“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Rogue whipped her head around. It was Logan. Was she avoiding him? No, she wasn’t. She was simply planning out her day so that she would not cross paths with him. There’s a difference.
“I’ve been busy, that’s all.” Rogue replied.
“You’ve never been too busy to talk to me.” Logan countered.
Ouch. He was right. Whether she had an exam, three projects due, or even one of those cheesy school dances the next day, she’d always have time for him.
The issue here was that just a few days ago, Logan outwardly admitted that he had feelings for her. Strong ones. The Logan in her head was jumping for joy when he said that, but Rogue felt conflicted.
Sure, she loved him and cared for him, but he deserved much better. He was a hero, he saved her life on two occasions, and he was working his way to redemption by teaming up with the X-Men. There were plenty of women who were interested in him, definitely closer towards his age bracket, and holding noble jobs. Meanwhile, she was barely an adult at the age of twenty, and had the crappy honour of studying Art and Literature.
Rogue kept telling herself that it was just one of those crushes, similar to the one she had on him when they first met, and that it’ll pass. It was no surprise to her anyways, since she had mastered control over her mutation, and matured into a woman over the past year. She had curves in all the right spots, and began working out once in a while.
But it was nothing but a crush, and Logan was entitled to a woman with more experience. You know, someone who wasn’t awkward, clumsy, and could actually please him.
“Sorry, Logan.” she said hastily, “I promised Jubes that I’d go skating with her, so I gotta run.”
Before Logan could protest, she quickly ran up to her room and shut the door.
“Another close call.” she whispered to herself, and began looking for her skates.
The last thing she wanted to do was breach the subject of how she felt to Logan. She could never tell him how she really felt. It wasn’t because she was too scared, but because she didn’t want to hurt him.
“Hopefully I can avoid him a little longer, just until leave to skate with Jubilee.” Rogue thought. “I mean strategically plan out my day! Not avoid. Because that’s not what I’m doing.”
---
Rogue managed to make it out of the house without bumping into Logan.
“I’m such a strategist,” she thought, as she sat in Jubilee’s Jeep.
“So Chica, how are things with Mr. Growly?” Jubilee asked
“He cornered me today,” she answered, “Asked me if I was avoiding him.”
“And…?”
“I took off before anything happened.”
“Chica, you need to face the facts.” Jubilee said, “You have a thing for him, and he has a thing for you!”
“Jubes, I’d be nothing but a burden to him!” Rogue replied, “I have minimal experience in dating, so I doubt that I could satisfy him, and don’t even get me started about the age thing.”
“Roguey, I know this sounds so strange coming from me, but there’s more than a relationship than just physical attraction or sex.” Jubilee stated, “I think he really cares about you as a person, not just some whore he picked up at a bar.”
“My, my Jubilation Lee. That was rather out of character.” Rogue laughed, “Shall I purchase a lottery ticket?”
“I know a thing or two about relationships,” Jubilee smirked, “Maybe our little skating escapade will take your mind off of the situation for a while?”
“We can only hope.”
---
When the pair finally arrived at the skating rink, they quickly laced up their skates, and headed out for the ice.
It was a small outdoor rink, used for local hockey games. Today, it was available for public skating. Music played in the background on the speakers, and small chatter from the crowd could be heard.
Jubilee and Rogue spent most of the time casually skating in circles. However, having a short attention span, Jubilee quickly got bored and decided to mix up their routine a bit.
“Whee!” Jubilee squealed as she started making intricate flips and twirls on the ice.
“Damn, Jubes!” Rogue complimented, “I never knew you were so talented in skating!”
“I used to figure skate as a kid, Roguey.” she replied, “Picked up a couple of tricks on the way.”
Jubilee grabbed both of Rogue’s hands, “Give it a try!”
“Oh, no…you’re not talking me into this!” Rogue replied, “You know I’m a klutz, and any of that fancy stuff will only result in injury.”
“Give it a chance, babe!” Jubilee smiled, “It’s really easy, let me show you.”
“You can show me, but if it’s too hard, I won’t do it.” Rogue countered.
“Deal.” Jubilee said, and began to show Rogue a simple spin.
“All you have to do is start with a two foot spin.” Jubilee explained, and demonstrated, “Then you spin forward with one foot, and backwards with the other.”
“When you get really experienced, you can do this!” Jubilee exclaimed as she performed an axel jump.
At that moment, an announcer on the speakers shouted, “Time to turn around, everybody!”
A large man turned around, just as Jubilee leapt into the air. He bumped into her, causing a chain reaction. Jubilee lost balance, and collided head-on into Rogue. Not having time to react, Rogue hit the ground and was knocked unconscious.
“Shit!” Jubilee cursed, “Roguey?”
No response. Jubilee carried Rogue out of the rink, back to her Jeep.
“Damn, I’m dead meat this time.” Jubilee muttered, as she pulled out her cell phone.
After hitting number two on her speed-dial, she waited for a few seconds before a familiar voice answered the phone.
“Hey, Logan. I gotta situation here, but you have to promise that you won’t kill me.”
---
“I’m gonna gut the girl!” Logan growled, as the team approached the rink on the Blackbird. After receiving the distress call from Jubilee he quickly gathered the X-Men in record time.
Jean thought it would be appropriate to haul the plane over since all the medical equipment was on board. Logan didn’t mind, the sooner they got to Rogue, the better.
“Calm down, Logan.” Jean said, “Jubilee said that Rogue was still breathing, and that there was no blood.”
The Blackbird landed, and Scott opened the hatch.
Logan was the first person out, spotting Jubilee’s Jeep. He quickly ran towards the car, which was an obnoxious yellow, much like her taste in clothing. He opened the door to the backseat, where Jubilee and an unconscious Rogue sat.
“Oh thank God, you’re here!” Jubilee said, “She’s been out for about ten minutes now, but I can see her eyes rolling back and forth in her head.”
“Out of my way!” Logan growled, as he reached for Rogue, “Darlin’? Can you hear me?”
Jean quickly approached from behind with Storm by her side.
“Excuse me, Logan.” Jean said, checking Rogue’s heart rate. Jean performed a quick diagnosis, and other complicated things that Logan couldn’t understand.
“Her vitals are fine, she’s suffering a grade II concussion. Get her in the Blackbird.” Jean announced.
Logan quickly scooped Rogue up from the seat and brought her back onto the plane. He carried her the entire way back to the mansion, constantly stroking her face and hair.
“You’re gonna be fine, darlin’, hang in there.” Logan whispered.
Jean and Ororo gave each other a smile and nod at Logan’s affection. They knew that she would be fine with him, no matter what.
---
“Oh, ow! Where am I?” Rogue said.
Rogue looked around. She was standing in a plain white room.
“Anybody here?” she asked.
With a flash, a girl appeared before Rogue’s eyes.
“Hey there!” the girl smiled. She was short, had jet-black hair, and looked a lot like Jubilee.
“Jubes?” Rogue said, getting a closer look at the girl.
“Jubes? Who’s that?” the girl said, “Doesn’t matter. I have a job to do, and under a specific time limit.”
“What’s your name?” Rogue asked
“You can just call me Peaches.” the girl smiled.
“Oh man, am I dreaming?” Rogue said, shaking her head.
“Nope. You’re unconscious.” Peaches said, “And I’m here to pass along a message.”
“What would that be?”
“Listen girlie, you’re really toying around with destiny.” Peaches explained, “The stars are aligned for you, but you’re stubborn little head is messing the cosmos up.”
“What?”
“Ugh. I’m talking about you and Logan.”
“But-“
“Oh please, don’t give me the whole age talk, or the experience talk.” Peaches interrupted, “The bottom line is that you have feelings for him, and he has feelings for you.”
Rogue stared at Peaches. She sounded exactly like Jubilee.
“Here, I’m supposed to show you a few things.” Peaches said, “Let me show you how things turn out if you continue on this path of denial.”
The white room started to shift. Suddenly, Rogue found herself in a rundown apartment room that looked messy and disorganized. Old pizza boxes, and empty bottles of liquor were scattered around the room. It was dimly lit, and no one was present at the moment.
“This is you.” Peaches stated. Rogue was shocked. “Oh, don’t be surprised, honey. This is the extreme.”
Rogue was horrified when she saw her future self emerge from a room. Bottle of alcohol in hand, messy hair, and looking miserable as ever.
Rogue approached her future self and waved a hand at her face.
“Snap out of it! You’re better than this!” she yelled at her beaten-up form.
“Oh sweetie, she can’t see you.” Peaches said, “You can’t do much to fix your situation here.”
Rogue sighed in defeat. “How did this happen?”
“You told Logan how you couldn’t be with him because of all your lame excuses,” Peaches explained, “He persisted on the relationship, but failed. One day, you just got up and you left.”
“I would never do that!”
“But you did here. You left him for five years. You made sure he could never find you, and you succeeded in it.” Peaches continued, “Eventually you thought about going back to see him, to apologize, and that you were wrong the whole time. But before you could get to the mansion, he found a way to kill himself, and this is what’s left.”
Rogue looked at her older self. She was wallowing in pain as she grabbed another bottle of liquor. Rogue couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her tear-stained cheeks and sad eyes.
“Please, I can’t…” Rogue whispered, “I can’t stand here and watch this any longer.”
“It’s okay sweetie,” Peaches comforted, “The next one won’t be so bad.”
The scene shifted from Rogue’s beat-up apartment to a nice suburban home, with a white picket fence. How cliché could this be?
“What’s this all about?” Rogue asked
“This is where you settle.” Peaches replied, “You decided that the best way to get rid of Logan was to marry somebody else.”
“And who would that be?” Rogue inquired.
“Lets step inside, shall we?” Peaches said, leading Rogue inside the home, right into the bedroom.
On a queen-sized bed were two sleeping bodies. Rogue took a closer look at the man with short blonde hair.
“Bobby?” Rogue said.
“Yep. In this world, you are Mrs. Drake…or Mrs. Ice Ice Bobby.” Peaches joked, and clearly Rogue was not amused. “Hmph, not a Vanilla Ice fan, I see,” Peaches thought.
Peaches continued, “I understand that the two of your are great friends.”
“Yeah, we are.”
“Well, he was always in love with Kitty. In fact, he was ready to propose to her.” Peaches explained, “However, he couldn’t stand to see his best friend slip into depression because her love life had reached an all time low.”
“What happened?”
“Well, after you rejected Logan, he got hurt. As always, he left. He couldn’t stand being under the same roof as you.” Peaches continued, “You were visibly upset by it, and you got worse as the years went by. Bobby ended up leaving Kitty so that you’ll be happy.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“It’s the truth. He wanted you to have a decent life.” Peaches said, “So you let him do just that. You two got married eventually and he took up the role of taking care of you. Though you were never truly happy, you remained satisfied, and not as depressed.”
“What happened to Logan and Kitty?” Rogue asked.
“Well, Kitty ended up settling as well. She got married to Piotr as a rebound sort of thing.” Peaches answered, “As for Logan, he went back to his old life. Fighting, drinking, and one night stands with any woman who reminded him of you.”
“Oh.” Rogue whispered in disappointment. Not only did she ruin her own life, but she screwed up her friends’ lives as well.
“Good morning.” Bobby said, rising from the bed.
“Hey.” Future Rogue replied, still heavy-lidded.
“I’ll take the kids to soccer practice this morning, all right?” he said.
“Sure.” she replied, sitting up.
Bobby smiled and began to walk towards the bathroom.
“Wait.” Future Rogue called, “Thanks. For everything.”
Bobby nodded in acceptance, and continued his way to the bathroom.
“Hey looks so sad!” Rogue yelled, “Peaches! This is worse than the other one! At least only I had to suffer, but here? Everyone has to suffer because of me.”
“Rogue, sweetie.” Peaches comforted, “This is only one of the many paths you could take. You have the power to change the outcome. I only have time for one last ending, are you up for it?”
“No!” Rogue shouted, “Not another one of these that show me how bad I screw up!”
“I promise, the next one will be a happy ending.” Peaches said, grabbing Rogue’s hand, “Ready?”
“Fine. Just show me.”
The room slowly shifted into a small warm cabin. It was dimly light by a fireplace, and from what Rogue could tell, it was absolutely breathtaking, and perfect.
It was small and cozy, exactly as Rogue imagined herself living in. Dark walls were plastered with beautiful paintings, which Rogue knew was her work. Everything in the cabin was small and modest, nothing too extravagant or flashy, much to Rogue’s taste.
“It’s gorgeous.” Rogue said in awe.
“This is your happy ending, sweetie.” Peaches said, as two figures emerged from a hallway.
Rogue took a closer look. She knew the woman had to be her, and unlike the other Future Rogues that she saw, this one looked beautiful. She was older, yes, but she was happy. The cause of such a drastic change was the man she was with – Logan.
“Just watch.” Peaches said, and Rogue complied.
“Phew!” Future Rogue exclaimed as she plopped down on the couch, “Putting the kids to sleep isn’t always as easy as it used to be.”
“Well, darlin’…you do a mighty fine job of it.” Logan smiled, hugging her, “Because I would be lost without ya.”
“I think you’d learn simple parenting with a few practice runs, Logan.”
Logan kissed her, “No darlin’, I mean I’d be completely lost, no kids, no future. Probably go back to my old life, stuck relying on cage fights to scrape by with no prospects of happiness.”
“Oh, Logan…”
“You tamed me, baby.” He laughed as he held up his left hand to show her his wedding band, “Couldn’t thank you enough for it.”
Rogue sighed as she watched her future self snuggle into Logan’s arms.
“Love you, Logan.”
“Love you too,” he whispered.
“See, Rogue?” Peaches exclaimed, “You two are so happy together! But you’re screwing all of this happiness up with your silly beliefs that you’re inadequate for him!”
“That’s because I am inadequate!” Rogue countered.
Rogue and Peaches suddenly felt a sharp shock of pain.
“Ow! You really need to stop hanging out with telepaths, sweetie! They mess with my vibes.” Peaches said, rubbing her head, “Oh shoot, it’s been almost an hour. Your friends are getting worried. That’s all I have time for. So please, take this into consideration when you go back, okay?”
Peaches began to fade away, along with her happy ending with Logan.
“Wait, Peaches!” Rogue called, “Does it always end this way?”
Peaches smiled, “Don’t worry, sweetie. Everything will work out for you two. Just remember this, all right? I’ll be watching, and I’ll give you a sign.”
Finally, Peaches and the scene around her slipped away. Rogue opened her eyes with a jolt.
“It was a stupid dream!” Rogue thought, “Someone’s just trying to guilt me!”
“Rogue? Chica? You’re awake! Are you okay?” It was Jubilee.
Rogue assessed her surroundings. Oh, she was in the medlab. What happened? Also, why was Logan at her bedside? She thought he would be upset with her by now.
“Hey, Jubes. I’m feeling Peachy.” Rogue smiled. “Shit, did I just say that?”
Rogue looked at Logan, “Hi. Wanna tell me what happened?”
“You had a concussion, been out for almost an hour now.” Logan explained, “We got worried, but Jean probed your head a bit and said you were fine and to let you rest a while.”
“Oh.” Rogue managed to get out. So was Peaches real? Had it really been a sign rather than a meaningless dream?
“I’m so sorry, Rogue!” Jubilee apologized, hugging her best friend, “We were skating, and I was showing you a move and then this huge old guy bumped into me, which caused me to bump into you, and well…you can figure out the rest.”
Rogue let out a small chuckle, “It’s fine Jubilee, maybe it was just destiny.” Rogue hoped Peaches could hear her, if what she experienced wasn’t some cracked up hallucination.
“Maybe you’re right Roguey. Can’t go screwing up with what’s supposed to happen, huh?” Jubilee nudged. Rogue was wide eyed in shock; Peaches had said the exact same words to her.
“That was a little too weird.” Rogue thought.
“I’m still really sorry, Rogue.” Jubilee said, “I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry Jubes.” Rogue smiled, she noticed that Logan was uneasy and rather awkward in the room.
“Hey, Jubes. Do you mind going out and grabbing me something to eat?” Rogue asked.
“Sure! What do you feel like having?”
“Something sweet.” Rogue replied, “Surprise me.”
“I’ll be back.” Jubilee said, as she stood up and left.
When the door closed, Rogue sat up and looked at Logan.
“Hey.” she said, “You actually stayed here with me?”
“The whole time,” he replied, “I promised to protect you, remember?”
Rogue looked up at Logan.
“I owe you an explanation.” Rogue said
“No need. I can take a hint.” Logan responded, “It’s okay if you don’t have feelings for me. All I want for you is to be happy, okay, Kid?”
Rogue reached out for Logan’s hand. “Here’s the thing. I do have feelings for you, Logan.”
Logan’s head perked up in response. Rogue had to admit, he looked pretty cute, sort of like a lost puppy.
“It surprised me when you admitted it, actually. I couldn’t believe someone like you could ever think of me as more than a friend.” Rogue explained, “I spent the next couple of days convincing myself that you needed someone better, someone who had experience in the whole dating business. Not to mention, someone older, and more mature.”
“Darlin’. I don’t think I could get a woman any better than you; in this entire damned world, you have no competition. As for experience, I don’t mind much that you haven’t dated a herd full of men. Makes me feel more special, you know? I can be your first for a lot of things.” Logan replied, “And the age difference? I’m probably a hundred years old, for all we know. Even Chuck seems like a baby compared to me, so who gives a shit?”
“Oh, Logan.” Rogue sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back, “I’m so sorry. I just thought a guy like you would want someone else.”
“I only have eyes for you, Marie.” Logan whispered, “Since the day we met, I knew you were different than any other woman I knew. You were so much better. Besides, if it weren’t for you, I’d probably be somewhere up in Canada bumming around. You changed my life completely, and for the better.”
Rogue snuggled into Logan’s chest.
“That’s why I love you, Marie,” he said.
“I love you too, Logan.” she replied.
Logan tilted her chin upwards for a kiss. “How about we get out of here, darlin’?”
“Sounds good.” Rogue smiled, as she stood up.
Logan took her waist, and the two walked out of the medlab as a couple.
---
“Hey, Rogue!” Jubilee shouted, as she entered the rec room.
Rogue and Logan were snuggled up on the couch, watching hockey, drinking beer, and sneaking a few kisses.
“Woah, hope I’m not disturbing anything.” Jubilee said, wagging her eyebrows.
“Make it quick, Yellow.” Logan grunted.
“Yeesh, fine Mr. Grumpy Pants.” Jubilee teased as she handed Rogue a brown paper bag. “Here I got you a few things, indulge, Chica.”
“Thanks Jubes!” Rogue said hugging her friend.
“You’re telling me every detail later!” Jubilee whispered.
“I will.” Rogue smiled, and Jubilee retreated out of the room.
Rogue resumed her original position, spooned into Logan’s side. She grabbed the paper bag and emptied its contents one by one.
Chocolate.
Hmm she would definitely stash that somewhere in her room.
A package of Ju-Jubes.
Okay that had to be a joke.
Cookies.
Yum! Those looked good…she didn’t plan on sharing any.
Licorice whips.
Wasn’t exactly her favourite. But she’d love to whip Logan, heh.
Rogue reached into her bag for the last time. To her surprise, she pulled out a small bag of peaches.
Rogue laughed.
“Thanks, Peaches…” she whispered quietly.
“Did you just thank the bag of peaches?” Logan asked.
“It’s a long story,” Rogue replied, shaking her head.
“I’ve got all day.”
“Okay, but you can’t call me crazy!” Rogue warned.
“Don’t worry Marie, I know you’re just crazy for me.” Logan smiled and kissed Rogue again.
Things were going to be just peachy for the two.
Fin!
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N: Logan always seems to be the one who resists a relationship between him and Marie. What if the roles are reversed? Also, I know nothing about figure skating and I Googled almost everything (I did my homework!). Just a note that this is my first fic, so any type of constructive criticism or advice is much appreciated! Enjoy! a86;
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel (Unfortunately). Please don’t sue, I’m poor.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel (Unfortunately). Please don’t sue, I’m poor.