Logan made sure he returned to the diner after the lunch rush was over. This time he sat at the counter so Rogue could keep a better eye on the two customers left. She looked at him skeptically when he ordered two plates, but she happily ate with him when the food arrived and the others were gone.
"What brings a Southern girl to New Jersey?" He was sure her story would be close to what he remembered, but he wanted to hear it. He wanted to get to know this Rogue.
She smiled at him and since this morning he knew that smile was only for him. "I was sixteen and kissed a boy. Put him in a coma."
"Mutation?"
"Yeah. What is it they like to call it in Upstate New York?"
"Gift,"
"Well it might be a gift Upstate, but in Mississippi that was the furthest thing from the truth. So I loaded my duffle bag, took all five hundred of my savings, and thought I could go anywhere." She gave him a tight smile. "Decided I was going to see the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls on my way to Alaska. Made it to Jersey and reality hit."
They grew quiet, but Logan enjoyed listening to her and prompted her to continue. "So waitressing?"
Rogue nodded. "Luckily, reality set in right here. Chet, the owner, let me sleep on the couch in back until I saved enough money for rent down at the motel." Shrugging, she added, "Been here ever since."
Logan took a drink of his ice tea and then plucked at her long sleeved shirt. "What's your mutation?"
She turned a sharp eye on him. "You first."
"What makes you think I have a mutation?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The first day you ate with one of the bluest mutants I've ever seen. So you're either a mutant or a friend of mutants." She leaned back, studying him and teased. "I'm voting mutant. Otherwise, how do you keep your hair like that without a ton of styling products?"
He snorted at her. "Better than average healing, heightened senses, and claws." Her eyes widened at the word claws and then dropped to his hands. "Not here." She nodded, still big eyed. He waited a moment. "You're turn."
"Oh. Life sucking skin. I suppose there's a more scientific name, but basically I take your energy, mutation, and memories. My control's good, except when I'm tired."
"Makes sense."
"That's why I wear the long sleeves and leggings. Don't want an accident at work." After finishing the last bite of her hamburger, she continued. "One life sucking accident was enough. Fortunately all that boy had on his mind were baseball stats, and I spent the next three weeks with him rolling around in my head while I watched all the baseball I could. But by that time the damage to my life was done. Everyone wanted things to go back to the way they were and the easiest way to accomplish that was for me to leave." She frowned down at the puddle of ketchup and the few fries left on her plate.
Logan wished he could say something that would lighten her mood. He thought about telling her he was glad she was here and looked forward to seeing her everyday. That would be great, creep her out when things were going so well.
"Ah, wandering down memory lane isn't always the heart warming experience everyone makes it out to be." Rogue pasted on a smile that had to be the one she used when she was told to 'buck up' back home. He smelled the sadness underneath and decided he would start looking for a way to make her life better. "No more bad experiences today. Tell me something about yourself."
He stared through the little window into the kitchen. What should he tell her? He knew who he was supposed to be according to the files at Xavier's. Yet he didn't feel like a teacher and after going on a couple of missions with the X-Men he knew his vision of what they should be doing was too gritty, too dark for them. "I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
Logan decided to take a chance. If he was going to scare her off it would be best to do it sooner rather than later, because if she kept looking at him that way he might fall for her. "Sometimes I feel the life I've lived isn't who I am. Being a history teacher is only a façade."
She laughed. "You think you'll figure out who you are in Jersey?"
"I found you, so I'm not doing too bad." Rogue blushed and turned away. If the smile was anything to go by, he hadn't scared her off.
The next several weeks fell into a comfortable pattern for Logan. He'd walk Rogue to work and bought her breakfast. They'd eat together if possible. Then he'd meander back to the motel and read one of the books he brought from the mansion.
Sometimes he'd go for a drink then make his way to the diner for a late lunch with Rogue.
He quickly discovered she was the go to gal for the other wait staff wanting time off. Once or twice a week she would pick up extra hours or occasionally a double shift. On those days he would use the spare time to go to the fights. Weekends were best, but the weeknights could be a decent way to pass time.
Logan had begun to get up to her alarm. He'd shave, shower, and then meet Rogue so they could head off to the diner together. Usually he could hear her shower running as he shaved.
This morning was no different. The spray hitting a soft surface as she soaped, a hollow 'thunk' when the washcloth was dropped to the bottom of the tub, soft surface again as Rogue rinsed, and the heavy fall of water as she wrung out the washcloth.
Per her routine the shower would be shut off any second. He was taking the last stroke with the razor when he heard an unmistakable intake of breath. It was followed by a small moan and a shuddering breath.
Logan stood there staring at himself in the mirror, blood dripping from the razor. Involuntarily, he sniffed the air. The walls were thin, but not that thin. His cock was already growing hard at the thought of what Rogue was doing in the shower.
Hurriedly, he rinsed his face and left the bathroom to give her privacy. He was going to need privacy of his own if he put anymore thought into this. He really did not need images of her making those same sounds while underneath him. She already fueled his imagination and realistic noises would not help.
God, he wanted to go next door and ask her to let him watch.
After her shower shut off, he turned his on. No hot water for him this morning.
Rogue met him in the hall; bright, happy, and smelling delicious. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to force himself to think of other things. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was the sway of her hips as she walked down the hall ahead of him.
She stopped at the elevator and punched the down button. They almost always took the stairs. "Hope you don't mind," she said as the door slid open.
Logan did mind, he minded very much. The last thing he wanted to do was be in a confined space with Rogue when she smelled so enticing and had been... He leaned against the railing of the elevator.
He was in hell, pure and simple. She turned and smiled at him and he mentally cursed himself. All he could think about doing was pushing her against the wall and ravaging her beautiful mouth with his.
His cock was hard again and his mood was turning sour. Rogue trusted him to be the good guy and right now he wanted to be so far from good he couldn't see straight. Her scent was filling the elevator and he couldn't close his eyes this time for fear he would stop the elevator and take her hard and fast against the door. He needed, with every fiber of his being to hear her make those sounds again.
Ding! He followed her off the elevator, through the lobby, and out into the street. They had walked half the distance to the diner when she spoke. "We're unusually quiet this morning."
He grunted in response. Talking was not on his to do list for the day.
After another block, Rogue bumped into him playfully. "Hey, what's up?"
Logan didn't want to lie, but he couldn't tell her what was on his mind. "No hot water this morning." There a truthful statement that gave nothing way. He was almost proud of himself.
Until she wrinkled her forehead all-innocent like. "Huh, there was plenty of hot water when I took my shower." And here he thought he'd finally wrestled his libido into submission. This was not going well.
When they arrived at the diner it was busier than normal and Rogue didn't have time to eat breakfast with him. He was secretly relieved. He needed some distance from this morning before he would be suitable company.
Logan sat down for lunch, perturbed with himself. Here he'd spent his time thinking only of his needs and wants, had been since waking in this timeline. Since he'd come back to New Jersey he'd spent his days and nights leisurely pursuing his own selfish interests. He didn't need to fight, the money was nice and paid for everything, but he'd found a tally book in his room at the mansion.
With a little investigative work he'd determined that the coded numbers were bank accounts. After making a few calls, he didn't try them all, he discovered the smallest of those accounts would easily set someone up in a new location, a place to live, and change to spare so they wouldn't have to worry about a job for a good long time.
He could do that for Rogue, even let her finish school and go to college if she wanted. Logan also knew that Rogue would be a hard sell for such 'charity'. And since when had he started worrying about one individual's future that didn't start and end with himself.
"Ask for Friday off." She stared at him, french fries halfway to her mouth. He realized it came out as a command. "Please."
She smiled sadly at him. "Logan, you know I can't."
"I'll take you into the city and we'll make a day of it." He could see the emotions plainly on her face. She wanted to be mad at him for even suggesting she be so irresponsible, on the other hand she wanted to be irresponsible for one day.
Finally she closed her eyes and shook her head no. "Logan..." He could smell the tears she was trying to shut out.
He took her hand in his. "Come on when was the last time you took a day off?"
Rogue's eyes opened just enough to peer at her hand in his. "Four years."
"I'll pay for the day and help you make up the difference in rent." He was pleading now, but he really didn't care. It had been a long time since he'd cared about someone else's happiness and it felt better than it probably should.
Rogue scrutinized him. "Okay, but don't count on it."
He waited impatiently, for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes. Rogue walked out of the kitchen, wiping irritably at her eye. She nodded at him and started to clear away the remnants of their meal.
"Chet said yes?" She nodded again, wiping away a tear. Logan was confused. "Then why the tears?"
"He said it was about time I took a day off."
Logan wanted to jump up and bolt for the door. He had plans to make and a couple of calls to place to see if something could be arranged. Damn, he was acting like some sixteen-year-old boy on his first date; giddy with anticipation of making a girl happy.
Well, it was a new timeline. He could try something different.
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