Birds were singing outside, he could hear the song as it drifted in through the open window. The air was cool on his senses as he opened his eyes. The room was bright, new sunlight streaming in the window across the floor opposite. Smiling and sighing a little in relief Logan remembered the night before. The thoughts warmed him, deep inside.
Stirring slightly Logan returned back to where Marie had lay, his eyes closed, lips still curled into a soft smile.
"Mmm..." Opening his eyes only to have them fall on the empty spot where she had slept beside him. "Marie?"
Logan sat up and glanced around the room. It was more or less the same as it had been when he'd returned, although the details remained sketchy, after all he wasn't interested in the minor aspects of the room when she was there. His eyes drifted back to back to the ruffled spot in the covers beside him. Heightened senses were already flooded with her scent and as his body drifted down to her pillow they became drowned in essences of citrus and musk.
Finally drawing his head back from the soft pillow Logan sat upright once more. With a sigh he threw back the covers and jumped up out of bed. He'd never shown such zest in the morning hours as he had just now. He walked to the window and almost felt like purring softly as the warm sunlight poured onto him and flowed over his pale skin.
Sniffing the air deeply he yawned and stretched, groaning aloud. Meat, he could smell meat and, toast, burnt at that. 'Everyone else must be down at breakfast' he thought. Without any hesitation Logan went straight into the adjoining to the room and washed, groomed and prepared himself to make his return entrance. 'Course, this on don't really matter much, important one's done...speakin' of which...' Logan thought as he pulled on the red cotton shirt over his black T-shirt.
Turning and heading back through to the bed Logan glanced around the room again. The bed was a mess, but as he pulled the sheets back to straighten it he heard the familiar 'chink' of metal. Reaching a hand under the pillow he had slept on, his hand found the cold metal tucked away snugly. Drawing them out from underneath he looked down at them frowning at first then allowing a smile of understanding sweep over his features. His tags, after all these months she'd kept them safe, to the end of him keeping his promise to one day return.
Now as he'd awakened to find her gone, she had left them with him, a silent promise of her return to him. Logan's eyes shone with a peace he had never known before meeting Marie, or Rogue as she went by now to everyone else, but to him she'd always be Marie. Clutching the tags tightly in one hand he brought them to his lips and kissed them softly before slipping them around his neck and heading down to the dining hall.
When he crossed the main hall and reached the doors to the dining hall he peered around the wooden frame cautiously. The hall was virtually empty, only a few stragglers remained while some of the older students cleared the tables. Certainly, the large table at the head of the hall where the Professor ate with the others, Scott, Jean, Ororo, was empty. 'Geez , did I take that long?' he wondered.
Shrugging the thought off at that Logan decided that he'd probably go see the Professor, 'sorta announcing my return, welcomed much at that.' he thought with a smirk. Turning and walking up the remaining flight of stairs Logan found himself standing in front of a familiar looking piece of solid mahogany. Taking a deep breath he knocked, waited for a few seconds then entered.
Almost bowing his head, only slightly, in respect as he entered the room, closing the door behind him, Logan raised his eyes to find the Professor his desk deep in paperwork. Even for Xavier, he seemed a little, exasperated. Clearing his throat, Logan was the first to speak.
"Professor?" he asked warily, for even he hadn't seen the Professor show this expression before. He wisely decided to tread lightly.
"I see you have returned." Xavier greeted calmly, a smile creeping over his once troubled face. "How did your trip fair?"
"Don't know." Logan shrugged. "Found the installation you located, followed some things up, it all started to go in circles again and I decided the future was more important than some old and forgotten past."
The Professor nodded. "That's a very wise decision to have made Logan. However, I am intrigued. Why have you returned here to the school?"
Logan sure as heck wasn't about to tell him all the details just yet so he just stood stalk still in the centre of his office. He knew his secret would be safe for now because the Professor respected the others, and even him, too much to pry into their private thoughts. "Guess I just felt like bein' home."
"And you feel that home is here," There was an uncomfortable pause, well to Logan anyway. "with us?"
Logan didn't answer verbally, but the light Xavier found shining brightly in Logan's eyes told him all he needed to know. 'The wanderer has finally found peace of soul and heard, enough to settle his restless ways perhaps?' Xavier thought.
"Your room is always here for you, Logan." he continued. "I'm sure everyone would be more than happy to see that you have returned."
Logan felt slightly embarrassed now, although he did not blush, he began to fidget back and forth from one foot to the other. He nodded, eyes holding the Professors respectful gaze firmly. "I uh, better leave you to it. I got stuff ta take care of 'n' you look busy."
Xavier smiled a little relieved and then chuckled. "Yes, it would appear so." He returned his attention to the bundles of paper in front of him and said. "We shall talk more later."
Logan nodded again in agreement and turned toward the door. Hand closed around the cold metal of the door-knob he turned to look back over his shoulder. "Thank you." he uttered quietly, then opened the door and walked out silently, closing it again after him. As he stepped back into the hall he was about to spare a thought for where Marie had run off to before he'd awakened, but the hard contact with someone and his back stopped him. The feel of a smaller, but almost forceful body clearly felt in the impact.
"Hey..." he said quietly as if he already knew who it was.
"Hey..." a southern accent drawled back at him.
Logan turned to see Rogue holding a folder to her chest and another book under her arm. Notes had already started to slide from the binder as he reached out and took both it and the book from her. "Here."
Rogue didn't say a word, she just nodded and released her already faltered grasp on them.
"Where'd you get to this mornin'?" he asked, not wanting to make it blatantly obvious that he wanted to wake up with her and see her face lying next to his first thing in the morning.
"Ah had a class first thing." she replied.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"Y'looked so peaceful an' all, " she teased, reaching out to his chest and touching the tags that lay there. " 'sides, ah told ya ah'd be back." She flashed him a crooked smile.
Logan slid a hand up to lay on her covered wrist, but always the risk-taker he left his fingers close to the hem on purpose. "Thank you." he whispered.
"F'ur what?" she asked confused.
"In the fifteen years I've known, last night was the first night I eventually slept soundly. You were there to chase the nightmares away, " he tapped her wrist and brought her gloved hand up to the side of his head, resting her fingertips on his right temple. "...in here." he breathed, soft breath she could feel warm on her forehead.
Rogue could only smile. It made her feel so good to know that she'd been able to help him, after all in her mind at least, there wasn't much else she could do for him. "You're welcome." she whispered back.
The tender moment faded after a few minutes and Rogue was reminded that she had been on her way to a class when her chance meeting with Logan had taken place.
"What is it?" Logan asked, noticing the change in her expression.
"Nothin', ah just, ah have a class." she said lowering her hands to his left one, the one that still held her materials. Logan didn't let go, simply turned on his heel and replied.
"Guess we'd better get you to class then." He offered her an arm, which she took without thinking and together they headed off down the hall.
At the end of the corridor leading to her classroom they stopped. Logan handed Rogue her books and she headed down the corridor, occasionally glancing back at him, still in disbelief that he was still there, or had been there at all.
"Marie?"
"Hmm?"
"Think you'll feel like a walk or somethin' in a while?" he asked cautiously.
Rogue smiled to herself and raised a hand as she turned into the classroom out of sight. Satisfied, Logan took a deep breath and turned, shoving his hands into his pockets, walking back up the corridor they'd just come down.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Woah, now up to part 5 and its still goin. Considering this is my first fic, I'm kinda surprised you haven't told me where to go already, lol. More to come yet, stay tuned!