OK, this FB's gonna be written as I read along (rather belatedly; I apologise. Rogue wins against Logan? Good for her, in every possible way! And she has won, as odd as it may sound under the circumstances, a decent victory. And gets the respectful bow of the opponent that is due to her. She might even eventually learn that she does have a choice, and has become Logan's equal quite in herself, without the help of the other personae and against the insecure, victimising attitude of Marie. Will the girl get a chance to outgrow her teens, I wonder?

A leaping heart is certainly a prerequisite to life, once in a while. Oh, and it wasn't Logan she had won against with her tiny bikini, all those years ago. Now I AM curious to understand what took that victory away from her again... No, wait. This last scene is before she knew his darkest side, was it? But hadn't she long seen that he was grooming her?

Author's Response: Just coming back to clarify those few plots points - the scene in Havana DOES take place after Pasadena, when she absorbed him properly. Prior to Pasadena, she was pretty much Marie, damaged teenager. After Pasadena, Marie becomes embryonic Rogue, having taken in Wolverine. It takes Rogue AND Marie to face down Marie\'s demons (in Havana) just like it will take Marie and Rogue to face down Rogue\'s demons in the present day :D

Glowing, both! Good. And you can see how much this story has me in a twist by me admitting a certain degree of relief that the trouble prepares to come from the outside for a change.
In any case: Do keep on writing! This is all excellent stuff!!! (In case my comments have managed to be so meandering that you've never caught this central attitude. :-)

Umm... would the cat not make at least a day's worth of food? You need to teach the kids priorities, you know! :-D

Author's Response: Thank you for your wonderful reviews - I always love them. Sorry to twist you all up! I do intend to keep writing although life has me on a mini-hiatus at the moment; that, and I took a wrong turn in the next chapter and am currently struggling over a rewrite. But there should be something new this week, I promise. Thanks so much for your reviews ... they are better than TimTams.

So Rogue's remember the smell of truth now, clear like a rain-washed sky? Glad to hear she likes it. Very interesting (and promising) that Prof X is the more powerful telepath compared to the Whitish Majesty - and that the Wolverine can actually be impressed by that. Not quite the stupid do-goody-do, eh, Logan?

Quite expressive little scene: "He wasn't sure what had shaken them more. His growl, or his manners."
Heh. Honour exerts an unexpected gravitation on Logan, doesn't it? Does he know that it's pulling him in, I wonder? Against his worst intentions, as it were? Quite intriguing.

Utterly surprising and opening not only an avenue, but a whole new landscape of a story is Hank's insight! Oh yes, he IS a Beast, after all, isn't he? Amazingly un-feral in his attitude, though. There Logan has put such a leash on his thoughts for the telepath's sake, and all it takes to sniff him out is one of his kind. How COULD he possibly forget? By being one of his kind, and detaching himself so muc, presumably.

I will also happily continue to congratulate you on your skill of aptly painting stage settings:"Charles shook his head silently ... Homicide didn't look likely right now" [I don't envy the Prof his job of keeping the Mansion together, doubtlessly a task that encompasses the emotional, intellectual and physical realms] "... he was reminding her of her obligations, and Rogue was generally quite professional...

“I need to see that fucking control room, right fucking now!”

… except when someone tried to give her orders. Oh dear. Hank stood stock still, then shook his head in puzzlement as Rogue refrained from hurting him." And here we see not only what everyday life at the Mansion takes, but also how well Hank at least knows Rogue. Does she realise it?

Good to see that Beast gets a role (an often needlessly neglected character), and how he suddenly comes into play - quite the background figure. I enjoy how the storyline echoes the character in this way. We also learn a lot about Wolverine's skills and ways of using them by listening to Beast here - the way he figures out a relationship by scents.

And yet he is so very different with his scientific mind and training. What is his "relationship" with the Beast-side of his nature, I wonder? And how does he keep it in check? He seems to have more "everyday" access to it, and he also seems less violent. Does that mean he needs less of the iron discipline that Logan uses to tie down his feral side, I wonder? So the Wolverine was sympathetic, and Dr. McCoy secretly wants to be more feral? Hm, that sounds a bit out of character now. To me anyway. It's true, though: McCoy's intellect is certainly sharper and clearer than Logan's, which makes it perhaps more difficult to give room to the Beast? But do all ferals actually enjoy a fight? Will McCoy slip down into the feral realm as Logan re-works himself into a truly honourable man? (Please note I avoid the term "decent" ;-)I am VERY much looking forward to Logan/Henry McCoy interactions!!!

The Wolverine might underestimate Dr. McCoy quite a bit, as he underestimated the Prof., perhaps relying too much on a fighter's assessment of people. An assassin needs to be single-minded, doesn't he? Now what's gonna happen with said assassin in a surrounding that demands a lot more foci on a huge variety of issues? Hm...
Oh yes, I am quite looking forward to your updates! :-D

Author's Response: Wow,what a review. It\'s the ultimate compliment when someone takes the time to think about what I\'ve written, to question my thinking and the world building going on. Thank you so much! I\'ll confess that I don\'t actually KNOW a lot about Beast, not having read the comics and I haven\'t seen the new movie yet, so my assumptions are based on the little we saw in X1-3. AND all the thinking I\'ve done about the nature of feralness. (Feraldom?) Hank\'s very mannered speech, his labcoat, immersion in science etc - these to me always spoke of someone keen to hide or ignore the feral side of their nature, to sublimate it. But sublimation is a bad strategy psychologically, because it denies a person a level of freedom and self-expression, and Hank is intelligent. He probably realises it is unhealthy, and being in contact with Logan shows him another possible path. Where the feral is not dominant - this Logan, in Sleeping Dogs, has it well controlled - but is not denied, either. And that would be quite appealing to a \"closeted\" feral, I would think. Not sure exactly how they will bounce off each other in future, but its bound to be interesting, I think.

Oh, surprise! :-D SO delighted it'S up, and it's become an excellent chapter! Great you took the time for Emma/Dying Xavier interaction - very imaginative, very dramatic, lots of condecsed story and characterisation. We are all looking forward to the next chapter by this wonderful author... ;-)

Author's Response: Working on it, I promise! I nearly shot you back that chapter to take a second look, but I was pretty sure it worked OK, so I posted anyway. Glad you liked:D And I\'m an ungrateful idiot for failing to mention the fact you beta for me and make things all better!

Good chapter, really like it! Hank's progress is a little abrupt, I find, but it's great you've made room for him. Logan and Beast McCoy as cellmates, that's going to be interesting. Still love your Jubilee; wish I could write her like that! And what a very interesting exercise for all of them, to discover their sense of self and their identity in the absence of their mutations. It happens whenever our lives turn upside down, doesn't it, this question of who we are and what we must keep to remain... us.

There I had managed a Lent cleared of sitting around wasting my time, and now this storymust come and remind me that not all reading of fan-fiction is wasted... Ah, well.
Love the thoughtful Logan, even more the Rogue whose dead-pan snarkiness is ingrained beyond weariness to erase. Rich, full texture of sensual impressions; great especially in contrast with the taciturn outward demeanour.
Tantalising how the setup of this story ('Ro gone, Jean there) is only slowly revealed.
Too much Nabokov, methinks though, to the point where the flowery expressions become a veritable jungle of poetic shoots and vines the seem pretty unconnected to occasion or character at times.
And of course, I should review aftert the last published chapter, or at least check that these observational gems have not yet, by some strange and unforseeable coincidence, been uttered by some other reviewer, but if we wait around for that to happen, another age is likely to swing past. So here you go. :-)

See? You've made me read along in one go. Glad you got over the Nabokov. Like the balder, starker voice as the story comes along; glad to see how that's stil coupled with careful language a few registers above its subject matter. Find myself hoping she can find a rest with him, and he with her by providing it. Have they know each other way back? Somehow I get the ompression that she remembers him, though that shouldn't be possible unless he's suffered another amnesia in the last 15 years. Anyway, glad the story and its author are around!!!

Author's Response: Please forgive me for taking so long to reply. I\'m glad you enjoyed this, and I hope the future chapters will answer your questions.

Ahh, wait.... if I look now if this is really a finsihed one-shot, I'm losing what I've reviewed so far, right? Bol***ks.

Well then, what do we have here? A beautiful story from a too-long absent favourite is what we have! The familiar adroit characterisation, perfectly to the point: "but he does give me his comfort, albeit gruff and unpractised." Says what we know about Logan, and manages to say it in shoret expressions actually worth reading.
Similar the relation between Marie and Logan, complete with her still-teenage absence of wondering whether his reluctance to accept anything in return for the gift of comfort could possibly stem from reasons not connected with her person: "So when he needs comfort in return, I’m there. Because it’s the only thing he lets me give back."

The whole story feels like one translucent layer, expertly mined, of two characters in a relationship (the latter in the loose meaning). They have acquired more over the years and will probably add to them in the future, but here is just this, Logan and Marie and the person each is.

And one of the two is doing some growing up, part of which is learning to distingzish between unrequited love and self-conscious, dramatical pining: “He gets to treat me like a kid. He gets to screw Jean, insult Scott and be completely unaware of my feelings, but he does not get to have an opinion on what I choose to do with my life. Those are my choices to make." Uh-huh, some Rogue is making an appearance. Good for her.

She's also doing some maturing. It is good to see that, despite the rather conventional plot, your author persona has no lost the skill of subtlety in relations: "I was frantic to know. ... But she was so desperate to hide her emotions that I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. ... And I was afraid that if I said it out loud I would break her."
It's this sort of subtlety, and the strength it demands to live with the disruptive powers of grey-scales, that let her grow: "I never thought I would end up being the strong one."

Sometimes, though, there seem to be explanations for daft readers, as if there was a need to make reallyreallyreally sure: "Stupid isn’t it. I fight for touch, and when I get it, I decide I don’t want it after all. Even I don’t understand me."
Well, yes, there might still be people in the world who can be amazed at contradiction and who need a story spelled out to them. Only these stories neverr seemed to cater for them. A bit of rust, maybe, dear author? Or a wholly unfounded lack of trust in your skills to make things clear without explaining them? Tsk, tsk, cut it out, September! YOU have no need of this!

Because, you know, you are perfectly capable of evoking the depth of understanding of Marie for Logan, plus an exciting sense of potential for development between the two, apparently without breaking a sweat: "Only in something that can be so destructive, so violent, can there be such beauty and stillness."

Now, having assumed the right to criticise on the strength of old acquaintance:WELCOME BACK! I have often thought of your recently, and wondered if you were still around or I was beginning to devolve into a troll, being the only one of the "old team" still around. But I see the re-surfacing of Jaq harbingered more good things to come! :-)

[These review boxes really are deplorably small. But then maybe, that's to protect the author's sanity from ranting reviwers. I fervently hope it worked in this case. :-D]

And after that things just fall into their normal screwed up routine.

Author's Response: Hello!! I think your review might be longer than some fics I\'ve posted. That\'s awesome! It made my day *g*. It\'s really good to hear from you again. I haven\'t been around as much - real life has a stubborn way of getting in the way of fandom, but it\'s nice to be back here and writing some fic again. As always, I really appreciate your feedback - you know I\'m always trying to improve. And god yes I am rusty. I am creaking with the stuff. There will be mistakes - just you wait! You picked out my favourite line though: \"Only in something that can be so destructive, so violent, can there be such beauty and stillness\" and I could hug you for that. (Subtly, of course *g*) I just hope the next chapters live up to expectations. There should be 4 of them and an epilogue in all, so not a one-shot. Hopefully.

You go back and study; shoo! It's a decent enough chapter, but it'S a good story - don't waste it on unbalanced emotionalism and and on writing that doesn't flow. You can do better when your mind's immersed with your characters (excellently constructed in previous chapters). Except that, as we know, you are stuck in the quagmire of impending-exam-preparation. Go study, luv!!! If you need a break, go for a run, not to your computer. If your mind needs a break, daydream of Rogan. That'll help with your stoy. LATER. Says bancáinte, who should edit a thesis and beta another story. :-D

Author's Response: Ouch. I am duly chastened. Your comments are insightful...I was actually trying very hard to convey a level of panic and urgency in Marie\'s thoughts, but obviously I went a little too far. Although...go for a run? You\'ve obviously never met me. ;-) Thanks for your review, even if it stung a little...happy thesis-editing!

Oh! Well, I must say, this time you are making it really hard to remind you of studying. Good chapter! (And I see you are beta'ing now. Surely that must mean your exams are over?)

Author's Response: Ha, yes, my exam was more than a week ago, thankfully. Although I was very naughty and started beta-ing beforehand...but in my defense, I hadn\'t realized Syrin would be posting a chapter every darn day!