Ah don’t even have to turn around, Ah know she’s there. Watching us. Waiting. Still long-limbed and perfect. Not a hair outta place, not a speck of makeup outta line. Still untouchable, unforgettable, irreplaceable Jean Grey. Red curls around her shoulders now, perfect figure outlined in an outfit that’s just the right side of revealing to get his attention without looking like she’s trying. A smile on her face as she nods to me, feigns interest in mah presence.

Ah know it’s a crock, but Ah still nod back. It’s mannerly.

Turns out you can take the girl outta the South, but you can’t take the South outta the girl.

Sigh then, tension in mah shoulders tightening as whatever of Logan’s attention Ah had winds away from me. Get to mah feet and make mah excuses to leave Storm’s office, the realisation that our briefing about Fury’s newest project staying at the mansion will have to wait setting mah teeth on edge. It’s been like this ever since she came back six months ago; Me’n him came back from a mission together in Genosha to find her in Storm’s office and as soon as he laid eyes on her Ah knew whatever Ah had of Logan wasn’t mine anymore. Maybe it had never been to begin with. They’ve been circling each other ever since, feinting. Flirting. Inching ever closer to the moment when they throw down and Logan finally gets what he’s always wanted from her-

Cos now there ain’t no Scott to get in the way, no Professor to be disapproving.

No scrawny, brown-eyed brat needs saving to distract Logan’s attention yet again.

Him and her can finally be together and the past can be left behind them, where it should be-

And nobody needs to hear that their happy ending is killing mah heart like a slow-bleeding wound to mah chest. Nobody. So Ah keep mah shit quiet about it.

A dull, wired, drawn-out beat.

Ah tell mahself it doesn’t matter as Ah quietly close the door on them. Tell mahself that you can’t control who you love, and you can’t fall in love outta gratitude neither- despite what Ah might wish. And gratitude is all there’s ever been between us, at least on his side, Ah know that now. Ah know a lot about this situation, Ah ain’t ever worn blinders over it. Nobody asked me to take care of Logan in the aftermath of Alcatraz, to make sure that he didn’t hurt himself or anyone else during those endless, slow-slipping vigils before dawn. Nobody asked me to become imbedded in his life afterwards, to make us the closest thing to family Ah’ll ever have. Ah put mahself up for that job, and Ah know it. Just like Ah know that if there was anything Logan could do to stop the pain Ah’m in he would. But he can’t choose who he loves anymore’n Ah can-

And the pain of feeling like a bitch for not wanting him to be happy without me is eating me alive, so Ah try to ignore it.

Can’t say Ah’ve made any real progress with that, but Christ knows, Ah’ve tried.

Ah pad through the mansion then, wanting the solace of being alone with this. Hear the front doorbell and since Ah’m nearest Ah’m the one goes to get it, no calming solitude for me. Ah check the cameras and see Nick Fury’s face glaring right into the monitor as if daring me to refuse him entrance. A couple of S.H.I.E.L.D agents with him and some guy in a hoodie standing in silhouette; Ah can tell just by how still he is that the Hoodie Guy can’t be Tony Stark. For a second Ah delay, checking the thermal imagers to make sure that our guests are who they appear to be- Mystique got into the school three months before we installed these bad boys and we ain’t having a repeat on mah watch- But everything checks out so Ah let ’em in. Ignoring the filthy look Fury shoots me since he ain’t supposed to be here until tomorrow and it’s a school night anyways. Throwing the S.H.I.E.L.D agents mah best Southern Belle smile because Ah recognise two of ’em from that epically kick-ass training session S.H.I.E.L.D organised against the X-Men last month. (You know, the big one we won.) Fury’n his merry little bunch crowd into the mansion’s hall, Hoodie Guy trailing behind, shoulders hunched, looking for all the world like a startled kitten-

He sees me standing there glaring at him though and immediately stands up straight. Looks at me.

Ah can’t see much of his face yet but his eyes are an incredibly pale shade of blue.

“Rogue,” Fury starts then, inclining his head to me. “I see you were expecting us.” And he gestures to the file Ah’m holding in mah hand, the one with Property of the United States Government written on it in big, shiny red letters.

Ah (valiantly) fight the urge to stick mah tongue out.

Can’t promise that Ah won, but Ah want it duly noted that Ah tried.

“No,” Ah say, “Ah was just awake. Since y’all were supposed to be arriving tomorrow, yeah?” Ah gesture to the mansion. “This ain’t a halfway house, y’know, Nicky. There’s kids here trying to sleep.”

Fury cocks an eyebrow at me. Bastard actually looks amused though the S.H.I.E.L.D agents look horrified. Apparently Ah ain’t supposed to talk back to the meta-human division’s answer to Shaft. “Captain Rogers wanted to get here right away,” he says, “He felt he couldn’t sleep in the S.H.I.E.L.D HQ knowing he’d be moving here tomorrow morning-”

Ah shoot ole One Eye mah most cynical look. “He think there’s a monster under his bed?” Ah drawl sarcastically.

“No,” Hoodie Guy says. “I think there’s a monster under yours.”

And he pulls the hood down, showing me his face as he steps into he light. Holds his hand out to me to shake, and because Ah’m wearing gloves Ah accept. Even smile a little cuz it’s not his fault Fury’s a dick. He’s cute, strong jaw, good bone structure. Firm handshake too, and Ah’ve enough of Logan left in mah head to appreciate a thing like that. Looks about 6’2”, so tall Ah have to stare up at him. Built beefy like Colossus but streamlined like a runner or maybe a swimmer, the kinda musculature that inexorably brings Cyclopes to mind, Lord rest his soul. Ah watch as he steps further into the hallway, his posture visibly relaxing; He doesn’t seem to be cold at all though his team’s shivering, breath frosting in the air. All of which Ah find real interesting in a Things-Ah-Really-Need-To-Know-More-About-Before-Ah-Face-This-Guy-In-The-Danger-Room kind of a way-

Another, longer beat, wherein Ah notice he’s smiling at me.

Don’t wanna be inhospitable, good Southern girl that Ah am, so Ah find mahself smiling back.

Try to remind mahself what the file said about his abilities then, since Ah barely had time to skim it. Seems he’s a mutate like Pete Parker and not home-grown super, but as Ah stare up into those pretty pale eyes Ah find mahself getting distracted. The way he’s staring at me setting something low and quick burning inside of me, the fact that for once Ah’m having this reaction to someone who can’t smell it on me more off-putting than Ah would imagine. The fact that Ah’m having it at all more surprising than Ah’d like to admit to after all mah years chasing after Wolverine. We hold each other’s gaze for just a moment longer, mah hand still in his, breaths frosting together. An honest-to-goodness blush starting on the guy’s cheeks when it becomes obvious neither one of us is letting go, the weight of his fingers heavy and welcome, warming and… comforting, in mine. Fury lets out a low chuckle and Hoodie Guy blinks, finally pulling away from the handshake-

“Captain Steven Rogers, ma’ame,” he says stiffly.

“Ah’m Rogue,” Ah say. “Least that’s what everyone calls me.”

He straightens up some at the name, those pale blue eyes finally sliding away from mine. Ah feel disappointed; Ah don’t wanna let mahself imagine why.

But he’s talking. “I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour,” he’s saying, “but I didn’t want to spend any more time away from my new training facility-”

Fury snorts. “Which is code for “I spend another minute with Tony Stark and one of us is going to end up murdered.”” Nick’s grin is wicked. “But then, you’re familiar with the Iron Man Effect.”

Ah nod, remembering the time Stark annoyed Storm so bad the serene Goddess of Westchester threatened to destroy his house in Malibu with lightning. The fact that we’d been in a situation and needed his help was the only reason he hadn’t ended up fried.

“Ah know what Tony’s like,” Ah tell him. “Gandhi woulda strangled him.”

Fury shrugs. “You said that, not me.”

In the dictionary under “epically unimpressed,” there’s a picture of me wearing mah current expression. “Everyone who’s ever worked with the guy says it,” Ah point out. “Including Pete Parker, and Petey’s about the most laid back guy Ah know.” Rogers smiles at that and something flutters a little, low in mah belly. Ah sternly tell it to stop. “So is that why you’re here really?” Ah drawl instead, trying for unimpressed. “Did you do something to poor little Tony? Cos Ah gotta tell ya, if you’re looking to get rid of his body, you probably came to the right place-”

Rogers snorts then grins, looking like he’s doing it against his better judgement. Man, he’s got a nice smile. “Glad to hear it,” he says. “If I ever do give into temptation and kill Tony, I’ll remember you said that.” And he holds out his hand to one of the S.H.I.E.L.D operatives, taking an army duffel that looks even more dismally, pathetically under-packed than the one Ah had on the road all those years ago. Fury seems to take the hint because he nods to him, giving him a firm handshake, even goes for the ole butch, hand-on-the-shoulder/back-pat before stepping away and making for the door. Dripping S.H.I.E.L.D agents like Dorothy dripped munchkins in the Wizard of Oz. Not even doing me the courtesy of saying goodbye. Ah feel ever so slightly like a kindergarten teacher who’s just had a toddler handed over to her and for a moment Ah’m tempted to tell Fury he’ll have to wait, that we don’t have accommodation assigned for Rogers- Not like me’n Logan got round to discussing that tonight anyway-

But before Ah can Rogers smiles that same winning smile and steps further into the Mansion, shucking the duffle as he heads towards the couch. The look on his face telling me plainly that he might even sleep in the lobby if he has to, and that gives me pause. Because as little as Ah might like Nick Fury, there’s no need to take it out on Rogers: Ah know what it’s like to be trailing through life looking for a bed with only a duffle o’ clothes to your name. So, with a martyred sigh- Ah’m an X-Man, not a saint- Ah take out mah android and pull up the schematics for the Mansion. Check whether there’s any rooms left in the teacher’s wing since it’s probably unwise to have a stranger hanging around the kids without them knowing who he is. Especially in a house where said kids have learned to use powers first, ask questions later. As it turns out there’s a room available down the hall from me and Logan, the one Kurt normally stays in. The elf’s on an art study vacation in Florence with a couple of the older kids and Ah doubt he’d mind having to share.

“C’mon,” Ah say, nodding mah head in the direction we’re taking. “Ah have somewhere to put you tonight in anyways, but you’ll have to make up your own bed.”

“No problem, ma’ame,” he says. Ah roll mah eyes again.

“Only person ever got called ma’ame in mah family was mah momma,” Ah tell him. “You call me Rogue, or you don’t call me nothing at all.”

He smiles again, gentler this time. Once again Ah think that smile’s awful nice. “Okay then… Rogue,” he says. He makes it sound almost like an endearment. “Thanks for this, by the way. For letting me stay here.” He falls into easy, brisk pace beside me as we walk towards the teachers’ wing. “I was beginning to think I’d go insane if I didn’t get out of the Baxter Building,” he’s telling me. “And that mausoleum Nick trains in on Fifth Avenue is worse. Feels like you’re living in a museum…”

Ah cock an eyebrow at him. “What makes you think Xavier’s will be any different?”

His expression is earnest, happy. It’s not the kinda thing Ah’m used to seeing, not since Remy went away. “Because Xavier’s is a school,” he says. “There’s kids here- kids with superpowers. No way it’ll be the same. And I’ll be able to spend at least some portion of the day doing stuff that isn’t about the Avengers Initiative. Help out, you know?” Mah surprise must have shown on mah because he rushes on, and suddenly he looks way younger than any of Nicky’s other band o’ geeks- Though something tells me he’s really, really not. “Whatever I can help with, I will,” he’s telling me. “I want to earn my keep; I’m not the sort of man who expects charity.” Ah’m tempted to point out that his being here isn’t so much charity as a quid pro quo for S.H.I.E.L.D’s looking the other way during certain X-Men operations but Ah don’t do. His enthusiasm is far too rare a thing to see, and Ah don’t wanna come off sounding like a bitch. So instead Ah lead him to his room, explaining that he’ll have to ask Storm about that stuff. Telling him that she’ll be back from DC tomorrow, and Ah’m sure she’ll see what she can do. That we’re short-handed, since we’ve lost so many in the last few years and regular teachers often won’t work with mutants, an observation which Ah can tell really pisses him off.

“This is America,” he mutters. “Stuff like that shouldn’t matter. They’re children, for heaven’s sake.”

Ah’m about to point out that Americans ain’t a separate species o’ humanity and everyone has reacted that way to mutants but Ah don’t. Can’t make mahself do. Man’s a true believer and that is also far too rare a thing to see. So Ah let him talk me all the way to his room, smiling and laughing despite mahself through most of it. Telling him stories and pointing out the security features of the floor, giving him the security alarm’s access code in case he wants to open a window and let some air into his room. It’s been locked up tighter’n a beer keg since Kurt went away, and it probably stinks of oil paint and thinners besides. Ah settle him in and as Ah pass Logan’s door Ah hear female laughter behind it. Hear the clink of wine glasses, the murmur of music. There’s feet, light female feet, moving across the floor towards Logan’s bed and Ah don’t need the Wolverine in mah head to tell me that pretty soon the place is gonna smell like sex. Sex and pleasure and Logan and Jean.

Ah’m proud of the fact that Ah get into mah own room before the tears start to fall.

And Ah’m so fucking grateful Ah got Rogers’ pretty smile to picture when Ah close mah eyes, cos Ah really don’t wanna picture where mah thoughts truly lie.