"Get those fuckin' jeans off, Marie." Logan's hand swiftly opened the button of the blue fabric while his other hand pressed against her stomach pushing her back against his chest firmly. "Now!" He growled almost frustrated and loosened his grip on her middle as his hand sneaked more south, pushing the zipper down.

"No!" The brunette used this moment to flee from his tight embrace and adjusted the small holder of her thin top on her bare shoulder. "Ya already got me out of mah shirt! That's enough for now!"

Before she could bring more space between them Logan caught her gloved wrist and pulled her swiftly back to him. Their bodies pressed together once more; her breasts buried against his broad chest. "Don't play hard to get, darlin'! I know you want it." His arms encircled her back holding her in place and his fingers fiddled about the back of her jeans pushing the cloth slowly down her butt.

She relaxed a moment drowning in his deep hazel eyes that were firmly locked with hers. "Yeah, but…"

"It's just the two of us, Marie." Logan breathed his face only inches apart from hers.

Suddenly she felt her pants being almost down by her tights and she managed to push herself away from his chest. "Ah don't wanna hurt ya, sugah."

"You won't." Logan tried to grasp her hand once again, but this time she was faster and brought a few feet between them while pulling her trousers back up. "And you won't get onto my bed with those on either."

She faced him with a naughty expression. "Have mah own bed. Ah don't need ya to have mah fun, sugah." Her eyebrow raised and their eyes locked.

"But twosome is more comfy." Logan let himself fall onto his bed, his head leaned against the headboard while his hand patted the free space next to him on the comforter his brow hitching suggestively at her.

But the beautiful hardhead plopped down on the second bed her legs crossed Indian style zipping her trousers back up. "Ya could always come over to me, sugah." She retorted with a mischievous grin.

"Not when ya keep wearing those damn pants." He snuggled his back into the pillow and turned the TV on with the remote control. "My bed is better for our night activity."

"Why?"

"It's closer to the TV, I have the remote, the chips and your Oreos." A devilish smirk plastered his features when he saw her sigh in defeat. "Maybe chewin' your nails is fun for you, darlin'."

She kept staring at him for a long moment. "Fine. Ya won." Rogue stumbled to her feet annoyed and retrieved the long-sleeved shirt from the floor, Logan had almost ripped from her body along with the thin forest green jacket she had worn. With a grunt she unbuttoned her blue jeans and slipped out of them revealing her black silk panties. The shy and insecure girl had lost a great part of her shame in the past few months much to Logan's pleasure and now she had no problem with him seeing her in only her lingerie. After all he had seen her in a bikini – panties and bra aren't that much more or less of fabric for that matter.

A lustful smile was on his lips as he watched her perfect butt move under the thin cloth when she bent down to fetch her mini skirt from their duffle bag.

"You don't have to wear three layers of shirts and long pants around me, Marie." He won't let her get back to be dressed like for the deepest of winters as she had done at the mansion the whole year. "It's summer. I don't mind you runnin' around in just a bikini." 'Or underwear.' He added in his mind and suppressed his lustful smirk.

She whirled around, her skirt flew up somewhat, and her chocolate eyes met his as she smiled knowingly at him. "Ah believe ya have no problem in watchin' me in almost nothin'."

"Can't deny that. It's a sin to hide that gorgeous body of yours." His predatory eyes moved from her long legs up over her curvy hips, the waistline and lingered a moment on her sturdy breasts before his gaze finally reached her face – her cheeks flushed in a deep shade of red. 'Christ, she's so adorable when she's embarrassed.' A chuckle escaped his lips. "Stop the blushin' and c'mere, Marie. The movie starts any minute."

The brunette was on cloud nine: The man she loved had just called her gorgeous and checked her body out with a shameless gaze that made her heart skip a beat. Slowly she returned to the here and now and fetched her pillow before crawling onto the bed next to him.

His view was already centered on the small television when he felt a peck onto the cheek and faced her startled. "What was that for?"

"For complementing me." She was almost glowing with happiness.

Logan knew how insecure the young woman was and all the years of hiding her skin and being cautious about touches weren't good for her self-confidence either. Like most girls she wasn't comfortable in her own body - he had overheard a few girls talks at the mansion – but her mutation put her over the edge – almost hating her skin and body. Stroking a white lock behind her ear he returned her smile. "You have a great body, darlin'. You got curves in all the right places. Don't be shy 'bout it."

Rogue's cheeks were on fire and she had to look away. Tugging her pillow behind her back she rested her head next Logan on the headboard. "But ya don't like it when other guys check me out."

His sleeve covered arm moved over to the brunette and she leaned forward immediately to allow his arm to wrap around her shoulders. "Why should I?", was his reply and his eyes wandered to the T.V. screen. "The movie starts, Marie."

X X X X X X X X

Rogue tried to concentrate on the rerun of a CSI episode, but she couldn't keep focused onto the screen for long without glancing at Logan's haunted expression. After all those missions, after all the cage fights, even after waking up from a coma the man had never looked so exhausted as he did now. It made her heart ache.

Like all those restless nights in which one of them was haunted by their nightmares, she just needed to touch him to lessen his misery, maybe absorbing his sadness in a way her skin couldn't. She slipped down from the headboard and snuggled closer to him; her head resting onto his shoulder and her fingertips begun to draw lazy circles on his chest. Without delay to her movement, Logan's arm slid down her pillow and her back as his large hand found its place on her hip, the spot where her sleeveless top met the skirt and hardly covered her delicate skin.

After a moment just laying there the brunette felt a kiss be placed onto her head and his face buried in her auburn hair, his nose nuzzling her. A soft giggle ran from her pink lips in response to his caress and she lifted her hand from his warm chest to his face, where her gloved fingertips stroked his sideburns gently.

While fastening his hold on her hip Logan pressed her body tighter against his own one feeling her calming warmth seep through the fabric of his long-sleeved shirt. With every breath of her mesmerizing scent, the sadness and fatigue that clouded his body and soul slowly began to lighten. Soon he found himself relax into her small palm, her natural sweet aroma all around him and an almost inaudible purr began to rumble in his chest.

His eyes had long ago left the flickering T.V. screen and were only focused on the beauty in his arms when his chocolate orbs suddenly locked with mischievously shimmering ones. Her lips held a similar expression. "Ya like that, sugah." This was not a question.

Their gazes didn't leave each other as his hand holding a beer placed the bottle onto the nightstand and picked her smaller hand up from his cheek. His grasp was gentle and light as were the small kisses he placed on every fingertip, then the palm and finally onto her bare forehead. Afterwards he guided her fingers back to his sideburns while his other hand carefully pushed her body, so their stomachs and chests eventually laid pressed together.

When Rogue shifted in his embrace, Logan feared he went too far and loosened his grip immediately. But to his surprise and relief the young woman only snuggled away from his shoulder and further onto his chest, her eyes returning to the screen as a content sigh left her lips.

Maybe he would take a little advantage of her tonight, holding her a little closer than usually, inhaling her sweet and unique scent while placing a few more kisses onto her forehead and hair, if it wasn't for the lips he so desperately longed for to taste, then those have to be enough.

X X X X X X X X

The show was almost over and Rogue listened contently to Logan's rhythmic heartbeat beneath her ear, her only movement consisted of snatching a chip from time to time from the bag and crumbling slightly on the other mutant's chest. But he didn't seem to mind.

She was so relaxed in his tight embrace while his fingers ran smoothly up and down her upper arm, only suspending the touch for the blink of a second. How she always loved his bare hands stroking her uncovered skin while watching television…

"Logan!" Terror was blazing brightly in her wide brown eyes as she backed away from her friend's hands as if his touch had burned her. She slid further to the edge of the mattress when Logan leapt into a sitting position and tried to get a hold of the terrified woman. "Don't. Ah'm gonna hurt ya, Logan." Tears were shimmering in her eyes and threatened to fall.

"You won't." Carefully he placed his hands onto her waistline – her shoulders were out of option since nothing covered her deadly skin. His hazel eyes firmly locked on hers, silently pleading with her to calm down. "I have a few seconds 'fore your skin registers my touch." He pulled her slowly back into his embrace and whispered a hardly audible "Trust me.".

And she did. Though it took a few minutes till the brunette completely relaxed against Logan's chest, his bare hands didn't dare to leave her covered back. She heard him sigh while he kissed her crown, his wild heartbeat slowing down beneath her ears while his breathing became calmer.

Suddenly realization dawned on Rogue. He wasn't caressing her bare skin for her comfort, but he needed this contact to cool his troubled nerves. Cautiously so he wouldn't notice, her gaze wandered to his face while her head shifted slightly the position to allow her a better view of his haunted features, his tired eyes trained on the T.V..

A quarter hour later Logan finally resumed with stroking the poisonous skin of her arms. He furrowed his brows in puzzlement when he felt the accustomed tug after only one good second. After breaking the contact before the absorption could start, he tried again, but came to the same confusing conclusion. 'Was her skin just turned down?!' He could swear that their touch had lasted longer than three seconds, before she had gotten even wind of his bare hands on her. He assumed the reason for this change was that she was now aware of his touch.

Pondering on this theory he removed his hand from her skin and fetched his beer from the nightstand taking a few gulps. Logan was about to put it back when Rogue's slender fingers slung around the bottleneck and led the bottle opening to her waiting lips, empting the rest of the beer like a pro. An astonished smirk plastered the Canadian's lips. "Need to buy more beer, darlin', huh?"

Biting slightly onto her lower lip as in a picture of innocence, Rogue met his gaze. "Seems so. Ah have the two of ya up here." Her finger pointed to her forehead with a sly grin. "Beer and tobacco must be in your genes, sugah."

Chuckling he fetched another beer and opened it with his teeth, spitting the cap onto the nightstand. "Don't mind sharing my booze with you but hands off my cigars!"

"Ah know. The big bad Wolverine tries to save the little Rogue from lung cancer." Laughing the brunette snuggled back into his chest, her fingers rubbing circles on his stomach.

X X X X X X X X

A little later that evening, Rogue was just returning from the bathroom, her eyes immediately feel upon her friend's exhausted face, noting the small smile that tugged on his lips as he saw her approach. "How are ya, Logan?"

"Better." His hands moved to her hips as soon as she had crawled back onto the bed and was now kneeing next to him.

A soft smile was on her features as her hand pushed the few dark strains gently from his forehead. "Well enough for a tiny keepsake?"

"It's something good?" The day was already stressful enough and Logan wasn't sure he could cope with more traumatic events from his past at the moment.

"Yep."

But he trusted Rogue's estimation. "Then I'm ready."

"Ah have something. Close your eyes, sugah." He complied with her order and Rogue carefully removed a chain with two dogtags from under her glove.

Logan felt her covered fingers move carefully around his neck, stroking over his skin as he waited anxiously for her to finish.

"Okay, ya can look now." With a proud smile she watched Wolverine open his chocolate eyes slowly, his gaze fell immediately onto her hand that held two dogtags in front of his stunned face. "Those belong to ya, James Howlett."

Taken aback Logan starred onto the two words graved onto the metal pieces. With the greatest care, as if his touch might damage the tags, he moved his index finger over letter after letter repeating the name in his mind. 'James Howlett… of course! Victor called me Jimmy… James.' Like in trance he picked his old tags from Rogue's hand and observed them more closely, taking in the long identification number beneath his name. Flipping the metal over five familiar letters greeted the Canadian. 'Logan.' Memories of Kayla calling him came back to his mind. 'Everybody called me Logan, 'cept Victor.'

His large hand wrapped around the tags, the old metal pressed into his palm as he finally lifted his amazed gaze to Rogue's still smiling features. "How?... Where did y-" He stammered and tried to remember where he had last seen those small identification plates. Lagos… he threw them away onto the soil… no, Stryker had them before the Adamantium bonding… then he was asking for new ones. It slowly came back to him.

Cupping his bearded cheek Rogue interrupted his questions. "Victor had them all those years. He will be royally pissed off when he finds out they're gone." Her warm smile turned into a sly grin.

"He had them?" This revelation struck Logan and he opened his palm, seeing the tags in a complete new light.

"Yep. But thought it was time ya get them back, sugah." His hardened and worn out expression, the lifeless and tired eyes had lightened up somewhat. Rogue was glad she finally provided a positive part of his lost past and identity and lessened his torment for a little while.

Eventually the mutant let go of his dogtags and returned Marie's smile, pulling her into a warm and tight hug. "Thank you, Marie." This was the best gift she had ever given to him.

"Ya're welcome, Logan."

X X X X X X X X

They were both caught up into the rerun of 'Bones', finally an episode neither of them knew, when the commercials cut into the show. Sighting Rogue tore her eyes from the television and lifted her head from her living pillow, looking her friend straight in the eyes. "Do ya want to return, Logan?"

This question came out of the blue. The Canadian didn't know what to answer, how to answer when he recalled the self-righteous bastard and his false hope he had offered him all those years ago. Logan had always known that Xavier wasn't as altruistic as most, if not all of the Institute's residents believed him to be, but the man's only hidden agenda seemed to be the recruiting of useful mutants for his cause to successfully integrate the mutant community into the human society. For the loner and hunted prey in Logan, these ideals seemed to be too good to be true, but worth a try. So he became willingly a part of Xavier's precious X-Men in exchange for hints to his past and a save place for his little Marie to grow up.

Most people may think the Wolverine a stupid instinct ridden animal, but he had immediately grasped that the only reason Xavier had taken Rogue in, was his own curiosity about her mutation and what she might be capable of. And he knew that Xavier knew that Rogue was also aware that the students were only his recruits – that was thanks to Magneto being a part of her mind. But both of them could live with this unspoken knowledge in the safety and peace that was provided by the mansion and their friends there.

A frustrated growl rumbled in his chest and up his throat.

"Ah'm not really keen myself." The brunette gave him a half-smile and saw him sighed eventually.

"Well, it was nice to see Storm again. Even Jubes… and I wonder how Kitty is doing." His large fingers ran through her white and brown hair, their faces only inches apart. "Didn't think that returning to the same place or even staying there for months on stretch could make me feel good…"

"Wanted." Rogue put in.

"A part of something."

"It was home." The brunette concluded with a wistful smile.

"Yeah… but only with you waiting there for me."

"Ya're sweet." A small blush crept on her cheeks as she smiled back at him. "Ah feel the same way. Doesn't matter where Ah am as long as ya're with me. Ya are my family, Logan." She could feel her heart running a marathon in her chest when the man beneath her gave her one of his rare hearty smiles, the ones she could lose herself in. "Though a part of me misses my friends back there." Her eyes became a little bit sad at this statement.

"We can go wherever we want, darlin'." He dragged his hand once more through her mane. "But if we return I don't want you far away from me, Marie."

This announcement confused the brunette and she frowned at him. "What ya mean?"

His hand suddenly stopped its motion and rested on her cheek. "Goin' back in your old room is not an option for me, so I thought… well…" Great, now he was stuttering. "I give shit 'bout what the geeks may say, but maybe… you could come to my room… permanently, Marie. That is if you want me as a roommate." He was holding his breath now.

Rogue's mouth was hanging open as she stared at her secret love completely stunned. 'Did he really ask that?' But before Victor could put in his two cents, she gathered herself noting the apprehension in Logan's face. "Yes, yes, yes!" Smiling with true happiness she pushed her body up slightly just to slide a little more up, so her gloved hands could slip around his neck – her hands pressing into the soft pillow below. With pure delight she bent down to place an enthusiastic kiss onto his cheek, quite near his lips, then snuggled her face into his sideburn, his soft brown hair protecting him from her mutation. "But don't think Ah'll collect your clothes from the floor, Mister."

Letting the breath he was holding escape in a chuckle, Logan pulled a little away so he could place a peck onto her forehead. "Marie, my darlin', you try for months, no for years to make me stop droppin' my clothes where I stand." He kissed her again, this time on the tip of her nose. "I'd gather 'em eventually, but you're faster."

His chuckle vibrated in his chest below her. "Logan, sugah, if Ah would wait till you move your lazy Adamantium butt, the floor would be covered in fabric." She was giggling now and her fingers caressed the back of his neck.

"And?" He looked completely innocently with his dark eyebrow hitched and the few persistent strains that always found their way onto his forehead.

"Ya ask, my dear Wolverine?" Rogue was teasing him with his codename, which earned her a playful growl and sharp look. "Remember the mess your camper was." Her eyebrow rose at him.

"Thought you called it cosy, my dear Rogue." His eyes darkened when the Wolverine in him climbed further to the surface. She was so damn close. "You know that lie deserves punishment." His predator eyes locked onto the sensitive skin of her neck, but the rational part in him made his glare wander down to her shoulder, choosing there a spot of delicate flesh. He felt her muscles tense a moment when his mouth met her poisonous skin, his hot breath tickling the young woman as he parted his lips.

'What's he doing?' Marie wondered her body stiffened involuntarily under his touch. She became more nervous as his teeth grazed over her skin. This was not fear of the animal she saw was taking over her secret love, but fear of her own body's reaction to this unfamiliar touch. "Be careful, Logan." She gasped while he broke away for the nth time only to resume his work on her shoulder immediately. This felt so wonderful. 'Don't stop.'

His hot tongue licked her, finally tasting her. She was so sweet. "I am." He grunted into her delicate skin nipping and sucking at it, his need raising as he smelled her arousal. "Just relax." God, she tasted like heaven. The man in him calmed the animal holding it under check. Otherwise his teeth were already sunken deep in her skin marking her as his while his erection would be buried deep within this untouched beauty. He wanted to claim her as his so desperately. But not like this and not now. Fear tingled in her intoxicating scent. With a last lick of his tongue he finally pulled back, finished with his work. His eyes were still dark and clouded with rising desire as their gazes met.

Rogue was shocked about the pure lust in Wolverine's gaze as his eyes switched between her lips and her eyes. Suddenly her chest tightened in fear and she became more uncomfortable under his glare and in his embrace. 'What's wrong with me? Ah always wanted this!' Staring like mesmerized at his face she lifted her gloved hand to her shoulder and she finally understood. "Did ya just make me a hickey?!" Her eyes widened.

Suddenly Logan became unsure and caged the animal back in. "Don't say it was your first?" But of course it was her first. In horror he watched her slime frame slip away from his grasp, leap from his bed and rush into the small bathroom. 'Fuckin' idiot!' His chest began to ache and a sick feeling was growing in his stomach. 'Christ, I scared her away!' Logan sprang to his feet and stormed after her ignoring the bulge in his jeans. 'I hurt her.'

He was about to enter the adjoining room as he whispered, pain and guilt in his still hoarse voice. "Marie. Darlin', I didn-" The Canadian immediately fell silent, when his eyes caught the young woman's reflection as she stood in front of the mirror inspecting the fading red spot on her shoulder. Her smile grew every time her fingertip ran over the love bite and it finally hit Logan: Marie wasn't angry. She just wanted to see her first hickey.

Wolverine watched her a moment chuckling about the awe on her features. "Want to take a picture, darlin'?"

His teasing words made Rogue spun around and stride over to the man leaning in the doorframe with a grin. Tip-toeing the brunette placed a kiss on his cheek, before her lips twisted into a pout. "It's already vanishing."

"Tell you what, Marie, gonna make you a real big and dark one when the healing factor has worn off."

"Really?" 'Crap! I sound like a kid in a candy store getting a load of her favourite sweets.'

A smirk was on his features. "Then all those scarves will finally come in handy."

She wrinkled her nose on that thought. "Nah, won't cover your love bite." Blushing she pushed slightly away as she became aware of the swell that pressed against her tight. The lump in her chest reformed. "Would ya mind, sugah? The beer wants back out." She retreated to the bathroom and closed the door when Logan left his place in the frame.

Taking a few deep breaths she walked up to the mirror staring into it. 'What's wrong with me? Ah finally have him where Ah always wanted him and now Ah'm scared as hell!' She turned on the water and splashed some onto her face. 'But then again we can't do anything thanks to mah skin… Mah skin…' A snort escaped her lips. 'Ah can't believe Ah'm glad about mah fuckin' mutation! Ah'm such a coward!' A tear fell from her eyes and rolled down her warm cheek.

'It ain't like Ah could have sex with the man Ah love. Though Ah want it… and at the same time Ah don't. What's friggin' wrong with me?' Her watery gaze fell upon the hardly visible hickey. 'Logan made me this. He found a way around mah mutation…' Fear and relief welled up inside her body and struggled against each other. 'Maybe… No… there is no way.' More tears streamed down her face.

'Why are the two suddenly so silent? Logan? Victor?' She called out into her mind desperately longing for someone to lighten her confusion. 'Great! Maybe Ah should absorb a woman…'