~*~

Rainstorms reminded Rogue of her childhood in Mississippi.   In the hot afternoons her mother would let her don her bathing suit to go outside and play in the rain.  Splashing in puddles had always been her favorite activity.

Nowdays the most Rogue could hope for was some hot cocoa as she watched a storm roll in. 

After bed check - one of her duties now that she was part of the teaching staff - she took her drink upstairs to her room.  She preferred to watch the lightning and sip cocoa alone so she didn't have to explain that faraway look to anyone.

Long after the lightning and thunder had marched on by, she lay awake listening to the gentle rain on her window.  Tonight, though, her happy summer memories were being drowned by Erik's water laden nightmares. 

"To hell with it." 

Rogue threw back her covers and headed for the back stairs.  The fact that she was clad only in her oversized nightshirt didn't bother her.  She no longer owned a bathing suit and at this late hour no one else should be awake.

She quickly made her way to the veranda to watch quietly for a few minutes.  Tentatively she stepped out into the watery landscape.  At first she only ran from tree to tree, letting herself become accustomed to the cool drops of rain.  Eventually she made her way to the benches in the flower garden.  She went up one side of the path and down the other, hopping from bench to bench until she found the lawn next to the gardens that was filled with puddles.  

Laughing with glee she raced to the nearest puddle and jumped into the middle with great satisfaction.  She continued until a cold downpour started, then she sprinted back to the veranda.

Rogue drew up short when she saw Logan standing at the edge watching her.  She shouldn't have been surprised.  She knew he liked the rain and the way it left things clean.  Still, he seemed to have taken up the hobby of watching her.  It was almost as if for the last 6 months or so he had been trying to solve a puzzle. 

She didn't feel much like a puzzle at the moment, suddenly conscious of her thin nightshirt clinging to her.  It sent riverlets of water down her legs.  Stepping under the shelter of the veranda, she stood beside him.

"You're going to catch a cold."

Turning to face him, she shrugged. "It was worth it."

He studied her intently, she noticed, and then he reached out and let a finger lightly trace a raindrop from her hairline down her face to her collarbone.  She could only stare at him in astonishment.  Her mutation didn't even spark.  He took her parted lips as an open invitation and kissed her solidly.  The kiss lasted only seconds before she could feel her mutation prickle its way to the surface.  She tried to keep the floodgate to a trickle, but found it took too much concentration.

Breaking off the kiss, she made a small step backward.  Despite Logan's chaotic thoughts swirling in her head, the man looked as composed as ever.

"Sorry," she said in quiet apology.

"Don't be."

Furrowing her brow, she searched his face and thoughts at the same time.  "Oh," she said.  He smiled and started to reach for her again.  "Wait."  She stepped back out into the rain.  "The rain helps…" She didn't get a chance to finish as he strode out to meet her.

This time he started small, gingerly tracing the flow of water as it coursed over her bare skin.  The trick appeared simple enough: the rain made her happy and in turn helped keep her mutation at bay.  One of his strong arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her grounded to the spot.  She leaned into him, lifting her face to let the rain fall more fully on her.  A small smile crept across her lips as she realized how much she had been craving his touch.

The prickling started again as Logan's mouth made contact with her jaw line, placing kisses down its length.  She placed a hand on his chest in case she needed to push him away all the while drawing upon her memories to find her balance.  Instead she stumbled into one of Logan's recent thoughts of her.  She quickly took it out and inspected it.  It brought a warmth her personal memories couldn't.

"Logan," she whispered, "is that really how you feel about me?"

He moved, looking down at her, now just as soaked as she was.  "Yes," came his hoarse reply.

"If I had known sooner…" but she trailed off when their lips met and everything fell into place.

It would take practice, but she was sure Logan would be willing to help her.

~*~