Rogue paced around her bedroom in the Mansion frantically. She knew that Bobby was mad at her for taking the cure, but what she couldn’t understand was why he was mad in the first place. It was her decision, after all.

Bobby was on a business-related mission, and had left early that morning. He’d been gone since seven, but had called Rogue to wake her at nine, like always. Over the course of their conversation together, a nasty argument had occurred. That was five hours ago, and Rogue was getting worried. No one at the Mansion had heard from any of the team that had went; Bobby, Piotr, or even Kitty. Rogue picked up her phone and called Jubilee.

“Hey, it’s me. You busy?”

“Hey Roguey! Nah. How you doin’ hun? Heard from Bobby yet?”

“That’s what I was calling you about. We got into a fight this morning… I haven’t heard from him, or anyone, since. I was kinda hoping you had, Jubes.”

“Nah, sorry babe. Wish I could say otherwise. They’re probably just tied up in conversation with the new prospective students anyways. They’ll be back soon. Watch. Hey, I gotta go, one of the kids is going all phsyco on another. Call me if you hear anything, ok?”

“Alright Jubes…thanks.”

Rogue hung up the phone, somewhat satisfied with Jubilee’s deduction. She got up and looked out the window and saw a familiar face.

Logan was back.

She threw her phone down and ran out the door, down the hallway and the steps, and was at the front door before Logan had even gotten a foot in. He smiled when he saw her.

“Hey kid. Nice to see someone’s glad to see me.” He winked at her.

“I’m always glad to see you, Logan,” she told him as she gave him a huge hug. “Have you heard any news on the team? They should’ve been back by now, right?”

“The team should be back shortly, Marie. Their communications system is down, and none of the dumbasses can figure out how to fix the damn thing.”

Rogue shot him a look that just made him chuckle. “And you could? I thought you were technologically illiterate?” A smirk came across her face as she and Logan both folded their arms. He just shook his head slowly.

“Yeah, yeah. How about you and I go and work in the Danger Room. You could use some practice.” Logan grabbed her by her arm and dragged her off before she could even protest.

Along the way, Logan asked Rogue about Bobby. She tensed at the subject, and quickly tried to change the conversation.

“Can’t we just talk about something else?”

“Why? What happened? Did he hurt you?”

Logan’s concerned tone made Rogue’s stomach do flips.

“No, sugah, he didn’t hurt me. We just had a fight this morning, and I haven’t heard from him since. I’m fine, really.” She gave him a small smile. He frowned.

“What’d y’all fight about?”

“What him and I always fight about now… The stupid freakin’ Cure!” Rogue looked down at the floor, then back up at Logan with tear-filled eyes. “He acts as though it’s a disease, like I’m contagious or something. He won’t touch me at all, Logan, and it eats at me every minute. He couldn’t wait to touch me before I had taken it, when I wasn’t touchable. Now that I am, he won’t come near me!” Tears had begun to trickle down her cheeks. Logan put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

He rubbed the back of her head as she cried into his shoulder. Soothing her, he said, “Shh…Marie, it’ll all be fine. I’m here; you’re not diseased. It’ll be fine, darlin’, I promise.” He kissed her on her forehead. She looked up at him and smiled.

“Thank you, Logan.” Rogue gave him another hug. She loved feeling his strong arms around her; they made her feel safe and secure. Bobby’s arms never made her feel that way. “So sugah, what are ya gonna teach me in the Danger Room today?” Logan shrugged, smiled, and pulled her through the doors to begin their private lesson.

A loud thud reverberated through the Danger Room as Rogue bounced off the wall and hit the floor for what seemed like the hundredth time in the short while that her and Logan had been practicing.

“You ok, Marie?” Logan walked up to the girl sprawled out on the floor. Rogue propped herself up on her elbow, resting her free arm on her knee, and gave him a semi-reproachful look.

“Oh I’m just peachy, Sugah.” She stood up and brushed herself off, and resumed her fighting stance. “Everyone falls sometimes. That’s life.” With a quick smile, she positioned herself for an attack.

“Just makin’ sure, darlin’. Try to concentrate a little harder this time. Now lemme see whatcha got,” Logan stated as he made his advance.

Rogue was ready for his assault, and parried with some blocks. Sparring with Logan had taught her a lot over the years. He was a marvelous teacher, and a highly skilled fighter. Not only was he strong, but he had the right attitude, too. Logan threw a few roundhouse kicks, which Rogue dodged and blocked and retaliated against with some of her own. With all of the strength she could muster, Rogue ran at Logan dead on, leaped into the air, and sent a kick straight for his chest.

Logan caught her in the air, flipping her backwards.

He caught her just before she would have hit the floor.

Panting, out of breath, Rogue looked up at him. He was grinning!

“Not bad, kid. I’ve gotta give ya some credit there, Marie. I’ve never seen you do that before.”

Smiling herself, she teased, “Yeah, well, I’m just full of surprises.” Rogue stuck her tongue out at him, and realized he was still holding her. She glanced down at his arm that was around her waist, and feeling his hand supporting her back, she felt her face getting ridiculously hot.

“You’re not the only one.” There was an edge in his voice that sent shivers down her spine, causing her whole body to pulse with what felt like electricity running through her veins. Logan gently pulled her up so that she could stand. He left one hand on her right hip, and used the other to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes closed and an inaudible ‘oh’ escaped her mouth as his fingers trailed down her neck, coming to rest under her chin. The feeling of electricity coursing through her felt like bolts of lightning now. She opened her eyes to look at him, trembling slightly as his thumb gently grazed her lower lip and persisted to stroking her cheek. “God, you’re beautiful, Marie…,” Logan whispered, and pulled her slightly closer towards him, his forehead resting on hers. The look in his eyes was both familiar and strange; soft and caring like he always had when he was around her, and yet there was something else that she could not identify. She could feel his breath on her face, and moved closer to him, their bodies flesh up against each other. Logan tilted her head up as he moved his down to her, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss that seemed to last a lifetime to both parties.

A beeping noise interrupted the moment. The emergency alarm was sounding. Reluctantly, Logan and Rogue broke away from each other, and ran out the door to the hall.

“What’s going on?” The panic in Rogue’s voice was beginning to emerge, as thoughts of Bobby and the team poured into her head.

“Alarm. Something’s not right. We’ve gotta find Storm. C’mon!” Logan raced down the hallway, Rogue in hot pursuit.

Bobby, Piotr, and Kitty had been assigned to go and interview prospective students two hours away from the Mansion. It was a simple, routine mission: interview the kids, their relatives if they had any, see what they were like, what powers they had, tell them about the school, and be on their way. It was just that easy. It was only supposed to take an hour, two tops.

After double-checking his information, Bobby concluded they were where they were supposed to be. The interviewee’s name was Ariel Thatch. Bobby pulled the car along side the curb in front of the Thatch’s house. Kitty, beside him in the passenger seat, looked at him and smiled.

“This doesn’t seem bad at all…it’s kinda charming, really.” She opened her door and stepped out. Piotr got out as well.

Bobby put the car in park, and turned it off. Stepping out of the car, he closed the door and locked it. Pocketing his keys, he walked in front of the vehicle and joined the other two mutants on the sidewalk. The three ambled up the walkway to the house together. Bobby looked around at the dwelling. Two-stories, dormer windows, a small porch with wicker furniture, it reminded him of his own home. He sighed, and knocked on the front door. A man in his mid-forties answered, and ushered the mutants inside. His hair was a mousy grey, and he stood about six feet tall. His eyes were a rich brown. After looking around outside, the man closed the door, and locked both the door itself and the deadbolt. He walked into the room where Bobby, Kitty, and Piotr were seated, waiting.

“Ah, you three must be from that special school for the gifted. It’s nice to know that my daughter is not alone. I’ll go get her; it’ll be just a minute.” The man turned with a smile and exited the room, leaving Bobby, Kitty, and Piotr alone once more.

“He seems nice,” Piotr suggested. Bobby just looked around the room, inspecting this and that, and taking mental notes in his head. Kitty nodded in agreement to Piotr’s comment. Bobby noticed the pictures on the walls and surrounding tables. He recognized the man in them as Mr. Thatch, and thought it safe to assume the young girl in the pictures as his daughter, Ariel. The woman standing next to them both was probably the mother. The man came back into the room, wringing his hands.

“Seems like she doesn’t want to come out…” he said as he looked over his shoulder. “She can be very, persuasive, at times.” A nervous chuckle came out of his mouth. Bobby exchanged a worried look with the others.

“Uh, sir, where is your wife? Is she here?” Bobby watched for any unusual signs from him.

Looking back over his shoulder before his reply, the man lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. “She, she passed away earlier this year.” Bobby pressed on.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He paused before the next question. “How long has your daughter had these ‘powers’?”

Mr. Thatch looked down at his feet. “She just got them. Right before my wife died. Please, no more questions. Let me try to go and get her again.”

“Please, sir, not just yet. What powers does she have?” Bobby was staring intently at him, adding up what he already knew in his head.

Mr. Thatch paused a moment, then told Bobby and the others, “She is very unique in her abilities. You will have to see for yourself.” He turned to walk away. Bobby stood up quickly.

“Sir, if your daughter is violent in any way, we will have to defend ourselves by any means necessary. What powers does she have?” he repeated with more urgency in her voice. Mr. Thatch stopped mid-step.

“My Ariel can be very persuasive.” He hurried to his daughter’s room. Kitty and Piotr stood and joined Bobby. All three exchanged worried looks. Mr. Thatch returned with his daughter at his side.

“You must be Ariel,” Kitty said as she looked the girl over. She was about twelve years old, tall for her age, and slightly skinny. Her raven-black hair contrasted greatly with that of her father’s mousy brown. Her eyes were a midnight blue, and her skin was exceptionally pale. She looked like she hadn’t seen the sun in years. She was dressed all in black, and wore a charm bracelet on her right wrist.

Ariel nodded. She had a solemn expression on her face. “What do you want with me?” Her voice was quiet, yet very powerful. Bobby took a step towards her, and bent down slightly so he was at her level.

“I want to talk to you for a moment, if you’ll let me. Can we go into your room? Just the two of us?” He gave her a small smile. He received another nod, and they went into her room. She shut the door behind them both as they went inside.

“Have you come to take me away?”

Bobby shook his head. “Only if you want to leave. I need to ask you a few questions, ok? I want you to answer them truthfully.” Ariel sat down on her bed, and gave him another nod as she picked up one of her dolls and began brushing its hair. He looked around her room before asking anything. He noted that the walls were bare, not even a mirror was present. No pictures, either. No toys, besides her doll. She had a dresser, and on it was a jump-rope. He made mental notes, and continued on with the private portion of the interview.

“What is your gift? What are your powers?”

Ariel answered immediately,” hypnotization.” She continued brushing her dolls’ hair. Bobby crossed his arms.

“Really now? That’s impressive. Now, Ariel, can you tell me what happened to your mom?”

“She died.”

“How was your relationship with her? Was it good?”

“No.”

Bobby watched her every move. She seemed impersonal towards the fact that her mother was dead at all. He phrased his next question carefully, never taking his eyes off of her. “What did she die from?”

Ariel’s head snapped up. Her eyes bore into Bobby’s, a grin on her face. “A rope. My rope.” She continued to stare into him.

Bobby wanted to leave the room, wanted to protest, but he couldn’t move. He tried to use his powers on her, but nothing happened. He attempted to open his mouth to scream, but no sound came out; his mouth would not move.

Kitty knocked on the door. “Bobby?” There was no answer.

Ariel looked towards her door. “I don’t want to leave, Bobby.” The girl’s voice was mesmerizing. Before he knew it, he was walking towards Ariel’s dresser, only he wasn’t making his legs move. He tried to resist, but it was a moot effort. His arm reached out towards the jump-rope laying on the dresser. He saw Ariel move closer to him, still holding her doll. He felt the rope in his grasps, and heard Ariel laughing. “Do you like to jump-rope, Bobby?” The rope was around his neck now. Tears slid down his cheeks, and all he could think of was Rogue. He had hung up on her this morning, and didn’t even say goodbye. Now she flooded his mind. He felt his arms tie the rope, his throat being constricted. Ariel’s laughter filled his ears as Bobby fell to the floor.

Kitty tried the doorknob, and found it locked. “Bobby? Bobby, what’s going on?” Pounding now. “Bobby? Bobby!” She didn’t want to use her powers in front of the Thatch’s, but she closed her eyes and went through the door and into the room. A scream escaped her mouth as she ran over to Bobby’s body.

The girl Ariel had vanished.

Rogue’s mind was racing. “Something’s gone horribly wrong! The alarm never goes off! I hope the team’s ok…. Oh, no! What if someone’s hurt, or worse?” Her head felt like it was going to explode. She closed her eyes and tried to shake the thoughts from her mind, and ran smack into Logan with a slight ‘oomph.’

Logan had stopped running; they had reached Storm’s office. Turning around to look at Rogue, who smiled apologetically, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Kitty and Piotr turned to look at Logan and Marie. Piotr was shaking and Kitty was crying. Logan looked from them to Storm, and then at Rogue. Rogue’s eyes were wide with fear. Logan seemed to have read her mind, for they both noticed that Bobby wasn’t in the room.

“What’s goin’ on, Storm? What’s happened?” He walked up to Ororo, who was seated at her desk. She would not look at either one of her fellow teammates, but instead gazed out the window. A heavy rain was pouring down, as if the sky itself was releasing its relentless torrent of tears. “Storm?” Logan’s voice was quieter now. Ororo turned her head slightly to him. Rogue cautiously stepped up beside Logan.

“Storm...where’s Bobby?” Rogue’s voice was feeble. Tears began to swim in her eyes. She had a feeling she already knew the answer. Storm was biting her knuckle now, and turned her attention to Rogue, shaking her head as her own tears fell.

“He’s, he’s…dead. Bobby’s dead.”

Logan wiped his hand over his face as he turned from the desk, emitting the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He looked a Kitty, who was a sobbing mess, and a Piotr, who had his head in his hands. He then looked at Rogue.

“Marie…” She stood stock-still, unwilling to move. Logan noticed her trembling slightly, and walked up to her, placing his arms around her. “I’m sorry, kid.” She still did not move. Logan looked at her eyes, which were fixed in a blank stare on an object that no one could see.

“I feel weak, Logan,” she said, barley perceptible, and collapsed. Logan reacted quickly, and caught her before she fell.

“I’ll take her upstairs to her room,” he told Storm, and picked Rogue up bridal-style.

Ororo nodded, then added, “Why don’t you just keep her with you, Logan… make sure she doesn’t do anything, ok? Keep an eye on her.”

“I always am, ‘Ro. I always will.” With that, Logan walked out the door, leaving the others to mourn.

The walk to his room seemed to take forever. Logan fought with his thoughts the entire way, struggling with his own emotions. The Ice Man was dead, gone. Marie had lost a close friend, and her boyfriend at that. Granted, they were in a rut, but he knew she had strong feelings for the guy. He looked down at her, still out cold. “Poor kid…” He shook his head. Finally reaching the door, he walked in and gently placed Rogue in his bed. She’d wake up soon. He walked back over the door and closed it before walking over to where she lay. He fixed her head on his pillows and covered her with a blanket. Kissing her on her forehead, he went and sat down on the nearby chair, content with watching and waiting until she awoke from unconsciousness.

Rogue moaned softly, slowly wriggling back and forth in Logan’s bed. She was mumbling slightly, as well. Logan got up and crossed his room, kneeling beside his bed. “Shh…Marie, it’s ok. You’re alright, I’m here.” He gently stroked her temple. Opening her eyes, Rogue simply looked at him.
“I just had a horrible dream, Logan…Bobby died on that mission.”

Logan looked down and sighed. “That was no dream, Marie. He’s gone.” He looked back up to find that her eyes were searching his own, looking for any sign of doubt. She found none.

“Oh my God… he’s, he’s gone….” She began to get choked up. It pained Logan greatly to see her upset, and he wished he could do something to make her happier. She sat up in his bed and pulled her knees to her chest. Logan sat on his bed and put his arm around her, pulling her close.

“It’ll be ok, Marie. You’ll get through this. I promise.” Marie turned into him and clutched at his shirt, sobbing. Logan knew it would be a long night for them both.

: : /// : :

Logan woke up the next morning with his arm around Rogue beside him in his bed. This thought made him smile at first, then the events of the previous evening registered, causing his smile to fade. She was still asleep. He lay there, just watching her rest. His eyes drifted from her peaceful face down to her chest, which was steadily rising and falling in a rhythmic manner, and back up to her face again. He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, causing her to stir unintentionally. She opened her eyes slowly at first, and then bolted awake, causing Logan to sit up, too. “What’s the matter, Marie?”

“I just didn’t know where I was at first, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Logan frowned slightly. “Are you ok? How ya feelin’?”

“I’m…I’ll be fine.” She turned from him.

“Are you hungry? I’ll get us some breakfast if you want.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Ok…want something to drink?”

“No.” Her voice was weary and tired.

“Do you need anything, darlin’?” Logan gently turned her around to face him.

“No.”

Logan wasn’t used to having Marie behave this way, and something inside him clenched. “Oh, well, let me know if you do, ok?” He wanted desperately to make her happy again, to make her smile. She got up and walked to where her shoes were.

“Thanks Logan.” She sat down on the chair by his bed and pulled her shoes on before heading out the door.

Logan sat in a momentary state of shock on his bed. “Poor, poor kid,” he mused. He, too, was upset over Bobby’s death. The kid was a good fighter, a good kid. He didn’t really like the Ice Man that much, but all feelings of resentment aside, he was going to miss him. He just didn’t want anyone to know it. He slid out of bed and pulled on a shirt before heading out to find Rogue.

: : /// : :

Rogue stepped into the hot, steamy shower and let the water cascade over her. She wanted to wash away the memories of last night, but knew all too well how impossible that was. Tears filled her eyes as thoughts of regret filled her head. They had been doing nothing but arguing for weeks. They had argued only a few hours before his death. He had hung up on her. She didn’t even get to say goodbye.

She looked at her razor sitting beside her on a shelf. She needed a way to get everything off of her chest and out of her system. She wanted to rid herself of the pain she felt building inside of her. She wanted to bleed, she wanted an escape.

She picked up the blade, red droplets hitting the shower floor.

: : /// : :

Logan followed Rogue’s scent down the hallway, and came to rest outside of one of the coed bathrooms. He heard water running inside. Entering, he called out to Marie. When he got no answer, he walked around to the shower stalls, and saw a figure outlined against the frosty glass. His heart skipped when he saw the position of her silhouette, one arm frantically slicing away at the other. The smell of blood reached his nose. He charged forward, and threw open the door to her stall. “Marie!” A look of fear and sorrow filled her eyes, as she allowed herself to sink to the floor of the shower, letting her razor hit the ground.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” she choked out between sobs. Logan bent down and scooped up her naked form up, holding her tight. Normally, her wounds would have healed, due to his healing factor being a part of her. However, since she lost her mutation, the cuts on her arm were bleeding profusely. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped the sopping wet Marie up, and carried her down to the MedLab.

Marie quietly cried the entire way down to the MedLab. Hank was just walking out the door when he saw Logan carrying Rogue, and was about to open his mouth to ask what happened, before Logan cut him off.

“Just get her in here, and ask questions later. She’s bleeding badly.”

Hank ushered them into an empty room, where Logan sat Marie down on the nearby bed. She refused to look at either of the men in the room. Logan tried to get her to say something, just look at him, but it was useless. Tears just continued to silently run down her cheeks. The towel around her body was stained with blood, and a few small drops had begun to form puddles at her feet.

When she finally did speak, her voice was low and raspy, hardly above a whisper. “Logan, I feel weak…” She looked up at him, making eye contact for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Logan put his arm behind her to steady her.

“It’ll be alright, darlin’, I promise. Hang in there, we’ll get you all cleaned up, Marie.” He smiled down at her, a soft expression on his face, but deep concern radiant throughout his gaze.

Returning the favor, Marie smiled back up at him, before collapsing onto his arm. Logan yelled for Hank. The mutant appeared almost instantaneously with bandages, gauze, antiseptic, ointments, and butterflies to help Rogue. Seeing Marie passed out, he dropped off his load before disappearing, only to return with an IV drip.

Rogue was conscious again in no time. She looked down at her freshly bandaged arms, no longer bleeding, and down still at the hand holding her own. It belonged to Logan. She smiled to herself, really thankful for having him as a friend.

“Hey.” She stroked the back of his hand with her thumb, causing him to look up at her with a look of relief.

“Hey… how ‘ya feelin’, Marie?” He sounded tired.

“I’ve had worse, sugah, believe me.” A chuckle came from her mouth.

Smiling, Logan said, “Well darlin’, I’m just glad you’re ok.”

Rogue looked down, away from his eyes. Struggling for words, she looked back up at him. “I, I just want to thank you, Logan…once again, you’ve saved me. You’re a great friend, sugah…. I, I owe you.” She smiled. Logan simply shook his head.

“No, Marie, you’ve got it wrong, darlin’. You owe me nothin’. I made you a promise that I’d take care of you, and that’s what I’m doin’. You know I always keep my promises.” He winked at her, causing her to laugh. Just then, Hank walked in.

“Logan, may I talk to you, please? In my office?” Logan nodded, and with a slight squeeze of Marie’s hand, he left her bedside.

“I’ll be back, Marie. Give me just a minute.” He disappeared into Hank’s office. Hank motioned him to sit, so Logan took a seat in one of Hank’s comfortable leather chairs. “What’s goin’ on, Hank?”

The genius mutant looked at Logan from behind his glasses. “I know you know by now that Bobby Drake and Marie had a bit of a relationship together, am I right?” Logan tensed at the subject. Saying nothing, yet nodding, he allowed Hank to continue on. “This being said, the fact that Bobby died, under the most dreadful of circumstances, I might add, while this relationship was still going, placed our Rogue under a lot of stress.” Again, Logan was still. Hank ventured on. “I’m afraid that she, as we saw clearly by her actions tonight, is under a high suicide risk.” This struck a nerve with Logan, who jumped up at an alarming speed.

“A high suicide risk?! The kid cut her wrists not to kill herself, but to let go of some emotion within her…” He was breathing hard. Hank remained seated behind his desk, and waited for Logan to take a seat again before finishing.

“As Rogue is unstable-“ Logan shot Hank a look that would’ve struck him dead if looks could kill. “- she needs to be under constant supervision. I am going to place her under Ororo’s care, if you don’t mind, for obvious reasons.”

“Obvious reasons? And what may those be, bub?” Logan could feel both his pulse and anger rising simultaneously. Hank merely blinked.

“Well, the young lady will need a roommate, someone to make sure she doesn’t abuse any medication, someone to ensure her safety inside the mansion, someone that can protect her should something occur. She’ll need someone to make sure that she won’t cut herself again, which means that someone will have to shower with her. She does need to shave, after all, so we cannot deprive her of razors; we can only make sure she doesn’t do this again. It is for those reasons, my dear Logan, that I think Ororo would be better suited for Rogue, here.”

Logan pondered all that Hank had said for all of a second before coming to his own conclusion.

“Storm’s not watching Marie. She’s got too much to worry about now as it is, without adding more to her current and expanding list of duties. No. I’m going to watch over Marie, and I’m not taking no for an answer, Hank.” Logan was standing again.

“What are you going to do about her sleeping quarters, Logan?” Hank inquired.

“She slept with me last night, on ‘Ro’s command. She’s always welcome with me, Hank.”

Hank nodded. “I see, I see. And monitoring her?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I knew where she was tonight, didn’t I? I followed her, and found her, before bringing her here, right? I can do this, Hank, trust me.” His arms were crossed now in agitation. Hank was really beginning to annoy him.

“And the showering?” A smile suddenly crept onto Hank’s blue face.

‘Oh, shit,’ Logan thought. “I’ll manage.” ‘Shit, shit, shit.’

Hank stood up and outstretched his furry hand to Logan. “Well, then, Logan, I guess you’ve got yourself a challenge ahead of you. You may go and see her again now. She can be released shortly.” Hank strode out of the room, leaving Logan alone in his office.

“You’ve really done it now, Logan… look what you’ve got yourself into.” He shook his head, and headed out the door and into Rogue’s room once more.