From his vantage point atop Scott's bike, Logan scowled at the school. Hasn't changed much, he thought to himself as he built the courage to go through the gates. Oh, he'd never admit to himself he was a little apprehensive, no he was too much of a man for that. But it had been almost nine months since he'd ridden out of the place on Scott's stolen motorcycle. Borrowed, he insisted to himself. If he'd run into Scott on his way out, he would have asked. Probably. OK. Not really. But that wasn't the point - the point was the only people who'd ever understand him were inside those gates while he waited outside.
Deciding it wouldn't get any easier if he come back in a week (he'd know, he'd already tried every week for the past month), he eased the bike forward and through the gates of Charles Xavier's school for freaks, oh wait, that wasn't PC. For mutants.
He stood just inside the main doors, waiting for the welcome home party he'd dreamt of. No one was there. Determined not to be disappointed, he made his way to Xavier's office and pushed open the door. Inside, Xavier was surrounded by his brightest and best, Scott, Jean and Ororo. They all turned and looked, Jean started to get up and greet him, Scott glowered and Ororo just stared.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," Logan growled as he turned and walked back out. Dumb. Shouldn't have come back. Stupid, Logan thought as he paced back and forth in front of Xavier's office. He didn't make any real effort to leave, he was just lecturing himself.
He whirled when Charles Xavier spoke to him.
"You're not interrupting. We were just discussing the progress of the students. Welcome back, Logan. Did you find what you were looking for?" Xavier asked, already knowing the answer.
Logan glared at him. "Yes. No. Look, I came back, isn't that enough?"
Xavier looked at him patiently. "Of course it is. Now, why don't you come join us? Then we'll all eat together to celebrate your return."
Logan reluctantly followed him in. He perched himself on the corner of Xavier's desk and met Scott's icy look. "I brought her back in one piece, well mostly," Logan said referring to Scott's second love, his bike.
It was so easy to slip back into annoying Scott for the hell of it. Almost like he'd never left.
Logan flashed a 1,000-megawatt smile at Scott's first love, Jean. She smiled back, and Logan's smile froze in place on his face. The familiar heat she stirred in him wasn't there. Nothing. Well, not nothing, but certainly not the stuff that had fired his dreams. He was so sure it'd been her coming to him at night, inhabiting his dreams. The woman had been so real, warm, caring, loving, passionate. He'd never quite been able to see her face, and her body was more of a haze than anything, but the feelings those dreams had stirred had been real.
They'd kept him going during his long search for the truth and while he tried to cope with the reality. She'd listened as he babbled in confusion and ranted in frustration. The dreams and the hope they promised had been the force that drew him back to Xavier. He was sure the woman was real. Sure he'd find her here. Sure she'd been Jean. And now, looking at her, he knew it wasn't. The feelings he had for her seemed to have mellowed to something like a ... a big brother. God, he thought as he almost choked. What had his life come to?
As the impromptu party headed into full swing in the cafeteria, Logan scanned the room. He'd never admit that was looking for the one person not crammed into the room. They all said they were glad to see him, well, all except Scott. They asked what he'd found out and then scampered away when he growled at them. Before long he'd run off everyone.
Oh, they were still at the party - they were just giving him a wide berth, a really wide berth.
Jean found him in a corner, nursing a drink.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked and sat on the bench next to him without waiting for an answer.
"Finally decided I was the man for you? Left that pansy of a boyfriend?" Logan played his part even though his heart wasn't in it anymore.
Jean just smiled at him. Logan had to wonder if she'd let her mind go wandering into his. He hated that little skill of hers. "No, I didn't leave Scott. I just thought I'd check on a friend."
Logan growled, "I'm fine." His eyes did another scan of the room. He didn't miss her, he told himself. He wasn't looking for her. He was just keeping watch over things.
Jean didn't have to dig into his mind to see what was going through it. Men always thought they hid their feelings better than they really did.
"She's on a date, Logan."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said through clenched teeth as his hand tightened around his glass.
"Sure you don't. We'll play it your way. So, are you back to stay or is this just a stopover until something better comes along?"
Logan looked at her as the heat underlying the words came across. "What the hell crawled up your ass?"
"Your bailing on us all. That's what crawled up my ass. Did you even think about what your leaving did to the rest of us? Did it cross that little pea brain of yours that we might need you? That Xavier had plans for you? Plans to help you find your past? That we work better as a team than going renegade? That we needed time to study your powers? That they could help others? That Scott could benefit from having you around? That you keep him on his toes? And Rogue? Huh? Did you consider any of that, tough guy?"
Jean's voice had grown louder and louder as she ranted. And with each question, she poked her finger into his chest. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.
Logan stared at the rage in her face. "I ... I guess not?" He was hoping the right answer would come out of his mouth. He had nowhere else to go if they decided to toss him out on his butt.
Xavier rolled silently over to the tense pair. "Jean, I think Scott was looking for you. He's over by the punch."
Jean just stared at Xavier who motioned her away with his eyes. I'll take care of him.
Jean nodded then gave Logan one last push to the chest, sloshing his drink over his hand and stalked off.
"Logan, I want to apologize for Jean," Xavier started.
"Don't bother. I know she didn't mean it."
"Logan, you misunderstand. I don't apologize for what she said. It's all true. You were selfish when you ran away. I just meant she should have given you a chance to settle in a bit before pointing out your character flaws."
"I didn't run away," Logan growled.
"Of course not, how silly of me. What is it called these days when someone slinks away without saying goodbye?"
Not able to come up with a snappy retort, Logan just growled louder. A few new students glanced over and started to back away.
"Let's continue this in the gardens. I don't want you to terrorize the new students."
Not knowing why, Logan followed Xavier outside.
"Logan, the first thing I want you to know is no one will toss you out on your butt. You're welcome for as long as you want to stay. Probably longer," Xavier said with irony.
"You know I had to find out about my past," Logan said somewhat defensively.
"Yes. But can you live with it now?"
Logan thought back to the woman in his dreams. "I thought I could," he said softly.
Xavier nodded. "Just remember, we're all here for you, me, Jean, Ororo, Rogue, even Scott."
At her name, Logan recalled something from Jean's rant. "What did Jean mean when she mentioned Rogue?"
Xavier stifled his smile. It had taken the boy long enough to pick up on that. "I'm not sure. You'd have to ask Jean, but I'd give her some time to cool down. Sometime next year might be good."
Logan nodded thoughtfully. Maybe he'd just wait for Marie and ask her himself. "So, Jean said she's on a date? Isn't she a little young for that?"
Xavier shook his head. Logan still didn't understand that age wasn't all that important, especially to those who put their lives on the line day after day. "She's old enough, Logan. Now, I'll leave you here to smoke a cigar and head back in. I'm glad you're back. Welcome home."
Logan was still perched on a stone wall a few hours later when a car drove up the driveway and stopped at the main doors. The car door opened and Logan perked up. Marie. He could smell Marie. Even after all this time, he remembered her scent. While he was away, he'd think he smelled her, but that was ridiculous. She had been safe and sound at the school when he found out. ... Logan shoved the thought from his mind. He found out what he needed. Now, it was time to find a purpose.
Her laughter drifted to him on a breeze and his breath caught in his chest. What the hell, he thought. He watched as she stepped from the car, long, sexy legs emerging first, followed by a very, too short, skirt and a see-through blouse covering not much he discovered as he moved in for a better view. The growling started in the back of his throat, and he didn't notice.
A young man came around the car, met her and took her hand. Must be wearing her gloves, Logan sneered. He wouldn't remember placing his dog tags in her glove covered hands or the pain in her eyes. That brought him back to his task. Get her alone and find out what Jean was talking about.
"Paul, do you want to come up to my room for a while? I bought a great CD the other day," her voice drifted to him. He couldn't hear Paul's response. He didn't have to. He knew any man ... boy ... any boy would jump at the chance to be alone with Marie, even if her touch could kill. What a way to go, he thought before he could stop himself. Get a grip, Logan, he thought. She's just a kid.
Rogue and Paul went up the stairs to her room. Paul lived in another building and had a roommate. They'd been talking for a while about spending some time alone. They'd been dating for almost a month now. A month. It had to have been longer than that. It seemed like a lifetime since she'd given up. Gotten sick of herself was more like it.
For the first eight months after Logan left, Rogue focused on school. Nothing else. Xavier didn't even have her going on missions like Jubilee and St. John. Just class. And sleeping. Those dreams. That's what fed her foolish infatuation with Logan. The dreams. She withdrew from everyone.
Well, everyone who'd let her, she thought wryly as Kitty and Jubilee popped into her mind. They'd been relentless. They never made her go around other people, but they refused to leave her alone. They'd bullied Xavier into giving them one of the suites. Two bedrooms connected with a bath. That way she didn't have to worry about touching a roommate and sucking the life out of them, but she was never totally alone either.
She'd finally told them everything about Logan. Except the dreams. She hadn't shared the dreams with anyone. They'd think she'd cracked.
Finally, a month ago, Jubilee and Kitty sat her down and had the CHAT. The "why the hell are you wasting your life on a sorry ass man who leaves and doesn't call, write or anything for eight months" speech.
At some point, it sunk in. Logan wasn't coming back, and if he did, he wanted Jean. She'd heard Scott and Jean fighting about him. She didn't think she was ugly, but she knew she didn't hold a candle to Jean. And the fact she'd never be able to fulfill a man ... well, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that just wouldn't really fly with Logan.
So she gave in as Kitty and Jubilee plotted her return to society. Each day she was given an assignment. The first day was to say "hi" to someone, anyone who wasn't an adult. She'd picked Paul. He was new. He didn't know about Logan, and he didn't know about her power. Well, he'd heard rumors, but he hadn't seen Logan in the medbay. He didn't know how bad it could be. That "hi" led to actual chitchat.
Kitty and Jubilee were beside themselves. Even after she told Paul about herself, he didn't run screaming into the night. He tried to understand. He might not understand like Logan did, Rogue found herself thinking as she approached the door to her room. No, she told herself. I'm not going to think about him. He's gone. Paul's here, and we're going to be alone. She still wasn't sure what he thought they could do now that they were alone, but she was willing to give him a chance.
Before she could even turn on the light, Paul pinned her against the door, almost knocking the breath out of her. "Finally, Rogue. I thought you were going to keep me at arm's length forever."
He roughly rubbed his hand over her chest, almost bruising her breasts in his eagerness. "Take off your clothes," he whispered. "I know those rumors about your powers aren't true. They must have been invented by guys who didn't know how to get past second base with you, but I knew I could do it. I told all the other guys I could."
Before Rogue could smack the hell out of him, the lights flashed on and she spotted Kitty and Jubilee sitting on her bed, glaring at the back of Paul's head.
Jubilee stood up, grabbed a baseball bat from beside Rogue's bed and smacked her palm with it. ‘I won't wince,' Jubilee thought in pain. "Why don't you leave before I hit you with this or Rogue does take off her clothes, you touch her and die? Well, come to think of it, that last part isn't such a bad idea. Just to be clear, did you by any chance BET the guys?"
Paul was too scared to lie. He just nodded. He'd heard that Jubilee was crazy. Like "hurt you" crazy. He'd seen one guy come back from a date with her sporting a black eye. The story was he wanted to be thanked for taking her to a fancy restaurant, and she informed him the dinner in no way obligated her to satisfy any craving he had and maybe he needed to try a cold shower. Then she popped him one and sent him sailing into the swimming pool. It was the middle of November at the time. Paul turned and hightailed it out of the room.
Rogue let out a growl of frustration. Quickly, Kitty reached under the bed and tossed her a water glass which she deftly caught. She hurled it against the wall, a little smile forming on her face as the glass shattered on impact.
"Thanks, Kitty," Rogue said softly.
Kitty just nodded. When she was mad, Rogue liked to break things. Glass things. Glass things that belonged to Kitty and Jubilee. After losing most of their breakables during the first three months Logan was gone, the girls swiped a couple of crates of glassware being delivered to the dining room. Kitty smiled. Mr. Summers still didn't know what had happened. He'd searched the mansion pretty well for them but never Rogue's room. Guess he didn't think she had it in her.
Jubilee scampered off to the kitchen and returned with a half gallon of Chocolate Fantasy ice cream and three spoons - the second part of the Rogue's mad at Logan ritual. Kitty had Rogue laughing over something stupid Remy had done, and they were all ready for the ice cream.
They'd played this scene before. Oh, sometimes Rogue broke other things. Jubilee could still smell what had been her favorite perfume in the air. It had been her favorite until Rogue broke a bottle against her headboard, soaking her mattress with the smell. She'd finally convinced Ororo she needed a new mattress, but Jubilee swore she could still smell it. So the breakables could change, but the ice cream was a requirement.
"So, I guess you aren't going to the dance in couple of weeks with Paul, huh?" Jubilee asked.
"Guess not," Rogue muttered. Great. She'd bought a slinky dress, shoes and even special hose that glittered, and now, she wouldn't even be going to the spring formal. Gag, she thought. And people like Jean would pity her. She wished the earth would open up and swallow her.
"We'll go together," Jubilee declared. She'd just have to tell St. John what was going on and hope he'd understand she'd have to break their date.
"What about ..." Kitty started before she was on the receiving end of a sharp elbow jab from Jubilee. "What about dinner that night? Where do we want to go?" she finished lamely, with a hope she didn't bruise.
"Don't care," Rogue said glumly. She knew St. John finally asked Jubilee to the dance. He'd gotten advice from her about asking her friend. But if Jubilee was willing to ditch him, she was willing to take the pity offer. Coming from Jubilee it was different than pity from Jean.
Loud voices floated past the door.
"Jean, I don't care what you say. I don't trust him. I know he still cares for you," Scott's voice faded and they didn't hear Jean's response.
Rogue looked at her friends. "Know what that's about?"
Jubilee almost choked on her ice cream in her eagerness to answer. "God, yes. Logan's back."
Rogue breathed a sigh of relief when Kitty and Jubilee headed to their bedroom and shut the connecting door. Logan's back. Logan's back. Logan's back. Logan's back. It just kept repeating itself in her brain until she thought she'd go insane. She wasn't even sure what she'd finally told Kitty and Jubilee to get them to leave.
Something lame like ‘I'm fine. No I didn't have my heart ripped out by some hormone crazed teen and then find out the person who still had the ownership papers had finally wandered back home and hadn't even bothered to tell me he was coming or seek me out.' Probably something like that, she told herself.
She wandered over to the window, gazing out at the stars. She wondered what it would be like to be a star. To burn brightly, be admired by thousands, to be so sure and steady. She turned, in the mirror, she caught sight of the rip in her shirt where Paul had been mauling her. Lucky he didn't get hurt, she thought, nausea sweeping over her. Grabbing a sweater, Rogue headed to the hillside. Her hillside.
Rogue smiled as she neared her tree. She stumbled across it the day Logan left. Unable to stand everyone looking at her, whispering, she'd run outside and found herself crying under the tree. When she looked up, she found the tree house. It had become her haven. She came when she wanted to be alone. Needed to be alone. Like tonight. Xavier knew about the place. For Christmas, he'd given her a telescope. One day she'd left for class and the telescope was in her room. When she came back it was gone, but a note was left behind. "In the tree house."
Someone, Scott she imagined, had bolted it in place. So Jean probably knew, great, Rogue thought as she climbed the ladder. Just great. It wasn't like she hated Jean. She just felt so awkward compared to Jean. Not that anyone really compared them. Rogue knew she wasn't even in the same class as Jean.
Logan was still stalking around on the grounds. Too wound up to sleep. He stumbled when he recognized her scent. He'd refused to admit to himself he was wound up over her. She was too young for him, too innocent. Too perfectly beautiful, he thought before he could stop himself. He meant to turn the other way. He meant to head back to the school. He meant to run screaming into the night, anything but head up the ladder. But that's what he did.
Her eye was pressed to the eyepiece. Her entire being focused on space. Logan took advantage of the time and gazed at her. Filling his mind with her looks, her smell, her moves, her energy. 'Wow,' he thought to himself as heat coursed through his bones at the sight of her. 'Down boy,' he said to himself. Marie had done some growing up while he'd been gone. 'But she's still too young.' He was repeating that over and over and didn't notice that she'd turned around until the scream crawled up her throat.
She launched herself at the intruder, crashing them both to the floor. Logan took the brunt of the fall and wrapped his arms around Rogue to protect her. She pounded on his chest, struggling to be freed.
"Marie, it's me, Logan," he shouted, trying to penetrate her fog of fear.
Oh, she'd known that the second their bodies had met. She'd decided that after months of making Kitty and Jubilee cope with her anger at being left behind, being discarded, she might as well take it out on him. With his powers of healing, it wouldn't be any time before he forgot her pesky blows.
He might forget the blows soon, but he wouldn't forget his body's reaction to hers. He felt himself starting to get hard as heat flowed from her body into his. He quickly scrambled up before she could tell the effect she had on him. It wasn't her. It had just been a long time since he'd been with a woman. Since before he met Marie, his brain reminded him before he clamped down on that thought.
"Sorry, Logan, just thought it was some strange man who didn't belong here. Wait, that is you," she said sarcastically and brushed past him and started down the ladder. She was almost to the school before he caught up with her.
"Now, just a minute, Marie. I belong here."
"Yeah? Then why did you leave? And why didn't you write or call or do something so we'd know you were OK? Oh, because you don't need anyone. You're fine all on your own. Well, why didn't you stay all on your own?" she yelled as she stormed through the school lobby.
Logan, who'd had enough of being yelled at by the women around here, grabbed her by the arm and whipped her around. "I didn't write or call because ... because ..."
"Because you're a jackass? A loser? A coward?" Rogue prompted.
"Because I was afraid if I talked to anyone I'd come back before I found out anything," Logan snapped out before he thought. 'Where did that come from,' he thought, even though he knew it was true. "This is home. But I had to know."
Rogue stared into his eyes, saw the pain mixed with acceptance. The truth hadn't been easy for him to take, she knew. She didn't really know how she knew, she just did.
"OK," she said simply and they stared at each other. "What'd you find?"
His eyes evaded hers. "Military."
Knowing there was much more to it than the single word, Rogue finally said, "Welcome home."
"Thanks," Logan said, reaching to give her a brotherly hug. She walked to him, and then he saw the tear in her shirt. "Did I do that in the tree house?" he asked pointing.
"This? No, Paul did that earlier," she said as she stepped into the hug, wrapping her arms around him. It felt good. It felt right. 'Would he ever know that?' she wondered as she laid her head against his chest. She felt it the moment the words sank in.
"Paul, your date?" he growled, claws popping out of his knuckles.
Rouge carefully disentangled herself from him. "Yeah."
"Where is he? I'll tear him apart. I'll rip him to shreds. How dare he? Doesn't he know you're too young to date? And what are you doing going out with a sleaze like that? You should be studying. And what was he thinking, you'd be a nice trophy? The untouchable girl?" Logan stomped around the room, sniffing, hoping to get a bead on the hot-to-trot teen.
Rogue stared in disbelief as she watched Logan melt down and felt the stab in her heart as he hit a little too close to the truth. Logan didn't think anyone would want her for her. Logan didn't want her, not like that anyway. She was just someone to take care of, when he was here. Like a little sister. She finally broke.
"How dare he?" Rogue shouted. "At least he wasn't afraid to touch me. At least he didn't think of me as a little sister. He wanted me, Logan."
She watched as his face turned deep red. "He wanted to touch me, Logan, everywhere. And how do you know I didn't want him, too? What do you think about that?" she asked as she bounded upstairs.
It was several minutes before Logan calmed down enough retract his claws. It was more than an hour before he relaxed enough to climb the stairs and stumble into his room. He'd had a long day. He finally came home. Discovered Jean wasn't his dream woman. Started having strange thoughts about Marie and had been yelled at more times than he'd care to remember. And some teen bag of hormones was groping Marie. Yeah, a hell of a day, he thought as he drifted into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, Logan strode to Xavier's office like a man on a mission. And it made sense. He was on a mission. He pushed open the door, ignoring the secretary who was already out of her seat.
"Joyce, don't worry about. I'll see Logan. Sit," he directed his not-so-unexpected arrival. Even without telepathy, he'd heard the fight between Logan and Rogue last night.
"Chuck, we've got to stop this ... this ... bullshit," Logan spat.
"And what ... bullshit ... are you referring to?"
"The bastard that's mauling Marie."
Xavier gave him a cool look. "Why do I need to interfere in the private lives of my students?"
"Because it's wrong. She's not old enough to date."
"She's almost 18," Xavier calmly reminded Logan.
"My point exactly," Logan crowed.
"Try again."
"He ripped her shirt," Logan yelled.
"Did she seem to mind?" Xavier asked, he knew which buttons to push.
"DID SHE MIND????? She's too young to know what she minds. And boys like that only have one thing in mind when they're sniffing around Marie."
"The same thing you have in mind?"
"Yeah ... I mean ... No. I don't think of Marie like that. She's like a sister to me," he explained lamely. Somehow it didn't even ring true to him anymore, but he couldn't stop to think about that when Charles could so easily pick his brain. "You need to tell them to stay away from her."
Xavier smiled. "Logan, I can't do that. Rogue wants a normal life. You know she's considered different, even here among mutants. I won't interfere with that. If you have concerns, take them to her."
"I tried that already. Thanks for nothing," he muttered as he stomped out of the office.
Xavier smiled as he left. Young love, it was so blind, he thought.
Logan knew he couldn't go to Marie again. She wouldn't listen. She didn't know what men could be like. How all they wanted was to get their hands on her hot, sexy body and sink into her. Body against body until ...
"Nice trip there, Metal Head?" Scott asked as he sat down with his breakfast tray.
"Yeah, One Eye. It was great," he snarled.
Jean eyed them before she sat down. "You two going to play nice?"
Scott held up his hands in a gesture of his innocence. "Hey, I just came to ask him about helping out with some classes like Xavier suggested. He's the one who bared his fangs."
Jean looked pointedly at Logan.
"He ... never mind," Logan said. He didn't want to explain what Scott interrupted. Or how it made him feel like a dirty old man to be having thoughts like that about Marie.
"Rogue, won't you join us?" Jean invited.
Rogue looked around. Scott, maybe. Logan. NO. Jean, ugh. Perfect Jean. "No, thanks. Kitty and Jubilee are waiting for me."
Jean struggled to control her expression. Scott patted her hand. "Honey, she'll come around."
Jean shrugged. "I'm fine. We don't all have to be friends."
Logan didn't get it. He knew Marie was nice to everyone. So why didn't she like Jean? Jean laughed. "What?" Logan asked.
"Sorry, didn't mean to read, but your mind was shouting. She's like she is because she's in love you with. She doesn't really like me, because ..." Jean faded off as she looked at Scott apologetically.
He squeezed her hand again. "She's like that because she's jealous of Jean and how you feel about her," Scott finished.
"But she doesn't love me, and I don't like you ..." Logan wondered if he'd ever keep his foot out of his mouth. "I mean. I don't like you like that anymore. I mean I did. And now I don't. Punch a hole in me with your laser beam," he requested.
Scott grinned. "Not a chance. Now that you aren't sniffing around my woman."
"You know, I'm going to hate not hating you anymore," Logan growled.
Scott nodded. "We'll just have to find someone else to hate."
As Paul walked by with his food, Logan said, "I think I've already found a candidate."
"Oh?" Scott prodded.
"He ..." Logan looked at Jean. "I'll explain later, guy talk," he explained.
Jean just smiled. She already knew what Paul had pulled. A couple of his buddies were in the infirmary this morning for something to help with the hangover they'd gotten. Jean of course gave them something to intensify the headaches and nausea after she overheard them talking about the crazy one (Jubilee she surmised) and the ice queen (Rogue). She just hoped Logan and Scott wouldn't let the little slimebag off too easily. He might be a good guy when he grew up and started to think with his brain, not his penis.
Rogue walked into the gym for combat class. It was always her favorite. She could hit and beat and work out any emotion. Scott was always her sparring partner. He wasn't afraid of her. OK. He wasn't afraid for his life like the others. Jubilee and Kitty almost ran into her when she stopped short and groaned. "Why me?"
"What?" they asked. And then they saw him. Logan. In the front of the room with Scott.
"Jubilee, kill me?" Rogue asked.
"Nope, girlfriend. I think I'll let you beat on him awhile. Might make you feel better."
Rogue considered that. Jubilee had a point.
Logan knew Marie was coming before she walked in. Her scent was driving him wild. He knew the moment she realized he was there. And judging from the expression on her face, she was not happy to see him. Damn it.
"So Metal Head. What did you do to piss her off?"
"Go to hell."
Scott just laughed and called the class to order. He made Logan her sparring partner for the fun of it.
And given the way they went after each other, he was surprised neither needed to go to the medbay when class was over.
Scott nodded to Rogue on his way out. She'd stayed behind to beat on the dummy. No, not Logan, the stuffed bag. She did that often, so Scott wasn't too worried. Besides he knew Logan was still inside. And while he was no longer after Jean, Scott did enjoy seeing him squirm. And he was sure Rogue could make the boy squirm but good.
Rogue took some half-hearted swipes at the bag. She was drained. First Paul, the jackass. Then Logan, like he has the right to tell her who to date. Don't be stupid, she thought. You're just pissed he didn't
grab you and kiss you brainless. Growl to the world that you're his, and no one can touch you but him.
But noooo, he had to say you were too young.
Logan watched her. God, he wanted her. NO, he pushed the thought away. Not thinking about how good she looks in those tight workout pants, he told himself as he saw her muscles ripple beneath the cloth. Get your mind on something else, he ordered himself.
"You punch like a girl." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. He meant to just leave, but he had to see her, touch her, be with her. Fighting would do, if he couldn't have anything else, which he couldn't.
"Yeah," she challenged as she turned and walked to him. "Why don't you show me how it's done?"
"I guess I can take it easy on you," he said as she landed the first punch in his gut. "OOmph."
"Please, take it easy on me. After all, I'm just a little girl who can't do anything for herself," she shouted as she landed a foot against his thigh.
"So, you are going to join this fight sometime tonight, right Logan?" she taunted as she landed a fist against his jaw.
Logan shook his head. Damn, she was gorgeous when she's pissed he thought as he finally blocked one of her punches. Her breasts jiggling kept him from seeing the foot she bashed into his side. Enough was enough. He lunged at her, dropping her to the floor and sprawling on top of her. Oh, major bad move, he thought as he felt his blood rush to a certain body part as he reacted to her softness.
He watched her eyes go wide as she felt him grow hard. A little smile formed on her lips, and he knew he was in such big trouble. He bounded up and said, "I think that's enough for today." He raced to his room and an ice cold shower. FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK. Maybe she didn't notice. Then he remembered that smile. Almost looked like a cat licking its lips after catching a bird. God, I'm the bird. Damn it. He stopped short of beating his head against the shower tile. He didn't feel like replacing it.
Rogue was still laying on the floor when Kitty and Jubilee found her.
"You all right?" Jubilee asked as she leaned down and helped her friend up.
"Yeah, I think I'm finally all right." Logan might not ever admit to her, or himself, how he felt, but she was pretty sure his body had hollered loud and clear that he wasn't immune to her. Now, she just had to figure out how to exploit his weakness. And she thought she had two willing accomplices.
"I need your help," she said before dragging them off to her room for a planning session.
Logan and Scott were in line at the cafeteria when Paul strode by with his buddies. "So, yeah, I got her to her room, and had most of her clothes off before her weirdo friends showed up. She's so not worth that type of hassle. I mean, who'd want to go to the dance with some wacked girl you can't even screw? Really, who'd want some freak like that?"
Scott didn't even try to stop Logan as he growled and lunged for the guy. He just picked up Logan's tray and watched. Jean had given him an idea of what had happened. He'd make sure he stopped Logan before any bones were broken, but stitches, that would be OK.
Paul was dangling from one of Logan's hands before he even saw him coming. "OK, punk. You want to know what kind of guy would want to go to the dance with Rogue? Let me tell you," he growled loudly. "I would. I'm taking her to the dance, and you better keep your sorry ass away from her. Got it?"
Paul nodded. Logan dropped him in a heap on the floor and stalked upstairs to Marie's room. He sniffed at the door. She wasn't there. Damn her. He followed her smell. He knocked and opened the door to the room of those girls who were always around Marie. The three of them looked up at him. He was so focused on Marie he didn't see Jubilee slide a notepad under a pillow. "I'm taking you to this dance." His eyes dared her to contradict him.
"All right," she said softly. "You need a suit. My dress is red."
Logan nodded. Damn it. A fucking suit? Hell, he was trapped now. "Good." He shut the door behind him and went downstairs to get some food. And ask Scooter where he could get a freaking suit and when
this dance was.
Jubilee pulled out the notebook. She crossed off item 3. Somehow get Logan to ask Rogue to the dance. "That was easy," she gloated.
"Too, easy," Rogue muttered, wondering what had happened to push Logan into asking her to the dance. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Rogue choked when she saw the scraps of material Jubilee held out to her. "That's not a swimsuit ... that's a ... a ..." Words failed her.
"A bikini," Jubilee said slowly. "Remember, it's part of the plan to make Logan see you as a woman, not a little girl," she said tapping the notepad.
Rogue glared at her. For some reason the plans that seemed so sensible in the middle of the night, seemed like the stupidest ideas ever in broad daylight. "But this isn't going to work."
"Sure it is. Right, Kitty." Kitty nodded. She couldn't wait to see Logan's face when he saw Rogue in the bikini. Of course, she and Jubilee agreed Rogue shouldn't know they were going to be spying. But it was really all for the cause. Rogue and Logan. Not because they were nosy or anything.
"Now, put it on," Jubilee ordered, shoving the swimsuit in her hand.
While Rogue was cramming her body into what passed as a swimsuit, Jubilee ran over the checklist with Kitty.
"Lounge chair?"
"Already set up on the garage roof."
"Check. Suntan oil?"
"In her bag to take up with her."
"Check. Gloves for Logan to rub the oil on her?"
"In the bag."
"Check. The Cosmo with the TEST."
"In the bag." Kitty snickered. "Either way he takes that one, it's going to be funny."
"Check. to the bag and the humor. Sunglasses?"
"In the bag."
"Check. Bottled water?"
"In the bag."
"Check. Binoculars?"
"In our bag. With our snacks, radio, suntan lotion."
"Check."
Rogue walked out, tugging ineffectually at the scraps of material, hoping they'd cover a little bit more. "This just isn't safe."
Jubilee tossed her a very sheer beach coverup. "Sure it is. Logan's going to be the only one around. And he knows what will happen if he touches your skin. Now, go, before he finishes scrubbing out the garage. Who knows what other punishment Mr. Summers has planned for him. Gosh, you'd think he'd wrecked the bike instead of just taking off with it for months."
Rogue sighed, grabbed the bag with "her weapons" as Kitty called them and headed out for the spot on the garage roof.
Jubilee grabbed Kitty's arm. "Let's go to her tree house. We should have a great line of sight from there."
Rogue dumped her bag next to the chair and got out her "weapons." Cautiously, she slipped out of the coverup. She smiled. It felt good to feel the sun on her skin. She never dared to head outside in a swimsuit, hell or even shorts and a T-shirt. But most of the other students were off on a field trip with Scott and Jean. The three girls stayed behind, quote: "To do homework."
She was positive Professor Xavier saw through it, but since he smiled and nodded and said, "Good plan," he obviously didn't know what they really had in mind. She'd have been wrong. He'd found his own place to set up and watch the afternoon's entertainment. He figured it was going to be a good show, watching Logan try to control himself.
Rogue glanced around, everything was in place. She could hear Logan banging around in the garage, cursing Scott with every other breath. She waited. She knew he'd smell her soon. The sun's heat would magnify her scent.
Logan growled when he heard the music coming from above him. One of those damn kids skipping class. Then he remembered they had all gone on that field trip. All of them except Jubilsomething, and Kitty Cat and Marie. Marie. He inhaled, ahhh. It was Marie upstairs. All the dust from the cleaning Scooter ordered had clouded his senses. Damn him, Logan thought as he decided it was time to take a break.
He headed up the back stairs to the roof. He almost fell backward to the ground when he saw her. Her skin, milky white, in contrast to the slips of material almost covering her in ripe peach. Almost good enough to eat, he thought, before yelling at himself. She's too young.
"Marie," he growled.
She tossed the magazine onto the roof, leaving the cover where Logan could read the quiz title. She'd practiced for hours this morning with Kitty and Jubilee. He'd see it in time. "Hey, Logan. Whatcha doin'?"
"Cleaning the garage. What are you doing?" As if he couldn't tell. Great, Logan. She's going to think you addled those brains along the way.
"Gettin' some sun, Sugah. With all the kids away, I'm not afraid of letting my skin hang out."
God, this sounded stupider than when Jubilee wrote it last night. Enough of this. She was going to be herself. Although, she liked calling him Sugah. She felt she was one of the few people who knew he really was sweet on the inside.
She sat up and put the chair's back down and flipped on her stomach.
"Logan, would you mind puttin' some sun block on my back? I don't want to burn. I think there's some gloves in the bag. Kitty and Jubilee were gonna come with me until they decided to stay in and do their nails." Hell, that sounded lame, but she couldn't come up with a better reason why there were gloves in her bag. And, hey, he was moving in.
Since he was wearing pants, he was able to sit on the side of the chair, his leg touching hers. Shit, he thought. This is such a bad idea. But her skin was beckoning to him. Touch me. Touch me. Caress me. Touch me. Fuck.
He reached in the bag and pulled out the lotion and the LATEX GLOVES? "What the?" he started.
Rogue twisted around to see what upset him. She almost smiled. Jubilee said those would get his attention. "Oh, that's what the girls use when they have to touch my skin, to help me with my hair or makeup or jewelry. They don't go around buying gloves so they can touch me."
Logan accepted the explanation and slipped them on. He poured the oil in his hands. It felt kinda good. He almost choked when she reached around and untied the bikini strap across her back.
"Thanks, Sugah."
Knowing this was going to be bad, Logan just decided to get it over with. He placed his hands on her back, slowly rubbing the oil in. He could feel Marie's breathing change as his hands stroked her back. Not stroked, he told himself. I'm just applying the oil. He tried to convince himself that's all he was doing when his fingers slid down her sides and brushed the sides of her breasts. She stopped breathing altogether and then let out a woosh of breath. Logan felt himself harden as his fingers traced a path down her ribcage. Whooa, boy, he thought. He looked around for anything to distract himself. He caught sight of the magazine and read the writing on the cover.
10 ways to make an older man beg in bed.
"Marie," he barked.
Startled, she flipped over, oblivious to the swimsuit top flapping around. Logan wasn't, and as much as he'd like to explore what was under those flapping edges, he tossed the coverup to her and growled. "Put that on."
Embarrassed, she did what he said. He didn't find her attractive. He hated her body.
"Marie, Scott's taken. Jeannie is going to marry him."
"Logan, I know that. What the hell are you talking about?"
He pointed to the magazine cover. "It doesn't matter if you can please him; you're never going to get a chance."
Rogue grabbed the magazine and rolled it up and smacked Logan up the side of the head with it. "Logan, you are the dumbest man I've ever known." And with that, she stalked off.
By the time Jubilee and Kitty had scrambled down from the treehouse, Rogue was in her room, going through glasses faster than a bullets in a machine gun.
She wouldn't answer the door, no matter how much they pleaded. Then Logan stalked up to them, staring at her door.
Jubilee marched up to him and poked her finger into his chest. He growled and she jumped back, but she still said what was on her mind. "What did you do to her? What did you say to her? Why did you make her mad?"
"I didn't ... I ... I don't know," he said lamely.
He heard her coming to the door. "Jubilee, Kitty. He didn't do or say anything. I'm fine. Go on. I'll talk to you later." She started to close the door, but Logan wedged his foot in before she could slam it on him.
"We need to talk, Marie."
"Logan, I don't want to talk to you."
"Then you can listen," he said and closed the door behind him. She still had the swimsuit on and pulled the wrap tighter around her.
"I don't know what I did ..." his voice trailed off when she just hurrumphed at him and slouched into a pillow on her bed.
"OK, so you're mad. I get that. I just don't get what I did. Ever since I came home, you've been mad at me. Except when I tell you I'm taking you to the dance. After that number Paul pulled, I couldn't let you go alone or not go ..." He saw the anger flame up in her eyes.
"So it's a pity date? Is that all I am to you? Someone to take care of and watch over and feel sorry for? Well, then just take your sorry butt out of here and find some other loser to take to the dance with you 'cause I'd rather die first." She got up and locked herself in her bathroom.
Logan sat on her bed for a moment. What happened? It had started out a lousy day and morphed right on into one from the twilight zone ... the hell years.
When Rogue didn't come out after half an hour, Logan stalked off down to the Danger Room to work off some of his anger. By the time Scott came back from the field trip, the punching bag had been ripped to shreds and the stuffing decorated the floor like snow.
"Logan?"
"Look, One Eye, keep your creepy hands off her. She's too good for you to play games with."
"Metal-head, the games Jean and I play are none of your business."
"I'm not talking about Jean," he growled.
"Then who?" Logan always gave Scott headaches, and the one he felt coming on was going to be a doozy.
"Marie, keep your hands off Marie."
Since Logan wasn't looking at him, Scott smiled. Oh, Jean was going to love this.
"What makes you think I'd put my hands on her. I'm in love with Jean, in case you didn't notice."
"She was reading this magazine. Something about 10 ways to make an older man beg in bed or something like that."
"That was the name of the magazine?" Scott prodded.
"No. It was Cosmo or something."
"So this was just one article? Maybe she was reading the magazine for other stuff in it?"
Scott knew this wasn't the case, but he didn't think Logan was quite ready for the truth yet. That Rogue had her sights set on him.
Logan growled. He was stupid. He wasn't ready to agree with Marie that he was the stupidest man on earth, but he was stupid. He cursed to himself. Now, he was going to have to find a way to apologize for thinking Marie would go after Scott.
"I've always found that chocolates say, ‘I'm sorry I'm stupid.' better than anything else. Godiva," Scott shared wisely.
"Godiva what?"
"Logan, man, Godiva chocolates. Girls swoon over them."
Logan nodded. "Where?"
Scott stepped back. This was not going to be pretty. "Mall."
The growl almost made the floor vibrate.
Rogue had managed to avoid Logan for three days. He hadn't been back in combat class. She always managed to sit far away from him in the dining hall, and any time he seemed headed in her direction, she hightailed it the other way.
She found the chocolates on her bed when she came up from dinner on the fourth day after the garage incident. "I'm stupid and sorry. Will you stop avoiding me? Logan."
She felt tears well up. She'd never known Logan to apologize before. She padded her way into Kitty and Jubilee's room. They'd felt horrible for their roles in this mess. She popped her head in. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," they chimed together.
Rogue held out the box of chocolates. The really big box of chocolates. "From Logan," she said gleefully.
Jubilee checked them out. "Wow. At least $30. What did he say when he gave them to you?"
"He just left a note saying he was sorry," Rogue said as she picked out a piece of chocolate.
"Cool," Jubilee said.
Rogue could not believe she was going to ask this. "Jubilee, what's next on the list of ways to get Logan's attention?"
"Glad you asked, Rogue. I've been working on the list."
Kitty bounced on the bed. "Some of them are soooo good, Rogue."
Rogue just groaned. She was so frightened. But she wanted Logan, so she put her trust in Jubilee. That was even more frightening.
Rogue hitched the towel around her, tighter. She could not believe she'd agreed to Jubilee's stupid idea. But she wanted Logan to take her to the dance as a date, not some lame ‘I'm protecting her from the harsh world' thing. And time was running out. The dance was a week from tonight.
She knocked on Logan's door. It was early, so no one would be up to see her humiliation. Or be zapped by all the skin she was exposing. She loosened her grip on the towel. Jubilee said it should be drooping just a little.
Logan knew Rogue was on the other side. He could smell her. She smelled like her but ... nervous? Considering they hadn't talked since she ran into her bathroom, that made some sense.
He was in no way prepared for seeing Rogue in a skimpy pink towel that barely covered her butt. And out in the hallway. And her long hair, up in another towel. Leaving her lovely neck exposed, just begging to be nuzzled. Down, Logan.
"Hey, Marie," he managed to keep most of the growl out of his voice.
"Logan," damn it, her voice was almost squeaking. "Can I borrow some shampoo? I ran out."
Logan just stared at her. For a little too long. "Logan, shampoo?"
He shook his head. He'd envisioned himself washing her hair, the warm water from the shower cascading over them both.
"Hang on."
He came back with a bottle. "Here, kid." He threw that in to remind himself she was too young for him. As the hurt flashed in her eyes, he'd have given anything to take it back.
"Thanks," she mumbled and walked away.
Logan stared at her legs as she walked. She had mighty fine legs. Maybe it was time for a cold shower.
Kitty and Jubilee were waiting for a full report when Rogue walked into her room. She shrugged into a heavy robe and crashed onto her bed.
Jubilee looked at her hopefully.
Rogue shook her head, her hand extended for a glass to toss against the wall.
"Damn," Jubilee muttered.
Couldn't have said it better myself, Rogue thought as she hugged a pillow. The sound of shattering glass was little comfort.
I don't understand women, Logan thought a few days later as he watched Marie skitter in another direction once she saw him. He couldn't stand telling Scott the chocolate hadn't worked. Maybe it worked, until he called her a kid and brought that look of pain into her eyes. He just didn't know what to do next. And he was running out of time. The formal was five days away. He'd even bought a freaking suit - well some decent pants and a nice shirt and tie. Scott said it was close enough.
He still hadn't come up with any answers by the time he slammed the door shut to his bedroom. All he wanted to do was watch hockey and drink a couple of beers. Scott knew about the hockey game, but Logan had snuck the beer in. The fearless leader didn't like the kids being around alcohol.
He'd downed a few before the knock came at the door. With his luck it'd be Scott, all pissy about the beer. Damn, he'd just gotten kinda mellow. The last few days had been hell, what with Marie running from him every time he got close. So he was shocked to see her at his door.
"Logan, I need some help with some homework. I'm not interrupting, am I?" she asked as she bulldozed her way past him. If this didn't work, she was going to die of humiliation. And she'd take Jubilee with her.
"Nah, come on in. So what's the assignment?"
"It's this scene from ‘The Taming of the Shrew.' I'm just having trouble understanding Shakespeare. Professor Baker suggested acting it out with someone. I heard the television and thought you might not mind."
"Be glad to," he said, trying not to notice how tasty she looked, wearing a peach colored tight sweater and short skirt with sheer tights and the peach froth of a scarf at her neck, hanging down until it almost touched her breast. Logan stopped himself before he thought much about her breasts. That was seriously dangerous territory.
Rogue handed him a copy of the script and nudged Logan to start reading.
PETRUCHIO Come, come, you wasp; i' faith, you are too angry.
KATHARINA If I be waspish, best beware my sting.
PETRUCHIO My remedy is then, to pluck it out.
KATHARINA Ay, if the fool could find it where it lies,
PETRUCHIO Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting? In his tail.
KATHARINA In his tongue.
PETRUCHIO Whose tongue?
KATHARINA Yours, if you talk of tails: and so farewell.
PETRUCHIO What, with my tongue in your tail? nay, come again, Good Kate; I am a gentleman.
KATHARINA That I'll try.
Following stage directions, Rogue slaps Logan across his cheek. Logan raises one eyebrow, and she just points to the script and shrugs.
PETRUCHIO I swear I'll cuff you, if you strike again.
KATHARINA So may you lose your arms: If you strike me, you are no gentleman; And if no gentleman, why then no arms.
Logan glanced down at the script and the stage directions, so kindly added by Jubilee, with apologies to the Bard. Mentally he cursed Marie's teacher. And thanked him.
Logan tossed the book aside, swept her into his arms, draped the scarf across her face and kissed her. Kissed her like he'd been wanting to for days, weeks. Since he left. He poured his soul into the kiss. Felt her kiss back, drew her closer when it felt like her legs were giving out on her. When she moaned and wrapped her arms around him, Logan stiffened and broke the kiss. He couldn't tear his gaze from her face. Her eyes were all heavy and dark with desire. He should be shot, he thought as he pushed her away.
"Sorry, Marie. You should leave."
She couldn't believe him. He'd just given her the most magical, romantic, sexy moment of her life, and he apologized. He fucking apologized to her.
"Yeah, maybe I should," she said, grabbing her book and slamming the door so hard it knocked a picture off the wall in the hallway.
When Rogue came back from her latest assignment with her jaw clenched, tears glistening in her eyes and not willing to talk about, didn't even want to break anything, Jubilee got pissed. Who was this man? Didn't he realize what he was doing to Rogue? She finally got it out of her. Logan had kissed her socks off and then apologized. Sounded like the plan was starting to work, but he was being such a pig-headed man, Jubilee just wanted to smack him.
So, when she found herself alone with Logan the next day, she just couldn't help herself. It was after combat class. Jubilee had stayed behind to work on her kicking. She just felt like kicking the crap out of something, and Mr. Summers said he didn't mind if she broke in the new punching bag. He'd been pretty silent on what happened to the old one. She was pretending the bag was Logan, when guess who walked in? She shot an icy glare at him and gave the bag one last fierce kick.
"Didn't know anyone was here. I'll come back."
"No, Logan, come on in. I've been wanting to have a little chat with you," she said in a voice that Logan decided sounded just a bit menacing. But no way was he afraid of a girl.
"Fine."
Jubilee went past him and shut the door, turning the lock since she didn't want any interruptions.
"Logan," she said flatly and walked to him until they were face to face.
"Logan, are you really this clueless or are you a heartless jackass of a man?" she asked calmly.
"I don't have to take this crap from ..." He stopped when he saw her pull out brass knuckles from her gym bag.
"Yeah, you do, buddy. See we're going to have a little chat about Rogue. Remember her? The cute brunette?"
Logan knew he'd heard rumors that Jubilee was insane, but he hadn't given them much credence until now.
"I remember Marie." Duh, he thought. Why else had he been taking cold showers since he came home?
"I just want to know your intentions toward her. And the dance."
He stared at Jubilee like she'd lost a few screws. More like an entire screw factory he thought. "I was going to take her to the dance, but I don't think she wants to go with me now."
"You don't think she wants to go with you now? And whose fault is that, bub?" she asked as she poked a finger into his chest.
Logan was getting pretty tired of girls poking at his chest, so he growled. Jubilee just glared at him. "It's hers. She's been acting all freaky lately."
"Freaky? Is that what you call it?" she asked incredulously. Rogue was right. This was the stupidest man on earth.
"Yeah, what would you call it?"
Jubilee started pacing. She was going to lay the cards on the table. She just hoped Rogue would speak to her sometime before they died. And she hoped she wasn't going to be dying really soon at Rogue's hand.
"I'd call it throwing herself at you, dumb ass."
Logan gulped air for a full two minutes before he could formulate a response. Jubilee tried not to laugh.
"Throwing herself at me? No, she has a thing for Scott."
"You are stupid," Jubilee hissed at him. "She doesn't have a thing for Scott. She has a thing for you, although I totally don't understand that at this point. She was trying to get your attention. You keep treating her like a kid sister, and that's not what she wants. And I'd bet money you don't really think of her as a kid sister, unless it's some sick incestuous thing."
Logan growled at her and glared.
"That's it? You think there's something wrong with you liking her? Man, you just keep turning out to be dumber and dumber. Do you have any freaking brain cells working?"
I don't have to take this shit, he thought as he headed for the door.
"You've made her cry."
He turned around.
"Yep, she cares so much about you that when she smacked you on top of the roof for thinking the magazine was about Scott and not you, she broke stuff. When you called her kid, after she came to you in that skimpy towel, she broke some more stuff. But when you freaking apologized for giving her the second kiss of her life, the first one that didn't leave someone in a coma, she finally broke down and cried. And you're too chicken to do anything about it. Even though you want her more than you have anyone else? I would never have thought Wolverine was a chicken." Knowing her arrows would hit their targets, she flipped the lock on the door and flounced out.
Scott found Logan still sitting in the room an hour later. Logan had been running Jubilee's rant through his mind over and over.
"Logan, you OK?"
"Scott, am I a chicken?"
Scott had a feeling he didn't want to answer this question. "In what context?"
"Women."
Ahh. "Women or Rogue? 'Cause, trust me, there's a difference," Scott said a tad too smugly.
"Rogue," Logan growled.
"When it comes to Rogue, Logan my pal, you are very much a chicken." Scott left. He was partly afraid Logan would break his face. And partly eager to tell his fiancee about the downfall of Logan.
Logan wandered the mansion for hours until he found himself outside Professor Xavier's office.
Come in, Logan.
Damn, I hate that, Logan thought.
"Sit down, Logan."
Logan sat. Stared at the man behind the desk. The one who brought them all here together.
Xavier waited, but Logan just sat there scowling, letting out an occasional growl.
"Did you come to talk, Logan, or are we just going to stare at each other?"
"Chuck, I ..." Logan didn't have a clue about where to start. Fuck. The only thing that came to mind was horribly embarrassing. "I'd like your permission to date Marie." Thank God it was out.
Xavier struggled to control his laughter. He expected something along this line, ever since the day he watched her smack Logan's head, but he had no idea Logan would be so old-fashioned about it.
"Logan, you don't need my permission to date Rogue. You just need to get her to say yes."
"Chuck ... Professor Xavier, you're the closest thing she has to a father here. I feel like I'm taking advantage of her. Of the crush she had on me. Of how much older I am than she is. Of pretty much everything. I need to know you're OK with me asking her out."
"Trust me, Logan. You should be much more worried about her saying yes. But for the record, I think it's fine. But no sexual relations until she's 18. That's four months away. In August. Right before she starts her senior year. Do you agree to that?"
Logan would have agreed to anything, but he growled for form's sake. "Four months?"
"Four months. Trust me, Logan, she'll keep you on your toes. You won't even notice the time flying by."
Next, Logan hunted down Jubilee. She was in the library with that slimy new guy, Remy. God, she was flirting. That guy was old enough to be ... well, we just won't go there, he thought. He had no clue how much older than Marie he was. Something about living in glass houses.
He slammed his hands down on the table between then and growled at Remy. "Get lost. I need to talk to Jubilee."
Remy unimpressed shook his head. "No."
When Logan looked like his claws were going to pop out, Jubilee told Remy it was all right and motioned for Logan to sit down. "Remy, I'll see you later." She turned to Logan, "What the hell do you want?"
Logan took a deep breath and swallowed his pride. "I want to ask Marie to go to the dance in a way that will make her swoon."
Jubilee clapped her hands together. "Hot damn."
That's how Logan ended up outside Marie's door the night before the dance with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, a white rose and a box of chocolates. Wearing a tie. Damn it. He was going to wear a tie two nights in a row. But Lord help him, he knew Marie was worth it.
Even though she was still mad at him, Rogue laughed when she opened the door. "What type of dare did you lose?"
"Marie, can I come in?"
"Wait, let me guess. Scott found something you'd done to his bike and wanted to make you suffer? No, I know. Jean caught you and Scott fighting and wanted to make you suffer?"
Logan growled. "Marie, let me in."
And he pushed past her and dumped juice, rose and chocolates in heap on her bed.
"Jubilee had this all planned out, down to a damn script I was to follow, but you apparently didn't get your copy, so just shut up," he said and slammed her door shut.
"Jubilee had a plan?" Her friend was dead in so many ways.
"Just don't talk, Marie."
When she opened her mouth, he just pulled her hard up against his body, pulled a silk scarf out of his pants pocket and draped it over her mouth. His mouth claimed hers in a heat so intense, she was sure the cloth between them was going to burst into flames. His growl when she kissed him back sent a shiver down her spine. If he didn't stop soon, Logan knew he'd break his promise to the Professor tonight, and Marie deserved better. She deserved romance.
He gently broke the kiss, resting his head on hers. "Marie, will you please just listen to me?"
Since she wouldn't be able to speak for hours if not days, she just nodded.
He sat on her bed and pulled her down into his lap.
"I'm the stupidest man on earth. I admit it. I was so busy telling myself I was too old for you, that I was wrong for you, that I didn't see you. Sweet, wonderful Marie trying to tell me you cared. If you still care, if I haven't ruined that with all my testosterone, I would love it if you went to the dance with me. Please. Not as a pity date, but as a real date."
Logan quaked in his shoes when he saw the tear stroll down her face. "Shit, don't cry, Marie. I can't handle that. You can't cry. Stop it."
With each order, another tear followed the first. She swiped at the tears with the back of her glove and sniffled. "What about Jean?" She still couldn't believe that Logan was interested in her, not Jean.
"Uhm, I'm pretty sure she's going to the dance with Scott."
"No, I mean, I thought you wanted Jean."
"Maybe at first. But before long, all I could think about was this cute little hitchhiker with brown hair and a gorgeous smile, when she's not pissed at me."
Marie flashed him that smile, and Logan was afraid she'd hear his heart melt into a puddle.
"So, will you go to the dance with me?"
"Yeah," she said and hugged him tight.
Waking up the next morning, Rogue was afraid it had all been a dream. But the white rose tacked to her door convinced her she wasn't dreaming. I'm going to the dance with Logan. She smiled at the thought. Oh, she wasn't crazy enough to think it would last. There was still that issue of her skin like killing people. But it was a start.
She, Jubilee and Kitty made a daylong affair out of getting ready. Frankly, Logan was scared by the noises coming out of the room Kitty and Jubilee shared. There were all these squeals and giggles and outright laughs. But he started to think the silences scared him more.
Logan grimaced as he fought to get his tie to lie down. When the knock came at his door, he growled. "Come in."
Ororo glided in. "It's all ready. Here let me fix that."
He waited, more or less patiently, while she fiddled with his tie. "So the dinner?"
"It's in chafing dishes by the table. Candles are ready to be lit. Sparkling grape juice on ice."
She smiled when Logan rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Scott was in the kitchen all afternoon. I think he was watching over Professor Xavier's stash of alcohol."
Logan growled. But it was better than nothing.
"Oh, and I warned everyone to stay away while you and Rogue had dinner."
"Owe you, Ororo."
"Yep, and one of these days I'll make you pay. There. All better. My, you look sorta handsome when you clean up."
Logan grimaced in the mirror. He wore dark blue pants with a cranberry shirt and navy and cranberry tie. That's what the tags had said anyway. And Scott mentioned the idea that Rogue might swoon, he looked so good. He could live with that.
He headed down the hallway to pick up Marie. When Jubilee came to the door, he growled.
"Down, boy, she's almost ready. She wants to make an entrance," Jubilee whispered. "Don't ruin it by being a man."
Logan glared at her. She just patted him on the cheek and giggled. When he caught sight of Marie, she could have been hitting him with a baseball bat and he wouldn't have noticed. As it was, his tongue was almost hanging out.
His little Marie was decked out in a long, flowing dress of red hot flame. There was a scoop neckline that wonderfully framed her cleavage, capped sleeves and long silk gloves ... and the back. Hell, there wasn't a back. Oh, he finally saw glints of shiny stones set in some sorta gauzy material. Wow. He tried not to drool. Wasted effort.
"Marie, you look ... wonderful," he finally croaked out.
"Thanks, Sugah. You don't look bad yourself." Of course that was putting it mildly. Marie found herself blushing when she decided it should only take about 10 seconds to get him out of his pants, tie and shirt. She did not need to be having those thoughts. Logan wasn't really ready to think of her that way. But she was going to enjoy what she had while she could.
Logan registered the blush and decided to ask her about it later. And he pushed back his musings on how he could get her out of that dress.
"Ready?" he asked gruffly.
"Yeah, where are we going?"
"Dinner." That was it. No more info for Marie, or her nosy friends, he decided.
She smiled at Jubilee and Kitty. "See you at the dance."
Rogue started to blush when she realized Logan was taking her to the garage roof.
"Logan," she started.
"Marie, I wanted some time alone with you. Trust me."
She gasped when she saw the romantic setting Ororo had set up under Logan's instructions.
He held her seat out and handed her a white rose then sat across from her.
"Logan, this is too much."
"No such thing for you, Marie. Now, let's eat."
So they ate and talked. Talked about her plans for the summer. Maybe a correspondence class or two while she spent the time at the school. His plans to stay and teach and Xavier's offer for him to join the team. Of places they wanted to go see. Prince Edward Island, Alaska, California, England, according to Marie. Logan wanted to go to the Amazon rain forest, Egypt, Las Vegas. They didn't talk about them. Their relationship. Logan figured he'd made himself clear. They were a couple. End of story.
Marie figured they were in this trial period, where Logan could run when he realized being with her wouldn't satisfy him. But she was determined not to let that bug her. And she reminded herself of that after dinner when Logan reached over with a gloved hand, he'd worn gloves with his suit, and asked, "What's going on behind those gorgeous eyes of yours?"
She forced a smile on her face. "Just wondering what's for dessert."
"I've heard rumors of cheesecake." He saw her eyes go wide at the thought. "With chocolate."
"Logan, I love you." She saw the look on his face. "I mean for thinking of cheesecake. I didn't mean ... awh, hell."
Logan decided to make light of it. He wished she'd meant it meant it. For him and not the food. But in time. Maybe. "I know what you meant."
He got up and brought the plate over to the table. Trust Ororo to think of everything, he thought as the single plate with the single fork registered.
Putting the dish between them, he scooped a bit of chocolatey goo on the fork and fed Marie the first bite. He could have sworn she moaned. He just didn't get it. Chocolate must be a girl thing, he thought. Then she fed him a bite. He felt a growl forming in the back of his throat. But for him, it was the taste of Marie still on the fork. God, is that what she'd taste like if he nipped the skin on her neck? If so, he'd gladly die a happy man in exchange.
After they finished eating, they headed down to the dance with Marie's arm tucked trustingly beneath his. When the music, perfumes and chattering teens assaulted his senses, Logan wondered momentarily why he asked Marie to go with him. Oh, yeah, that little brat Paul. And when Marie waved at her friends but led Logan out on the dance floor instead of joining them, Logan thought of the other reason. He drew her close to him, snuggling her body next to his. Her breasts pressing gently into his chest, their thighs creating friction as they rubbed against each other. With the restrictions the professor put on him, Logan knew this was the safest way to have Marie in his arms - in full view of everyone.
He thought it was safe until Marie twined her arms around his neck and brushed a gloved fingertip across his ear. He could imagine it was her tongue tracing his skin. God, he wanted her. Four months he told himself. Four very long months. He drew her closer, until they almost became one person. They danced like that for hours.
Once Remy came up to them with the idea of asking Rogue for a dance. When Logan growled at him and glared, Remy went off in search of less dangerous company.
Rogue smiled at Logan. "Sugah, you don't have to scare them off. You're the only one I want to dance with tonight."
Logan felt his chest swell with pride. "Good. 'Cause I'm the only person you're going to dance with tonight," he growled softly into her ear.
Rogue felt heat flash through her body as his breath rustled her hair. She wondered how much longer they had to stay with everyone before they could ditch the dance and have a little celebration of their own.
A couple of times she suggested leaving, but Logan always shook his head. "Nah, let's stay and dance. I love dancing with you." And she melted.
Apparently their dancing caught the attention of some folks, since Scott wandered over and suggested they put a little more space between their bodies. When Logan glared and flexed his hands, as if trying to decide if it was time for claws, Scott grimaced and walked off muttering, "or maybe not."
The dance started winding down around 1:30 in the morning. Finally, Logan let Rogue draw him out to the gardens. He figured they couldn't get into too much trouble as long as there wasn't a bed around. Or a couch. Or a chair he thought as he watched her hips sway under her dress. His hands just itched for the claws to come out and carefully cut the dress off Rogue to reveal the secrets and mysteries of her body.
When Logan spied the secluded corner of the garden and the stone bench, he didn't realize how much trouble he was in. His eyes were on hers as she sat down and grabbed his hand and drew him next to her. In a flash, her hands were on his body. She had him out of his tie before he knew what had happened. And then, Lord Almighty, her mouth. It was kissing his chest through his thin dress shirt. Lighting forest fires of desire everywhere it touched. When her teeth found one of his nipples through the material, Logan let out a fierce growl and clamped his arms around her. On their own, they traveled down her back and settled just above the curve of her hips.
He felt himself falling. Actually, Rogue was pushing him, until his back was flat against the bench and she was straddling his waist. He felt his body's reaction to being so close to the core of her desire. He was in trouble. Rogue smiled charmingly at him as she felt his response. She was glad she could get a rise out of him, so to speak, she thought gleefully. Jubilee was right about this being a great position.
Running her fingers over his chest, she quickly set her mind to the buttons on his shirt. All the while her mouth kept up its moist exploration of his chest. How she wanted to be able to run her tongue over his skin, but this would have to do for now, she thought wistfully.
Logan couldn't stop her. He wished he'd brought a scarf or handkerchief or anything that would let him kiss her. His mouth devouring hers. God, he wanted her. Desire and lust clouded his mind. All he could do was feel her wreaking havoc with his body. He couldn't think.
Marie smiled at the look on Logan's face. The frustrated, aroused look of a man on the edge of losing control. She liked that look on his face, she thought as her gloved fingertips trailed a path down the open edges of his shirt to his belt.
Logan's eyes flew open at the touch. Summoning every ounce of willpower, he sat up and put some space between him and the seductress known as Marie.
Seeing the hurt flare into her eyes, the words started tumbling out of his mouth. "Don't. Marie ... this between us ... it's not right. I ... we ... you ..."
As the hurt turned to anger, Logan just couldn't find the words. It didn't help that she grew more beautiful the angrier she got. Lust had his brain on freeze.
He never saw it coming. The smack as her hand connected with his face echoed in the garden.
"You bastard. This doesn't mean anything to you, does it? It really was a pity date. Damn," she bolted up. "I thought you were coming around. Oh, I'm not foolish enough to think you actually loved me or anything, but damn it, I was hoping you'd stopped seeing me as ‘poor little Marie. I have to protect her from the big bad world.' I hoped you'd realized I'm a WOMAN. And damn it, I'm going to find someone who's actually willing to have sex with me. I hate you."
The words echoing in his mind, breaking his heart, paralyzed him. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.
She thought he pitied her. How could she think that. They'd talked. He'd told her he loved her. Wait. He'd told her that hadn't he? He wracked his mind. He'd said it to her hundreds of times in his imagination. He hadn't. Fuck. He had never told her he loved her. Never told her the Professor had made one request. And while Logan wasn't a terribly honorable man, he wanted to be honorable where Marie was concerned. She brought it out in him. Damn, he thought as he jumped up and followed her.
Rogue made it to her room without running into anyone. She grabbed the first thing she could find and slammed it up against the wall, shattering it into little pieces. Too bad. She'd really liked that vase the Professor had given her. Her fingers closed around a figurine Jubilee had given her. A wolverine. She clutched it to her chest. Then she heard him, thundering up the steps. She locked the door defiantly and curled up on her bed.
"Marie," he called as he banged his fist against the wood. "Open this door, right now." She could hear the growling growing louder and louder.
"Go away. I don't have anything else to say to you."
"I have something to say, so open this damn door right this second."
"Go to hell."
Out of the corner of his eye, Logan realized this little scene had attracted a crowd, with Jean and Scott in the front row. Just what I need, he thought.
Scott took one step toward him. Logan whipped his head around, pinned the man with his eyes and said, "Leave it alone."
The pain in his eyes was clear to any man who'd been whipped by a woman. Whose heart had been whipped, Scott thought as he stepped back next to Jean.
"Marie, I swear, if you don't open this door in 10 seconds, I'm going to tear it from its hinges and shred it."
He could smell her. Anger. Hurt. Damn. This wasn't how he wanted to tell her. But she wasn't leaving him a fucking choice.
"I love you," he growled.
The girls in the hall swooned. The guys, well, they knew they didn't really stand a chance with Rogue before, but this was the nail in the coffin.
Logan heard her little gasp as she drew a breath.
"What?"
"Darlin', I said I love you. You're the only woman for me. I ... I don't know that I can live without you. I know I'd sure as hell wish I were dead if I didn't have you." The sighs in the hallway gave him an idea he'd done good.
She was at the door in seconds. She flung it open, her hands defiantly on her hips. "Then why the hell did you push me away? I thought you didn't want to ... didn't ..."
Logan clutched her to him, holding her so close, almost suffocating her. "Darlin', I want you so much I hurt."
"Then why'd you push me away?"
"I promised the professor I wouldn't ..." he couldn't even finish the sentence before she'd kissed him. No cloth. Nothing but her lips on his. Heaven. She pulled away before she could hurt him, but the quick flash of heat had his body pleading, ready for more.
And then she was gone. She was marching toward the Professor's rooms. And she was mad. She turned and gave him one last look. "I love you, too, Sugah."
Logan smiled to himself. She was gorgeous when she was mad. Then he turned to Jean. "Should we warn him?"
Jean smiled. "Nah. He deserves it if she surprises him."
Charles had been meditating, so he wasn't ready for the ball of fury that stomped into his private quarters.
"Just who the hell do you think you are, Chuck?" Logan tended to pop out now and then when she was flaming mad. Like now.
"Rogue, enjoyed the dance I see?"
"Cut the charm. I want to know who the hell you think you are to tell Logan he has to stay away from me." She paced to ward off the desire to punch him. Must be Logan again she thought.
"Rogue, I don't know what he told you, but I told him I was happy about him pursuing a relationship with you. I am. I want you to be loved, and I think Logan is the man to do it."
"But ..." she felt the steam fading.
"What did he say to you?"
She fought to remember Logan's exact words. " ‘I promised the professor I wouldn't."
Knowing what Logan promised, Charles smirked. "And in what context, Rogue?" he asked as if asking a 4-year-old to count to 10.
"I asked him why he pushed me away and didn't want to ... uhm ..." She didn't know why, but the words were hard to say to the professor.
"Make love?" he prompted.
"Yeah." She felt the blush creeping up her body. She reached out to Jean. kill me?
You're on your own. And Logan's waiting in his room when your done with the Professor.
The thought of joining Logan there later made her feel better. Just a little.
"Rogue, sit down." He gestured to a soft, chocolate brown leather couch. She sat, and he wheeled up next to her.
"All the students are special to me, Rogue. But you ... it's different. Like Logan, I want to protect you. And right now, it's to protect you from yourself. I know students your age are having sex. But I can't condone a teacher, which is what I hope Logan will be, to have sex with a student. Especially one not yet 18. So I asked Logan if he would wait until your birthday to make love with you. Even though you'll still be a student, I can't find it in me to stand in your way after that. I just won't allow him to grade you. Can't have you getting good grades because you turned him inside out the night before, can I?"
The blush was back, full force. Hell, it could light up a small city.
"I guess not. So you don't ... disapprove?"
Charles laughed. "Not a bit. Now, go to him. Just be back in your own room by curfew, which is in about 20 minutes."
And before he could blink, Marie had brushed her fingers down his cheek and was gone. She didn't want to waste a single one of those minutes.
They were cuddled on his bed, Marie resting her head on his shoulder, Logan's arm tightly around her, holding her close.
"Why didn't you set me straight?"
A growly laugh rumbled in his chest. "Cause you look hot when you're mad." Oomph. "Hey, now. No more elbows. Seriously, you were gone before I could set you straight. And I'd already declared my love for you in front of the entire damn school. Thought it would serve him right for the trouble he'd caused."
Marie sighed. It made sense in a Loganesque way. She flinched when the alarm went off.
Logan stretched and sat up, pushing her away but keeping a hold on her hand. "Cinderella, time to take you home."
She wanted to fight. Wanted to ask him to let her stay. But, knew it wouldn't do any good. She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his chest as they walked into the hall.
Laughter welled up when she saw Scott in front of her door, waiting, staring at a watch.
Logan growled at him.
"Just doing bed check, Metal Head. Rogue is the only one not accounted for." God, he was going to love the next four months. He didn't have a problem with Rogue and Logan being together, but having the chance to make Logan's life hell was too good to pass up.
Logan stalked up to him and shoved him away from her door. "Go away."
"I ..." At the glare he got, Scott decided to wait waaaaay down the hall. He knew Jean liked his internal organs - uhm internal.
Rogue laughed and wrapped her arms around her man. HER MAN. What a night. "Logan, I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."
Logan turned in time to catch the pristine handkerchief Scott threw at him. Damn, he wasn't going to be able to hate the guy.
"I love you, too," he said gruffly as he draped the cloth over her lips and ravished her mouth. He broke the kiss several seconds later when Scott cleared his throat. Yeah, he could hate the guy.
With one gloved hand on his face, Rogue turned him back to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sugah."
"Tomorrow," he said as he walked her turn and walk into her room. Her hips swayed to an internal rhythm. One that made his body hum. It was going to be a long four months, he thought as he headed to his room and a cold shower. He stalked past a smirking Scott. A really, really loooooong four months. He thought back to Marie and the garden. But it would be worth the wait.
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