“This is the control room. I just want you to keep an eye on the cameras.” Storm said to Logan as she showed him the compact control room. A very disgruntled Wolverine glared in reply and sat down in the computer chair. As he propped up his feet, Storm added “And Logan, don’t eavesdrop.”

“Yeah whatever.”Logan said and took out a motorcycle magazine and started to flip through it. Ororo Munroe sighed and left the control room to go to Washington with Scott, Jean, and the professor. She had asked Logan to watch while they were gone. He was very pissed at her for giving him “babysitting duty” on a Saturday when he could be kicking some simulated ass in the Danger Room. After he finished his magazine and three cigars, Logan actually watched some of the screens. One of the cameras was positioned over the kitchen. He heard his name softly come from the sound monitor.

“Jean is not a bitch you guys.”Logan heard Rogue say as he turned the screens volume up. She was sitting on the kitchen island, eating yogurt and talking to her friends. Jubilee, or whom Logan called the mall rat, replied “If anything, your Wolvie’s the bitch ”. Kitty, who was also there laughed at Jubilee’s comment.
“For God’s sake Jubes, would you stop calling him mine I have no possession of him at all.” she said in her distinct Southern accent.

“Whatever you say, I still think he’s a bitch for giving you those thoughts. I mean, you’ll actually be in her class and, like, you’ll think of her smell? I mean come on,you need to take revenge!”Jubilee said dramatically and took a loaf of French bread and pretended to beat Kitty up with it.
“It’s not that bad but it is sorta weird.” Rogue said.

Logan cocked his eyebrow at the new information. He didn’t remember that he was invading peoples privacy. In fact, it didn’t even cross his mind.

“You are having Wolverine’s thoughts and it’s only “sort of” weird?” Kitty asked.
“I don’t know Kitty-cat, maybe Rogue wants to hear his thoughts...” Jubilee said scandalously.
“WHAT!” Rogue said.
“To hear if he is thinking about her!” Jubilee laughed at Rogue’s surprised expression. Rogue sat down her yogurt and jumped off the island.

“Listen up y’all, cause I’m straightening this out once and for all. There is no way in hell that me and him will ever be involved that way. As much as y’all think Liberty Island was “sooooo romantic ”, I was passed out and then he passed out. Besides even if there was the slightest possibility of a relationship, I’d like to see him TRY to get over his infatuation with the "telekinetic goddess".”

Jubilee and Kitty nonchalantly shared the French bread that Jubilee had used as a weapon earlier and pretended that Rogue’s speech didn’t matter.

“So, you all can go back to your sexual fantasies about Logan. I’m a real girl and I need a guy who doesn’t just think of himself as my father figure.”
After the conclusion to her speech, Rogue left the kitchen in dramatic flair.

Jubilee told Kitty “What a load of crap!” and Logan was left a little shell-shocked by Rogue’s actions. Was she really getting his thoughts? Did she like him in more than a daughterly way? Did he like her more than just in a fatherly way? She said she needed a real guy, and he was always up for a challenge.

“What is with you?” Rogue asked calmly as a very jumpy Logan exited the Danger Room and walked towards a small locker room to shower. She observed that he was nervous and tense about something. He casually stripped of his shirt as he walked down the hall (Rogue observed that too). “What are you talking about, Marie...” he said softly.
“Don’t avoid me!You were lunging at anything that came 5 feet in front of me. Though you may think of me as “the kid”, I’m perfectly capable of dodging a rock.”

Logan’s muscles were tightning as she spoke. What he had heard in the control room bothered him more than it had previously. They came to the door of the locker room and he put his hand on the door in anticipation of ending the awkward conversation.
“Look, I’ll lay off....if that’s what you want.” he said, not emphasizing the latter part of his sentence. Sensing his pride had been hurt, she laid her gloved hand on his arm.
“Logan, I’m an adult now. You can protect me, just differently.” she smiled and walked away.

Rogue’s poignant way of speaking left Logan thinking that she could probably read his mind regardless of her powers.

XXX


Friday night, movie night. The school’s adolescent population was filing into the auditorium. Bobby unexpectantly took Rogue’s hand in his and she jumped.
“Are you okay?” he asked warmly, clearly concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”

She wasn’t fine. Her run in with Logan had confused her. Everything about him was confusing her. Rogue had asked him to protect her differently but he was protecting her differently in the Danger Room. He was protecting her like someone he truly cared about and not just some kid he had taken a liking to.


They all sat down in foldable chairs. Peter and Jubilee were pretty cozy before the movie even began. Kitty was desperately trying to get John’s attention, despite her shyness. The idiot just kept lighting pieces of popcorn on fire. Bobby put his arm casually around Rogue as soon as the lights went off. Peter and Jubilee moved into a more...”intimate” embrace and Kitty giggled.
The movie went along like any normal movie. The guy becomes a hero and gets the perfect girl. Rogue wished it was that easy. That you just had a perfect match waiting to sweep you off your feet. Her stomach didn’t feel well all of the sudden. She got up and left, telling Bobby she was tired.

XXX
Rogue wandered into the kitchen where she found Logan on a barstool with a beer.
“Can’t stand stupid movies, either?” he asked. Her stomach ache had gone away so she nodded in agreement. She sat down next to Logan and drank a Dr. Pepper. She waited for him to start conversation.


Maybe it was the light intoxication Logan actually could feel or maybe it was sheer cockiness. Amusement flickered in his eyes and Rogue’s brow furrowed, wondering what he would say. He smiled and asked “So is Marie satisfied with popsicle boy?”
She seemed taken aback by Logan’s topic of choice.
“What do you mean by satisfied? It’s not like we’re dating.”
“Oh really, I guess I was just imagining when I saw him put his arm around you.”
“Spying on me Logan? How fatherly of you.” She said, dissapointment souring her speech, and got up to leave. He got up as well and held her shoulders so she faced him.

“I am not your father, Marie. The sooner you realize that, the better. So, are we friends or are you going to be hung up on that “dad thing”?”
Rogue looked shocked but a smile crept back on her face. “I guess we’re friends than.”
“How about we seal the deal, and go for a ride?” he asked.
“But we can’t-“ Rogue protested.
“Oh, come on we won’t get caught.”


XXX

As they rode down the road at “God knows what” speed, Rogue held on to Logan tightly. She smiled to herself. The opinions she had so vehemently voiced to her friends flew out of her mind like the leaves on the road they were riding on. Maybe...just maybe, she had been wrong about everything.

“Where in the hell were you!” Scott Summers questioned Logan and Rogue as they dismounted the motorcycle.
“Who put a stick up your ass, one eye?” Logan asked him. Rogue took off her helmet and handed it to Logan who hung it up on a rack on the wall. Rogue was not afraid of getting in trouble with Scott. If anyone could get him to step off, it was Wolverine.

“We were worried sick What makes you think you can just take off with Rogue like that!” he bellowed.
“Look, I don’t know if you noticed but I’m a big boy and I can do whatever I want, when I want.”
“That’s fine Logan, go ahead and do whatever you want just don’t drag innocent minors along for the ride.”

Rogue stepped up to the plate to defend herself “Hey, I’m seventeen and hardly as childlike as you make me out to be.”
“You turn eighteen in a month. When you do become an adult, you can go. But till than, you follow the rules. Do you even realize how scared everyone had been that you were kidnaped?”
“By who? Magneto? I doubt he would try that again.” Logan replied. By this point, Cyclops was angry. He pushed Logan up against the wall “Listen, if you want to be the reckless asshole you’ve always been, that’s fine by me. But don’t expect me to save your sorry ass.”

With one firm push, Logan drew Scott away from him “I think I can take care of myself.”
Scott, who had forgotten Rogue was there, was embarrassed that someone had seen him lose his cool.
“You two, go to your rooms now.”

Logan muttered something sarcastically that sounded like “Well now that we have your permission.” As they walked down the hall together, Logan apologized for getting Rogue in trouble.
“Oh, it’s no problem,”,she said,”once I turn in my awesome poem tomorrow in his class, all will be forgiven.” Rogue smiled. They had reached the door to her room.
“Thank you for taking me for a ride.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. We came back to soon though.”
“We were out for three hours....”
“Oh.”
“But I think we should do it more often.”
“Do what???”
“Hang out. Together. A-A-Alone.”
“Sounds good.”
“Right.”
“Okay.”
“Good night.”

Absentmindedly, Rogue hugged Logan. He was too shocked to respond. Rogue took his shock as displeasure, so she backed away hurriedly in embarrassment and opened her door and went inside.
Kitty and Jubilee were asleep and Rogue was glad. She didn’t want to explain herself at the moment. All of the sudden the lights flicked on and she saw Jubilee’s head pop up and say “I hope you guys used protection.” Kitty laughed so hard that she fell off her bed. Rogue who was amazed at there “we’re fast asleep” trick, was now rolling on the ground laughing at Kitty.


XXX

The next day, Rogue was surprised to hear that Jubilee and Kitty had not alerted the school about she and Logan’s motorcycle ride. She had to remember to set Kitty and John up and get Jubilee an extra large grape slurpee from Seven-Eleven (don’t ask). When Rogue handed in her poem to Cyclops, he indeed heavily praised it and made her read it to the class. As always, Siryn cried and Bobby told her how great it was an uncountable amount of times.

During seventh period, Rogue had a study hall. She was dreading health class next period. If she heard one more thing about arteries or ligaments she knew she would pull her hair out. Her homework was done so she perused the books in the library. Logan was looking through all of the rooms in the mansion trying to find Rogue. He finally found her sitting on a windowsill, reading a book.

As he walked across the library, he felt the younger students fear of him.
“Hey.” he said to Rogue who was really into her book. She almost fell off the windowsill. Logan caught her arm and helped her regain her balance.
“God, Logan you scared me!”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I scared someone.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. But I want to show you something.”
“I can’t just blow off eighth period, as much as I want to.”
“I already spoke to Dr. Hair ball. He said I could take you out.”

Rogue was surprised that Logan actually had a plan. Whatever he wanted to show her must be important. He walked quickly out and only stopped to say “Well are you coming or not?”
She got up and quickly exited the library. He grabbed her hand and took her down some hallways that she had never seen before. When they reached a dead end, Logan pushed a panel of a wall down. The wooden wall slid away and chrome elevator doors opened.
“Wow, where does it go?”Rogue asked.
“You’ll see.”he replied cryptically.

As the elevator went down, Rogue asked Logan how he’d found it.
“I didn’t.” he said.
“Then who told you about it? It’s like pulling teeth getting an answer outta you.”
He laughed and he said “Chuck told me about it, he said I might need it.”
The elevator door opened and they were in a dark and (in Rogue’s opinion) spooky basement.
“Uhhh where are we?”
“Just wait.”
He led her up a small flight of stairs that was almost impossible to see. Logan pushed open the roof over their heads. They were in the middle of the forest on the X-Mansion grounds.
“Woah, cool trick Logan.”
“Yeah, but that’s not it. Come on, it’s a short walk from here.”

Rogue didn’t mind the walk. She loved nature and so did Logan. She liked the noise she and Logan’s footsteps made, she liked the smell of the slightly cold Autumn weather, and she liked the songs of the birds far away. They came to an area where the trees grew closer together. Logan walked in front of her to push the branches away. Rogue could see bright sunlight sifting through the dark branches. Once she made her way through the brush, she was awestruck by the beautiful sight before her. A beautiful lake was reflecting the colorful sky right before sunset.

“Do you like it?”he asked.
“Yes, I do.”

They found some boulders to sit on and relaxed as the sun disappeared behind the line of trees.

“So, is this our place?” Rogue asked.
“Sure, darlin’.” he said and leaned back on a rock.
“Darlin’?”, Rogue thought,”That’s new.”

Rogue slipped quietly out of class while everyone was still packing up. She didn’t want to be held up talking with her friends but mainly she couldn’t stand health class. Rogue always wondered why her health class wasn’t like the ones in movies where all they talk about is sex. At least that would be interesting.

She remembered her way to the elevator. As she walked down the hall, she joined Logan.
“Fancy seeing you here.” she said. He smiled in reply. The elevator ride and the passage through the basement seemed shorter to Rogue now that she knew where she was going. As they walked to their spot, Logan asked “I forgot to ask if One-eye liked your poem.”
“Oh, yeah. He did.” Rogue decided to act cryptic like Logan. She was tired of always holding up the conversation.

“Well, what was it about?”
“It was about a war and two people who were on the same side that fall in love. But one of them dies in battle and the best thing that person could do was to pick up their lover’s weapon and fight.”
“Isn’t that kind of...sad?”
“It’s supposed to be sad.” she said and grinned.
“Isn’t it supposed to be that the people are on different sides like, uh, Romeo and Julia.”
“You mean Romeo and Juliet?”
“Yeah that’s what I said.”

Rogue laughed and explained “I don’t like using the “star-crossed lovers” thing over and over.”
They reached there spot on the rocks where they sat down and stretched out.
“Do you ever rehearse the balcony scene with the little ice prick?” Wolverine said with a comic expression.
“You just don’t give up on that topic, do you?” she said amidst laughing.
“Curiosity gets the best of me.”
“Listen, I wish I could have a normal dating life. But sadly, it’s anything but typical.”
“Explain.”

An aghast Marie tripped over words. The words “poison skin” came to mind.



Before she could say anything Logan said “I don’t think your skin would be such a problem if the person loved you.”
“Love isn’t exactly on most male seventeen year old’s minds, Logan.”
“Than the way I see it, you’re better off.”
“I hope your joking.” Rogue said challengingly. She glared at him but he nochalantly leaned on his back and looked at her as if nothing was wrong.

“My power manifested the minute I had my first kiss. The professor said that mutants powers usually begin during periods of high emotional stress. I just wish I could have at least kissed someone before that day just to know and remember what it was like. It’s funny, but after the shock of the event I don’t even remember what it felt like. No one’s voice ever leaves my head. I can hear that boy from Meridian thinking about me. About that freak he kissed. That girl who put him in a coma and ran away to spare her parents the shame. How can I ever move on when my mind is like a ball and chain? But most importantly, how can you ever say that I am ‘better off’?”

“I’m sorry, I spoke to soon.” Logan said acknowledging his poor judgement on the issue.
“It’s alright. I probably shouldn’t have lectured you. You are an elder, even if you are one of my closest friends. By the way, how old are you?”
Logan laughed and replied“Well, Chuck said I could be anywhere from 35 to 100. Mutants with healing powers can live for a very long time.”
“Did he ever recover much of your past?”
“It’s hard to retrieve memories from someone who doesn’t remember a thing but he did happen to recover William Stryker’s file on me.”
“What did it say?” Rogue asked anxiously.

“ Unfortunately, it didn’t have much on my personal life but it said that I did sign up willingly for the project. I was offered a large sum of money for a mysterious government project for healing mutants. I suppose I was pressed for cash at the time so I bought the scam. I bet they didn’t say till I was strapped on the table that I wouldn’t remember anything, including the money. And of course I left before I could receive it.”
“I can imagine how horrible it must have been to wake up with metal in your fists and no memory.”
“Yeah...” Logan replied and stared into space for awhile. Rogue was quiet also and stared out unto the glistening lake. The days were getting shorter and the light was rapidly leaving.

“So, any other questions for me? Blood type? Country of origin?”
“Ha, ha smart ass. I am good for the night.”
“I’m starving. Let’s go to dinner.”
“Sounds good to me, sugar.”
“Sugar?” Logan thought “That’s new.”

“Blaze Forrester here, reporting on the violent Anti-Mutant protests of last night. A group of human supremacists brutally killed two mutant girls as well as injuring a dozen others in the Bronx area of New York. These attacks have shocked and angered the mutant community, disturbing the peace that has previously settled between humans and mutants. The night has been called The Halloween Night Massacre.”

The picture on the plasma screen in the X-Mansion faded as Ororo Munroe turned off the tv.
“What bastards—“
“Logan ” Storm rebuked Wolverine as she ushered the children out of the room. Logan waited as patiently as he could for the students to exit the room. The minute the door shut, he continued.

“What bastards would do a thing like that ”
“Apparently, it was so random that even the professor couldn’t have foreseen it.”
“I bet Magneto already killed all of the people in that group anyway.”Logan said with the ghost of a smile on his face. As much as he wouldn’t want to admit it, he had become a sort of closet activist for his kind.
“If we allow that to happen, it would not only disgrace our values but if Magneto put on enough of a spectacle, the government will probably try to reestablish the Registration Act. That would be a mess.” Storm said as she paced around the couch in which Logan was sitting.
“I still think—“Logan began when all of the sudden the voice of Xavier filled his head.

I need you all in the board room immediately.

Logan and Ororo darted out of the room, fearing an emergency. When they reached the board room, Professor Xavier was waiting patiently for all of them to arrive, along with Jean and Scott.

“What’s the problem?” Logan asked. After he spoke, Rogue, Jubilee, and Peter entered the room looking startled.
“Sit down.” Xavier said and gestured toward the briefing table. He looked tired and vexed. Everyone sat anxiously around the table.

“What I am about to tell you has caused me a great deal of anxiety. I fear that this whole situation will become quite dangerous in the next couple of days. You have all heard of the Anti-Mutant protest last night. Though Magneto has not made a move yet, a group of mutants has. They plan to make a statement by going into New York City and destroying any human in their path. Their leader was affiliated with one of those killed last night.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. We’ll go into the city and stop them.” Logan said.

Jean spoke up saying “We traced the leader and discovered that he was a level five. More powerful than the professor. We have yet to know what his mutation is, but I can assure you it is not good.”







The group was quiet for a moment, almost as if they were determining their own chance of survival.

“He also has a group of about 90 followers.” Scott added.
“Do you know where he intends to strike?” Storm asked.
“Central Park, I believe. At about noon.” Xavier replied and than addressed the other students.
“To my younger students. I picked you out of your class because I believe that you have matured and are ready for open combat. It is still your choice, however. “

Everyone replied that they were ready and wanted to go. Rogue eyed her companions. Bobby was visiting his parents and was absent from the group. Rogue wondered where John Allerdyce was. If anyone was ready for open combat, it was Pyro. Rogue received an answer from the professor.

John is ready yet he lacks emotional control. His aggression fuels him in an unhealthy way.

Rogue responded by thinking But isn’t Logan the same? His aggression fuels him.

Nevertheless, Logan is not a killer. He was trained that way but he is not by nature. He adheres to a moral code that John does not.

Rogue smiled over at the professor in thanks for the explanation and followed the others to change.


XXX





XXX

On the Blackbird, Logan sat in the back by himself and watched Peter and Jubilee. This was one of the few times Logan had seen them together without them making out. She looked a little queasy and Peter was reassuringly rubbing her arm. Logan understood what Rogue missed out on. It was that little bit of physical contact that made the day less painful. Most of the time it wasn’t passionate and fiery. But it was soft and sincere.

“This seat taken?” a voice asked. Logan watched as Marie settled herself into the seat next to him. She always seemed so content and peaceful when he knew how much she longed to be normal.
As the jet’s engine started, Rogue jumped. She tried to conceal the tinge of anxiety she felt about the mission. But he knew better.
“If you’re afraid, what I said a long time ago is still valid. I’ll take care of you.” Logan said. Then she did something unexpected. She put her gloved hand in his. She smiled and Logan’s breath caught. He loved her.

XXX


With the new cloaking device, the Blackbird was easy to conceal. As they exited the jet, they saw that the group of mutants had already begun their protest in the distance. Logan was trying to form a strategy with Scott.
Things were moving at a slow pace when suddenly Jean cried out “They know ” Logan and Cyclopes’ heads spun around and saw them steadily approaching. Logan began to assign positions
“Jubilee, far right Jean, stay back here and try to decipher their plan. Cyclops, try to knock out some of the ones that are flying. Storm, create some cover. Collosus, go to the left end with Rogue. Oh and Rogue?”
The girl’s turned around.
“You might want to take those off.” He said motioning toward her gloves. She flung them off and tossed them aside and went to catch up with Peter. Jean then asked “Where will you be going?”
“Front and center.” He said and shed his claws.

The battle was favoring the X-men. Jean had figured out their battle strategy and de rooted trees to block the path to the more populated side of the park. The younger X-men had been doing extremely when all of the sudden Jubilee screamed “PETER ” Logan’s head spun around and saw Collosus drop to the ground. Jubilee looked on the verge of hysterics. Logan called out to her to keep fighting and to not drop her guard. Logan thought “If the boy is dead, it will break her heart.” This thought made him very angry and he started to fight with more zeal.

Wolverine had lost count of the people he had killed. There was only a hand ful l of the group left and soon they retreated. The group was close to victory. Jean had brought Peter to her and was examining him. Than all of the sudden, on top of the hill stood a cloaked figure. At first, Scott said it was Magneto. Than they realized, he was too large and young to be he.

“Im going to take a closer look.” Logan said and shed his claws once more.
“Be careful.” Storm said and they all watched him ascend the hill. When he reached the figure, some words were exchanged between the two and than Wolverine made a move. As he continued attacking though, he seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. The group watched in awe. What could be too powerful for his healing factor? They all expected him to bounce back.

Then he fell to his knees.
“LOGAN ”Rogue screamed and climbed up the hill faster than she ever thought she could. The others called for her to come back. But she wouldn’t listen. Though she was running at a rapid pace, it seemed to take forever for her to reach them. Logan was struggling to keep on his knees. The man that Rogue saw was young, too young to be defeating Wolverine. He was simply lifting his hand in front of Logan. Rogue did notice that Logan was losing pieces of flesh and that they were joining onto the body of the man. Wolverines’ healing power was not reacting quickly enough. Before she could think twice about it, Rogue lunged forward and grabbed onto the man’s hand. She watched in pleasure as his surprised expression turned into one of pain.

Then she felt her mind being overloaded with people’s voices and thoughts. There were too many of them. Marie winced in pain as she struggled to hold on to the man’s hand. Shortly after he dropped to the ground, she fainted.

XXX

“Nooo ” Logan yelled and scrambled to his feet. He went to the beautiful and unconscious Rogue and called to her. When she did not answer, he lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hill. She was breathing but she wasn’t moving and it scared the shit out of him.
“Jean Help ” Logan screamed to the doctor who was staring in horror at the seemingly lifeless girl in his arms. Storm lowered the door of the Blackbird for everyone and booted up the engine. Scott pulled down the seats in the jet and made two makeshift cots for Rogue and Peter. Jean lifted Peter unto a cot and Logan laid Marie on the other. He took of his glove to touch her, to try to heal her when Jean caught him and said “Don’t do that. It helped last time but this is different.”
“Why? What happened? ” said a very distraught Wolverine.
“She suffered trauma from using her power.”
“Why did that happen? That never happens when she uses her power ”
“I don’t know But you have to calm down, Logan ”

Logan spent the rest of the jet ride pacing anxiously around the Blackbird. He noticed that Jubilee was kneeling down in the corner with her arms around her knees. She looked so forlorn let she wasn’t crying. She steadily watched Peter who was only raspily breathing. She would occasionally walk up to him and stroke his arm. When they reached the mansion, Logan silently carried Marie to the medlab. Jean followed close behind with Peter. Storm and Scott were trying to convince Jubilee to get some sleep. She argued that she was fine and ran up the stairs to her room. Scott than asked Storm “Do you think they were ready for this?”
Ororo said nothing but went to the medlab to check on the others.

XXX

If Logan could pick a need, such as hunger and thirst, that was his favorite to satisfy, it would be sleep. It didn’t cost anything and it needed nothing to assist it. At least it used to not need anything to assist it. Sleep did not come easily to him tonight. After four large sleeping pills, Logan could not be at peace. After he brought Rogue to the medlab, Professor Xavier had requested his presence for a mind scan. The troubled older man said that he could return to his quarters but he seemed increasingly troubled about the matter at hand. If something troubled Chuck, it sure as hell would trouble Logan .

After his last attempt at shutting his eyes turned out to be futile, Logan arose from his bed and followed his instincts to the medlab. The silent house seemed to almost criticize him for not being in bed like the rest of the house but he was determined. As he walked across the chrome, futuristic hall of the underground X-Men headquarters his pace picked up slightly. His urgency to see her drove him to a jogging pace. The door slid away to reveal Marie’s serene body. The light around her was a light blue that was a night version of the usual florescent light in the medlab. If he didn’t know any better, Logan would say it was moonlight.

He approached slowly. He was lightly panting because of his jog to the medlab. Rogue’s hair was draped over the side of the bed. There was a dull beeping nosie coming from a machine by her bedside and Wolverine repressed the urge to silence it with his adamantium claws. He grabbed a computer chair that was under a desk and pulled it to her side. He reached for her hand and engulfed it with his. He knew that while she was in a coma, her powers were incapacitated but he wouldn’t have cared if her touch killed him. Her silence at his gesture was unbearable and he felt that he must say something to compensate for the quiet.

“Hey, umm, Rogue. You were really great out there...this is stupid.” Logan said as he started to remember that you didn’t have to make small talk with a person in a coma. In fact, you could say exactly how you felt and it wouldn’t matter. No manly pretense to be restricted to.

“Marie, I wish you were awake so I could tell you how beautiful you are. My stunning vocabulary isn’t finding the words to put this but, I think you are the only one for me. I wish this sleep you are under was some sort of enemy so we could run away from it. Together. But this is something you have to fight all by yourself, darlin’.And it kills me inside.”



Logan was about to continue, the word flow is easier after the first few sentences, when from outside the hall he smelled someone. It smelled like citrus. Hardly the scent of a villain but he shed claws and took a battle stance anyway. A figure appeared in the doorway.

“Wolvie?”


His claws retracted as Jubilation Lee came closer to him. He studied the girl. Her eyes were sunken and red and her cheeks were pale. The brightly colored sparks of cheap drugstore dye that usually adorned her hair were washed away, revealing plain black. Instead of her usual mess of punk paraphernalia on her clothes, she wore a plain black t-shirt and some pajama bottoms with purple high tops (the only color on her). Wolverine felt oddly comforted to know that even the painted up “mall rat” had a natural side.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Jubilee offered.
Logan shook his head and pulled up two seats for them in between Peter and Rogue’s beds.
Jubilee didn’t immediately sit down though. She walked over to Peter’s side and put her hand on his bandaged arm.

“Come on, tin man. Don’t be such a wuss.” She barely whispered. She smiled amidst swallowing oncoming tears. Logan watched. Quietly wishing for her to stop being so sad. Two sad people in a room is a most destructive thing. Jubilee regained her bearings and walked briskly from Peter’s side to the chair.
“It didn’t really feel like a victory today , huh?” Jubilee said to the man across from her. He shook his head.
“Until now,”Jubilee said and took a deep breath, “I always thought war was a thoughtless, emotional game. How many people could you take out from the other side. Just a meaningless body count, just numbers. I was always pretty good at math, and I have one hell of a competitive side so I thought: Hey, I might be pretty good at this war thing. Than you figure out, it not numbers, it’s lives.”

Logan listened to her with penetrating silence. Her eyes grew distant as if she might have just figured it out, right as she said it. Logan always thought Jubilee was one of those annoyingly outspoken girls who wise men developed the “seen and not heard” phrase after. To him, she was someone who felt the need to occupy silence with thoughtless and entertaining chatter. It was always Wolverine’s philosophy that if you didn’t NEED to do something, you don’t. Talking was just optional. That was why she irked him.

That night, his opinion changed. She was no longer the typical teenage rebel he saw over the security camera, throwing around her words. Everything meant something now, she was a woman. The fact that she could have been Rogue, if she had a different mutation, background, manner, and personality, was also in the forefront of Logan’s mind. She could be Rogue. And for that, Logan had to love her.

“I know about it.”she said randomly but some how respectfully, as if she knew she was skating on thin ice.
“About what?” But Logan had a pretty clear idea.

“You and her. You love her. I know. When you both came here, I knew. You were on a stretcher. Passed out . She was watching you, asking Scooter what he was going to do to you. She never once asked where she was or what was going to happen to her. She was only concerned with you.”

He looked slightly perplexed, so Jubilee elaborated.

“It took me awhile to understand why she was so worried about some guy who looked like he could obviously take care of himself but it eventually clicked. As time went on, I could tell that her feelings were returned.”

Logan eyebrows went up at this acquisition.

Jubilee was unnerved by Wolverine’s pondering silence, so she got up to leave. Just as she was about to go, she stopped and faced Logan.
“You can trust I won’t say anything.”

“I do.”Wolverine replied. As she left, she kissed him on the cheek. That’s the one thing about Jubilee’s type that Logan noticed, their overwhelming confidence didn’t allow them to be embarrassed.