She sat silent, shivering somewhere in the vast amounts of green cotton covering her, and pressed as tightly into the rattling door as she could manage. What the hell was he thinking? He should have left her on the road. Maybe someone else would have driven by. Someone more apt to handling---- well, handling whatever was the matter with this kid. God knows why, but he had broken his loner’s code to pick her up. And now he was beginning to think he wasn’t doing either one of them any good by it.

Well, he could help with the shivering, he figured. She was probably freezing. There was nothing within thirty miles so there was no telling how long she’d been standing out in the snow.

“Pretty cold, huh?” He mumbled to chase off the silence and switched on the heater as high as it would go. She turned her head, just enough that he would see the side of her face, evidently uncertain what to make of him. Well, that made two of them. He didn’t have a clue what he was doing either.

But she didn’t answer. Not so much as a nod. Just unfolded her legs and leaned forward to get closer to the hot blowing air.

On went the minutes, along with the Canadian wilderness: open and cold. Shit. This was exactly the reason why he stayed to himself. He had no clue how to react towards people. People he wasn’t beating the shit out of, anyway. And hitchhiking girls was definitely under that category. Fifteen year old hitchhiking girls.---- Runaways. Shit.

“So, kid. Ya gotta name?” Maybe he could remember some milk carton he’d seen along the way.

She said silent for a bit longer, chewing on her lip. That poor lip looked more abused then the rest of her, which made him even more uncomfortable.

“Ya,” she finally admitted, her voice shaking from either too little use or too much time in the cold. “Rogue. Mah name’s Rogue.”

“What kinda of name is Rogue?” He grinned at her, trying desperately to lighten the mood and thus, her face.

“I dunno.” She whispered into the heater and that was the end of that.

“Mine’s Logan,” he stated, but she only nodded and went back to her solitude.

It wasn’t much but at least he could tell she was definitely not Canadian. Poor kid traveled a damned long way. Fucking hell, he thought. If she fled into another country to get away from what the hell she was getting away from, who the hell was he to try and send her back?

“Where ya tryin’ to get to, kid?” It wasn’t like he had some kind of destination. Maybe, if there was a relative or someone she was trying to get to. And, they were... They were somewhere close by...He could do that. “Got family or somethin’ up here? I could give ya a lift, wherever they are.”

“No.” She quietly said to her shoulder instead of the heater. That one, simple faint word was soon followed by a none too well muffled sob. Which was promptly cracked the damn, allowing bigger and bigger quakes to go through her.

“Hey, kid. Calm down. Ya alright?” He lightly laid his hand on her shoulder then began rubbing her back. It didn’t know if that was the appropriate way to sooth somebody, but he’d seen someone else do it before.

Unfortunately it wasn’t right, or he wasn’t doing it right. Because the girl’s tears got worse until she was a blotchy mess. And with every ‘shhh’ she only got worse. He couldn’t see her eyes from them being hidden behind the ratty gloves she insisted on wearing, but he could see the tiny tail of water curve around her jaw before falling down onto her moonlight pale neck.

“Fuck,” he pulled the truck over onto the icy side of the road and put it in park. The girl didn’t seem to notice the change in momentum. His hand on her shoulder slowly moved around so he could put his arm around her. He didn’t get very far before she jerked hard away from him, practically throwing herself into the dashboard.

Now that he could see her face he was sure he was the biggest ass in the entire world. He always assumed it, but the flaming fear combined with tear-stained, puffy cheeks in front of him definitely proved it.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying anything,” he moved back to his side of the truck, his hands up. “I’m not gonna hurt ya, kid. You just...you look like ya needed a hug.” Since when did the Wolverine say shit like that? Fuck, he was not built to deal with runaways.

She choked loudly on her tears, shaking her head venomously. Then, just when he thought she was beyond repair, words came tumbling out of her mouth in long jumbled sniffle. “Ah’m a freak! A horrible, mutant freak! Ah...ah...when people touch mah skin ah hurt ‘em. Hurt ‘em bad. There was this boy an’ ah really liked him an’ ah kissed him. It was mah first kiss! An’... Gawd, ah’m a horrible freak an’ put him in a coma! Ah said ah was sorry! Told everyone ah was sorry! Over and over ‘gain.”

He moved in then, unable to look straight at that quivering bottom lip anymore. This time she was too lost in herself and let him lay his arm over her shoulders. He gentle rubbed his hand up and down her arm as she went on. “They came, jus’ one night. It was so horrible. Came stormin’ in. Broke both the front and back door down. Ah...ah.. Went hidin’ in tha kitchen pantry.” She took a deep breath and wiped the back of her hand across her nose. “It was so loud. Ah could hear ‘em all ova tha house. Jus’ bang after bang an’ all ‘em yellin’...ah thought ah even recognized some voices... When they was gone, a waiting a few hours to make sure they were gone, an’ ah came out.”
She stopped and buried her face into her hands. He figured pulling her closer to him probably wasn’t going to be the right move; she was tense and anxious as it was. So instead he just continued to rub her arm and said. “Shhh, darlin’, just take a deep breath.”

She did and wiped her eyes. “When ah came out, tha whole house was justa wreck. Everthin’ was trashed. All mama’s china broken. Everythin’. An’..An’ someone sprayed, ‘Get out mutant freak’ on tha walls an’.... well, an’ otha stuff.”

Suddenly she turned to him, eagerness across her entire red face. “Ah hadta leave. Left tha minute ah was done packin’ what ah could. Ah jus’ hadta!”

He wasn’t sure why she was pleading to him, like he didn’t approve. “You’re fucking right you did, kid. And you are not a freak, those bastards are the freaks. Having your mutation isn’t your fault. What happened to that boy wasn’t your fault. And what those fucking assholes did to your house sure as hell wasn’t your fault.”

Sure enough her eyes started to dry out some and she was down to sniffles. He couldn’t remember ever being so proud of himself. “All that matters, darlin’ is that you’re outta there. You’re safe. None of those fuckers will ever come near you again.” That was something he was pretty damn sure of.

“But...” she started, her voice quite a bit quieter. “Ah don’t even know what happen ta mah parents.”

He snorted; somehow he guessed it wasn’t a coincidence the parents weren’t ‘there’ that night. “I’m sure they’re fine.”

She nodded and relaxed back into the seat, pinning his arm behind her. He need to start the truck back up, but it was the first time she had seemed at ease since he’d picked her up so he was reluctant to break the moment by asking for his arm back. Still the silence was uncomfortable for him, with nothing else to keep his attention on.

“Why’d your parents name you Rogue, anyways?” He asked, just because it was the only thing that came to him.

“They didn’t.” She answered, her voice now level and even. “They named me Marie. Ah named me Rogue.”

A slow smirk spread across his face and he tugged the hood of her coat down before pulling his arm away, taking her face out from hiding. “Good for you, kid. Good for you.”





*

Damn he hated trains. Nearly as much as he hated airplanes. He ignored the glares and stares of the passengers as he pasted them. He had more important things to worry about then these assholes.

There she was. He could see a covered green head, leaning on the window another six rows back. In the middle of the damn train.

He immediately sat in the seat beside her. She didn’t as much as turn her head. He was really going to have to give her lessons on safety and being aware of what’s around you at all times. But, he should probably let her off the hook this time. So he cleared his throat, “Hey kid.”

She turned around to face him; evidently more than a little shocked he was there.

“I’m sorry ‘bout last night,” He offered. Sorry didn’t seem to quite cover it went you stab an innocent girl through the chest.

“Me too,” she nodded, her shaking brown eyes running all over his face. Evidently checking if he was really alright.

“You runnin’ again?”

Her face instantly fell and she began fumbling with her gloves. “Ah have to,” she answered in a weak voice.

His eyebrows narrowed. “You don’t have to do shit, kid.”

The lip quivered once. Then twice. And he knew what was coming. His arm was around her shoulders before the first choked sob escaped. Although, he wasn’t sure if he beat the first few tears.

“Yes ah do, Logan! All tha students are mad at me.”

He watched the redness quickly creep onto her milky white skin and he was feeling pretty red himself. “Mad at you? For fucking what?!”

She sniffled and bit her lip. “For what ah did ta ya last night! They said...they said the school don’t tolerate mutants using their powers against other mutants. That ah broke rule numba one. That ah was too dangerous. That ah’d be betta on mah own...”

“Come here,” he pulled her to him and she willing went, burring her face into his jacket. He let her cry for a bit, just rubbing her back and letting her get it out. When she was no longer shaking he pulled down her hood. “You listen to me and you listen good. If anyone broke ‘rule number one’ it was me. You made the right choice last night. Fuck, kid, the only one that has any right to be mad is me and I couldn’t be happier that you did it, darlin’.”

Slowly she turned her face up towards him. “Really?”

“Fuck yes. Now, what do ya say, darlin’? Go back and show those little brats how dangerous we really can be if they mess with us?” He thought for a minute a smile was going to crack on her face but it never got quite through. He sighed and kissed the top of her head, letting her hand run through her hair. “Come on, I’ll take care of you.”

Her deep brown eyes shined brightly through the haze of tears and a small little grin managed to get out. “Ya promise?”

“Yeah. Yeah, kid. I promise.”


*



“Rogue? You in here darlin’?” He called into the darkened room from the door. He already knew she was there, but he wanted to give her the chance at privacy.

“Yeah, Logan.” Her voice barely reached him but it was a green light all the same. He quickly crossed the room to where the light was, to where she was. She was curled up on her window seat, staring blankly out to the manicured grounds.

He eased down beside her, the way the bench groaned and moaned under his frame made him uncomfortable but he tried to ignore it. He reached out and pulled down the tattered green hood and let the wild brown mane come tumbling free.

“You goin’ somewhere?”

“No,” her breath fogged the glass before disappearing. “Ah was just cold.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” he grunted as he reached up and gently wiped the wetness from her cheek. He always carried gloves with him, tucked down in his pockets. He found the need to touch her usually came at the most random and unexpected moments.

She tucked the bold white streaks back behind her ears before finally facing him. “He dumped me, Logan. Dumped me because ah was untouchable.”

“That what the little pick said?” he growled.

She shook her head, causing the white strands to come loose again. “No. But Kitty is pretty damn touchable. If what they were doing in the gazebo is anythin’ to go by.”

He growled again then pulled her forward. She stood up and moved to him, then making herself comfortable in his lap.
“What did I tell you ‘bout boys when you starting seeing that Ice punk?” He wrapped one arm around her back and the other over her legs, pulling her up flush against him.

She let out a short choked laugh before wiping her eyes and laying her head on his shoulder. “That they ain’t nothin’ but horny little bastards up to no good.”

“Exactly.” He grunted.

“What the hell am ah supposed to do then, Logan? Live the rest of my life alone?”

“No.” He lifted her chin up to that he could look into her face. “You just need a man. A man who thinks your mutation is beautiful...and awe-inspiring. Just like everything about you is.”

They starred into each other’s eyes for a few moments before he broke the connection by wiping away the few escaping drops of water from her face.

“You think I can find that? Someone who feels like that ‘bout me?” She whispered.

“Yeah, darlin’, I have no doubt."





A Life Lesson By James Whitcomb Riley

There! little girl; don’t cry!
They have broken your doll, I know;
And your tea-set blue,
And your play-house, too,
Are things of the long ago;
But childish troubles will soon pass by.---
There! little girl; don’t cry!

There! little girl; don’t cry!
They have broken your slate, I know;
And the glad, wild ways
Of your schoolgirl days
Are things of the long ago;
But life and love will soon come by.---
There! little girl; don’t cry!

There! little girl; don’t cry!
They have broken your heart, I know;
And the rainbow gleams
Of your youthful dreams
Are things of the long ago;
But heaven holds all for which you sigh.---
There! little girl; don’t cry!