Price to Pay by erro
Summary: Rogue is sick. Can they find the cause of her illness before it costs her the ultimate price?
Categories: X1, AU Characters: None
Genres: Angst, Drama, Shipper
Tags: None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 13 Completed: Yes Word count: 18181 Read: 11189 Published: 06/01/2022 Updated: 06/13/2022
Story Notes:
I will try to upload a chapter a day. If a day goes by without a new chapter it's probably because I'm back to not being able to log in again!
And the Story Text is still not working right, so I will be loading the story text in the Chapter Notes box again :)

1. Chapter 1 by erro

2. Chapter 2 by erro

3. Chapter 3 by erro

4. Chapter 4 by erro

5. Chapter 5 by erro

6. Chapter 6 by erro

7. Chapter 7 by erro

8. Chapter 8 by erro

9. Chapter 9 by erro

10. Chapter 10 by erro

11. Chapter 11 by erro

12. Chapter 12 by erro

13. Chapter 13 by erro

Chapter 1 by erro
Author's Notes:
"Rogue? Are you okay?" Jubilee asked from her seat on the couch, as she stuffed another potato chip in her mouth.

It was nine pm on Friday night, on the last night of the school year, so the graduating senior class was having an all-night horror movie marathon to celebrate no more high school. But Rogue wasn't feeling great; truth was she hadn't been feeling good for the last six months.

At first, she had thought it was just stress, you know, from the whole 'being brought back from the dead' thing, courtesy of Magneto's psychotic plan (the dead), and Logan’s desire to not lose the first person who had shown him compassion for as long as he could remember (the brought back). Lately though, she just couldn't shake the constant nausea and dizziness - but she had just spent two months studying her ass off for finals... maybe it was still stress.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I'm just feeling dizzy again, probably low blood sugar because I skipped dinner, I'm going to get a more substantial snack, don't wait for me, start when you're ready, I've already seen this one," she replied, as she gingerly picked her way out of the room, carefully stepping over the outstretched legs of her friends who were lounging around the darkened room.

The chatter in the Rec Room, while the teens were waiting for everyone to settle down so they could hit play, continued - until a loud, solid thumping sound was heard from the hallway.

"Rogue? Are you alright?" Jubilee called out again, as the room went instantly quiet. A couple of kids sniggered, expecting to hear an embarrassed Rogue admitting to walking into something in the dimly lit hallway, but Jubilee's query was met with silence.

After a few seconds to process, several people jumped up simultaneously, and followed Rogue out of the room.

"DOCTER GREY! DOCTOR GREY! SOMEONE GO GET HER! QUICKLY!" Jubilee was heard shrieking a moment later, and kids flooded the hallways, some to find the adults - specifically the onsite doctor - the rest to gawk at Rogue, passed out cold on the floor.

"What's wrong?!" Jean's voice was heard a moment later, as she ran toward the stairs from the upstairs teachers’ wing, having heard Jubilee's frantic screaming and psychic shock. For a moment all was chaos, as everyone tried to speak at once, while the teachers tried to work their way through the throng of students to see what was at the centre.

"What happened?" Jean addressed Jubilee directly, as she knelt down next to Rogue and began to check her over.

"We don't exactly know, she didn't look well, she said she was dizzy, she thought she was just hungry so she went to get herself something to eat from the kitchen, and then we heard a thump, when we came out she was on the floor... there's blood, here, it looks like it's coming from her ear," Jubilee added, pointing to the little puddle of blood spreading around Rogue's cheek.

"An ear infection would explain dizziness, maybe her eardrum ruptured," Jean hypothesized, murmuring mostly to herself as she checked Rogue over to make sure she hadn't damaged anything else in her fall. "She's safe to move, gently, Scott can you carry her to the med lab," Jean directed, as she shifted Rogue into a position she could easily be picked up in. Then she rushed ahead to call the elevator as Scott followed.

--

"Hi sweetie, you're awake again," Jean teased, as Rogue slowly blinked her eyes open. She had been unconscious now for almost four hours, the exact cause of which Jean was still no closer to pinpointing.

"What happened?" Rogue asked croakily, coughing against her dry throat and gladly accepting the straw Jean placed to her lips. "Yuck, that stuff is foul," Rogue grumbled, once her throat was saturated again.

"Yeah, sorry, you're a little dehydrated though, so it was either oral electrolytes or IV fluids, I know you don't like needles but if you'd been out for much longer I'd have had no choice, so be thankful," Jean said, nervously fiddling with the gloves she had left on Rogue when she and Ororo had changed her into the disposable hospital gown. "Now, what happened young lady, and what happened leading up to it?" Jean asked, hoping Rogue's explanation could provide her with more clues than her current raft of test results.

"I was feeling dizzy, was going to the kitchen to get something to eat, then everything went dark, I thought the guys in the Rec Room were just being idiots, turning the lights out, trying to scare me, until I realised I couldn't hear anything either, I knew I was falling but like, in slow motion, felt myself hit the ground, then nothing until I woke up here," Rogue explained, continuing on to detail the progressively worsening symptoms she had been experiencing over the last six months.

"Why haven’t you said anything earlier?" Jean demanded crossly. "You should have come straight to me and--"

"I thought it was just stress, it wasn't so bad, until last week, I figured lack of sleep, lots of studying, I was going to give it a week, to rest and recover from exams, and if that didn't do it, then I was going to come and see you," Rogue assured her. Jean didn't look entirely convinced but said no more on that front.

"Well, so far, all your results are off, your immune system is in overdrive, which is making me think some kind of infection but I'm still waiting for some results... Scott carried you down here, he said you were even lighter than when we first brought you to the school, what's been going on with your weight?" Jean continued to question her.

"It was steady until about a week ago, then it started dropping, I've started feeling weaker, like the muscle's wasting, and I'm always starving too," Rogue added, almost as an afterthought.

"Hmm, I'm going to start a few more tests running, just to cover all our bases," Jean advised, after a moments thought, pulling out a needle and a vial for blood as she glanced apologetically at her patient.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? I'll probably be fine by morning anyway," Rogue suggested, anything to get out of being stuck with a needle.

"Nope, the sooner I get it started, the sooner we'll have a result, also, you're staying down here until I discharge you, no arguments, we found you unconscious and bleeding on the floor, it would be remiss of me, as a doctor, to let you go before I was certain you're okay," was Jean's response, as she slid the needle into Rogue's arm.

Rogue watched in sick fascination as her blood flowed into the clear glass vial. "Is it supposed to be that thick?" she asked curiously.

"No," Jean replied, worriedly. "Your cell counts are way up, while your plasma content is way down, and I don't know why. You try and get some sleep, I'll be in the next room, if you need me just yell," Jean instructed, as she packed up her blood sample and left Rogue to sleep, dialling down the infirmary lights as she headed to the lab next door.

Rogue didn't think she would be able to sleep, not with all the worries running around her head. The next thing she knew though, it was morning... and she had drooled on her pillow.
Chapter 2 by erro
Author's Notes:
"So, what's the diagnosis doc?" Marie asked, trying to sound chipper. The fact that Jean had come in with the rest of the senior staff, and a big hairy blue guy Marie had never met before, to deliver her test results tipped her off that this, whatever this was, was something big.

"First things first, this is Dr Henry McCoy," Jean said, indicating toward the stranger who immediately stepped forward and shook Rogue's gloved hand. "Hank is one of the world's leading scientists in the field of mutagenic study, he's going to be assisting us in pinpointing the cause of your... illness, and a treatment..."

"What is my illness?" Marie demanded, when Jean fell silent as she stalled for time.

"Honestly, I don't exactly know, your test results have really only shown us the symptoms of whatever is going on in your body, basically that is... your body is, breaking down your cells at an accelerated rate, it's trying to rebuild them again but it can't rebuild as fast as cells are being broken down... essentially... your body is cannibalizing itself, at a cellular level," Jean said softly.

"That... sounds bad," Marie murmured, as she tried to process what exactly Jean was saying. "Does that- am I- so, I'm dying?" Marie concluded.

"No!" Jean snapped, though Marie could pick up the genuine fear in her tone. "We just need to run some more tests, and then we'll treat whatever is causing the increased cell breakdown, and then you'll be fine," the uncertainty in her voice was not reassuring.

"Right, I know you'll do everything you can Jean," Marie replied, with a soft smile. She didn't want the doctor to blame herself if this didn't work, if there was no treatment. "How long do I have before... the cellular breakdown is irreversible?" Marie posed her query as diplomatically as she could.

"We will need to observe the rate of decay but on a preliminary observation... three weeks," the blue scientist, Hank, advised. He was surprisingly softly spoken, a stark contrast to his animalistic appearance.

The room was silent for a long while until Marie said brightly, "Well then, I guess we better get to work, or at least you better, I suppose I'm still on bed arrest?" she tried to joke, ignoring the sting of tears burning her eyes.

"Yes, you most definitely are," Jean advised with false cheeriness, trying to quash her overwhelming desire to break down in tears herself.

"Would you like us to let your friends down to visit?" Scott asked gently.

"Yeah, I'd like that but... don't tell anyone I'm dying, not yet at least, I don't want anyone coming down here crying all over me, you hear me Jean, no crying until I'm dead, I'll haunt you forever one way or the other if you do, if any of you do," Marie said, swallowing around the lump in her throat that was trying to choke her.

"Is there anything else we can do to make your stay more comfortable?" Ororo queried, smiling at the girl who had been through so much in such a short time and still wasn't ready to give up.

"Send Jubilee down to decorate, this room is going to drive me mad without some colour!" Marie declared. "And ice-cream, double chocolate fudge, a never-ending supply, with pancakes, and maple syrup, and bacon, for every meal until I'm sick of it," she added with a mischievous grin; she wasn't sure if Jean would let her get away with that one.

"I'll let that one pass but only because I'm going to be insisting on IV nutrients and fluids as well, just to support your body, hopefully speed up the healing process," Jean said with a tolerant chuckle, even as Marie wrinkled her nose in displeasure at the thought of being stuck with more needles.

--

Marie lay on her hospital bed boredly. She had been upgraded from a standard bed to a 'deluxe' bed for long-term patients, it was infinitely more comfortable even before she had added all the additional brightly coloured pillows, and the fluffy purple faux fur blanket from her bedroom. She was taking a break from reading, she could feel another migraine coming on, so she would probably be taking a nap later, for now she was just resting and regarding the room around her.

Her girl friends had roped her guy friends into being their pack mules, and brought down mountains of 'things' to brighten her cell... uh, 'recovery room'. There was a chain of brightly coloured scarves hung like a garland around the room, and draped over the various medical machines. Fairy lights strung everywhere gave the room a much more appealing atmosphere than the clinical fluorescents. A large painting, Marie’s favourite in the whole mansion, an oil painting depicting a woodland mountain scape in full fall dress, had been commandeered from its usual position, over the mantle in the library, and hung for her, and the multicoloured rag rug from her room had been brought down to adorn the floor.

If Jean and Hank found it inconvenient to work around all the decorations, they didn't mention it. That almost made Marie feel worse, like they weren't complaining because who complained to the dying girl that the pretty things that brightened her day were bothersome. She wasn't dead yet though damn it, though it had been a week, and they still seemed no closer to discovering what was causing Marie’s troubles, she wasn't giving up. The IV treatments Jean was giving her were definitely making her feel better, and she was happy she was still able to get herself to the bathroom unassisted, though Jean insisted she be supervised 'just in case'.

She was just beginning to nod off to sleep when Jean and the Professor entered her room, both looking even more grave than they had for the last week. And teary eyed... both of them... This was not good, Marie immediately realised, all trace of tiredness suddenly gone.

Silently Jean took a seat at her bedside, level with her hip. The Professor rolling to a stop near her shoulder. No one spoke, as Jean mutely regarded the file in her hand, opening her mouth several times as if to speak but promptly snapping it shut when all that threatened to come out was a sob. After a moment she cleared her throat and began.

"Magneto's machine... worked by flooding a body with radiation to trigger cell mutation, only, it wasn't effective due to the unnatural nature of the mutation which made the cells unstable. With Senator Kelly, the only other person we know of who was exposed to the machine’s effects, his cells degraded and broke down to their molecular state. Your body was also exposed to extremely high levels of the radiation... your cells have been affected, and are degrading, your body, your immune system, has been treating the affected cells like a cancer, and been destroying and consuming the damaged cells, trying to stop them from getting out of control, becoming dominant, which is what will eventually lead to... to your systems shutting down. But your immune system is failing, the unstable damaged cells, are reproducing too fast for your body to destroy and replace... how you survived this long we don't know, your body has been fighting this so hard, it's almost as stubborn as you are..." Jean choked up, even as she smiled at Marie through her tears. Tears that thankfully refused to fall.

"So, my body is failing, and I'll die... there is no treatment, is there?" Marie asked softly, observing Jean's reluctant shake of her head. "Wi- will it hurt, when I die?" she asked softly.

Jean removed her glasses, wiping a hand over her face to brush away the tears she had promised the girl she wouldn't cry before they could fall. "No, no it won't," Jean replied with a gentle smile; she would slip painkillers into Marie’s IV before her cells broke down to a point the degradation might become painful. It was likely though that the girl would simply go to sleep and not wake up again, her heart would just stop beating when the nerves broke down.

"Is there anything we can do for you Rogue?" the Professor asked, as he watched the look of acceptance settle on the girls’ face.

"Yeah, one thing," Marie said, smiling sadly, "Find Logan, I... I want to... I need to say goodbye."

The Professor promised to find the man, though no one had heard from him in the six months since he had left the mansion. He would give Rogue this one last wish.

"I want to be alone now," Marie eventually said softly. "No visitors for the rest of the day, please?" she asked Jean, who nodded understandingly, before she and the Professor silently left the room.

As the door shut behind them, she felt the first tear drop, as she silently cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 3 by erro
He had been feeling... odd, all day. Like someone was watching him, following him. He hadn't been able to relax enough to join the cage fight he had stumbled across quite by accident, not even enough to enjoy the beer he settled down with. Eventually he had downed the beer and lit out, finding a motel and holing up. Alone. Goddamn paranoia still wouldn't leave him though.

He showered, before collapsing into bed. He was almost asleep when his eyes shot open, fixing themselves on the rooms phone, on the bedside table. Who the fuck was ringing this room? He stared at the phone long enough for it to ring until the line company cut off the call, a split second later it began to ring again. Still staring warily at the phone, he crawled over until he was seated on the edge of the bed, before finally giving in to his curiosity and picking up the receiver.

"Who is this?" he growled menacingly.

"Logan? It's Jean, I need to--" a familiar voice sounded down the line.

"How did you get this number?" Logan demanded, cutting her off.

"The Professor's been tracking you with Cerebro all day, waiting for you to be near a phone long enough for us to search a number, he got the name of the motel you're at, we rang the office and asked to be transferred to your room," Jean explained. It had been a rather complicated process given the motel didn't have an online listing of any kind.

"I guess that explains that then," Logan huffed, sounding oddly relieved.

"Explains what?" Jean asked, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that informed her curtly that she was stalling.

"Been feeling like someone was following me all day, thought I'd finally lost it and gone completely nuts," Logan replied, his tone a lot lighter than it had been, almost flirty, until suddenly... "Why is Wheels trying to find me?" he demanded, suddenly audibly tense and on edge again.

"We... we need you to come back to the school, something's happened and... Rogue is asking for you," Jean replied. She was tossing up whether to tell Logan over the phone about Rogue's condition, or wait until he was here... could she convince him to come back without telling him, was another question.

"What's happened, what's wrong with Marie!? What have you fuckers- she was supposed to be safe there!" Logan suddenly raged, she could hear him pacing even down the phone line. "Tell me what the hell's going on Jean," he demanded.

"Rogue is... sick, she- she's dying Logan, a side effect of Magneto's machine, her body is failing, she... she wants to say goodbye to you in person, please Logan, please let her have that," Jean finished as she began to sob down the line.

There was only silence on the other end of the line for several moments, and for a minute she thought he had hung up on her. "...I'm on my way," Logan eventually managed to breathlessly reply. He began to hang up the phone when he heard Jean call out for him to wait.

"Scott's on his way to pick you up in the jet, it'll be faster than driving," she said, picking up the pained moan from down the line as she heard bed springs creak ominously. She knew Logan would realise just how serious this was with their obvious urgency, that they had dispatched the jet, before they had even gotten his agreement to return, was a telling sign.

"When... where do I meet him?" Logan eventually managed to growl out.

She could hear him fumbling for a pen in the background, so quickly gave him the jets projected landing location. "He'll be there in ten minutes, and Logan, please, for Rogue's sake, stay calm, I'll explain everything more in depth when you get here," Jean promised, hearing his mumbled agreement before he ended the call. She hoped he could keep his cool long enough to avoiding air-conditioning the jet, or aerating its pilot.

Ten minutes later Charles rolled out of Cerebro. "They are in the air and on their way back," he advised, "Logan is surprisingly calm and focused, long may that last," he prayed, as they made their way to return to their tasks while they waited. They wouldn't tell Rogue just yet, she was currently enjoying a movie session with her friends, and they didn't want to disturb the calm she was feeling by reminding her of her situation. So far still only the senior staff knew of Rogue's condition; she didn't want her friends to worry about her and her impending death. Though Charles knew she had started to prepare for her earthly departure, and was writing personalised letters to each of her closest friends.

--

"Where is she?" a wide eyed, positively terrified looking Wolverine demanded, as soon as he stepped off the jets gangplank.

His presentation surprised Jean, she knew Logan had formed a connection with the girl but she hadn't thought it was strong enough to stoke this level of sheer terror in the man. "Logan, you need to calm down," Jean prompted gently.

"I'll calm down when I see her," Logan growled, moving passed Jean toward the hallway that led to the med lab and the elevator.

"Logan please, you'll only upset her if you go in there in this state," Jean tried to reason with him, surprised when he immediately ceased forward momentum. Clearly having seen the sense in her statement, he visibly tried to force his body, and mind, to calm.

"Is there anything I need to know?" he asked, a moment later.

"She's probably going to look more fragile than you remember, and she's made everyone promise they're not to cry, she's so damn stubborn, not even going to give in to death without a fight," Jean told him, with a watery chuckle.

She saw Logan smirk, an obvious pride glowing in his eyes. "That's my girl, make that fucker work for his pay check," he murmured, with a chuckle of his own. "How much longer does she have?" he asked softly.

"We can't be sure, days, weeks maybe, it depends how much longer her body can fight off the cell degradation," Jean informed him.

"Is she in pain?" he queried, pain visible in his own features as he obviously pondered that possibility.

"Not as far as I can tell, she hasn't mentioned it, though it took her passing out in a hallway for us to realise she wasn't well in the first place, so who really knows, she's good at hiding," Jean responded with a shrug.

"And you're sure there's nothing that can be done?" he asked, his eyes pleading for her to tell him his assumption was wrong.

"We're still trying to figure out how her body was able to hold off the degradation this long, maybe if we can figure that out, we might be able to... do something," Jean replied uncertainly. "We haven't given up on her yet, I just pray she won't give up on herself, when we asked what preparations she wanted, all she wanted was a chance to say goodbye to you, don't let her give up now that you're here," Jean begged him.

Logan wholeheartedly agreed with her statement, he wasn't here for her to say goodbye, he was here to make good on his promise, to protect her, he just hoped he could find a way to. He couldn't lose her, she was all he had been able to think about in the six months since he had left, even in ways he knew he shouldn't entertain her; the spectre that invaded his thoughts... and his dreams. She still had so much to live for, there were so many things he wanted to show her, things she needed to experience in life.

Now that he was calm, Jean agreed to show him to Rogue's room. He smiled when he saw the brightly decorated room, the twinkling fairy lights casting an almost magical aura to the room. Rogue was asleep, dark and light hair fanned across her pillow, her lips curled slightly in a relaxed smile, her tiny gloved hand tucked under her chin, clutching... something... his dog tag, encased in her fist. A chair was standing near the bed, and a collection of bean bags were piled haphazard in the far corner.

Before Jean could say more, a male voice from another room, back down the hallway, called for her attention and she left Logan alone with a strained smile.
Chapter 4 by erro
Setting his bag down at the doorway, Logan moved into the room, settling himself into the chair at Marie's bedside. He reached out to brush a lock of hair away from her face when his attention was drawn to a notebook on a tray next to her bed, picking it up he flicked through the pages. There were some pen sketches decorating the first several pages, mostly still life's, some fruit, a flower, his dog tags, a sketch of him, several in fact, a self-portrait of Marie, and another sketch... Two entwined hands, a large masculine hand, and a smaller feminine hand, clutching at each other, even as they were bound together by a chain, a ball chain, like the one holding his dog tags around Marie’s neck.

Then the letters started, addressed to various people, each one set out in much the same manner, apologizing for not telling people she was dying, explaining her reasoning for that, thanking them for making her last month’s so great. These people had become her new family, loving and supportive, there were a few personalizing comments in each letter. The last letter was completely personal, and addressed to him.

~~
Dear Logan,

I hope I get the chance to say this all to you in person but in case I don't- I love you, and not just as a friend. I know Jean thinks I have a crush on you but it's so much more than that, and I think you feel it too.

You mean so much more to me than just a friend, you've helped me more than you can ever know. You've made me more aware of me, more confident in myself, more content with the shitty hand I've been dealt in the mutation department, and let's just say... my dreams aren't all nightmares, you're a very imaginative man apparently…

Now don't look like that, there's nothing wrong with a teenage girl having R-rated dreams, I'll let you in on a secret, we all have them, yes, even virgins. I'd say 'ask Kitty' but she would probably melt into a puddle in embarrassment, or faze into a hole in the ground; she does that when she's nervous, it's kinda funny.

Anyway, I know you're probably going to do something silly, like try and blame yourself for what's happened to my body.

It's not your fault Logan.

Just like it's not Jean's fault, make sure she remembers that, because I know she blames herself for not being able to 'fix' me; I suppose it's hard being a doctor sometimes.

You did nothing wrong by leaving, thank you for returning. I know you will, as soon as the Professor finds you. The you inside my head is grumpy with me, he thinks I should have called you right at the beginning, at the very least when I got brought into the lab and Jean told me something was wrong but ... I didn't want to worry you, I didn't want to interrupt your search, and if my decision means you arrive too late to see me one last time, I'm sorry. I thought we could fix this, I hoped we could, the idea of calling you at the beginning seemed too much like admitting defeat when we still thought this could be fixed. Now I know it can't be – I hope I get to see you one last time.

If I don't, I've asked that the tags be kept and returned to you. Every time you look at them, don't remember the nightmares, remember me, and how much I love you. I wish I had a chance to show you how much.

Yours forever,
Marie
~~

He swallowed harshly as he finished reading the letter, gently closing the book, he glanced over to Marie. She was awake now and watching him, a soft smile on her face, as her eyes shone with tears.

"You weren't supposed to read that yet," she said softly, as he set the book back down where he had picked it up from.

"I'm glad I did, now I don't have to growl at you about what the hell you were thinking waiting so long to call me... I understand but I'll always come, whenever you ask, coming back to you will never be an interruption, you're not a burden, or an obligation, you understand... I wish I'd been here, even if just to hold your hand while the doctors did their tests," Logan murmured, offering her a smile of his own as he took her hand, twining their fingers together and kissing her fingers softly.

"Thank you," Marie replied, as a single tear slipped from her eye.

"Hey now, none of that, no tears right, that's what Jean said, you're not dead yet kid, and now Death's gonna have to get through me before he gets a crack at you, you're mine, and I plan to keep you here for a good damn long time, you hear me," Logan firmly stated, with a growl so she would know he was serious.

Marie giggled softly, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "Just promise you won't leave me, I don't want to be alone," Marie whispered, as she swiped at a second tear.

"You're never alone darlin, even when I'm not here with you, I'm always thinking about you, always, hell you've been hanging out with me for the last six months, let's just say you haven't only been getting an education in *your own* dreams," Logan added, with a sly wink, grinning when Marie blushed bright pink, even as she giggled again.

"Jean didn't tell me much, what caused this?" Logan asked softly, as he ran the fingers of his free hand through Rogue's hair, working out the small tangles gently.

"The radiation, from Magneto's machine, it changed some of my cells, my body can't get rid of the damaged cells fast enough to stop them from taking over, eventually there will be more damaged cells than healthy ones and then... sort of like cancer I suppose," Marie explained, as best she understood it.

"Can't they do like, chemotherapy or something?" Logan queried; isn't that what you did for cancer.

"Nope, cause I don't have tumours like cancerous cells make, these are just, cells with broken DNA, treating it like that would just damage more of my healthy cells, I- I'd just die faster," she said, catching the brief tremor that tried to choke off her voice and replacing it with a stubborn steel.

"You're not gonna die, Marie, I won't let you," Logan replied decisively, with a stubborn growl.

Marie just smiled at him brightly, before reaching up, with the hand that was still holding his, and brushing her gloved fingers across his cheek. "Never let me die Logan," she agreed, even if he only kept her alive in his memory, she would be satisfied with that.

Recognizing her meaning Logan growled again, he wasn't letting her go that easy. Wrapping his arms around her he hugged her to him, her head resting on his shoulder, his forehead resting on her shoulder. Before long she was asleep again, he wasn't ready to let go though, and so he held her, listening to the steady beat of her heart, until he too fell asleep.
Chapter 5 by erro
"Eureka," Jean whispered.

Her murmured comment was barely audible but in the tense, still silence of the lab, it was clearly heard.

"What?" Hank queried, when he raised his furry blue head, from where he had sat with his face buried in his hands for far too long. At the same time Scott's head lifted, from where it had fallen back to rest on the wall behind him, to look in her direction.

"I’ve got it!" Jean repeated, her eyes lighting up as she turned to the others. "I know what stopped the radiated cells from taking over, and I know why it's not working now," Jean announced, jumping to her feet and grabbing a sheaf of papers.

As she rushed out of the room, followed by her two companions, they were surprised to see the elevator door open, releasing the Professor and Ororo.

"Jean...?" the Professor queried, having picked up on her jubilant mental state from upstairs and come to see what the most recent development was.

Jean didn't reply, just motioned for everyone to follow her as she rushed into Rogue's room. The sight that met the group was one that had become familiar over the last few days. Logan hadn't left Rogue's room for more than a few minutes at a time since he had arrived, days before. Currently, the pair were asleep in Rogue's bed, if it had been any other time Scott would have blasted the other man through the wall on finding them in such a compromising position. As it was though, it made Rogue happy, so he let it slide.

Rogue was currently cuddled up to Logan, head resting on his chest, arm hugging his waist. Logan’s own arm was wrapped around Rogue's shoulders, as his head rested on top of hers. Though he had appeared to be asleep, his eyes opened instantly to regard the group now standing in the room.

"What's happened?" Logan murmured softly, so he didn't wake the girl sleeping on his chest.

"I know what was stopping the radiation damage from spreading, and I think we can at least stop it if not reverse it," Jean told him, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Hmm, wha'?" Rogue mumbled sleepily, when Logan gently shook her awake as he moved off the bed. Somehow she managed to catch hold of his hand and wouldn't let him go.

"Jeannie's found a way to make you better," Logan told the girl, as he smoothed out her sleep tousled hair.

"Hmm, tha's nice," Rogue mumbled some more, still sleepily, snuggling back into her pillow as if to go fully back to sleep

"No darlin, nap time's over," Logan said with a chuckle, jostling her again, a little harder this time, "Come on, wake up, it's time to make you better." He ignored her sleepy growl and petulant scowl as she yawned and stretched.

"Alright, alright, I'm up, I'm up," she muttered, though she grinned at Logan as she said it.

"So, Jean, what's the big breakthrough?" Logan asked, settling himself in the chair beside Rogue's bed, her hand still wrapped in his.

"You made a comment the other day, Logan, about why couldn't you just touch her and heal her, at first I thought that was too dangerous, there's no way to be sure the healing Rogue picked up would latch onto and reproduce the healthy cells as opposed to the damaged ones, I didn't know if your healing would be able to differentiate which of the cells was 'normal' given the vast quantity of abnormal cells... but!" Jean paused briefly for effect- "I discovered something very interesting when I was looking back over old blood and test results, I think it was the residual healing that Rogue took from you, on the statue, that kept the radiation damage at bay for so long, there wasn't enough residual healing to fix the problem entirely but it could stop it from getting worse, now though, that the residual healing has faded away to nothing, Rogue's own natural cell replication process can't keep up..."

"What does this mean?" Rogue asked with a frown, she had a feeling she knew what Jean was leading up to, and she wasn't sure she liked the sound of it.

"Well, I want to do a quick blood test to be sure but I think it means Logan will be able to give you his healing and make you better!" Jean announced, beaming broadly, as everyone in the room stared stunned.

"...No!" Rogue stated, eventually breaking the silence.

"What!? What the hell do you mean 'no'?! You think I'm going to let you die when I can fix you, you can think again darlin!" Logan replied, looking irritatedly back at Rogue.

"No, Logan, I don't want to hurt you again," Rogue insisted, tears in her eyes again. "You almost died last time, you were in a coma for days, I won't do it!" she insisted, even as Logan's anger at her refusal melted away in the face of her tears.

"Marie, kid, it won't be like last time," Logan assured her, wrapping her into a hug as he pulled her off the bed into his lap and rocked her gently.

"I agree with Logan, if we can transfer his healing to you slowly, just brief touches, not even enough to knock him out, a couple of times a day, it should be enough for you get a healing boost to slowly, over time, repair the damage," Jean theorized.

"When do we start?" Logan asked, even as Rogue tried to object again.

"I need a blood sample from each of you to test on first but - if that goes well - we should be able to start tonight," Jean advised. She felt a little bad about pursuing that line of inquiry in light of Rogue's adamant refusal, though she knew Logan would eventually talk the girl around. She quickly gathered a blood sample from Logan, when he demanded she start her test immediately. Getting a fresh sample from Rogue was harder, she was still being obstructive as she and Logan, nonverbally engaged in a battle of wills. Logan eventually managed to convince her to comply, by pointing out that the test might fail, and then he would stop bugging her about it.

Logan stayed with Rogue in her room, while everyone else rushed to the lab with the blood samples to start the test. Hank and Jean immediately began, each taking a Petri dish with about ten millilitres of Rogue's blood, and sliding it under the microscope, observing the difference between the remaining healthy cells, and the abundant damaged cells, Jean took a deep breath before adding a single drop of Logan's blood to the dish.

The reaction was instantaneous.

A blue glow emanated from Rogue's cells closest to the added cells of Logan's, which shrunk until they vanished, being absorbed by Rogue's. The blue glow quickly spread, activating all the rest of the Rogue cells, and then everything stopped. Everyone held their breath as Jean and Hank waited, and watched, looking for something, anything to happen.

A few moments later Rogue's cells began to shift, the healthy cells, sucking all the energy out of the damaged cells, until they too disappeared, in much the same manner that Logan cells had. Then the healthy cells began to divide, until almost all the damaged cells in the dish were gone, replaced by healthy new cells. Eventually the reaction slowed, and finally stopped, leaving behind about a third the number of damaged cells as before. Curiously, Jean added a second drop of Logan's blood, watching as the initial reaction happened again; the blue light of the energy transfer, from Logan's cells, to Rogue's, and the healthy cells resumed destroying the damaged cells, until the dish was completely clear of damaged cells.

"It works," Hank murmured, fascination written across his face, as he turned to Jean.
Chapter 6 by erro
"God damn it Marie, this is not up for debate, I'm healing you and that's that!" Logan was heard saying, again. The pair had been arguing for almost an hour since Jean had given them the news that the test was successful.

"I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU LOGAN!" Rogue shouted back, with the most energy she had had in a week.

"Then you're letting me touch you, now," Logan demanded. The moments silence following that statement was filled only by Rogue's confused frown, before Logan continued. "The thought of losing you is hurting me more than Magneto using me as a human dart, Sabretooth tearing the shit out of me, stabbing myself through the goddamn chest, and healing you after the statue kid, all of it, combined, doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling right now, just thinking I might lose you," Logan murmured. His words were just for Marie, he knew everyone else was eavesdropping in the room next door, he didn't care if they overheard but he felt his statement would mean more if it wasn't shouted.

Marie just stared at him for several minutes, until she began to sob. For the first time in an hour she let him approach her, and he carefully gathered her into his arms, as she rested her head on his chest.

"Darlin, I know you don't want to hurt me, I don't consider you using your mutation on me, to save your life, you hurting me, you'll hurt me infinitely more if you leave me, especially when I know there's a chance I could save you, let me try Marie," he murmured softly to her, as he felt her arms wrap around his chest. He could feel her nod against his chest, finally giving up her objections, and he sighed in relief as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

For the next half hour, they sat in silence until Jean entered the room, taking the lack of arguing as a sign they had finally come to an agreement; she knew Logan had won by the relaxed look on his face. Quietly she set up everything she would need to monitor the procedure, it wouldn't be much, before she turned back to the pair. "Ready," she softly commented to Rogue, who was watching her apprehensively from where she was still curled up in Logan's lap. It took a few more minutes before Rogue nodded in reply, to say she was ready too.

Silently, Logan stood, not letting go his hold on Rogue as he carried her over to the bed. Taking a seat on the edge, he waited as Jean fit a pulse monitor to his wrist, and one to Rogue's, before laying back. He tucked Rogue up next to him, so she was lying half on top of him, like she had been earlier in the day. He lay still, watching her, until she reluctantly raised her head from his chest to look up at him.

"Ready?" he clarified, looking down at her with a soft smile.

"... Yeah," she breathed in return, a moment later.

Moving his head the fraction of an inch needed, he pressed his lips against her forehead and waited for the pull to start. Sluggishly he felt the prickling sensation begin, quickly growing in intensity. He grit his teeth but made no effort to move, until the heart monitor beeped warningly. Immediately he moved back, resting his head back against the pillow behind him, as Rogue shifted to rest her head back on his chest.

It took a few minutes for his senses to come back fully, and the odd weightless fog that had enveloped him to disappear, before he murmured softly, "See, nothing to it darlin." Marie chuckled as she hugged him tighter. Though he could hear her sniffle back tears she said nothing in response.

Jean gave them ten minutes, then took a post procedure blood sample from Rogue for testing. She said she would take another in an hour, to see if the one transfer was enough, or if they would need to do more transfers. Then she left them alone again to rest.

--

"Alright, after an initial reduction in damaged cell presence from transfer to about two hours post, by four hours post, the levels are holding steady, there's no further reduction, but no increase, so... I propose, for the next week, we do a small transfer every three hours, from six am until nine pm, you should be okay to at least hold steady overnight but we can confirm that over the next couple of days, what do you say?" Jean proposed, several hours later.

"Will Logan be able to handle that?" Rogue asked worriedly. Sure he hadn't passed out this time around from her touch but that didn't mean he would be okay with having her stealing from him so much. "And how is this affecting his healing for him? Are there any negative side effects for him?" she pointed out, everyone had been fussing over her but no one, even Logan himself, had been considering him.

"I'm fine kid, so long as we both get plenty to eat, and plenty of sleep, we should both be fine... if that changes Marie, we can change the frequency of transfers, I'm more worried what this is doing to your head, not so sure you need more of my shit up here," Logan added, ruffling her hair.

"I barely got more than surface thoughts," Rogue replied with a shrug. "Maybe because I'm tired, I don't know, I may as well practice seeing if I can control it I suppose, see if I can just draw out the one thing, cause I gotta say, no offence, but I'm not going to be able to stand that smell, at this level, for much longer," Rogue chuckled with a blush, ducking her head to avoid looking at a certain person.

"What smell?" several people asked simultaneously, as Logan chuckled.

"It's Jean's perfume, it's a little strong down here without anything to cancel it out," Logan replied.

"Lo-gan, I wasn't going to call anyone out," Rogue said, with a shake of her head, even though she was grinning broadly, "Sorry Jean..."

"Oh, sorry, I suppose I should have thought about that," Jean responded, with a grin of her own, "I'll wear something different tomorrow," she promised. "That aside, we'll do another transfer now, then another at nine pm, then you should both get some sleep, I'll be down to check on you for the morning transfer, I want to be present for all of them, for the first few days at least, just to monitor how everything is going, we'll have to continue the blood tests too, just to make sure the levels keep dropping."

With a plan of action sorted, they set out to do the next transfer, this time Rogue sat by the bed, while Logan lay down alone. He had to hold onto her hand to keep them in contact for long enough for a decent length transfer, though she scowled at him the whole time before eventually wrenching her hand away when his grip faltered. While Logan rested to catch his breath, and wait for his head to stop spinning, Rogue busied herself, first making sure he was comfortable, then moving on to pick a movie for them to watch to fill time.

They were now both confined to Rogue's 'recovery room', so Scott brought them down dinner, and camped in the corner on a beanbag. He wasn't keeping an eye on them or anything, he just hadn't seen this movie before... recently... He wasn't fooling anyone, least of all Logan and Rogue, who would whisper conspiratorially to each other just to see Scott squirm over not knowing what they were saying. It was much more entertaining than the movie.

--

Over the next week the regular transfers continued, both parties getting so good at timing the draws that Rogue even stopped insisting Logan lay down in preparation for each one. By the end of the week Rogue was recovering at a steady enough rate that Jean calculated she should be fully recovered within three months, all damaged cells purged, and Jean was comfortable to discharge her from the lab, so long as they continued the transfers, which she no longer insisted on supervising. It was obvious too that Logan was suffering no negative effects, in fact, if anything, he seemed to be adjusting to the energy draw and was being left barely winded from the exchange now.

Every day Rogue had to go back to the lab for a follow up blood test, but that was the most contact she had with the doctor most days, aside from seeing her in passing at meals. It was however enough for Jean to see the colour coming back to her skin, her headaches disappeared, she smiled more, and put back on the weight she had lost. It looked like they might be out of the woods now.
Chapter 7 by erro
"So..." Logan commented one afternoon, as Marie reclined on the swinging chair in the cool shade of the gazebo they were in. Logan had opted to sit on the floor, leaning against the balustrade, periodically nudging Marie's chair to keep it swinging gently. He wasn't convinced the chair would hold his weight or he would have joined her but here, where he could feast his eyes on her, was just as good.

"So?" Marie prompted, when he didn't say anything further for several minutes.

"Well, we covered off the things you've done, the finishing high school and stuff," he started, puffing on the cigar stub he suddenly decided needed to be smouldering. "What's next, where are you going from here, what are you going to do with your life?" he asked curiously.

"Hm, not really sure," Marie answered honestly. "School is boring, so I don't particularly want to go to college, I had planned my epic road trip to Alaska for 'after high school', I never did end up getting there... maybe now is the time to go. To be honest, I kinda just feel like drifting for a while, you know, seeing if I can find somewhere I belong, I don't belong here, don't get me wrong everyone's great, and I've made great friends but there's just something missing... at least there was, until you came back, I didn't notice at first, I guess the whole 'hey you're gonna die again' line kind of distracted me... for the first time in a long time I've felt like- like I could just sit, right here, right now, forever, and I'd be perfectly happy with that, with you."

She had spoken her words softly, a dreamy smile on her face, as she seemed to stare right through everything, until suddenly a wall of uncertainty crashed down over her eyes, and she blushed pink. "Sorry, I don't know where that came from, I guess--"

Not wanting to hear her hedge her words, hide behind propriety, Logan interrupted her. "I know what you mean, I know how you feel... I've wandered a lot, in the life I can remember, and I've very recently come to the conclusion that it isn't a place you belong to, it's people, sometimes even just- one person, I'd be happy to wander with you though, until you come to your own conclusions, it's a long way to Alaska, you never know, you might like the company," he not so subtly suggested.

"I don't know... you and me, traveling together, we don't have a terribly good track record so far, I mean, your camper got totalled, that train was toast, on the jet you were as good as dead," Marie grimaced as she thought back to every time they had been in a moving vehicle together.

"You know what they say, 'when you reach the bottom, the only way to go is up', I'd say dead on a plane is about as deep as you can go," Logan replied with a grin.

For a moment Marie just watched him, seeming to be absorbing what he had said, and interpreting his meaning. Slowly her glowing smile returned, until with a final decisive nod she replied, "I guess so, it couldn't get any worse at least."

"That's the spirit darlin," Logan chuckled, before taking another draw from his cigar. As he slowly released the smoke, he silently began to work out what he would need to keep Marie comfortable on such a trip. A new camper was definitely top of the list, something a lot nicer than the last hunk of junk to be sure. He idly wondered what Xavier and his precious X-Men would think if he ran off with Marie, quickly deciding, he didn't really care. It's not like he had agreed to stay at any point, he hadn't promised to return for any of them, and they couldn't expect Marie to stay here indefinitely- some of her high school classmates had already left to begin preparation for starting college in the fall.

Yep, their opinion really didn't matter at all, only Marie's, he just hoped he could convince her to let him join her on her next adventure. If the last seven months had taught him anything it was that he didn't want to travel alone anymore, and the last month had confirmed for him who he wanted to travel life with.

--

They were lounging on Logan's bed, watching a movie, waiting for nine o'clock to do the last transfer for the day.

Over the last several week, others, namely Scott, had begun to make noise about the amount of time the two were spending together, almost at the exclusion of all others, according to Scott. Logan would have interrupted his argument with Jean to point out how incorrect that statement was but Jean beat him to it, advising Scott that Rogue spent most of her days with her friends, those of whom were still at the institute not having gone away for the summer or left entirely, and helping to entertain the younger students while classes were largely stopped. Sure, Logan was generally found wherever Rogue was but that didn't mean anything, not really, he was just watching out for her, he cared for her a great deal.

When Jean had suggested that she was certain that, for some unknown reason, Logan had bonded with Rogue, and she was the closest thing to family he had, Logan couldn't help but hope that maybe she understood. Scott had smarmily queried just what sort of familial relationship a man had with a woman, who wasn't his mother, or sister, or daughter, making his insinuation clear. Jean had ended that argument by stating that, even if that was the pairs relationship, they had no right to interfere. She 'knew' Logan wouldn't push Rogue into anything she didn't want, and if Rogue chose him, that was her choice. As Logan had listened to Jean walk out on whatever objection Scott might have been about to voice next, he felt a small measure of relief. Someone understood.

It didn't stop Scott from trying to interfere fairly regularly though, including by interrupting their private movie nights. Thankfully tonight, the one-eyed wonder was out of town, with the Professor and Jean, at some political event that was meant to run the rest of the weekend, so they would be left in peace for the night.

That thought turned him on more than it should, especially when Marie was snuggled up next to him, head resting on his chest, and hand resting just above his belt buckle. He wasn't pushing Marie into anything though, he wasn't. So, he spent the next hour of the movie trying to will away his erection, and trying not to think about how perfect the girl in his arms smelled.

He couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was about her scent that was different but something had changed recently, maybe she had just switched up her shampoo, she no longer wore any perfume, and she had changed her deodorant early on because the old one upset her current sense of smell - heightened as it was by his regular touches. Damn it, he wasn't thinking about how she smelled!
Chapter 8 by erro
He was so distracted, by trying to distract himself, that he didn't notice the movie end. Or even Marie shift slightly, to peer up at him in amused curiosity as he tried to ignore her soft warmth in his arms.

"What?" he asked gruffly, when he finally noticed her watching him, impish grin plastered on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," he muttered, "Is it nine yet?"

"In about five minutes," Marie replied, still watching him closely.

"Hm, what are we going to do for five more minutes?" Logan queried, trying to distract her from her current selected task of observing him in amusement.

"You could tell me what you were thinking, apparently it was a... happy thought," Marie choked as she tried to suppress a giggle when Logan regarded her in confusion. She cleared her throat pointedly as she nodded down... to his crotch.

The grumpy growl that rumbled out of Logan a moment later was enough to send Marie into a full-blown laugh, as he playfully shoved her away from him.

"Oh shit, sorry," Logan added, with a chuckle of his own, when it turned out he shoved her a little too hard and she fell off the side of the bed, landing in a giggling heap on the floor.

"Come on, you can tell me, I can be your secret keeper, I'll store it right alongside the astronomical number of women you've had sex with, just how many people you've killed, that one about how you secretly love soccer even though it's for wimps, and that your favourite colour is that pinky-purple colour the sky turns when the sun sets just right..." by the time Marie finished her speech, she was seated back on the bed beside him, watching him again, this time with a soft smile on her face.

He found it odd that he didn't mind her knowing those things about him, in fact, he actually kind of liked it, there was only one problem. "I don't know, that doesn't exactly sound fair, you know all my secrets, but I don't know any of yours, I don't even know your favourite colour," he replied, frowning thoughtfully. Could he be in love with a girl he really barely knew.

"You know more of my secrets than any person on this planet," Marie replied, as she shifted to snuggle back down beside him. "You know about the first boy I kissed, you know more than anyone, possibly even the Professor knows, about how my mutation works, you know when I just need a hug, and you always know the right thing to say to make me feel better, even if it isn't the socially acceptable response... what you lack apparently is the details, like my favourite colour, I think, my favourite colour is probably... that purple-red some maple leaves go in fall... what else do you want to know?" she asked softly, still smiling happily.

"What is your favourite... food?" Logan asked.

"Well now, that's a tricky one, that depends on how I'm feeling, if I'm sad, I like chocolate cake, in a bowl, with warm milk... if I'm angry I like ice cream, double chocolate fudge, frozen real hard so I can stab at it as if it's the person I'm mad at, like a really tasty voodoo doll-" she continued, grinning as Logan chuckled- "If I'm bored I like jambalaya, if I'm happy... if I'm happy I like company while I eat whatever I feel like, doesn't matter when I'm happy, if I'm comfy I like macaroni cheese, and if we're watching sports I like a big bowl of spicy chilli with sour cream."

"That's a lot of favourites," Logan commented, once he was sure she was finished.

"A lot longer than your list of 'good beer and ribs', though I think I might be able to change that favourite food of yours, I still remember my mama's super secret brisket recipe and I reckon that could hands down beat even the best ribs you ever tasted," Marie announced dramatically.

"I look forward to having my taste buds challenged," Logan replied. "What's your favourite... song?" he asked next.

"Hmm, that's an even harder one, I've got favourites, again, depending on what mood I'm in, but if I had to pick one single favourite..."

They continued to chat comfortably, neither noticing as the time quickly slipped away. It wasn't until Marie suddenly yawned widely that Logan glanced at the clock. "Shit, it's eleven, we're running a little late, should probably do a bit of touching, what do you say?"

Maybe it was just tiredness that made her hear his words with a distinctly suggestive overtone, but Marie suddenly decided that yes, she did want to do some touching, a decidedly different sort of touching than they had been doing lately.

"I like the sound of that," she murmured, pulling herself to sit up, and leaning forward, one hand on the bed, just above Logan's shoulder as she dipped her head, her long loose hair falling around them, as she quickly, and determinedly pressed her lips to his.

It didn't take long before she felt Logan relax underneath her, she could feel the shift of his lips as he grinned ferally, before he took control of the kiss. Even from his more submissive positioning underneath her he was still just as dominant as ever, as his lips forced hers apart and his tongue began to join the action, coaxing her to deepen the kiss.

--

It was the chance he had been waiting for, pushing all his thoughts of Marie, and the way he felt about her, to the forefront of his mind, Logan pushed it all forward as he felt the connection open up. He would hold on for as long as possible this time, he didn't care if he passed out, he just had to make sure she saw, he had to make sure she knew.

"I love you too, Logan," he heard her murmur softly into their kiss. She knew.

The kiss dragged on, neither really noticing, even when Logan changed their position, rolling them over so he had the dominant higher ground. The Wolverine would yield to his mate, but only so much. Neither wanted the sensation to end, and ever so slowly, Logan began to undress her, while Marie a little less slowly attempted to undress him.

"I want you, I want all of you," Logan whispered. Sure, he sounded like he was begging but so long as she let him have her, he really didn't care, she was the only one who had ever, and would ever, see this side of him.

"Only if I can have you in return, all of you," Marie replied, eyes hooded with desire as she threaded her fingers through his, running her fingers over the spaces between his knuckles, and squeezing his hands gently, making it clear what she was referring to.

"Eventually, you're not ready for him yet, but I promise you, when I think you are, he's all yours darlin," Logan murmured. He was all hers as it was, the only reason the feral side of his personality was letting him hold back was a testament to how much hers he was, otherwise, he wouldn't care if she was ready or not.

"I really hope you're not planning on stopping now," Marie replied, sounding mildly annoyed that he had left off kissing her in favour of staring at her hungrily.

"I wouldn't dream if it darlin," he answered, moving back to continue to pepper her with kisses, some soft and feather light, some harsher and more demanding, the odd nip thrown in for good measure and to hear her moan or sigh in response.

Hours later, when they both collapsed, exhausted and satisfied, onto the mattress, they fell quickly asleep. Both too tired to realise they were still touching, skin-to-skin, and nothing was happening.
Chapter 9 by erro
Logan woke slowly the next morning, resting his forehead on the bare shoulder of the sleeping woman in his arms. He realised he had overslept when a moment later his alarm went off, a reminder that the first transfer of the day was due. Marie woke as he leaned over to switch off the alarm, watching her yawn and stretch leisurely a worrying thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Marie... are you controlling it?" he asked her suddenly, drawing Marie's still half-asleep attention to him.

"Huh?" she asked, sleepy and confused, as she frowned up at him.

"Your skin Marie, it's not doing anything, see," he added, reaching out and running his hand across Marie's belly, and up until he was cupping one of her breasts.

"Oh, my skin is doing plenty," Marie murmured, as the flesh in his hand tightened, and her little pink nipple jumped up to say hello. "I see what you mean though... no, I don't think I'm doing anything," she said softly, torn between excitement and worry. She wanted nothing more than to be free to touch, skin-to-skin, even if the only person she could ever touch was Logan she could live with that. But what would it mean for her health, if Logan couldn't heal her any more.

Obviously catching her concern Logan smiled reassuringly. "Let's not worry about it now, you're doing good, Jean & Hank will be back on Monday, we can get them to check it out then, maybe you just don't need my healing any more, maybe you're all better," he suggested confidently, sweeping a lock of hair off her cheek as he ran his thumb across her silky soft skin. "Let's just enjoy this while we've got it," he added, awe and a little bit of wonder creeping into his tone.

"I like the sound of that," Marie replied shyly, as her own hands joined the action.

When they finally left the bed, hours later, they migrated to the bathroom for a bit, before finally making it down to the kitchen around lunch time. If anyone noticed their Saturday morning absence none of the few people they ran into said anything. If Marie smiled a little wider, or Logan looked just a touch cockier than usual, it wasn't worth bringing up by any of the others, and when they disappeared later that afternoon no one thought anything of it.

--

"What do you think?" Logan asked, as Marie jumped out of the back of the truck camper she had just finished viewing.

"There's no bathroom," she replied, "I'd pick that one because it has a bathroom, stopping to pee on the side of the road might be fine for you but I would have slightly different needs in that department, I suppose it works for you though."

They had had a couple more discussions about moving on from the mansion but it seemed Marie still hadn't fully cottoned on to the idea that he was indeed planning on taking her with him when he left next time. Maybe she was worried such hopes were wishful thinking, either way, it was time to make it clear, if it still wasn't after last night. She was his, and he wasn't going anywhere without her right by his side.

"Alright, a bathroom," he turned to the sales guy who was following them around the lot, "The lady has spoken, newest model all mod-cons, and a bathroom, what do you have?" The sales guy pointed out three units a short distance away, running over the specs but warning them they were very new models, the year before, and that was reflected in the price.

After looking through all three of them Marie responded to Logan's querying, pointing out the second one of the group of three. She wasn't sure exactly what it was about that one that she liked over the other two but he asked so she answered. She almost fell over from shock when the salesman gave Logan a price, she knew he got his last camper to cover a bet some idiot redneck had made on one of his fights, but the twenty-seven thousand dollars the guy quoted was a lot more than she had been expecting. Apparently not Logan - though he managed to knock a few grand off the price for cash on the spot, and a promise to collect before closing, only two hours away - he didn't seem fazed by the price. And sure enough, he had twenty-five thousand dollars, in cash, on him.

"Where the hell did you get all that money from?" Marie asked, a short time later as they drove away from the RV lot, with a receipt of sale; they would need a different vehicle to get the camper moved. "And you know the Professor doesn't have any pick up’s, right? How are you going to collect the camper?" she added, as she wondered just what exactly Logan was up to.

Without a word he pulled into a car yard a little way down the road, flashing her a cocky grin before he got out of the now parked sports car.

"The pick up's already paid for," Logan said to her, as she trailed him across the lot, "We just need to make one final decision, the red, the blue, or the green?" he turned to Marie as he pointed to the three trucks not too far from the office. "Well?" he prompted, when she just stood there, staring open mouthed at him.

The salesman from this yard just watched in amusement, as the scene before him played out. All three trucks were the exact same, except for the colour, when the rough biker looking guy had paid for the vehicle the day before he hadn't been able to pick a colour, instead asked for all the available options to be on display, side by side, so his girlfriend could pick.

"They're- they're all the same except for the colour?" Marie confirmed, casting a calculating eye over the vehicles. "...The green," she eventually stated.

"Green it is," Logan declared, accepting the appropriate key from the salesman, along with a receipt confirming the vehicle had been collected. "You want to drive it?" Logan asked, offering her the keys with a smirk.

"No! No thank you," Marie replied, surprised that Logan would offer to let her drive his brand new truck. No way did she want to be responsible for crashing it on its way out of the lot.

"Suit yourself, you drive Chuck's car then, but you stay right behind me," he said, handing her the key to the sports car they had brought from the mansion. She was thankful is was just the sporty looking Mazda, and not the Porsche Logan usually preferred to borrow.

--

They pulled up out the front of the mansion about an hour and a half later. Logan pulled the new truck, with its new camper, around the garage and parked hidden away beside the building, while Marie returned the Mazda to its spot. If Logan had been hoping to sneak his new truck in unnoticed, he failed, as several students, and Ororo, saw them drive in and came to see who the unfamiliar vehicle was delivering. Some, seeing it was just Logan, wandered off again, while other curious souls – mainly the youngest students – timidly asked if they could see inside the camper.

"Are you planning on leaving?" Marie heard Ororo softly ask Logan, worriedly, from where the two were standing a way off, while Marie supervised the kids exploring the camper.

"Eventually," Logan shrugged nonchalantly.

"Uh, well, where will you go?" Ororo asked, now frowning uncertainly.

"Wherever the road leads is usually how I operate," Logan replied.

"H- How will we contact you if Rogue needs you again?" Ororo queried, catching more of Marie's attention; just what exactly was Logan planning. His only response was a secretive grin and a wink, before he headed back to the camper, and ordered all the 'brats' out. Ororo seemed satisfied with his non response, as she smiled softly, before ushering all the kids back to where they had been playing, leaving Logan and Marie alone again.

"So, how will I contact you while you're cruising the highways in this thing?" Marie asked curiously, as she closed all the cupboards the kids had opened.

"I imagine opening your mouth and letting words come out would be sufficient most of the time, you know, if we're in here, or the cab, might have to raise your voice a little if we stop to explore," Logan replied, that grin still playing on his lips.

Marie decided to bite the bullet, Logan had been dropping hints for weeks now, and the fact he had bought the camper she chose, was all leading her to think this was all part of some elaborate scheme to get her to come with him. His comment from weeks earlier had been playing in her head fairly regularly, 'I'd be happy to wander with you ... you never know, you might like the company', he had said.

“So, are you going to be taking me with you then?" she asked directly.

"No," Logan replied, "I'm not 'taking' you anywhere... but I won't stop you if you want to come with me, I'd like your company."

Marie felt her own smile grow as he spoke, until she was smiling so widely she felt like her face was going to split in half. It took her a moment to realise why the room was growing fuzzy, as a tear finally slid down her cheek. "When do we leave?" she asked, happily.

"No rush," Logan replied, "When we're ready..."

"Sweet, I'll be ten minutes, just gonna run in and pack my bag," Marie replied, giggling when Logan scooped her up, as she made to dart around him out of the camper, before sitting them both down in the small couch.

"That's cute kid, but no, we need to check in with the docs first about this latest development," he reminded her, again running his bare hand over her bare cheek, before tugging her forward to kiss her gently. "Plus, this thing needs to be stocked, it's got appliances but it needs dishes, bedding, that sort of shit, we can do that tomorrow though," Logan said, pulling her back to her feet, and leading her back out so they could head inside for dinner. Both feeling nothing but contentment in the knowledge that they weren't alone anymore.
Chapter 10 by erro
"Morning you two, how was your weekend?" Jean asked, smiling brightly at the odd but complementary pair.

"It was good," Marie replied, with a soft, almost secretive smile.

"We ran into a bit of a snag though," Logan added, and Jean could tell from his tone he thought he was understating that. Before she could ask the nature of this 'snag', Logan lifted his hand, where he was holding Rogue's hand, her bare hand. "Nothing's happening, she's not drawing anything off, it's just stopped," he voiced Jean's half formed thought.

"What's stopped?" Scott asked, catching the end of the statement as he walked into the room, along with the other doctor, with a morning coffee for Jean.

"Rogue's mutation appears to have shut off," Jean said, brow furrowed in confusion, more to Hank than to Scott, as she moved to take a closer look.

"I don't know if it's not working completely, or if it's just not working on Logan," Rogue added, quickly drawing her uncovered hand away as Jean approached.

"Well, I suppose that would be the first thing to ascertain," Jean responded softly, understandingly, as she sat down on a nearby seat and held out her hand for Rogue to touch her. "Come on Rogue, you have to touch someone to find out and, no offense, you already hear voices in your head what's the difference with a touch of temporary telepathy... surely it's better than shooting lasers out your eyes, or turning blue," Jean added lightly, when she spied Rogue's hesitation.

Heaving a dramatic sigh Marie gave in, briefly brushing her fingers across the other woman’s skin. Her skin immediately sucked hungrily at Jean's energy, leaving her to sag heavily against the back of her chair, even after the brief, fraction of a second, touch.

"Okay then," Jean said cheerily, once she had caught her breath, "Your mutation still works." She ignored the tears in the young woman’s eyes, as Logan wrapped an arm around her and hugged her gently; clearly she had been hoping for a different outcome. "Now let's make sure Logan's is still working," Jean added, maybe the change was with him, rather than with her. She explained to Logan that she needed to test his healing, flinching as his claws tore through his fist a moment later, then slid away again, the jagged splits in his flesh instantly sealing shut.

"Well, that wasn't how I was going to suggest going about it," Jean commented in dark amusement; trust Logan to completely ignore the what ifs of his mutation not actually working.

For a moment the doctors observed them uncertainly before Jean turned, and collected the scalpel she had been aiming for when she had first suggested testing Logan's healing.

"Rogue, can you hold out your arm please," she said, voice saturated in curiosity. As soon as Rogue's arm was extended in front of her, she lifted the scalpel, and quickly sliced a knick in the pale exposed flesh. The action drew an instant growl from Logan, as he stepped even closer, reaching to yank Rogue's arm away from the blade, only to freeze in shock as the flesh knit itself back together.

"I wondered if this might happen," Jean murmured, "I'm theorizing here but I think, Rogue's mutation has reached saturation point, so many small, frequent touches have led to her developing a possibly permanent version of Logan's mutation, I think your mutation isn't drawing any more off Logan not because it doesn't need it any more but because it has it now," the doctor eventually suggested.

There were more tests; blood tests, tests on Rogue's new healing ability, an MRI, even a couple of tests on Logan. By the end of the day Marie was over it all, bored, grumpy, and yearning to get out of the lab. Jean promised them the results of all the tests the following day, and gave Rogue permission to leave. Her laugh followed them down the hall as Rogue made a mad dash for the elevator, Logan slipping in behind her as the doors slid shut.

"I'm free!" Marie shouted dramatically, rushing out of the elevator once it stopped at the ground floor.

"Come on, let's get out of here for a while?" Logan suggested with a chuckle. Marie readily agreed, and quickly fell into step with him as they headed for the garage.

An hour later found them at a quiet, out of the way park, sitting under a sprawling oak, eating Chinese takeaway out of little cardboard boxes, trying to steal and defend each other’s food with chopsticks, as they watched the sun slowly sink toward the horizon.

"Mine!" Marie growled playfully, as she speared the last piece of her chicken, currently held between Logan's chopsticks, and on its way to his mouth. With a twist of her wrist she liberated her food, and quickly shoved it into her own mouth, smirking at Logan as she did. He just laughed in response, watching as the sinking light cast an orange glow over the girl sitting almost in his lap. Her hair blazed red, as her eyes sparkled brightly, lit up as much from the sun as from her brilliant smile.

"What are you thinking?" Marie asked a little while later, catching him staring at her again; he had been doing that a lot lately.

"Just thinking... did you have any preference on where we should head when we wander, are we going to Alaska first, or is that more the final destination?" Logan murmured softly, he wasn't quite ready yet to tell her just what he had actually been thinking.

"I'd like to head to Alaska first, though I'm not in any hurry to get there, so we're going to be making lots of touristy stops along the way, think you'll be able to handle that?" Marie teased.

"I think you could make it worth my while," Logan replied cheekily, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his lap, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

By the time they got back to the mansion late that night, they both slipped silently up the stairs and into Logan's room. It was 'their' room now, though they didn't think anyone had noticed yet that all of Marie’s belongings had migrated. Her two roommates had already left the mansion, Kitty heading to college in Boston – the same college as Bobby, much to Pete's annoyance; the poor boy had had a crush on Kitty for years but she just didn't seem to notice, Pete was staying at the mansion to go to a community college nearby. Jubilee had set off on her own American adventure road trip, solo as far as anyone at the mansion knew, only her two best friends knew her long distance boyfriend was accompanying her on her trip, with the intent of squirreling her away down South at the end of it, so long as she liked the climate. So that room was now empty, with no one to give Rogue’s departure away.
Chapter 11 by erro
Logan decided to hit the shower when they returned. Marie declined to join him, catching his disappointed pout when she did, but she had other things she needed to do. Like rearrange the wardrobe so she could fit her stuff in better. She was staring curiously into the small space when Logan eventually finished in the bathroom, trying to decide if she should respect Logan's privacy... or open the box she had found hidden in the back of the closet.

"Marie has encountered an ethical dilemma, apparently," Logan murmured, stepping up behind her. "Have I ever told you how cute you look when you're all confused like that?" he teased.

"You think I'm cute?" Marie replied, pouting.

"Always darlin; what's wrong with that?" he asked, now his turn to look confused.

"Hm, nothing, I suppose... I'd rather you found me sexy as hell though," she answered, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly.

"Where you’re concerned darlin, 'cute' and 'sexy' are synonymous," Logan replied with a chuckle, kissing her again. It seemed every time he touched her lately it was either to kiss her, or accompanied by a kiss. Not that she was complaining.

"Hey Logan," Marie asked, when he eventually moved away to dress. She was enjoying the play of muscle of his naked ass and back, as he fished out and pulled on sweats, absentmindedly 'mmhmm'ing in response. "What's in this box?" she queried, sliding it out of the closet with her foot. Her curiosity ramped up several notches when Logan glanced over at the box and suddenly looked uncomfortable, almost blushing.

"Uh, well, um, you can look in it if you want," he eventually stammered in reply. The moment the words were out of his mouth Marie reached down and yanked the box open, momentarily confused when all she could see was fabric. She grabbed at the top piece, and pulled it out, feeling her mouth drop open as she realised what it was.

"It- it's bodysuits?" she asked, seeking clarification of what she was seeing, turning the one she was holding to get a better look at it. It was white but sheer, and... it was cut for a women, a fairly short woman... someone about her size... Reaching into the box again she pulled out another, this one black, this one a lot larger, and cut for a man, someone about...

Stopping to stare at Logan in shock when she realised. "You- you bought these... so we could touch?" she asked dumbly.

"Mmhmm, I ordered them a couple days after Jean let you out of the lab, I- I've wanted you for a long time Marie, didn't know exactly *how* I wanted you, not until I came so close to losing you completely, for the second time, I thought I'd have to work a little harder to win you over to the idea – I’m no prize catch after all – and, while I always hoped, for your sake, that you would learn to control your mutation, I had all sorts of ways figured out to get around it too..." Logan trailed off, as he plucked a sheer piece of purple fabric from the box. It was a large square scarf, which he twisted between both of his hands, before lifting it to her face, shrouding her in the fabric before he kissed her through the soft, thin, silk.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Logan murmured breathlessly, when he finally broke the kiss, letting her up for oxygen before she could pass out from sheer ecstasy.

"So... you planned ways around my mutation huh?" Marie asked, a mischievous glint in her eye, continuing when Logan nodded, a growing grin on his face as he caught onto her train of thought. "Want to show me?"

"Do I fucking ever," Logan growled, taking the black bodysuit from her, and handing her a pair of black silk gloves from the box and telling her to put them, and the white bodysuit she was still holding, on, nudging her in the direction of the bathroom to do that.

A few minutes later Marie was back, clad neck to toes in formfitting sheer white silk, with black gloves that went to just above her elbows. Her only other attire, if you could call it that, was Logan's dog tags, still hanging around her neck, where they had been since he gave them to her, almost a year ago. Logan had changed too, and was sitting on the bed, also covered neck to toes, in the sheer black silk, a shorter pair of black silk gloves covering his hands to the wrists.

"Isn't it overkill for us both to be covered?" Marie asked, with a shy giggle.

"Not at all, this way means, I can touch you, wherever I want, however I want, and you can touch me, anywhere you want, however you want," Logan advised her, as he slowly stalked closer to her, demonstrating his point by pulling her flush against him, and kissing along her shoulder, as she did the same to him.

His hands began to move across her body insistently, the sensation was almost, almost, better than his bare skin on hers. Now that she knew what his bare skin felt like she was glad they could touch that way, though she could admit, she could have lived with this if the only way they had ever been able to touch was through fabric.

--

The next morning the pair were sleeping in when suddenly someone began pounding on the door. Both of them were now naked, having stripped off the bodysuits during the night, so Logan stumbled out of bed toward his discarded sweats, while Marie pulled on his t-shirt, which covered her to mid-thigh, before Logan yanked the door open.

"What the hell Jeannie?" Logan groused, when he saw the woman in question standing on the other side of the door, almost bouncing with anticipation.

"Rogue's DNA has completely re-written itself, all the radiation damaged cells are gone!" Jean announced, uselessly waving the papers she was carrying around in front of her.

"What!?" Marie asked, shock preventing her from comprehending what she had just heard.

"So, what does this mean? She's fixed? Is she going to have my healing forever?" Logan asked, just a hint of worry in his tone.

"As near as I can figure, yes, she's 'fixed', and the healing should be permanent," Jean confirmed.

"Huh, well what do you know," Marie murmured. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed," she added, turning back into the room and crawling back under the covers.

Logan chuckled after her before turning back to Jean. "It'll hit her suddenly in a few hours, just wait and see," Logan said, though Jean could tell he was still worried.

"What are you thinking Logan?" Jean asked. Logan had proven to be very astute, especially when it came to Marie. If there was an eventuality she hadn't considered yet, Logan had probably thought of it.

"Just me being paranoid," he replied with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she's going to be okay but, the healing, permanently... it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"She's got you to help her with that, and now you have her," Jean said softly, grinning at the girl in his bed, she had no doubt what they had been up to since discovering Rogue's mutation had stopped. "I'll leave you two to digest all that," she said, knocking Logan's hand off the door and pulling it shut behind her.

"Scott, don't you dare say anything," she warned her husband, when she turned around and saw the dark scowl on his face.

"But she's a--"

"A perfectly capable and mature, young adult, woman, who can make her own decisions about who she, as an adult, goes to bed with, drop it, it won't end well for you," Jean gave him his final warning. As an adult woman herself she wouldn't be above kicking him out of her bed to sleep on the couch if need be.
Chapter 12 by erro
"So, how is the comprehension coming along?" Jean asked, as she sat down next to Logan later that day at lunch. Rogue was at another table, chattering away happily and obliviously, with the small group of graduate teens that were still in residence at the mansion.

"It's still coming," Logan replied with a grin. In actual fact, Marie hadn't even mentioned the news again, almost as if the fact had just slotted into her brain without any actual thought being given it. Or maybe he had just been distracting her too much for her to actually pause and consider it, in bed, later in the shower... yeah, it was probably his fault.

"Well, it's good for Rogue," Scott spoke suddenly, from the other side of the table. "A prompt recovery means she has plenty of time to get herself ready for college now," he stated matter of factly.

Jean noticed Logan's responding silent chuckle but curiously, he made no comment. Poor Scott, it looked like he was going to be disappointed there too, as well as he was with Rogue's apparent romantic choices. She just smiled sweetly when she caught Logan glance at her with a curiously cocked brow, before taking a sip of her drink in an effort to hide her mirth.

Rogue conveniently decided to join them, now that her friends were disbursing to various tasks and activities. Taking a seat beside Logan, and swiping a french fry off his plate, she grinned at his half-hearted growl, even as he turned his plate around so she could take another. She knew, so long as she didn't touch his steak, she could take pretty much anything else off his plate without issue.

"What are your plans for the rest of summer Rogue? Now that you don't need to camp out in the med lab," Jean asked sweetly, trying to nudge everything out in the open so Scott could come to terms with it all in one go, and because she was curious too.

"Logan and I are going on a road trip," she announced with a happy smile, "He promised not to run into any trees this time so I can actually, finally, get to Alaska."

Scott froze mid mouthful. "Is that going to give you enough time to get settled before college starts," he asked pointedly.

"Wouldn't have a clue, don't really care, I'm not going to college so not something I have to concern myself with," Rogue replied dismissively.

Jean and Logan both started laughing, as Scott exploded with objections to Rogue's statement. Rogue however simply sat, and waited for him to finish ranting.

"I understand your point of view, I disagree with you, and it's my life, I'm entitled to 'throw it away' if I so choose, I expect you to respect my decision," Rogue stated calmly, when Scott finally finished objecting. If he had been expecting her to cave to his demands, he was sorely mistaken.

"You... you put her up to this!" Scott suddenly changed track, turning on Logan instead to vent his frustration. "How can you act like you care about her and then take her away to flush away her life, with you of all people--"

All three of the tables other occupants interrupted him simultaneously, each expressing their anger at Scott's comments. None of them noticed as several others, the Professor included, entered the dining room, quickly realizing there was a rather serious problem afoot when they saw all eyes in the cafeteria riveted to the teachers table, where an argument was just beginning.

"What seems to be the problem here?" the Professor queried loudly, immediately silencing the din of four people yelling at each other at once.

"Logan, sir," Scott declared. "He's planning on dragging Rogue off to some cave somewhere and keeping her as his pet."

"What!?" the other three all exclaimed, simultaneously and incredulously.

"Scooter, that's the dumbest load of horseshit I've ever heard come out of your mouth," Logan snapped angrily.

"Alright, gentlemen, perhaps it would be best if we took this discussion to a more private locale," the Professor suggested, drawing the groups attention to the crowd of curious onlookers they had attracted. "My office, if you please," he added, turning to wheel out of the room, followed immediately by Scott.

"Isn’t any fucking 'discussion' required," Logan fumed, though he too stood, before he and Rogue, trailed by Jean, followed the others.

--

On entering the Professor's office Logan directed Marie to a seat, he was too wound up to sit himself, so instead he stood protectively beside Rogue's chair and glared down Scott. The other man was standing across the room, beside the Professor's desk, his body language indicating he was confident that the Professor would back him up. As if either of them had any control over what Marie, as an adult, chose to do with her life.

"Right, as this issue seems to focus around Rogue, perhaps it is best if you explain my dear," the Professor prompted, ceding the floor to Marie.

"Well, I'm actually not entirely certain what is going on," Marie started innocently, "Jean asked what I was going to do, now that I'm not imminently going to die, I said, Logan and I are going on a road trip, I'm finally going to see me some Alaska, then Scott asked about college, I said I wasn't going, the shit kind of hit the fan, and somehow that all got turned around to all that is wrong with the world being Logan's fault," she replied, sounding condescendingly confused.

"Logan, do you have anything to add?" Charles asked, raising a hand to Scott to silence him before he could interject.

"Not really, though I'm not sure where Scooter got the notion that this was even my idea, Rogue was the one that raised wanting to go to Alaska, over a month ago, I offered to take her because I know the way, I've been there before, and I have the means to get her there, I also didn't want her wandering around the continent alone, look what happened last time she tried that, ended up being hunted by Sabretooth and almost dying multiple times." Logan suppressed the shudder of fear that thought brought to the fore, no way did he want Marie out on the road alone, or anywhere else alone for that matter.

"Regardless of who suggested it he's clearly influenced her, sir, they've been sleeping together for crying out loud!" Scott announced to the room.

"Look one-eye, what does or does not go on in my room is none of your business," Logan immediately responded. There wasn't much point in denying his 'accusation' given Rogue had immediately flushed pink and grinned like an idiot, until she had managed to tamp that reaction down to just looking smugly satisfied. "And I have done nothing to influence Rogue, in any way--"

"Aside from touching her, forcing your lecherous thoughts into her head, having sex with a vulnerable girl, and promising her things," Scott replied.

"My thoughts are lecherous?" Logan asked, quirking an eyebrow as he glanced at Marie for confirmation.

"Well I'm sure they are sometimes," Marie giggled, "You always kept those ones hidden from me though... except for that one time... right after the statue, when I was in the shower, and got really... distracted," Marie added coyly, giggling even more when this time it was Logan that grinned, and looked a little cockier than usual.

"That aside, simple fact is one-eye, using me saving Rogue's life, yet again, against me is a shitty thing to do, yes, we had sex, will hopefully continue to have sex, but Rogue is far, far from being a 'vulnerable' girl, she is an incredibly strong, opinionated, intelligent, grown woman, who can damn well decide what and who she wants, and yes, as much as I hate to admit this, I would be saying that even if she hadn't picked me, but she did, so get over it," Logan directed back to Scott. "Does anyone else have a problem with that?" Logan asked the room at large. Apparently it was much to Scott's surprise that no one else in the room voiced any objection. "You stay out of my business, I'll stay out of yours," Logan finished with a growl at Scott.

"I still can't believe you're going to take her away when she should be getting ready for and going to college," Scott began on his next topic of issue.

"That is my decision, my choice, and I have chosen not to, I am well within my rights to do that," Marie immediately, and passionately argued. "I've almost died on five separate occasions in the last two years, been so close on this last occasion I even started saying my goodbyes, didn't even get the chance to do that the two times before that, and on several occasions didn't have anyone to say goodbye to anyway, so I'm not sorry for saying fuck college I'm going to live a little, because knowing my luck, next time will be the time I don't get to get saved from it," Marie pointed out plainly.

And that's how you shut up a room full of busybodies, Logan thought to himself proudly, even as he felt a lance of pain at the thought that Marie was... afraid? of dying.

"So, you're running away out of fear," Scott started, voicing Logan's own concern.

"No, I'm going to live, so when the day finally comes I do kick the bucket I don't have any reason to be afraid, or to be sad, because I won't have any unfinished business because I'm out there living every day to the fullest, I'm not waiting four more years to do that," Marie replied.

"Well said Rogue," Hank spoke up, from where he had been silently observing in the corner. For a guy who was surprisingly large, and unusually brightly coloured, he had the stunning ability to just blend into the background sometimes.

"Thank you, Hank," Marie replied, with a genuine smile. Logan couldn't help the momentary shaft of possessive jealousy that sparked within him; those smiles were his damn it.

"So then," the Professor began, his smothered grin clearly telling all who caught it that he was very proud of the young woman standing before him. "What do you intend to do with your life, how will you pay your way, keep gas in your tank to feel the wind in your hair?" he queried.

"Odd jobs I suppose, they're a dime a dozen in small towns, maybe I'll get a truck license and turning traveling into my day job, or maybe I'll find the perfect place to settle down and get a regular job and, who knows, maybe I will end up going to college, eventually, I don't know what the future holds but I plan to go out there and find out," Marie declared, watching as the Professor's grin grew until he held out his hand to her. Moving over to him, Marie felt a weight lift off her chest when he hugged her tightly.

"I'm sure you will my dear, don't forget to write us, or call, and stop by to visit whenever the wind blows you this direction, if you need anything at all, either of you, remember, there will always be a place for you both here." Just like that, the discussion was over, Scott was silenced, and, not that they needed it, Logan and Marie had permission to leave.
Chapter 13 by erro
After Marie and Logan packed up and headed out of the mansion a few days later, they slowly but surely made their way in a north-westerly direction. Finally hitting Alaska in late fall. They stayed the winter, as long-term renters at a holiday park with a fabulous view of the tallest mountain in North America.

When spring came, it was accompanied by word that Jubilee had not only loved the South - Marie knew she would, New Orleans just had the 'Jubilee vibe' - but she loved the boyfriend too, and Logan and Rogue were invited to their wedding that summer. They had set off again, travelling South East, through the central US, to Louisiana.

They made a detour through Mississippi on their way, visiting Marie's old home town, for nostalgia. They ran into Marie's parents, completely by accident, and Logan had a few choice words for them when they again rejected their own daughter. Marie had left in tears, happy, relieved tears, as she had hugged Logan with all she had.

They met up with many friends from the mansion at the wedding, including Kitty, who was having a hard time deciding on her own partner. She dated Bobby for a while, before Pete had finally come clean, driving all the way to Boston one weekend to tell her he loved her, and missed her. Marie and Jubilee were both firmly in the 'Pete' camp.

From there they headed west, and then south once they got to Texas, and journeyed down through Mexico, and Central America. They spent a year touring South America. In Peru, Logan laughed at Marie for refusing to indulge in the local delicacy that was Cuy. She got him back in Bolivia, by ordering him Caldo de Cardan when he ducked into the bathroom leaving her to order for them. Of course, he couldn't back down from a challenge but it was a long time before he let her order food for him again, much to her amusement.

From there they travelled by freighter to Asia, helping as crew hands for passage of themselves and their truck. They spent another year touring Asia, through to Europe. Logan surprised them both by being fluent in multiple languages they encountered across the continents.

In an ice castle in Finland, Logan out of the blue proposed, with a ring of white gold snowflakes set with dozens upon dozens of tiny, glittery, diamond chips. Marie said yes, of course.

As they made their way back to North America, again by boat, this time in luxury. Marie was struck down by intense sea sickness, and spent most of the trip huddled over a toilet or bucket. The rest of the time she spent lamenting how unfair it was that Logan never got sick, despite having the same healing factor she now did. She missed the many secretive smiles he wore as he waited on her, fetching her cool cloths, and any drinks and food she could stomach, smoothing her hair back from her face as she retched, and filling up the times she felt well enough with steamy touches and kisses.

Back on solid land again, it took Marie a few days to realise, the 'sea sickness' hadn't gone away, a bucket was still her constant companion as they returned to Logan's familiar stomping ground of Canada. At a small-town general-purpose store, a little pink and blue box caught her eye as she was browsing an aisle, and on a whim, she grabbed it. That night they stopped at a motel, and while Logan lounged on the bed watching a hockey game, Marie put her purchase to use.

Ten minutes later, Marie crawled into bed, snuggled up to Logan, and proudly displayed the positive pregnancy test for him. His only response was a broad grin, as he hugged her tighter and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"How long have you known?" she asked curiously.

"Switzerland," Logan replied, still grinning like an idiot, "I thought you would have figured it out on the boat, guess you were too distracted."

"I suppose puking your guts out multiple times a day will do that to you," Marie giggled in reply. "What are we doing now?" she asked softly, as her head came to rest on his shoulder. Would Logan want to keep moving, or would he want to settle down.

"Hm, I don't know, kind of feel like taking it easy for a while, what about you?" Logan asked.

"It would be nice for baby to have some stability, somewhere to call home," Marie agreed.

"Somewhere to call home..." Logan repeated thoughtfully. "I think I know just the place."

Two days later they rolled into a small, quiet town, in Alberta. They stopped for breakfast, and then on their way out of town again Logan suddenly pulled into the parking lot of a small, run down looking bar. At the look on Logan's face Marie knew there was something special about this place, something he was waiting for her to notice.

"Laughlin... this is... this is the bar where I first saw you!" she suddenly realised. "Wow, it doesn't look like such a dump in the daylight."

"Apparently, it's up for sale, I guess they've fixed it up some for the market," Logan began. "It comes with the bar, it's got a fully functional commercial kitchen, back in the day there used to be a grill that went along with the bar. And there's a house, just back there through the trees, that comes with it... want to take a look?"

As they were getting out of the truck, a second car pulled up, a smartly dressed women bounding out, to cheerily introduce herself as the listing agent; so, Logan had planned this. She showed them through both buildings, keeping up a constant stream of chatter about what improvements had been made to the buildings in the last few years. Long gone it seemed were the burning barrel heaters of the bar when they had been there last, though the decorating was still lacking. The little house was quaint and homely, and Marie could see herself being happy, their child being happy, in this little place.

"What do you think?" Logan asked, when the agent finally backed off and gave them 'a few minutes' to talk.

"Will you be happy in one place?" Marie asked honestly, watching Logan's face for the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Darlin, wherever you are, I am happy, and if I get bored, I can always whack up a cage in the bar and smack some rednecks around," Logan replied with a chuckle.

Six months later, their own little bar and grill opened its doors. They invited all their old friends out for the opening, and to meet the newest member of their family; Raine Hope Logan. Logan, it turned out, had one more trick up his sleeve, and had corralled Marie's two best friends into helping him. The very first event hosted at the bar...? Their very own wedding. They stood in almost the exact spot where they had gotten their first good looks at each other four long years ago, to exchange their vows.
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