When Logan returned, he was surprised when one of the kids ran by, calling to him, 'the Professor wants to see you in his office'. "Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes, got to drop this stuff off first," Logan replied, waving a bag in the kids’ direction. He didn't wait for a response, just started straight up the stairs.
About five minutes later he was back, Marie was asleep when he got to her room so he had left the snacks on her kitchenette counter for her when she woke.
"What can I do for you Chuck- I can come back later if now doesn't work," he added, eyeing up the others in the room.
"Now works very well thank you Logan, could you please close the door, as much as the walls have ears in this place, I would at least like to make an attempt at privacy," Xavier replied with a chuckle, directing Logan to take a seat once he was done.
"I feel like a kid who's been called to the principal's office for bad behaviour, either that or this is a fucking bizarre porno," Logan commented, taking the offered seat with a grin. Ororo and the Professor appeared amused by his comment, Jean and Scott not so much, though the latter did have to actively school his features to avoid the grin that tried to show.
"Not exactly the former, and definitely not the latter, there is an issue of some, shall we say, gossip, going around the school and I felt it best to get your take on it, possibly head the rumours off before the situation gets out of hand," Xavier advised.
"Gossip that involves me?" Logan asked sceptically, which one of the brats would be suicidal enough to try and make up crap about him, surely they knew he would find out who started any rumours eventually and sort them out.
"There is a rumour that you, and Rogue, are involved in an illicit relationship," Charles stated simply.
Logan frowned. "I'll admit we're close, right now she needs support but I swear there is nothing more than that going on, I'm here to help her, and eventually help her with the baby so she can focus on being a mom and finishing school, that's it, end of story. Do you know who started that rumour? For Rogue's sake I'd like to get it knocked on the head quick, she doesn't need anything else to worry about right now... her weird food cravings are getting her enough attention," he sniggered, thinking about the sardines and kiwis he had brought home at her request.
"Unfortunately, I think I may have inadvertently 'started' this one," Ororo announced apologetically. "It seems a comment I made, which, in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have made, was taken out of context. My comment was never meant to imply that you would be inappropriate with Rogue, I simply said that I knew you felt very strongly for her and I could see the two of you becoming a couple in the future," Ororo added with a scowl, she really hadn't meant for her comment earlier that day to be blow out of all proportion like it had been.
"Would you say you agree with Ororo's statement?" Charles asked Logan.
"Wholeheartedly," Logan replied bluntly. "Look, I didn't intend to come back here until Rogue graduated, I didn't want to be here in the meantime because, quite frankly, I'm in love with her, but, I can't have her, not yet, she's too young, too inexperienced, she needed to live a little, be a teenager, have some fun, do stupid shit with her friends, so I chose to stay away to let her have that. This baby has changed things, a lot, for her mostly but also for me, the one thing that hasn't changed though is that she is still too young, I have no intention of pursuing her, and I still want her to have the opportunity to go out and do stupid shit with her friends - not until baby's born though - but I'm going to facilitate that from a little closer to home than I had initially planned. If anyone doesn't like that state your objections now but keep in mind, I really don't give a fuck."
For several moments silence reigned before Charles replied with a nod, "That seems like a reasonable response, thank you for your honesty. Does anyone have any objections to the statements made?" he addressed the room.
"My only concern is Rogue developing a co-dependency, I know you think you're helping her Logan but she really is becoming excessively reliant on you, which could cloud her judgement in any future relationship, creating a stockholm like effect," Jean stated.
"Rogue is relying on me a lot physically right now, I can do things to help make her pregnancy easier, like redecorate her rooms, drive and get her snacks, but other than that, I don't see what you're seeing Jean, Rogue has a wide network of supports around her and she has taken advantage of opportunities to open up to others as well, she is self-limiting her activity for now because she is trying to take it easy on the baby, her friends understand and they often bring activities to her, or just hang out in her room so she can relax but still be included, once baby is here she will get out and about with her friends more, I'll make sure of it, I still want her to be a teenager and have some fun," Logan replied with a shrug.
"But..." Jean began, pausing then in thought, "I suppose, I... I'll admit, I'm worried you'll leave when you get bored, or get sick of playing dad, you barely tolerate the teenagers, babies are a lot more irritating... I worry what that would do to Rogue," she finally admitted.
"That would destroy her, just like if anyone else here walked out on her or shut her out of their life, and it will never happen, like I said this morning, Rogue and that baby mean more to me than you'll ever know, they are the closest thing to family I've had in all the life I can remember and I will not give that up willingly, if I leave it'll only be with them right beside me but I don't want to do that, as much as some of you irritate the fuck out of me, I consider you friends too, maybe even a fucked up kind of family, I like that, didn't think I would but I do, and Rogue needs that too," Logan replied, he was surprising himself with how easily he was opening up about 'feelings', of course it was Marie they were talking about, and he could talk about her all day.
"Does Rogue know how you feel about her?" Scott asked suddenly.
"Some," Logan admitted. "From the statue incident she got all my early thoughts and feelings for her, they've only grown from there, but she said she tries not to pry into them, she knows I think she's too young and she respects that, mostly."
"Mostly?" Scott asked with a grin.
"She's already tried to convince me the age and experience issues are null and void now that, quote, 'hello I'm pregnant can't get much more experience than that', I shot that down pretty quick though," Logan replied with a chuckle.
"So, you'd be happy if she decided to go off and have sex with one of her friends?" Jean asked disbelievingly.
"That's her choice, she's free to do that, I will respect her decisions, until she's mine I won't get in her way, I'd be one hell of a hypocrite to begrudge her random one night stands," Logan replied pointedly, his lifestyle before Rogue was about as far from celibate as one could get after all.
"What if she chooses a relationship with one of her peers rather than you?" Jean changed tack slightly.
"That is her decision too," Logan answered. "But if you really thought there was any chance of that we wouldn't be here right now, having this conversation," he added, with a shit-eating grin.
Sensing all objections had been raised, and dealt with, Charles spoke again. He didn’t have an issue with the proposed relationship, in fact, much like Ororo, he felt the pair were perfect for each other, and he respected Logan's decision to wait on Rogue before allowing a progression in their relationship. "Rogue is seventeen, in the state of New York that is legal, however, this is a school, and while you don't teach in any capacity, in the interests of fair policy, sexual activity under the age of eighteen is frowned upon, and certainly no formal announcement of a relationship prior to that age. Curfews still apply, though some leniency will be afforded to Rogue given her condition, all else I will leave to your, and Rogue's, discretion."
"Understood," Logan replied with a nod, "Now, if that's all, I got Rogue a snack before and I want to go see if she's awake yet because I cannot believe she is actually planning on eating it," he said with a chuckle. The impromptu meeting was adjourned, amid chuckles over Rogue's weird cravings, Logan wasn't the only one who had caught her eating odd combinations of food in the last few weeks, she had apparently been discovered combining tuna with chocolate fudge ice cream, and nachos with strawberry sauce, only days before.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000