Scott stifled a yawn as he slowly made his way down to the kitchen, his sock-covered feet making a ‘swish-swish’ sound on the polished floors as he shuffled along. It was nearly three in the morning on a Tuesday and though he had an early English class at eight sharp, he was unable to get any sleep. He often suffered from insomnia on a regular basis, even more so since Jean’s death, but his lack of sleep now had nothing to do with that. Earlier in the evening he had been babysitting several of the children in the rec room as they watched a Star-Trek marathon on TV and now he was unable to get the show out of his mind. More specifically, he was unable to get Captain Jean-Luc Picard out of his mind. The man reminded him of someone, but try as he might, he just couldn’t quite put his finger on who and it was driving him crazy. After many hours of tossing and turning in his bed while he mulled it over, Scott finally realized that there would be no sleep for him that night unless he put all thoughts of Picard and the Enterprise out of his mind and so he decided to get himself some warm milk.
You’re the leader of a highly trained team of mutant superheroes for god’s sake, he told himself now as he reached his destination, so what the hell am I doing thinking about Star-Trek at 3am? His internal musings were cut short when he noticed that a light was on in the kitchen and he cringed slightly, hoping that whoever was in there wouldn’t ask why he wasn’t asleep. Scott couldn’t lie to save his life and he knew that he would never live it down if word got around the school that he spent the night thinking of Captain Picard, regardless of the explanations behind it.

Carefully avoiding the floorboard that he knew creaked, he stealthily peered around the doorway and scanned the room briefly before his eyes fell upon the occupants of the kitchen, a smile tugging at his face as he realized who it was. If he was looking for a distraction to get his mind off of that ridiculous show, then the pair of mutants in front of him was the perfect way to do it.

“A date?” Rogue was saying, an incredulous expression on her face. She was sitting on the countertop by the sink, her long legs crossed lotus style as she picked at the label on the beer bottle held in her gloveless hands. A pair of baggy, blue pajama pants hung low on her hips while a tight white tank top scantily covered her upper body, showing off her shapely shoulders and long neck since her long hair was pulled back in a messy bun at the back of her head. Her green eyes were wide as she asked again, “Ya want us to go on a date?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Logan asked from where he leaned against the island counter across from her. Scott nearly snorted at his attire; a pair of black sweats and no shirt. Knowing that the man slept naked, he supposed that he should be grateful that he at least put pants on before leaving his room; maybe one day in the not too distant future he would take the extra initiative to put a shirt on while he was at it, but Scott wasn’t about to hold his breath.

“Couples go on dates,” Logan continued, taking a swig from his own beer, though his eyes never left Rogue’s. “I just figured since we’re…” He paused and waved his hand vaguely in the air, obviously uncertain about what to say.

“A couple?” she supplied after he trailed off, a teasing smile curving her lips at his sudden shyness while he nodded.

“Yeah. I just thought that you’d like to go on one. A date, I mean. I wanted to do something special for you, but if you don’t want...”

“No!” Rogue cried out quickly while Logan smiled smugly at her. “Ah’d love it. Our first date…”

Logan stepped forward and placed himself directly in front of her while she unfurled her legs from their crossed position before wrapping them around his waist, a dreamy look on her face. From his hiding place, Scott shifted awkwardly, hoping the pair wouldn’t notice him now. He got the feeling that Logan wouldn’t like him ogling his woman, even though that wasn’t exactly what he was doing. Seeing Rogue’s shirt ride up a little as she raised her arms to wrap them around Logan’s neck, Scott sucked in a breath; maybe he was doing a little ogling. Deciding to beat a hasty retreat while they were occupied, he began to back up slowly when Logan suddenly raised his head and breathed in deeply, the sound of him sniffing the air comically loud in the silent kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Rogue asked, her fingers still twined in the thick hair at the back of his head as he let loose a low growl.

“Scooter,” he called out without turning around or removing himself from her embrace while Scott froze in the act of tip-toeing away like a felon. “Aren’t you a little old for Hide & Seek?”

Knowing he was caught, Scott resignedly turned around and entered the kitchen, feeling the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment as he stared at the ground sheepishly. “I uh, couldn’t sleep,” he muttered feebly before darting a quick glance upwards to meet their eyes briefly before looking back down. “Thought a glass of milk might help, but I didn’t want to interrupt you guys.”

Rogue immediately slipped off the counter and headed for the fridge with a sympathetic look on her kind face, apparently unperturbed by his voyeurism. Pausing for a moment to pull out a stool, she took Scott’s hand and gently pushed him down onto the seat. “Hunker down there for a spell sugah,” she told him with a quick smile. “Don’t ya move an inch; ah’ll get your drink for ya.”

Scott smiled gratefully, though his insides squirmed with guilt. He knew she assumed that he couldn’t sleep because he was missing Jean, so he swallowed his pride and blurted out, “I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about Captain Picard!”

Rogue paused in the act of pouring milk into a tall glass while Logan began to hack violently on the beer that he had just swallowed, his eyes beginning to stream water as he spat the rest of the drink in his mouth into the sink. “Who?” he demanded once his coughing fit had subsided, though his voice remained scratchy. “That guy from Star-Trek?”

Rogue set down the glass of milk and eyed Scott speculatively, one delicate eyebrow raised in a fair impersonation of Logan. “Ah’m gonna assume an explanation is gonna follow that statement, am ah right?”

“It’s nothing,” Scott replied, picking at a loose thread on his t-shirt. “Actually, it’s pretty stupid. I was watching the kids tonight and they made me watch Star-Trek with them. Then that, that Captain Picard came on and now I can’t get him out of my head. Doesn’t he remind you guys of someone? Anyone at all that we know?” He stared at them beseechingly while Logan rolled his eyes in disgust.

“Dementia finally setting in, eh?” he asked before reaching for Rogue’s hand and pulling her to his side. “C’mon kid, let’s get out of here; it could be contagious.”

As Logan directed them out of the kitchen, Rogue turned back to Scott with an apologetic smile. “Sorry hon, but ah think Logan’s right. Ah mean, Captain Picard? How can you find him even remotely familiar?”

Scott leapt to his feet as they disappeared and called after them, “You know I’m right! You wait and see!” Falling back into his stool, he clutched at the glass of milk Rogue had left him and muttered, “It’ll come to me. Only a matter of time…”

Several minutes had passed before he became aware of another presence in the kitchen with him and he looked up to see Charles tiredly scrubbing a hand across his face as he reached for a tea cup.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you Scott,” he said contritely. “I can see you have a lot on your mind, but tonight is just one of those nights when sleep doesn’t come easily. I hope my being here doesn’t bother you.”

“Of course not, Professor,” Scott replied as he idly swirled the remnants of his milk around in the glass.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Charles asked, concern evident in his face at Scott’s unusually downcast mood.

Scott shook his head. “Nah,” he replied. “Just thinking about something…” Suddenly his head shot up and he stared at Charles who looked at him questioningly with raised eyebrows. “Professor,” he began slowly. “What do you know about Star-Trek?”





“So what exactly did ya have in mind for this date, hmm?” Rogue asked when they stood outside her bedroom door, a playful glint in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Logan’s waist and pulled him closer. Rising up on her tip-toes, she trailed light kisses across his throat as she said, “Dancing? Dinner in a fancy restaurant?” Still nuzzling his neck, she brought both her hands up to rest her palms against his chest, making lazy circles on his flesh with her fingertips. “Or maybe somethin’ a bit more… unconventional?” Smiling against his chest, she giggled softly and added, "Ya could always take me to a bar to watch ya get all sweaty in a cage. Now that's mah idea of a good time."

When he remained silent, Rogue pulled away from him to look at his face, worried that she had said something wrong, then frowned when she saw the distant look in his eyes. "Logan?" she asked fearfully. "What's wrong?"



"Huh?" he replied, shaking his head as though brushing away cobwebs. "Sorry. I was just thinking about Scott."



"What?" Rogue yelped, disentangling herself from his arms while staring at him in disbelief. "Ah'm tryin' to seduce ya an' you're thinkin' 'bout Scott?"



Logan's eyes widened at her words and he hastily rushed to explain. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I was actually thinking about Captain Picard."



With an infuriated growl, Rogue spun on her heel and yanked open the door to her room, ready to slam it in his face when he grabbed it and pushed his weight against it, holding it immobile. "C'mon darlin', don't be like that," he smiled winningly at her while she tapped her foot impatiently. "You gotta admit it, there really is something familiar about him."



Smiling seductively, Rogue released the door and stepped closer to Logan before stamping down on his foot and shoving him out into the hallway as she said cheerfully, "Ah'll bet you're familiar with this." With that, she slammed the door forcefully in his face while he leaned against the opposite wall massaging his foot, a dumbfounded expression covering his features.



Inside her room, Rogue huffed angrily as she yanked back the blankets on her bed before falling onto the mattress with a heavy sigh. Captain Picard, gimme a break, she thought as she settled her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. There's nothin' even remotely familiar about that character to me.



Minutes later her green eyes shot open in the dark and she sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest as her brain whirred.



Maybe there was somethin' familiar about him after all...