Rogue amused herself as the meeting droned on by slipping off one shoe and running her toes up and down Logan’s leg. He barely contained the growl she knew was dying to break free, and they shared a passionate glance. The others faded from Rogue’s awareness for a few moments as she allowed herself to drown in the warm hazel of his eyes. She barely managed to pull her attention back to the meeting in time to catch a question from Ororo, who had noticed her distraction. She blushed at the way the older woman’s eyebrows rose when she glanced back and forth between Rogue and Logan.

“Sure, ‘Ro,” Rogue murmured in response to her request that she go along with Hank to pick up a new student in the wilds of West Virginia.

“Maybe you two should take—“ Ororo began.

“I’ll go.” Everyone’s eyes swung around to stare at Logan, including Rogue’s. He never volunteered for a pick up mission. Action? All the time. Danger? Always! But a routine mission? Never.

Rogue glanced to her right and managed to catch the scowl Bobby shot Logan. She looked straight forward and slipped her stiletto back on. Satisfaction warmed her in a way Bobby’s touch never had—but it didn’t come close to the inferno Logan was able to build in her with the mere brush of a finger. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and Logan let out the ghost of a chuckle. He could probably smell the fresh wave of her arousal. She lifted her chin and set her mouth in a straight line, determined not to allow anything to distract her now that there was the prospect of a mission.

The briefing ended sooner than Rogue expected. The others filed out, Ororo and Hank with their heads together about some gardening project, Jubilee flirting with the new arrival, Remy, as they practically floated out the door. On one hand, Rogue thought Bobby and Kitty would follow. On the other, Rogue knew his temper. He might wait until there wasn’t anyone else around to see, but then he would explode. She’d had more than a few examples of that in the past.

As a precaution, Rogue stood and moved to put the chair between her and Bobby. That brought her conveniently next to Logan, who was also on his feet. He laid a hand on her back in encouragement but didn’t try to step in front of her. She appreciated his support and that he knew this was a fight she could only finish herself.

Apparently Bobby intended to go at it with Logan and Kitty still in the room. As soon as the voices of the other X-Men stopped echoing in the hall, he rose and rounded on Rogue. She kept her back straight and her jutted up, aware that she had the moral high ground in this particular battle. She had never done more than look at another guy before that day.

“What the hell is this, Rogue?” Bobby yelled, gesturing between her and Logan.

Rogue narrowed her eyes and gave him a feral grin. “What the hell is this, Bobby?” she mocked him, mimicking his own motion but with him and Kitty as the target. Kitty stepped back, looking as if she wished she was anywhere else. She wouldn’t even look Rogue in the eye.

Before Bobby could reply, Rogue continued, “You know, maybe things weren’t so great with us and all, but you could have at least had the decency to break up with me before fucking someone else.”

Bobby’s eyes widened and his face turned red, while Kitty literally melted through the wall she had pressed herself against. It looked like she wasn’t going to stay for the fight after all. Good riddance.

“I-I don’t know what you –“ Bobby tried to deny, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rogue raised her eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Logan. “Oh, so that wasn’t you and Kitty I heard slapping skin together earlier in your room? My mistake. It probably wasn’t you yelling Kitty’s name, either, and she must have been with some other ‘Bobby’,” Rogue continued scathingly.

Bobby’s arms dropped to his sides, hands clenched into fists that began to ice over. “Look, Rogue,” he started.

“Can it, Icepop. Can’t you see that the lady knows what everyone else in this damn school has guessed? You’re just lucky your little secret didn’t get out before now.” Logan’s growl was impressive and, if Rogue was being honest with herself, sexy as hell.

Bobby’s eyes swung to where Logan stood behind her. “So you’re just going to pick up where I left off, huh?” he taunted unwisely.

Rogue ran her gaze up and down Bobby, taking in the decent but leanly muscled frame, angry blue eyes and curly blond hair. He still looked like such a child. Why she hadn’t seen that sooner, she had no idea. It was time to rectify her mistake once and for all.

“Bobby, honey, Logan doesn’t need to do that. He sets records you could never hope to achieve just by being in the same room with me. You could take some lessons.” She smiled, a cold, rage-filled upturn of her lips that barely earned the name. “Why don’t we just agree that the two of us ‘don’t suit’ and leave it at that? After all, things could get nasty around here if we were all fighting, couldn’t it?”

Bobby’s mouth had dropped open as Rogue delivered her little speech. She didn’t wait for a response. Instead, she swept by him and out the door, allowing her hips to sway with a sass she’d almost forgotten she possessed. Logan’s hand stayed on the small of her back the whole time, proving that he’d read her intentions correctly and was ready to play his part in her dramatic exit.

They were all the way down the hall and standing in front of the elevator door before either spoke. “That was quite a show, darlin’,” Logan murmured, his lips close to the nape of her neck.

“You approve?”

“Oh, yeah. The little prick got what was coming to him. Of course, he’ll have Kitty to nurse his wounded ego, once he can find her.”

Rogue let out a relieved laugh. “She can have him. I have my own plans.”

“Oh?” She could feel the heat of Logan’s mouth, almost but not quite touching her skin.

“Mmmmm, careful, sugar,” she purred even as the elevator door opened. She stepped forward, and he followed, his hand now caressing her back.

“What if I don’t want to be careful?”

Rogue spun around. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she told him seriously, all traces of flirtation gone.

“You won’t.” He sounded so sure. She wished she could be as well.

“How do you know?”

“Because you care. Even when you don’t want to, you care. So we can play with the danger, have fun with it, and it will be okay. And one day, you’ll figure out how to turn that power of yours off on your own instead of using a damn drug, and then…well, the sky’s the limit for you, I guess.” He glanced down and away. She realized that he thought she’d lose interest, now that the game was done.

“What if I don’t want the sky, now or some other time? What if I just want someone who wants me no matter what?” She held her breath, unsure of his answer.

Logan’s eyes flashed to hers, and she saw the raw beast in there that she knew so well. He hid it, oh he did, but she knew that part of him as well as she knew her own mind. The Wolverine wanted it all, wanted everything, even though the man wasn’t sure that anyone would be willing to take on someone like him. In that they were a matching pair. He had his internal monster, while she had her external one.

The elevator doors opened then, cutting off any reply he might have made. Rogue felt disappointed when he stepped out into the hall until he held his hand out to her. She let her fingers slide over his again, reveling in the sensation as they locked together. Eyes still on each other, they headed through the quiet hallway and towards the stairs. Rogue blessed the fact that most of the kids were in bed or headed that way. The curious looks were beginning to embarrass her as it was.

The walk to the teacher’s corridor was shorter than she expected. She couldn’t tell if anticipation or anxiety made it seem that way. Probably both. Logan pulled her to a stop outside of his room.

“You’re sure?” he asked again.

Rogue huffed. “You know, Logan, if I didn’t know better from very recent experience, I’d say you didn’t want me.” She pressed up against him, hips to chest, and untangled her hand from his so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. “I’m. Sure. I want to be in your bed, and I very much want to feel as good as I did just a little while ago…and more.” She grinned up at him.

“You asked for it, darlin’,” he growled playfully, lifting her suddenly an tossing her over his shoulder. She bit her lip to keep from shrieking even as he pushed open his door and closed it firmly behind them.