"Well, kid, are ya going to go in or are you gonna just sit here?"
Marie rested her head against the window of Logan's pickup truck, staring at the doors of the community college through the pale gray drizzle. It had only been a few weeks since Logan had brought her to Xavier's school, and though she'd missed a lot of school, the teachers soon realized that Rogue's intellectual gifts needed more nourishment than they could give, busy as they were with so many mutants. She hadn't wanted to venture out into the "normal" world that had been so cruel to her when her powers first surfaced.
She still studied with Charles, and took self defense, and did other things, but when Logan had returned from his brief sojourn to Alkali Lake -- more silent and watchful than the swaggering man who had left -- he had insisted that she at least try to get some higher education. Community college was only a few minutes from the mansion. And irritating as Logan's bossy big brother act was, he was right about this. The fusion of personalities that roiled in Marie's mind had fostered her curiousity and whetted her appetite for more knowledge. Not to mention the fact that although she was only seventeen, she could actually be useful to the team, which she so desparately wanted to join, if she had some practical skills. Marie sighed, and hitched her satchel over her shoulder.
"Ah'm going, Ah'm going," she muttered. Logan looked troubled.
"Ah, Marie, you're going to be OK, right?"
"Jeez Logan, you're the one who pushed me to do this in the first place!"
"I know, but if you're scared, then maybe we can wait --" The concern in his warm brown eyes made Marie's pulse race, and she flushed.
"Ah'll be fine. Ah'll see you back at the mansion." She opened the door.
"I'll be waiting right here when your last class gets out, Marie." He raked a hand through his wild hair, and she could tell he was annoyed.
"Logan, Ah'm taking the bus! You wanted me to do this, Charles, Scott, Ororo, Jean, everyone wanted me to do this, so let me do this! By myself. So the other kids are older than me. So they're not mutants. I can take care of myself." It was fine for Logan to be her friend, but sometimes this older brother attitude pissed her off, especially she still fantasized about his sweaty abs and killer smile before she went to sleep.
"Whatever." He was curt, but Marie couldn't read him. She nodded, and hopped out of the truck.
"Hey Marie! Lunch!" He chucked a brown paper bag at her. Marie caught it, and looked down, bemused. Of course it was another big brother move, but her mama had made lunches for her when she was in elementary school, and she was touched. Her eyes moistened, and Logan got that worried look on his face again. She straightened up and smiled bright.
"See ya later, sugar. I got to go get some education!" She tossed her hair jauntily and strode through the rain up the concrete steps to the school.
In the truck, Logan watched her go, eyes lingering on the sway of her ass and the wildness of her auburn and white hair as the wind flipped it around her. His obsession with her was going to kill him. He thought about leaving, letting it burn itself out far away from where she could be hurt, but once he realized how much she had come to depend on him, he couldn't bear to leave her. He was just trying to watch out for her, protect her like she promised. But at night, he couldn't help himself from thinking of her naked, wanting. Though he felt guilty, he couldn't stop. She was his. Once she disappeared through the doors, he threw the car in gear, and parked it around the back of the school, and snuck in a side door.
His acute senses and hunter instincts lead him to her. She was standing in line, waiting to register for classes. She stood quietly, reading some of her class books. A low growl rumbled in Logan's throat as he saw some big blonde jock-type swivel his head to check out Marie's ass. When the jock came up for a closer look, his eyes widened as he took in Marie's long gloves and the white streaks that were clearly natural rather than some punk statement. Logan's enhanced hearing picked up the word "Mutie" hissed by the jock to his equally big and equally dumb friend, and he clenched his fists, trying to resist the urge to go beat the crap out of them. Unaware of her audience, Marie looked up. The jock scowled at her, and said loudly, "Mutie Freak!" and walked away. Marie paled, then flushed. She raised her chin and looked around at the other students and faculty in the hall. They looked at her, without saying anything about the jock's outburst, some looked hostile, some frightened, some simply goggled at the novelty of having a young mutant among them. She stepped up to the registration table.
"Ah'm here to register for mechanical engineering and genetics, please."
The woman at the desk looked at her sourly, but took her forms.
"You're signed up for eight credits. You need another class."
Marie's brow wrinkled, and she wrapped the white streaks around her fingers as she scanned the course catalog in a way that made Logan want to step up and kiss her breathless. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself. Jeez, the mighty Wolverine was acting like a school kid who'd never seen a woman before. He had to get this crush under control. She was just a kid. Innocent. Young. Then Marie smiled, and Logan's mouth went dry.
"Modern American Poetry, please," she said firmly.
The woman looked skeptical but marked it down. Then a bell rang, and suddenly the halls were flooded with students. Logan watched Marie gather her sweater tightly against herself in fear of someone jostling her and brushing her skin. Finally she headed into a room at the end of the hall.
After the halls had quieted, Logan silently eased the door of the lecture hall and stood at the back. He spotted Marie easily, both because of her hair and because in the crowded hall, where students were lined up in the aisles crouched and taking notes, Marie was surrounded by empty seats, as though she had the plague. Again, Logan felt the familiar anger rising in him. But then he noticed how enraptured Marie was. She was hanging on the lecturer's every word (torque and vectors and some kind of nonsense, but the slides showed cool machines, so Logan was entertained). She took copious notes, chewing her pen in thought.
Logan followed her throughout the day, like a surly, furry shadow. She was so busy finding her classes, navigating the crush between classes, and absorbing every word that was spoken that she wouldn't have noticed if Jubilee herself was there, exploding things.
No one bothered her all day, but no one spoke to her either, she was like a tiny island in the sea of college kids. The kids were something else too, Logan thought he spotted another mutant until he realized that some people do that to their hair on purpose. Once the final bell rang, Logan loped back to the parking lot, and drove his truck around front. Marie smiled softly as she spotted him, walking down the steps. At the look in her eyes, Logan knew what he had to do. Watching her make her way through this new environment, afraid and alone but so brave and strong, he realized that though she was young, she was lonely too and maybe, just maybe, he had a chance.
"Hey, kid. How'd it go?"
Marie's eyes sparkled.
"Omahgod Logan! I never knew that all these classes even existed! And the professors are so smart! And I am learnin' so much! I bet by the end of mah mechanics class Ah'll be able to fix the Blackbird! And guess what, just guess?!" Her eyes were sparkly and she was grinning.
"Ah got to take another class! Ah'm taking poetry! Isn't that amazing?"
"You like poetry?"
"Ah love it, but I really wanted to take practical things, you know, so I can be useful with the team, but I won't be able to handle three technical classes, so I get to take one just for me!" She was slightly in awe of her luck.
"Hey, kid, first of all, there's no way you're gettin' on the team." Marie rolled her eyes at big brother Logan. He'd see. She knew Charles thought she had something to offer, and she wanted so badly to give something back to the mansion. She'd make them an offer they couldn't refuse.
"Second, you should take what you want. It's for you. You should enjoy it."
"Ah know, and I do enjoy the other classes, I really do. With all these people buzzing around my brain, they need some stimulation! Eric already knows a lot about engineering and genetics, so that's not so hard. And you, sugar. . ." here she sent him a playful look that made his pants suddenly way too tight ". . .seem to know how to drive every machine ever made, so that's an advantage too. It's gonna be fun."
"I'm glad." They pulled up to the mansion, and hopped out of the truck. "But wait, Marie." Logan caught her arm, and she turned. "Is everything OK with the other kids? They treating you alright?"
Marie sighed. "Logan, Ah'm not gonna lie. I'm younger than them, I don't know anyone, and they're pretty damn scared of me. But Ah'm still glad to be doing it, OK?"
"Told ya so." He grinned smugly.
"Know-it-all." She poked him.
"Brat." He tickled her sides, and she giggled till she was breathless. Breathing heavily her eyes met his, and her expression grew sober, as she read the intensity there.
"What is it?" she breathed, hardly daring to believe that the desire that showed there could be for her.
"I want you." Her knees went weak, and she stumbled. He steadied her by drawing her close.
"What about Jean?" she asked softly. He snorted.
"Not my type. Not enough sass and grit and --"
"Untouchable skin?" she broke in. He was offering her all she'd ever wanted, and she had to remind him what a bad deal she was. She wished the words back into her mouth the instant they were said, and looked up at him.
Logan stroked a hand down her side, skimming her breast, his thumb caressing her nipple. He leaned in and breathed in the scent of her arousal, and moaned. He kissed her hair.
"There's ways around that. We'll take it real slow."
"Real slow," she echoed, having never kissed anyone without damaging them, and unwilling to progress too quickly from the safe fantasy of her nighttime dreams.
"Rogue?" Scott's voice came like a bucket of cold water from the doorway.
"Hi Scott! I had my first day!" Marie turned to him and smiled. Scott smiled back, and sent a hard glance at Logan.
"Ororo's looking for you, she wants to talk to you about your English essay."
"OK, I'll be right in."
Marie turned back to Logan. He kissed her again, this time on her temple through her hair. She blushed, and he thought it was the sweetest and most erotic thing he had ever seen. "Slow, I promise," he growled softly into her ear.
She smiled and ran into the house. Scott walked stiffly over to Logan.
"Look Scooter, I don't wanna --"
"Save it, Logan. Listen, Charles knows that you have feelings for Rogue and she has feelings for you. I, of course, think that this is crazy and you're dangerous, but I have been outvoted."
"What?" Logan couldn't comprehend that all the people he trusted trusted him with Rogue.
"However." Logan sighed, knowing it was too good to be true.
"Rogue is still Charles' ward, and my responsibility. Which means that you two can date, but only the same way the other girls date. Which means, no being alone in either of your bedrooms, no staying out after curfew, and generally toeing the line, or we tell her no. And she will listen, and you know it, no matter how much she cares about you, she won't defy Charles."
"Sure, sure, Scooter, it's a deal. I'll be a good little boyfriend." His mind was racing with how to get Marie naked in the garage without anyone catching on.
"I mean it, Logan. Don't hurt her." Logan's annoyance at Scott, against his wishes, faded. Bastard though he was, Scott was just looking out for Marie.
"Look, Scooter, Marie's mine. I'm going to take care of her. If she wants to hold hands for the next ten years, that's the way it's gonna be. She calls the shots."
"And if she wants to be more, um, intimate than is wise for a girl her age?" Scott's eyes were like lasers even behind the glasses, even when he wasn't using his powers.
"Well, I guess that's up to her. She's not a little kid, and she's been through hell, and she's also stubborn and going to do what she wants."
Scott looked unconvinced.
"Just remember Logan, I'm watching you. Don't fuck this up." With that, he turned and walked away. Logan gave in to the impulse to flip him the middle claw, causing two little mutie kids holding basketballs to giggle.
Logan grinned, and bounded up the stairs. He was going to ask Marie out on a date. Maybe even a drive-in.....
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Author's Chapter Notes:
This is my first humble attempt. Be gentle.