Rogue was in front of five students, all of them facing the mirrored wall of the dance studio. She instructed the teenagers through their reflections, raising her voice louder than the music to describe each pose, keeping her eyes on each of them and correcting their forms. She held each position effortlessly, every muscle taut and responsive, moving from one movement into the next with fluid grace, demonstrating for the young girls what she expected of them. Logan recognized the Grand Pas of Odile, specifically the coda of the Black Swan and he stood at the back of the class to watch, Rogue nodding at him in acknowledgment that she was aware of his presence.
Spending time in Russia many years ago had given him an appreciation for the famous ballet, it was Natalia Romanova’s favorite and during that time when he had trained her to be the Black Widow, she insisted he accompany her to Moscow over and over again to watch it. In fact, Logan remembered other, more enjoyable things she insisted he do over and over again with her.
Rogue sent him a sharp look. He forced the memory of the sexy spy out of his mind, seeing her nostrils flare. Sexual deprivation made for a very, very frustrated Wolverine and knowing there was enough tension between them as it was, he forced himself to behave.
The girls struggled to keep up with her and Rogue smiled at them encouragingly when they faltered, waiting for them to catch up and seamlessly picking up where she left off each time they did. One by one, they stopped to stare as she launched into the thirty two fouettes required for the coda, kicking one leg out continuously and landing and lifting en pointe repeatedly with the other before ending flawlessly in fourth position when the music faded away to end the famous finale. The students applauded and she blushed, shushing them. Grabbing their towels and water bottles, the adolescents giggled and wished Logan good morning before rushing outside, squealing when he returned their greeting.
Rogue grabbed her own towel and wiped away the beads of sweat on her face and neck, rolling her eyes at the young girls’ behavior. Their idol worship of the Wolverine was ulcer inducing.
Logan grinned, making his way towards her. “Impressive.”
She shrugged, gathering her things together and stuffing them into her tote. “It feels like Ah danced only a few months ago instead of fifteen years ago. Since Ah’m stuck with the memories Ah have, Ah might as well do the most Ah can with them.”
His head tilted, catching the bitterness in her voice. “We’ll get your memories back, Rogue.”
Suddenly, Rogue became very, very angry.
“Would everyone just stop saying that? For all Ah know this is as good as it’s going to get. Ah lived half my life missing a good portion of my memories already and now, it looks like Ah will be living the rest of my life with half of them gone forever. So don’t tell me that Ah’ll get my memories back because you don’t know that!”
Rogue bit her lip. Damnit.
Upset that she lost her composure, she moved to leave but Logan side stepped quickly to stop her. She was wearing a thin black leotard and white dance skirt, her arms, hands and legs bare so she was forced to jump back to avoid touching him. Rogue glared at him, throwing the tote over her shoulder impatiently.
Logan remained where he was, undaunted by the daggers she was throwing at him with her eyes. “I want to help you, Rogue. I’m your friend.”
She tossed her head and laughed, the hollow sound echoing in the empty room. “Oh please. Enough with the bullshit. We both know you are the furthest thing from a friend to me.” He took a step towards her and she jumped back again, getting angrier.
“Stop that!” she demanded, frustrated that he didn’t care about the danger he was in. He didn’t have his combat suit on and she didn’t have her gloves on, making her feel extremely vulnerable. Logan continued to move in her direction, ignoring the anxiety she was giving off and forced her backwards until her back hit the wall.
Barely an inch from her, he told her quietly, “I know what it feels like, darlin’. You don’t know where the beginnin’ is so you don’t know how to move forward.” He looked deep into her eyes. “You don’t know what’s important and not important in your life, so you decide nothin’ is. I get it.”
She swallowed hard, resenting the compassion she saw in his eyes. “Really? You get it? Tell me, all-powerful Wolverine, do you know how it feels to live with people who know the truth about your past but refuse to tell you?” She let him see all the hurt in her eyes, holding nothing back. “What are you not telling me? What are you holding back?”
Logan stepped away from her, eyes unblinking. After a few moments, he ran his hands through his hair and told her, “It’s complicated, Rogue. You’re not ready.” The aggravation in his voice sliced through the silence between them.
She looked at him, breath caught in her throat, knowing he wanted to tell her. When he remained silent, his eyes settling on something on the floor, Rogue narrowed her eyes in disgust.
“Fuck you, Wolverine. Ah don’t need you.” Rogue stepped around him and left the room, her ballet slippers stomping soundlessly against the sprung wooden floor.
Rogue began to change.
She cut the length of her hair, its dark waves falling to the middle of her back instead of to her hips, the white stripe shortened to frame her face in layered bangs. She wore heavier makeup and sexier clothing, the growing awareness of her sensuality evident in how she carried herself. She flirted openly with the male staff members and did little to discourage anyone from trying to gain her favor, enjoying the attention, pandering to it. The members of the X-Men were becoming worried, Rogue’s behavior so unlike the woman they had known and when Jubilee expressed their concerns to her, Rogue laughed.
“Just having some fun, honey. Ah’m untouchable, remember?”
“True. But you sure aren’t acting the same way you did a couple of weeks ago. What’s up, chica?” Jubilee leaned against the dresser located near Rogue’s bathroom, watching her friend pull out the clothes that had arrived that morning from the Louis Vuitton luggage set on the bed.
Rogue stood in front of a full length mirror next to her and held up another piece of clothing. She was disappointed. This had to be the most boring pile of clothes she had ever seen. Did she really wear these things? “Nothing’s up, Jujubes. This is how Ah act.”
“Well, it’s not the way Anna used to act.”
Rogue clenched her teeth. “You know what, Miss Jubilation Lee?” Rogue angrily threw the clothes in her hands to the floor, and faced the surprised Asian woman. “Ah could care less about the way Ah used to act. This is me. This is who Ah am. If you don’t like it, too bad, because Ah sure as hell am not going to pretend to be this perfect, sweet, bend-over-backwards-to-make-everyone-happy princess that this Anna sounds like. Little Miss Perfect is not me.”
Jubilee stared at her, mouth open.
Rogue lifted her head unrepentantly at the shocked look at her friend’s face, prepared to argue her point further. Jubilee pushed off the wall to pick up a discarded silk blouse that landed near her and rubbed the fine material between her fingers. Then she looked at Rogue and smiled.
“Thank god. I couldn’t fucking stand her.”
Rogue blinked, not sure if she heard her right. Jubilee laughed, balling up the shirt and whipping it at Rogue’s surprised face. “I waited so long for you to snap out of that saint shtick you were on, and even though it took practically lobotomizing you to do it, it’s about fucking time. Welcome back, Rogue.”
Rogue whipped the shirt right back at her, but she was relieved at Jubilee’s reaction. “You’re insane.”
“Says the half amnesiac woman who’s stepping all over thousands of dollars worth of designer clothes on the floor.” Jubilee reached down and began to gather them but Rogue purposely put her foot on the blouse Jubilee was in the process of picking up.
“Honey, Ah just found out that Ah am filthy rich. You, my stylish friend, are about to become very busy updating my wardrobe.”
A cheshire cat sized grin took over Jubilee’s face. “Roguie, you have no idea what you have just unleashed.” A tendril of dread unfurled in Rogue’s stomach, catching the evil gleam that appeared in the midnight blue eyes of the yellow-loving mutant.
Logan was furious when he learned Rogue left the estate with Jubilee. He spent the entire day in the garage assuming she was inside the mansion, and when he sat down for dinner and was informed by Ororo they had been gone since morning, he lost it. After yelling at everyone for letting them go, he stormed outside to chase them down, the fear of Marie disappearing again making it hard to think.
Halfway to the garage, he heard the familiar roar of Scott’s Porsche and by the time the sports car drove through the front gates, he had his legs planted squarely in the middle of the driveway, waiting for them. Despite the angry scowl on his face, Logan felt a tidal wave of relief crash over him catching sight of Marie sitting in the passenger seat. She was safe.
Seeing him, Jubilee said, “Uh-oh. Someone’s not happy.”
“Someone doesn’t care,” was Rogue’s flippant reply, getting out of the car when Jubilee parked it in front of the angry-looking feral.
“What the were you two thinking, leaving the school like that?” he demanded, watching them reach for the bags stuffed into the tiny backseat. He noted Jubilee at least had the decency to look guilty. Rogue on the other hand was anything but.
She kept her face impassive, calmly walking past him. Following her, Jubiliee shrugged apologetically at him.
That sent his temper flaring. “Don’t walk away from me! Who’s stupid idea was it to leave the school?”
Offended, Jubilee stopped to answer but Rogue looked behind her and motioned for her to continue walking, so she did but this time she sent Logan a scathing look.
He took the steps five at a time, forcing the silent duo to stop in their tracks halfway up. “I swear, if one of you don’t start talkin’, I’m gonna throw you upstairs in yer rooms and lock you in them for a week!”
Jubilee snorted. “Oh puh-lease, Wolvie. Now even I think you’re an idiot.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Jubilation, do you think you can handle bringing these bags upstairs by yourself? Ah would like to speak with the Wolverine privately, if you don’t mind.”
Jubilee took Rogue’s bags from her, keeping her own eyes narrowed at Logan. “Sure you don’t need any help with the school’s rabid watchdog?”
Rogue shook her head, a small smile on her face. “Not this time, thanks.”
Jubilee turned around and gave Logan one more hard look before walking up the rest of the steps and disappearing through the front doors. Logan in the meantime was having a hard time picking which woman he was angrier with. He went with the one who was standing in front of him, calmly shaking out her hair, the freshly styled locks falling in place around her face.
“What is the problem, Wolverine?”
“The problem?” He towered over her, close enough for her to catch the bits of yellow fire in his eyes. “The problem is that there are people out there who not even three weeks ago, abducted you. You don’t think that maybe, just maybe, they might be waitin’ for the chance to do it again?”
Rogue was aware the man in front of her was angry, the rapid clenching and unclenching of his jaw less of a hint than the claws that had slid out from between his knuckles. Biting the inside of her cheek, she remarked, “Those nifty shiny thingees must be your way of showing your concern.”
He sheathed them with an audible snap. “This isn’t funny, Marie.”
“Ah’m not laughing. And the name’s Rogue.”
He ignored her correction, forcing himself to calm down. Having her back did more than half the job already, but he was still upset. “You need to take this seriously. You can’t just take off without proper protection.”
Keeping her eyes on his, she replied, “Ah am more than capable of taking care of myself.”
“No, yer not.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Yes.” She stabbed her finger against his thickly muscled chest. “Ah am.”
“Marie…” he growled, losing his patience.
That’s when she lost hers. “God damnit! Ah told you my name is ROGUE!” She spun around to leave but he easily caught her arm, pulling her sharply and making her lose her balance. He grabbed her before she fell and steadied her, his face tight with anger.
“You can’t afford to be stupid, Rogue.” He said the name mockingly. “There are good people out there tryin’ to find the people responsible for what happened to you. Takin’ off like you did today can get you caught again, wastin’ all their time and effort. You might not appreciate what they’re doin’, but the rest of us do. Next time, you pass it by me first if you want to leave the mansion.”
“This is where Ah would tell you to go fuck yourself and that Ah’m my own boss but we both know you’re incapable of hearing anything outside of what is stuck in the small brain of yours.” Her voice was even, but the darkened irises of her eyes told him she was very, very, angry. “Let me go, Wolverine. Ah don’t take kindly to manhandling. It’s what bullies do. And Ah don’t like bullies.”
Logan’s lips curled back to bare his teeth. He didn’t like her talking back to him, didn’t like that she refused to listen to him. He wanted to demonstrate his dominance over her, wanted to punish her for not obeying and holy hell, she was sexy when she was mad.
The delectable aroma of his arousal reached out to her and Rogue inhaled it deliberately.
“Omigod.” Her eyes widened. “That smells so good.” She leaned into him, raising herself up on her toes so she could place her nose near his neck. Rogue inhaled deeply again. “Wow. You need to bottle that stuff. It must drive women crazy.”
A bit surprised by her sudden change of mood, he slid his hands down her arms to her hips, gripping them tightly. “Jesus,” Logan groaned in frustration. “You can’ talk like that, darlin’.”
Rogue held on to his shoulders, taking in deeper breaths. “Ah don’t believe it.” She ran her gloved fingers along his powerful arms, her body softening against his. “It even has the ability to make me not angry anymore.”
Logan growled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Good.” His ability to think was deteriorating quickly, her arousal wrapping itself around him.
“In fact,” she said in a breathless voice. “Ah am so turned on right now.”
His arms tightened around her, his growl louder. His blood was rushing to between his legs to support the part of him that was quickly swelling to giant proportions. He was going to explode.
“Good thing you warned me about this or we’d be in big trouble.” Rogue stepped out of his embrace. A strangled sound of confusion squeezed out of his throat.
What the hell?
His arm snaked out to grab her again but she had already skipped up the stairs out of his reach. “Ah suddenly need my B.O.B.” Rogue ran into the mansion, a malicious smile on her face.
Logan dropped to one knee, wincing from the ache between his legs, barely able to process that she had, in fact, left him there. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, her words registered.
Her Bob? Who the hell was Bob? Drake? She needs him?
When he found out later that evening from a highly amused Jubilee who B.O.B. was, Logan decided he had enough.