Stupid fucking healing factor

Oh man, ain't that the truth? I loved the struggle between Marie and Carol - Carol would be very dominant - and man, you got me all kinds of freaked out with Logan going all "Wolverine- y" on poor Marie! What's he going to do now, now that Marie has made an appearance...

Love your updates, keep it going!!!! :)

Author's Response: Dominant ain\'t the half of it ;). And I will absolutely keep the updates coming.... although I do take the GRE in two weeks (blegh!) so don\'t be surprised to see a slight lull until that\'s over.

Oh Man.

I am just aching for them - Logan for desperately wanting her to reach out to him (love the whole, "tell me to stop" )while Rogue desperately needing to touch him. The bit about the shoelaces?

Heartbreaking.

And holy cow - Rogue is one freaky b*tch, lol! The Wolverine has met his match!

:)Can't wait for the next installment. :)

Author's Response: Ugh, I am aching for them too. Everytime I write them, they just want to throw themselves at each other. It\'s a struggle to pull them apart and keep some semblance of a plot, LOL.

(oops, my review got cut off midway - here's the rest)

Control over the Wolverine, yes, but that doesn't mean that Logan won't let the animal out to keep and protect what's his. Then there is your Rogue, working through her own demons, learning about her mate(s), both the Wolverine and Logan:

This was the weak Logan, not the alpha. She could disobey him if she wanted.

But she didn't, did she? She wants to make him happy, which is revealing her love for the Logan, the man, not just obediance to Wolverine, the feral. Then you come up with this ingenious idea, tying the two men together that satisfies both while cementing Rogue's need to be claimed:

These aren’t a gift for you. You wear them for me.

But for all your eloquence in defining the man from the animal, Logan is still a male, after all and I laughed/sighed at this:

Get dressed,he murmured. Please.

Marie overcoming her guilt over Carol makes total sense as to being the key to breaking free of the powerful mutant's hold. Hopefully she can convince Rogue she doesn't need protecting anymore and is strong enough on her own.

Well done. :)

Author's Response: Thank you so much for the thoughtful review! You make me want to write. A lot. Now. Unfortunately I\'m outta town til Saturday. Ugh. Oh well; at least I have my notebook and am now almost finished with the complete rough draft of this story (woohoo). I\'m glad people are enjoying the sort of slow discovery with each. This story will have a lot of growth and change as they come to terms with themselves and each other. And of course some fun action and hijinks and a little asskickery along the way. It\'s been really fun to write, so I\'m glad you\'re enjoying it :).

“I don’t want you to take those off. Never, baby, never.”

She remembered Carol’s words: a dog collar.

And there was a part of her mind that wanted nothing more than to wear it for him. Logan had trained his pet well.

How bloody hot is THAT?! Another awesome chapter - love how the relationship is building between Logan and Marie. Very real, very much two people jostling for understanding. But that ending? Hee, hee, you are just evil.

Love the "What happens in Vermont, Stays in Vermont." :) Funny lady!

Author's Response: Okay. I thought it was pretty damn hot, too. Glad to see we\'re on the same page, hee. And that is the absolute perfect phrase to describe where they\'re at right now, \"two people jostling for understanding.\" Although Marie\'s perspective on those tags and just what they mean is going to shift as her relationship with Logan evolves :).

You know what? This chapter was awesome. The care you put into their reactions to each other - Logan's struggle to control his feral claim on her, his anger, frustration, hurt, it's all there. And Marie's state of mind right now is bang-on. I mean, holy frig, the woman is realizing that she's been a sexual animal around the guy all this time! And the way you convey her mortification is making me wince AND laugh, poor thing!

Logan is an ass sometimes, (I could SO see him on that bed, lounging away) but he's a cute one. I cannot wait to see how things play out in the world of the X-Mansion. :)

Author's Response: Thanks for always leaving thoughtful, helpful feedback. And YES, poor Marie, that would be flippin\' mortifying. Somehow, though, I think she\'ll recover ;)

“I need ya to stay calm, baby, ‘cause I need to stay calm. Got it?” Right out of the gate with that one. Perfect. And then there's this:

One who stole his heart without a single word—yet who was now growing farther from him with every second of silence. Oh boy. You are making my heart break for him now...

Just a little side note, up here in Canada, we don't say "soda", we say "pop" (usually, not always) so interesting to learn about Marie's reaction to the phrase "do you want a pop?" Good to know to ask for soda when down south :). Now on the rest of my review:

It’s a double. And I’m thinkin’ I’m gonna get a decent night’s sleep, so long as ya don’t go crawlin’ into bed with me again.” Logan, you ASSHOLE! Love it...

“I’d prefer some quality literary journals. But anything’s better than those trashy beach reads she keeps on her nightstand. I’m an editor, for God’s sake. Burn them. Please.” Halelujah. :)

Marie stiffened when he reached beneath her collar, but he just pulled the chain from under her shirt. His eyes never left hers as he brought the metal tags to his lips and kissed them before letting them drop. Oh my. Jerk Logan and Sweet Logan. And Marie gets to have both?! Lucky girl - and lucky us - for yet another, well written chapter. I am savouring every word. :)

Author's Response: See, that\'s so funny to me \'cause we say soda, or coke for any soft drink. (As in \'I\'ll have a coke.\' \'What kind?\' \'Dr. Pepper.\') The words \'You want a pop?\' are something many a Southern child would cringe at, usually a prelude to a smack on the ass, arm, leg, or any other available body part, usually because said child is acting up in the grocery store or something. I\'m not sure how the idea arose to use it as a plot device, but eh, I think it turned out kinda cool and highlights Marie\'s Mississippi roots. Also her general hang-ups about children, which should become more apparent over the course of the story.

Yes. I loved that asshole!Logan moment too. He\'s so smooth sometimes, and puts his foot right in his mouth at others.

I am just beside myself, so very, very happy that you have returned with another story. I have spent many a night, reading your stories, over and over again and have always thought about you (I hope that doesn't sound creepy!) That you have began writing again just gives me butterflies because once again, I will get another glimpse of one of the most "real" Marie and Logan characterizations in the fanfic universe. Add me to your monumental list of admirers - I am beyond thrilled. Spectacular stuff this.

Author's Response: Hi, and wow - thank you for saying such nice things! I\'m so glad you like my stories :oD I hope this one doesn\'t let me down now *g*

I always have to prepare myself emotionally before I set down to read your stories. I almost feel protective of your Rogue - wanting to slap everyone for forcing her to be the mature one here - the one who needs to be real while the rest gets to barge through their lives and emotions to the detriment of her.

I am so happy you took her out of New York - and I am so happy she got to claim a mission on her own. To get to be "her".

He sees me.

Indeed. Love it, as always. Beach lounging seems to agree with the muses that reside in you, my dear! ;)

Author's Response: \"Beach lounging seems to agree with the muses that reside in you, my dear!\" Ah-ha! I should definitely do more of it then. It\'ll be a hardship, but I\'ll try to cope ;o)\r\n\r\nIf you feel protective of Rogue, then I\'m going to hide from you when I finally get round to posting the last chapter.. heh.. *omghides*\r\n

Thank god for the image you shoved into my head with your author's note. I don't know how else I could bear reading this epilogue.

My heart was already broken - far from healed but still managing to beat here and there from the last chapter. And then, with a blunt edged knife, you stab it with the quick jab, jab of happy Logan, happy Jean, pregnant and living together so soon after Rogue left.

As much as I had accepted Rogue and Logan not being together, I wasn't emotionally prepared to accept Logan and Jean getting to live happily ever after. Yes, I know that he loved her and not Rogue, and yes, I know that he had tried to be that man for Rogue at the sacrifice of himself but I just could't get there as I read this. I don't want Logan happy without Rogue. And that just shows a flaw in my character, doesn't it? Because he does deserve to be happy. Jean too. Why couldn't she fall out of love with a good man and fall in love with another? It happens. To good people. And it did to her.

Thank you for your Rogue learning to moving on. As for me, I don't think I can and this story will haunt me for a long, long time.

Add a zillion more stars to the top of my review - you deserve to be decked in them. :)

Author's Response: Thank you so much for your comments. I never know whether something comes across the way it\'s supposed to, so I love reading what other people thought of it. I think Logan got more of the happily ever after than Rogue in this fic. Rogue got the new hope, though. The \'maybe\'. A new beginning. And that\'s right for her in this one, I think. I\'d like to think that maybe in a few years when she\'s feeling a lot more secure in herself, that they could start trying to be friends again. - Also - glad you enjoyed the image of 80s mankini decked Logan :oD

So many juicy lines, snippets that line up exactly what the school has become since the loss of Jean and Scott. So perfectly worded. You still get me with a few zingers - there's a lot of them actually - but this one really made me laugh:

...a few rounds with one cage, two bottles, and three women.

Ain't that just him, though? So brilliantly written, and I wouldn't worry too much about chapter lengths (My fic is all OVER the place), you know when it's a good place to break off and start a new one. Like Jaq said, I am usually a few chapters ahead and after tinkering a bit with them, I start chopping off where and when they start and stop. Not that you need any advice, you are by far, a highly accomplished writer!

No worries in regards to your end notes - personally, I enjoy the more mature (and don't read that to only mean smutty) where the human condition is really explored. To me, it's all part and parcel of what life is full of.

You did an awesome job with fleshing out the characters - I already care so much for them! I am flinging tons of stars at you and "jonesing" for your next chapter! :)

I wish the movie was like this. :)

***fanning self***

Now, wouldn't THAT have been something if the movie went in that direction?!

Very nice, very hot, but there was something about this line that just got to me:

*He doesn’t laugh enough.* she thought sadly, and Logan immediately noticed the change in her scent. “Hey,” he said softly “Stay with me.”

So sweet, so Logan. Thanks for sharing! :)