone he couldn't read, for fear that he could be an enemy. But then he reasoned that most people don't have his gift of telepathy and take their chances with people all the time, so why should he not do the same?
The man's name was Peter Shelby. He was 28 years old, 6'0" tall, and good looking. He quickly became friends with Scott and Bobby, and fit right in. Everything was going well until the day he met Rogue.
Upon his discovery of Rogue's strange power, he became greatly intrigued. He immediately wanted to see if he could touch her and become the one person on earth immune to her deadly curse. Rogue at first would have nothing to do with it, and tried avoiding him. She had had the misfortune of touching three men since discovering what she was, and in doing so hurt them seriously, and now possessed their memory. However, Peter would not leave her alone for many days and at last she consented to let him try. She took off her long black glove and closed her eyes. Peter stared into her face and reached for her naked hand. He waited for the pain that was meant to follow, but it never came. Tears began running down Rogue's face and she opened her eyes, resting them on Peter. He put his hand up to her face and wiped the tears away. Rogue smiled weakly.
Over the next couple weeks Peter pursued Rogue with all his might. Knowing that he was the only man who could touch this beautiful girl made him feel possessive of her and he couldn't bare the thought of any other man being with her. Rogue was very troubled by all of this. She had never stopped loving Logan, and the thought of any other man but him touching her was unbearable to her. And yet, she feared that this could be her only chance at having a normal romance, and was therefore very tempted to succumb to Peter's advances. For part of her couldn't help but like him. He was very charming and charismatic.
She decided to speak to Jubilee about it. Jubilee had always been like a sister to her, and Rogue told her everything that was troubling her. Jubilee listened silently, and when Rogue was finished she sighed and looked into her friend's face. "I know you like Peter and think he's harmless, but I just wouldn't be too sure. I've seen him when he looks at you. He has this strange look in his eyes. He scares me."
Rogue laughed. "What do you mean he scares you? I think you're being paranoid, Jubes."
Jubilee frowned. "I hope you're right. So, what are you going to do?"
Rogue shrugged and looked away. "I can't spend my whole life alone waiting for Logan. Especially when I know he's in love with someone else. Who knows if he'll ever even come back."
Jubilee's jaw dropped down. "What are you saying?! You can't have given up already. He promised you he'd come back. And you know my theory about who he loves. He loves you, hon, I know he does. He's gonna come back!"
Rogue turned her head back to her friend, revealing that she was crying. "I pray that you're right. My heart aches for him. I miss him so much. I think about him all the time, and cry myself to sleep nearly every night." She wiped her eyes. "I need some distraction. This can't be healthy behavior. I'm 18. I should be out there doing things that girls our age do."
Jubilee hugged her friend. "I'm sorry. You're probably right. Nobody can expect you to wait for Logan forever. Maybe you should go out with this guy and see if anything comes of it."
Rogue pulled away. "No, you were right, maybe it's too soon to give up. If only I knew his true feelings before he left. If I knew that he loved me I'd wait for him forever."
"Rogue, you need to decide on your own what you're gonna do and I'll be on your side, regardless of what you choose, but I do think maybe you should consider going out with him once. It's not like it has to be forever. If you decide he isn't your type then you can just tell him. Just go on one date with him and see how you feel, maybe you'll have fun." Rogue considered her friend's words and decided to follow Jubilee’s advice.
"I guess I can give it a try. I'll let him know tomorrow."
"Now you're talkin’!" Jubilee said excitedly.
Rogue got up early the next morning and went off to find Peter. She found him in the danger room practicing with Beast. After they finished she went down to Peter. She passed Beast who was just leaving.
"Good morning, Rogue."
"Good morning, Hank. How was practice?"
Hank laughed.
"Different than I expected. If you're planning on asking Peter to practice with you be careful. He's better than he looks."
Rogue laughed.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
Peter was wiping his face with a towel. Rogue went up to him and smiled.
"You looked good out there. Hank seemed surprised."
Peter smiled.
"You seem a little surprised yourself."
Rogue laughed.
"Not at all."
Peter studied Rogue closely.
"So what brings you down here?"
Rogue smiled.
"I was just wondering if you still wanted to go out some time."
Peter grinned.
"Are you kidding? Yeah. How about tonight?"
"That'd be great."
That evening he took her to a fancy restaurant where they talked for hours and had a wonderful time, but Rogue just couldn't stop feeling guilty. She felt as though she were betraying Logan by having a good time with another man. They went out twice more and after the third night. Peter finally got up the nerve to kiss her. Rogue pulled back, shocked. It was then that she decided that it just wasn't right to continue their relationship.
She tried explaining her feelings to Peter, but what she told him just made him angry. Though Peter had only known Rogue for a few weeks, he had fallen hopelessly in love with her. After the talk between them Peter changed. He started showing his temper more and more. Then one night he came home drunk and started banging on Rogue's bedroom door, begging to be let in. Bobby tried stopping him, but this only resulted in a fight. It ended with Peter knocking Bobby out and leaving in a rage. Everyone was relieved to see him go.
A week later, the professor and Jean left New York for a conference in Washington and Peter came back. It was late and most of the inhabitants of the mansion were asleep. However, he wasn't concerned with anyone but Rogue. He crept to her room and violated her, then left through the window. A week later Rogue discovered that she was pregnant. She had never felt such sorrow. It was now more than ever that she longed for Logan to come back, but he never did.
Jean and the professor tried to convince her to abort the child, saying that it would probably die while being born just from touching her skin and that it would always serve as a reminder of the horrible incident, but nothing would convince Rogue to kill her own child. Later Dr. Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, researched it and told her there was only about a 10% chance of the baby responding negatively to her touch. Because the child would be carrying Rogue's genes, and those of a mutant resistant to her, the baby would most likely be immune to her deadly skin. That comforted her, but she was still overwhelmingly sad.
The baby kicked again. Rogue came out of her thoughts and smiled. She still couldn't believe that her Logan was actually back! Her hand went unconsciously to Logan's dog tags that hung around her neck. Maybe everything would work out yet. During the last couple of months, Rogue had finally found some peace within herself and had accepted her life. She even began to get excited about having her child and, with the help of Jubilee, had decorated one of the corners of her large room as a nursery and started considering possible names. Through it all, though, there was still the constant worry in the back of her mind that the baby would not be able to handle touching her skin.
Rogue looked down at her stomach and grimaced, wondering what she was going to wear. She still hadn't seen Logan since his arrival and she felt very nervous. She definitely hadn't planned on being pregnant when Logan came back. She had daydreamed so many times of his return. She knew exactly how she wanted it to be and what she wanted to say, but everything was different now. She suddenly had no idea what to do or say. All she did know was that she wanted to look her best for him, despite her bulging belly.
Rogue wondered if he would still consider her a child. At 19 she looked more like a woman in her mid twenties. She had become strikingly beautiful and, due to the extensive work outs she had done since Logan's departure, she had a perfect body. Even in her pregnancy she looked wonderful. She had mostly gained weight in her belly and chest and whatever else she gained only made her look better. She went to her closet to find an outfit that wouldn't, in her eyes, make her look like an elephant. She finally decided on a pair of maternity jeans and a button up cotton blouse with quarter sleeves. She didn't want it to look too much like she was dressing for him. Leaving her white streaked hair loose, she started down the stairs.
Ororo had been the one to open the door when Logan arrived. She'd hugged him and asked him how he had been. "I need to see Chuck" was all he'd said. If Storm was hurt by this, she didn't show it. She simply smiled and led him to the professor's office. He had been in there for three hours. Rogue decided not to disturb them and went out to the garden to wait. A few moments later Jean came out to join her.
Silent, she sat down next to Rogue and stared vacantly. Rogue didn't have to be psychic to know what was on Jean's mind. During the two years Rogue had spent at the Academy, she had become very close friends with Jubilee, Ororo and Scott, but for some reason Jean had always kept her distance from Rogue, treating her with a certain coldness. Rogue could sense that Jean deeply disliked her and wasn't quite sure why that would be. Jean had everything in the world Rogue could ever want. Touchable skin, and Logan in love with her. Finally Jean spoke.
"You know you're only going to end up getting hurt by this. Logan will never see you as anything more than a child. Remember, when he left, it was me who held his heart."
Rogue looked away to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. "I realize that it's you he loves, but I can't help loving him still. Besides, you're engaged now. Maybe that will end his feelings for you."
Jean scowled and quickly turned away."You're obviously not familiar with the ways of men." She paused and smiled at Rogue as if at a small child. "Men don't fall out of love that easily. If anything, being unavailable makes women more attractive to them." It was as if she were trying to convince herself more than Rogue, but none the less, Rogue was upset by Jean's words. She had stolen Rogue's last hope.
"You must understand, I'm only trying to help. It's better if you're prepared."
Without answering, Rogue got up and went back to the mansion. A small smile formed on Jean's face.
Rogue was just starting up the stairs when someone touched her shoulder. She spun around and gasped. It was Logan.
"Hey kid." Rogue frowned inwardly. That had answered her question. He still did think of her as a child.
She quickly smiled to cover up the hurt. "Hey yourself."
Logan looked down at her stomach then quickly turned away as if in pain. "I heard about what happened. I'm so sorry I didn't keep my promise to you." He looked as if he were about to cry.
Rogue smiled sadly and put her gloved hand to his face. "Please don't blame yourself. I never have. It was an unrealistic promise you made to me all that time ago. You can't devote your whole life to protecting a person you only knew a few days."
Logan looked angry. "It wasn't unrealistic! I should never have left you here. I should've taken you with me to Canada."
"Logan, don't do this to yourself. What happened, happened. I'm trying to make the best of it. This may be the only way I can ever have a child I can touch."
"You sound as though you're grateful for what he did," he said with surprise.
"I'm not grateful. I just don't want to be sad or angry anymore. I'm going to love this child with all my heart and I'm not going to let that man destroy my life any longer."
Logan nodded. "I'm sorry. You're right," he said awkwardly.
Rogue's hand went nervously to the chain around her neck. Logan smiled. "You're wearing my tags."
"Oh, would you like them back?" she asked, starting to unclasp what had become in the last two years her most valued possession.
"No, no! I'd rather you kept them. They look better on you anyway."
Rogue blushed and lowered her hands.
"Well," Logan said, "I'd better start unpacking."
"You're staying then?" Rogue asked with tears in her eyes.
"I'm not gonna leave you again."
Rogue wiped her tears and smiled.
Chapter 2
Jean had witnessed the whole conversation and was troubled. Wolverine really did care for this girl. Anyone could see that. Jean couldn't help but wish that she were as powerful as the professor so that she could read his mind and see just how deep those feelings ran. Suddenly she felt Scott's presence and spun around. Scott was standing in the shadows watching her. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed him before. "Scott, you scared me!"
Scott folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "I saw you watching Rogue and Logan with that strange look on your face. What were you thinking just then?"
Jean's face heated up and she quickly turned away. "I was just thinking about how sweet their relationship is. They only knew each other for a few days and yet they're so close."
"Funny, that's not what it looked like you were thinking."
Jean glared at him and walked away. Scott stared after her, not knowing what to think.
Later that night, Charles called all the X-men to his office. It took them about 15 minutes to assemble. They were all there: Storm, Beast, Rogue, Cyclops, Jean, Iceman, and Jubilee. Scott and Jean arrived together but stood apart with a certain tenseness between them. Charles began.
"I'm sorry to call everyone in here so late at night, but I have an announcement. I'm sure you have all heard by now that Wolverine has come back. I spent a number of hours talking to him and it seems that he would like to join us and live here from now on." Nobody said anything. He went on," I realize that there are mixed feelings about this. I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on the matter. Wolverine has even agreed to start teaching a self defense class to the students."
Scott cleared his throat and stood up. "I really think this could be a mistake. That man is nothing but trouble."
"That's not true!" Rogue said in Logan's defense. " You don't know the first thing about him."
"I think we should all give him a chance," Jean agreed, avoiding Scott's eyes.
Scott sullenly looked away.
"What do the rest of you think?" Charles asked, regarding the four silent mutants.
They all agreed to letting him stay for a while and join the team.
Over the next few days, Logan settled in and began teaching his class. Rogue started avoiding Logan for reasons unknown even to herself. Finally Jubilee decided to confront her on the matter. She found Rogue in her normal hiding place, the garden. Rogue was sitting on the bench, with tears flowing down her face. Jubilee sat down next to her and put her hand comfortingly on Rogue's back.
"Rogue, why are you crying?" Rogue wiped the tears and looked at her friend. "I'm not really sure. Everything just seems so hopeless."
"Because of the baby?" Jubilee asked with concern.
"Yes, that and so much else."
"How are things going with Logan?"
Rogue looked away. "I haven't spoken with him since the day he came back. I've been avoiding him. Or, he's been avoiding me. I'm not sure which."
"I thought you said your conversation with him had gone well."
"Well, I guess it did go well. It was just too hard having him say those things and look at me like that when I know it's Jean he loves. I'm afraid that he only cares for me in a fatherly way."
"Rogue, why can't you just trust me? Its obvious to anyone who sees him look at you that you're the object of his desire. I think what went on with him and Jean was just a silly flirtation. Maybe he did it to make you jealous," Jubilee said with a smile.
"But wouldn't Jean have picked that up through her telepathy?"
"Maybe, maybe not. She's not all that powerful yet. Maybe she's just trying to hurt you because she knows what you think."
Rogue smiled at her friend. "I really do hope you're right."
"And don't worry so much about the baby. We're all going to help you through this."
"I'm just so afraid its going to die being born. I keep getting awful nightmares. I'm even afraid to sleep sometimes."
Jubilee hugged her friend. "It's not going to happen. You heard Dr. McCoy. There's only a 10% chance."
"I'd still worry if the chance were only 1%."
Jubilee nodded sadly.
"I think I'll go for a walk. I need some time to think," Rogue said.
"All right, just remember what I said. Everything will be okay."
"Thanks." Rogue smiled and headed for the walking path. Logan finished his class early that day and went outside for a jog. Ever since returning to New York, he had felt distracted. He had thought about Rogue a lot during the two years he spent in Canada, more than he felt he should have. She was only 17 when they had met and it was likely he was old enough to be her grandfather, maybe even her great grandfather, but despite that, he had come to care for her in those few days more than he could remember ever caring for anyone. She meant the world to him, but instead of letting her know that, he had pretended that he was in love with Jean. Then, after Rogue was kidnaped and almost died, he realized that he more than just cared for her, he loved her. It was when he realized his full feelings for her that he decided he should leave. He knew that Rogue cared for him, but with their age difference and all else that stood between them, he felt pursuing her would be wrong, and that time away from her would be the best thing. Charles provided him with a good excuse when he told him about the abandoned military base in Canada. He went there but found no answers, as all the files had been burned. After that, he traveled from town to town earning money by fighting. He tried to forget about Rogue, but finding that to be impossible, he at last decided to give in to his feelings and return to her. Suddenly, Logan was torn from his thoughts as he saw Rogue in front of him. She was leaning against a tree with her back to him, breathing heavily. Logan walked up to her and gently touched her shoulder. She turned around and collapsed in his arms, unconscious. He laid her on the ground and put on the gloves he'd been keeping in his pocket since returning. He lightly slapped her. Her eyelids slowly opened and she looked around, dazed for a moment, then focused her eyes on Logan.
"Logan? What happened?" she asked, confused.
"You fainted, Marie," Logan said tenderly.
Rogue blinked hard and looked away, tears forming in her eyes.
"It's been years since anyone has called me that.....I didn't realize how much I missed hearing it."
Sitting up slowly, she brushed the dirt from her hair.
"What were you doing out here anyway, in your condition?" He asked sternly.
"I was just taking a walk. I needed some time to myself. What's it to you anyway?" she asked, suddenly angry.
Logan looked at her, surprised.
"What do you mean, what's it to me? You know how much I care for you. I just don't think you should be taking walks this close to your due date."
"You don't even know when my due date is!" Suddenly Logan started laughing. "Ok, you got me there. Can you stand?"
Rogue's face softened and she smiled. "Let me try."
She started to rise and immediately felt the dizziness rush back to her head.
"Don't worry, I'll carry you," Logan said quickly.
Rogue blushed, but took a deep breath and smiled. "No, Logan, I'm sure that's not necessary."
She tried to get up again, but Logan stopped her and picked her up.
"Don't argue with me. There's no way you can make it back to the mansion on your own."
Rogue didn't struggle, but put her arms around his neck and rested her head against him.
Logan drew in a breath. They went on in silence for a few moments, both perfectly comfortable. Rogue looked up into his face with curiosity.
"What is it?" he asked.
Here in Logan's arms Rogue finally had the courage to ask what had been on her mind for the past two years.
"You said that I know how much you care for me. But the truth is, I have no idea how much or in what way you care for me."
Logan looked into her eyes and almost told her everything but then decided against it. "Don't do this, kid," he said, looking away.
Rogue drew back as if she'd been slapped. "Put me down, Logan!"
He hesitated and opened his mouth to say something, but Rogue cut him off.
"Now, Logan!"
He let her go and she immediately started walking back to the mansion as fast as her legs would carry her.
Logan cursed and ran after her. "Marie, wait!"
She didn't even pause. Logan grabbed her arm and she stopped, turning to him with a hurt look on her face.
"I'm sorry," he said. "You know, Logan," she said, smiling sadly at him, "I’ve touched three men since my powers surfaced. I didn't only gain their energy and power, they became a part of me. I now possess three extra sets of memories. Sometimes I actually forget which ones are mine. I’m suddenly able to speak German and Japanese and I never even took one lesson." She looked away and sighed. "I have memories of growing up in Germany. When I was about 12 years old, the Nazis came for my family and we were sent to a concentration camp. I was separated from my family and I watched as my parents were led away to be killed. That's when I discovered my powers. I bent the big gate that separated me from my parents and the guards beat me almost to death. I have memories of growing up in Mississippi. My father was very strict and often beat me for "allowing" the boys at school to pick on me. When I was 17 I fell in love for the first time with a girl in my class and when we kissed the first time I felt the most terrible pain I had ever experienced in my short life and the last thing I thought before going into a coma was that my father would most likely disown me for having gotten involved with a "mutie". I have memories of being an assassin and living like an animal in Canada, not even knowing who I was, having lost my memory years before. And I have nightmares of being strapped down and having horrible experiments done to me which I can only assume brought on the memory loss. I feel the pain of these men and remember the those things as if they had happened to me. Can you imagine what that must be like? I dream your nightmares most nights." She turned to face him "And lastly, I have memories of growing up and living a perfectly normal life and then at age 17 kissing a boy for the first time and sending him into a coma. My father threw me out for being a mutant and I hitchhiked my way to Canada with only $50 in my pocket. The town I believed to be a mutant haven turned out to be a tiny hellhole full of bigoted ruffians. But it was there that I met my savior, the man I grew to love more than life itself. Don't you see, Logan? If it's my age that you're concerned about, know that I may be older mentally than even you. How could I not be, with all I've been through?"
She started crying and was suddenly very tired. She steadied herself on a tree, then Logan lifted her in his arms and once more started for the mansion. Rogue rested her head and closed her eyes. When she awoke she found herself in her bed with her socks and shoes off. It was dark outside and the clock said 3:30. Suddenly she heard a movement and discovered that Logan was sitting on the chair next to her bed. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Rogue asked timidly.
Logan sat up and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was worried about you. You were in pretty bad shape out there."
Rogue nodded. "Thanks for carrying me back. I'm sorry that I got angry."
Logan looked surprised. "Don't apologize. I deserved it. I didn't realize that you have my memories. I'm so sorry all that junk has to be in your head. I'd take it back if I could."
Rogue smiled softly at him."I know you would."
He looked at the floor. "Marie, I should have said this a long time ago." He paused and looked at Rogue. "I love you, kid." He paused again and looked away. "And not in a fatherly way."
Shocked, Rogue turned away sobbing, silently trying to let the words sink in.
"I thought I was protecting you by not letting you know. I didn't mean to cause you so much pain. I blame myself for every bad thing that happened to you since we met."
Rogue looked at Logan with confusion. "But what about Jean?"
Logan looked away. "Marie, don't you see? It was only an act. I was just trying to cover up my love for you, and I thought that if you believed I loved Jean, you'd forget about me."
Rogue wiped her eyes and smiled lightly. "It would take a lot more than that to make me forget about you."
Logan stood up and sat next to Marie. "Does that mean you still love me?" he asked, taking her hand.
"Of course it does. How could you ever doubt me?" Rogue replied with a laugh.
Logan leaned over and kissed Rogue on the side of the head over her hair and pulled her into an embrace. "I've wanted to hold you for so long."
Rogue molded herself to his warm body.
That night they slept in each others arms, and for the first time in months, both slept in peace, undisturbed by dark dreams.
Chapter 3
Rogue woke up the next morning with a smile on her face as she remembered what had happened that night and reached over to touch the man she so desperately adored. Her heart skipped a beat when her hand found only emptiness. For a moment she thought that she may have only dreamt the events of the previous night. Then turning over, she discovered a note on the pillow.
I had to get to class and thought you'd need the sleep
so I didn't bother waking you.
Meet me for lunch in the lounge at 11:00. I'm taking you
out. Love you kid.
Logan
Rogue giggled and looked over at the clock. It was 10:30. Gasping, she sat up quickly. Most days she arose at 8:00. Taking a shower and throwing on a simple white dress, she headed downstairs. As she rounded a corner, she bumped into Scott.
"Scott! I'm sorry." Scott looked embarrassed.
"No, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention."
He quickly started walking away.
"Scott, is something wrong?"
Scott stopped but didn't turn around.
"Jean just broke up with me. She said there's someone else."
"Scott, I'm so sorry. Did she say who?"
He turned around and sneered.
"No, but I have my suspicions. She's been acting strangely since Logan came back. I think something's going on between them."
Rogue nodded with understanding.
"I can see why you would think that, but I know for a fact that there isn't anything between them, Scott."
Scott looked more closely at Rogue.
"How would you know that?"
Rogue smiled.
"Well actually, the thing is, Logan loves me. He told me last night. There's too much to go into now, but the short of it is, he pretended to like Jean to make me forget about him and I suspect he also did it to piss you off."
Scott had a confused look on his face.
"You and Logan?! But he's old enough to be your father! Are you sure this is the right thing? Logan's a wild man. How are you going to deal with the fact that he can't touch you?"
Rogue looked down.
"I don't know," she confessed, "but to answer your question, I am sure this is the right thing. I've been sure for the last two years. I love him, Scott. I love him so much it scares me."
Scott's face softened and he smiled sadly.
"I know what that's like."
Rogue looked at him with concern.
"Do you want me to talk to Jean? Maybe I can knock some sense into her."
Scott laughed lightly.
"No, Rogue, she's made her choice. The truth is, ever since you and Logan came two years ago, we've been drifting slowly apart. I knew that she had developed feelings for Logan, I just never realized that her feelings were this deep. I thought by asking her to marry me things would get better, but they've only gotten worse. I don't know why she even accepted my proposal. But after the break up today, I see that it's really over and nothing more can be done, and you know what? I think it's going to be okay. It's been slowly moving to this point for two years and I think I'm ready for it to be over. I'm exhausted, and I'm ready to move on."
Rogue smiled.
"Well, I'd better get going. My next class is about to start. I'm sorry for laying all that down on you. I just needed to get it out, I guess."
"Don't apologize, God knows I've laid enough on you in the past."
Scott laughed and hugged Rogue.
"Thanks, Rogue."
Rogue started for the lounge again, hoping Logan wouldn't be angry. She was just about to enter the room when suddenly Jean rushed past her with tears streaming down her face. She stopped when she saw Rogue and glared at her.
"Enjoy it while it lasts. He's going to leave you sooner or later."
Rogue didn't answer and walked into the lounge to find Logan standing across the room, gazing out a window. She couldn't see his face. She walked up to him and put her hand on his back. Logan turned around and gathered Rogue into his arms, breathing in her scent.
"I feel sorry for her," Rogue said.
Logan was surprised and pulled Rogue away. "How can you feel sorry for her? She's treated you like shit and she's trying to take me from you."
Rogue smiled.
"She just broke up with Scott with total confidence that you'd take her and now you've rejected her. You have to admit it's sad."
"Well, yeah, but aren't you in the least bit worried that she'll succeed in getting me?"
Rogue hugged him and looked up into his face.
"No, I trust you."
Logan smiled and pulled her closer.
"Good, I don't want you to worry. I'm never going to leave you again."
It was about noon by the time they left to eat. He took her to an Italian restaurant and told her all about what he did while he was gone, and she in turn did the same. They had such a good time that they both forgot about the unpleasantness that had occurred before they left.
The next few weeks were the happiest Logan or Rogue could ever remember experiencing. They spent all their time together and Rogue even talked Logan into taking her to the Lamaze class she had planned to take with Scott. They worked around the fact that they couldn't touch and it became something they didn't really think about. They lived in their own world and were almost totally unaware of anyone else.
Jean became more and more withdrawn from everyone and, at last, with the professor's help, decided to leave New York for a while in order to heal. Jean's departure hit Scott harder than he would have expected, and he fell into a deep depression. Jubilee was the most concerned for him. Scott had always been sort of a big brother to her and had helped her out in her times of need. Over the years she had developed deep feelings for him. She'd never told anyone, not even Rogue, and when Scott and Jean broke up, though she was sad that Scott was in pain, she was also happy that Jean was finally out of his life. Jubilee helped him all she could during his depression. She would seek him out as much as she could and cheer him up. She insisted that he take her shopping and out to movies and even roller skating, claiming he was the only one with a car that she wanted to go with. He found himself having a good time despite himself. As the weeks went on, their time together became more serious. Scott found himself opening up to Jubilee, and with her encouragement, he began talking about everything that was troubling him. Jubilee listened patiently and gave him her advice and opinions. Through it all, Scott began to see Jubilee in a different light. She was no longer a rowdy teenager, but had finally grown up, and it was only in the last few weeks that he had begun to notice. He looked forward to seeing her every day and started to miss her when they were apart.
Chapter 4
Two weeks before Rogue was due to give birth, Logan had finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry him. She, of course, had accepted. The next day Rogue lay in bed admiring her new ring. It was still too early to get up and she was content just lying there thinking about all that had happened yesterday. She was so happy about her upcoming wedding that she was afraid her heart would burst. But she had something else to be happy about, too. Secretly for the last few months, she had been working with Dr. McCoy to gain control over her power. He had been injecting her with chemicals to help her along and had allowed her use the lab rats to test herself. They knew that touching such a small creature for less than a second with only the tip of her finger would instantly kill it, so if she got to the point where she could hold a rat for a few minutes, it would be the same as touching a human for hours.
Over the last few weeks she had gradually made progress, and yesterday she was finally able to hold a rat for 5 whole minutes. Hank then let her use him as a test and they succeeded in holding hands for 10 minutes. They might have been able to go on longer but Rogue was too excited, so she thanked Hank and went off to share her news with Logan. She found him teaching his class, so she watched until it ended and then went up to him.
Logan laughed and said, "You look like you just won a million bucks. What's up?"
Rogue smiled even more widely. "Believe me, what I have to tell you is better than if I'd won 100 million. I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes."
Logan obeyed and Rogue stepped closer.
"I want you to trust me."
"Of course I trust you," said Logan, opening his eyes.
"No, keep your eyes closed!"
Rogue took off her gloves and touched her bare hands to his face, bringing it closer to hers. Then she kissed him. Logan nearly pushed her away with surprise, but caught himself when he realized that nothing was happening as they touched. The feeling that his life was being sucked from him hadn't started. He got over the shock quickly and pulled Rogue closer to him, responding to her kiss with more passion than he had ever before experienced.
That night he took her out to the best restaurant in town and asked the question that Rogue had been awaiting for so long.
"It took you long enough," she said with a laughing smile.
"I was just waiting for the right time, plus today's the day I finally found the perfect ring." He reached over the table for Rogue's hand and kissed it as he slipped the ring on her slender finger. "So, you will marry me?"
"Of course I will!" she said, pulling him closer into a kiss. "I've been dreaming of this moment for so long."
"Me too, kid."
Then Rogue's face turned more serious."Logan, does it bother you very much that the baby I'm carrying isn't yours?"
Logan looked thoughtful for a moment. "Of course I'd prefer if the baby were mine, but it's not and there's nothing that can be done about it. That baby is a part of you and I love you, so I can't help but love it too." He paused, took her hands into his and looked into her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm going to love this child as if it were my own."
Rogue sighed with relief. "I was sure you'd feel that way, but I just had to hear it from your own lips."
Rogue came out of her happy thoughts and rubbed her belly while glancing at the clock. It was still early, but she was ready to get up. She showered, threw on some comfortable clothes and headed downstairs. Suddenly she felt a deep pain in her stomach and stopped. It passed pretty fast and she noticed Logan walking towards her.
"Are you all right? It looked like you were in pain."
"No, I'm fine. It was nothing," she said, and kissed him. "Let's go get breakfast."
Logan wasn't totally convinced, but he let it go and followed her down the rest of the steps.
When they got to the dining room, everyone fell silent for a moment, then resumed their conversations.
Rogue sat down at Scott and Jubilee's table while Logan went for the food. The couple looked at Rogue with concern. Rogue smiled nervously. "What is it? Why is everyone acting so strange?"
Jubilee spoke up. "Rogue, brace yourself. Peter's back! He came a few hours ago, begging everyone's forgiveness and asking if he can stay. He said he got into trouble with the Brotherhood of Mutants and needs protection. He's with the professor now. He volunteered to open up his mind to be read."
Rogue could hardly breathe and she felt dizzy. "Is Charles going to let him stay?" she asked slowly.
Jubilee put her arm around her friend. "Don't worry, nobody would let that happen. The professor agreed to possibly help him find somewhere else to go, but he's not going to let him stay here."
They failed to notice Logan approaching the table. He had heard enough to know what was going on and in his rage dropped the food. He didn't seem to notice, as just then a man he'd never seen walked past the doorway. From Rogue's expression he knew instantly it was Peter. Logan raced towards him and knocked him to the floor where he began to punch him repeatedly. Everyone rushed over to watch the spectacle. Scott ran over and tried to pull Logan off Peter, who was by this time unconscious. But Logan was like an animal and didn't even seem to notice Scott. Suddenly Rogue called out to Logan. He froze but didn't answer, still in a sort of trance. Then Jubilee yelled, "Logan, her water just broke! She needs to get to the infirmary."
Logan immediately snapped out of it and rushed to Rogue's side. She was practicing her breathing and he gently took her in his arms and ran as fast as he could to the hospital wing. It went by pretty fast after that. Hank took control right away and set Rogue up in one of the beds. The baby was born two hours later. Logan was by her side the entire time and he was the first to take the child in his arms after it was cleaned. It was a healthy baby girl. They named her Angelina after Rogue's grandmother.
Something in Logan changed when he held Angelina for the first time. He knew the moment he saw her that he would always love her as his own. And he was filled with a deep happiness. They were married two months after the birth in a double wedding with Scott and Jubilee, who, following the birth, finally got their act together and decided that they were truly in love. Jubilee, Rogue, and Ororo planned the whole wedding and it all turned out perfectly. It was the event of the year. Mutants from all over the states came to witness the ceremony.
Peter left as soon as he had regained consciousness and no one had heard anything about him since. Nobody ever mentioned his coming back after that day. Seeing him again and having Logan beat him seemed to have healed Rogue. She almost never thought of him now and sometimes even forgot that Logan wasn't the real father.
The two couples spent their honeymoon together in Asia and stayed for a month. When they got back, Logan and Rogue decided to remain living at the mansion and continue fighting on the team, although Logan forbade Rogue to fight until the baby was at least a year old, which suited her fine. Scott and Jubilee also decided to stay, and shortly after the honeymoon, found themselves to be expecting their own child.
Jean never rejoined the X-Men but always kept in contact with Storm and the Professor. After some years she formed her own group of Mutants that fought, like the X-Men, for the good of mankind. She married a mutant from her group and they had two children. It took her many years but she did finally find peace within herself and genuine happiness.