Rogue followed Logan down the steps of the jet into the courtyard of the monastery. She'd stayed in the middle of the group as they approached the others. Storm and Logan on point, then her followed by Xavier and Magneto; just as Logan had asked her to.
She smiled at that. At one time it made her bristle when Logan told her what to do. Over the years she'd learned to trust his instincts and he'd learned to phrase commands into requests.
Logan had wanted her in the middle for protection. She could hold her own in hand to hand fighting, he'd made sure of that. Her skin was still her only other line of defense, and the longer she put off using it the better.
He shot her a raised eyebrow when he'd seen Bobby and Kitty hold hands. Rogue rolled her eyes in return. Whatever. She'd been done with Bobby the moment she spied him and Kitty ice-skating.
While Kitty explained what they did to stay ahead of the Sentinels, Rogue stood off to the side assessing the abilities of the new group of mutants. The fact that Colossus was with them scored points with her. Bobby had fallen into a capable bunch; no doubt that is why he was still alive.
Rogue felt an odd twinge of sympathy for him on that front. She knew the only reason she was still alive was because of Logan's decision to stay with a group. He could go it alone and do well, but he knew that by sticking with the others he increased her chances of survival.
Logan had been standing in front of Rogue during the discussion. It was a precautionary measure, but it brought him some sense of security to know that he could be her first line of defense. He mentally relaxed a bit to know she would let him be that for her.
He heard her little gasp when he brought up the fact that he could go back in time. She'd come to depend on him. No, that was wrong; they depended on each other. She kept him from falling into self-loathing, because no matter how bad things were she always had a smile for him. Her unconditional love was what he was dependent on and he'd have to explain that to her before they went through with this.
When the others filed out and Logan barred the door, Rogue took up a post in an alcove. She smiled to herself, remembering how they became lovers. After she'd taken the cure she stayed on at Xavier's to finish her education; later as the school slowly became a refugee 'camp' for mutants she'd stayed to help. Logan had been her shoulder to lean on when her mutation reappeared, and they became intimate when she was able to convince him that he wasn't taking advantage of her.
Without his love, life would have been difficult as things deteriorated for mutants around the world. When the new Sentinels were brought on line and they were forced from the mansion, Logan had been her rock, her fortress in which she sought refuge. Rogue spared a small smile for her mother who would be agape at the inappropriate use of Bible quotation.
She tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Logan say patience wasn't his strongest suit. She snickered at his comment and caught the little reflexive quirk of his lips. They both knew he had an abundance of patience for a certain subject. With the mansion long behind them; so where body stockings and other forms of protection. He'd been the one that hadn't given up on her learning to control her mutation.
Logan approached Rogue in the alcove; they'd been given a moment as Kitty prepared herself for her part of the plan. The fires outside made the colored glass throw odd patterns about the area; the nearby candles added a soft glow to Rogue's pale features.
"Not exactly the romantic anniversary you wanted," he said, drawing her into his arms. She was shaking and he knew it was not from the cold. He could smell her sadness and fear, though she relaxed into him, letting her body mold to his.
The fit was perfect, always had been from the first moment she touched him. He swept her hair back, tucking it behind her ear and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Rogue sighed softly, opening her mouth to his tongue. She wanted him to devour her, swallow her up so they were no longer two separate people. They'd become one new being, strong and untouchable by the outside world. She drew back breathless, unable to shake the thought that if she flipped her mutation on they could be one. If she held on long enough, she'd never have to let go of him.
She nuzzled his neck; breathing in his scent, warm and comforting. His instincts were seldom wrong, though she couldn't help the hot tears that spilled over at what a change in the past could mean to them as a couple.
"Marie…" Logan looked down into her eyes, wiping away a tear with the pad of his thumb. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but not like this. Not forever on guard, always getting lost in silent, desperate couplings. He wanted a future where he could take his time relearning her curves, drawing moans from her lips, and showing her again how much he appreciated her love for him.
He let his guard down, allowing her to see something besides the face of stone that had become a way of life. Kissing her eyelids, one at a time, he could taste her tears. The sweet saltiness that she shed for him alone these days. "This isn't going to change us."
"You can't know that." She looked into his intense hazel eyes. Logan promising her, like he promised to keep her safe all those years ago. And he had kept her safe, every day of every year since, but she didn't know if he could keep this promise this time. When he held her like this, like there was no one else in the world, she wanted to believe him.
A gentler kiss before he nibbled his way down her jaw line and placed a kiss behind her ear. His voice was low with urgency, "No matter what happens, I'll find you." He'd be damned if he was going through all of this only to lose her on the other end.
"What if it's not that simple?" Rogue knew he would look and when he was hunting something he always found it. But if he was the only one to remember. "What if I'm with someone else?"
Logan laughed lightly, kissing her then nipping at her full bottom lip with his teeth. "Tell me you didn't feel something when our eyes first met. Tell me you…we didn't spend years denying our feelings." She closed her eyes and nodded. He wiped away another tear, caressing her check. She leaned into his hand. "We will be together."
Rogue nodded again, unable to trust her voice to answer. He made it all sound so simple; she couldn't help but believe he would make it happen. She needed to believe he would make it happen.
"One more thing." Rogue looked up at him, lips slightly parted desire flickering in her eyes. Logan growled low; these stolen moments had become such a part of their current life. "Not here, Darlin'."
She gave him a devilish grin. "I know." Just because she understood, didn't mean she wanted him any less. She endlessly struggled to show him how much she loved him. Words weren't always enough. Right then she wanted one last chance to have his hands roam her body; have him fill her, completing her as only he could. She saw the flames of passion in his eyes before he could get it under control.
He kissed her, pulling her body flush with his. His hands tangled in her hair. Their teeth clashed, tongues warring while she gripped hard at his biceps. Logan tried to memorize this, imprint it on his soul. If all else failed to make Marie his in the future, he could give her a glimpse of what they'd had.
He pulled back, breathing hard, and rested his forehead on hers. He couldn't look into her eyes, for fear his resolve to see this time travel plan out, would melt away. "I need you to do what ever you have to to stay alive." He breathed in her scent, letting it strengthen him. "I don't want this to go south and wake up to find you gone."
Her hair slipped from his fingers as he moved his hands to rest on her shoulders. Taking a step back he squared his own shoulders and raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled at him. She was done crying and would be strong for him so he could do this. Rogue stood on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. She dismissed him by turning away from him, leaving him to his other duties.
Rogue heard his retreating footsteps as he joined the others. Absently she felt for the epi-pen that she kept on her at all times. It was filled with a powerful dose of a treatment the Professor and Hank had once used. The shot was her last resort. She'd used it one time before to fool the Sentinels when Logan wasn't able to get to her position fast enough.
She looked through one of the clear glass squares in the wall. She could see the misty, broken shapes that were their last defense. Logan's roar startled her and she fingered the pen again. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it.
~*~
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Story Notes:
Thanks to RogueLotus, Jamie and Margaret for the beta. Thanks to Margaret for the title. This story is completely RogueLotus' fault, she said the idea was lovely.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is how it all started: Logan kissing Rogue before he goes back in time, promising that he will find her and they will be together.