Westchester, New York
"Is it just goin' to be you and Jean?" Marie asked, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. The question made Logan's head snap towards her and the razor catch his cheek.
"Shit." He winced as a small trickle of blood fell from the cut before it closed itself up. Logan turned back to the steamy mirror, rinsed the razor under the tap and continued shaving. Marie was struck by the handsome angles of his face, no longer hidden by rough edges. "What are you doing here?"
"You shouldn't leave your door open," Marie said, watching him in the mirror. It took a conscious effort not to let her eyes drop lower. The towel wrapped low on his hips was apparently all he had on. His hair was still wet from his shower and causing rivulets to run down his lean, muscular back.
"I wouldn't be doing this if Scott was able to go," Logan said after a long scrape that took off what was left of his beard. He dropped the razor on the counter and picked up a smaller towel to wipe his face. Logan frowned at his new appearance and that struck Marie as funny. She tried to suppress a laugh, but Logan still heard it. He turned to face her. "I don't look that bad, do I?"
"No," Marie replied quickly, straightening up as he took a couple steps towards her. Her heart sped up as he approached. She felt her face flush and glanced at the suit laid out on the bed, wondering if he'd ever even worn one before. "You just don't look like. . .you."
"That's the whole point," he answered and Marie looked back to find him standing right in front of her. He smiled slightly and she felt a warmth swirling low in her hips. She was grateful she was leaning against something for support.
"You, uh, missed a spot," she said, her eyes lowering to a small patch on his neck. She was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on anything else with Logan hovering so near.
"Where?"
"Here," Marie pointed out, her gloved hand reaching up to her own neck to show him. Her eyes turned up to meet his and that warmth became a dull ache.
"Think I should leave it?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. Marie saw his eyes darken up, his nostrils twitch and knew he was breathing her in.
Marie nodded and tried to steady her heart. Six months had passed since his return and in those six months, the boundaries of their relationship had grown increasingly gray. Marie wasn't oblivious to constant tension between him and Jean. It only caused her concern because it was more easily resolved than the developing tension between them.
"What's wrong?"
The question startled Marie out of her thoughts.
"Nothin'," she said, although it wasn't very convincing. Logan took a couple steps back and stared at her, his gaze measuring.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be here," Logan said, giving her a knowing look. "You afraid something is going to happen in DC?"
"Yes," she answered and hoped he wouldn't ask her what that something was. It wasn't just the thing with Jean either; it was why they were going there in the first place.
"Logan?"
They both turned to find Jean at the threshold, one hand on the doorknob. She was dressed in a dark, tailored suit and her long legs ended in tall pumps.
"Am I interrupting?" she asked, her eyes settling on Logan. Marie watched as he leaned back against the counter, seemingly unconcerned at how this probably looked.
"Is she?" Logan asked, directing the question to Marie instead.
She would have given anything for the answer to be yes.
"No," Marie reluctantly said. She didn't say another word as she moved past Jean and out of Logan's room.
Washington, DC
It wasn't going well.
"The main issue hasn't changed, Senator Gary," Jean said firmly as she gripped the side of the podium. "Forcing mutants to register will only make them targets to fear, prejudice and..."
"Violence?" finished the Senator. He moved to the center of the floor and turned to address his peers. "Violence like what happened on Liberty Island nine months ago?"
Logan shifted his position so he could get a better look the man challenging Jean. Senator Wilson Gary from New York had been designated by the parental groups as the new proponent of the Mutant Registration Act. The Act, as a result to the aforementioned incident, had gained more support than ever.
"The man responsible is in protective custody..."
"In a plastic cell!" Senator Gary called out and behind him, there were hushed whispers. Logan reached up to loosen his tie as an unsettled feeling settled over the room. "Because the man responsible, Erik Lehnsherr, is a mutant who can control 'magnetic fields.' Isn't that true, Dr. Grey?"
"Yes," Jean reluctantly admitted. "But..."
"Would it be safe to assume that if Erik Lehnsherr had been registered, law enforcement would have had some knowledge of his ability and therefore, would have been able to stop or even prevent such an incident from occurring in the first place?"
"You can't hold all mutants responsible for the actions of one," Jean fired back.
"No," Senator Gary said. "But we can pass a law that would make it possible to identify that one who is a danger to the public."
Logan tensed as the whispers around him grew even louder and the Senate Chair stepped forward to end the hearing. Logan wove his way through the crowd to meet Jean. He found her standing with folded arms and look of defeat on her face. It said it all.
"Let's get out of here," he said, bringing his hand to the small of her back to lead her away.
Silently, they walked back through the corridors to where they could talk privately. They found a space overlooking the Senate floor to watch for a moment before turning to each other.
"If they only knew what really happened," Jean said under her breath. She reached out to straighten one of his lapels. He really hated the suit. "You almost died to save them."
Jean knew better than anyone that that wasn't exactly true. He hadn't been concerned about the city of New York when he had touched Marie's face. He remembered far too well the feeling of her lifeless body in his arms and the desperate need to bring her back. So desperate, he thought nothing of giving his life in exchange for hers. Logan lowered his eyes to Jean's hand, still fidgeting, and closed his around it to make her stop.
"To save Marie," he corrected, lowering their hands. His eyes met hers and his lips curled into a little smirk. "New York just got lucky."
That made Jean smile briefly, then sadly. "Ironic, isn't it? The very thing we did to save thousands of lives is the same thing might cost us ours."
"It hasn't come to that," Logan said, looking back down at the Senate.
At least, they weren't voting today.
"But it will," Jean concluded, disengaging herself from him. She scanned the crowd below. "And sooner than we think."
Westchester, NY
The light in the garage was still on and Marie took it as sign.
She crossed her arms over her chest as she stepped inside. She wandered past the cars and motorcycles, each polished to perfection, and stopped when she saw Scott hunched over an engine. She had wanted to be alone, to think. Before she had a chance to slip away undetected, he raised his head.
"Little late for class, aren't you?"
"I'm not in your class," Marie replied, shoving her gloved hands deep into the pockets of her jeans. She peered over Scott's shoulder to see what he was doing. "You couldn't sleep either?" she surmised.
"Not with Jean gone," Scott admitted, straightening up. He reached for a rag and wiped the grease from his hands. "Not when she's with..."
Scott stopped himself and gave her a wry smile. They never talked about it before now, but they were both well aware of the Logan and Jean situation.
"Don't you trust her?" she finally asked.
"Oh, I trust Jean completely," Scott answered smoothly. He tossed the rag aside and grabbed the hood with both hands to slam it shut. Hard, as if he was making a point. "It's Logan I have the problem with."
Marie's eyes followed Scott as he stepped carefully around her to sit on the hood of another car.
"Logan is the only one I trust," Marie stated, lifting her chin confidently. It fell a little as Scott shook his head.
"No, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be here at midnight talking to me," he said. Scott slid to one side to make room for Marie to join him. After a minute of contemplation, she did. The silence that followed was comfortable. So comfortable, Marie ventured further.
"You really don't like Logan, do you?"
"Can't stand him," Scott said. "But you do."
Marie turned her head down and looked thoughtfully at her gloves. They were like Scott's visor; both protected others from their gifts. Despite the progress she'd made, it was becoming more and more evident she would never truly experience normal human contact. With a great deal of effort, she could touch others now without taking their life, but only at the expense of her own. She was still left feeling drained, but she had been able to increase the time.
It wasn't enough. It would probably never be enough.
"He believed there would be a war," Marie began, closing her eyes and opening her mind to thoughts that were neither hers or Logan's. Thoughts responsible for what happened on Liberty Island and for the trip to DC. "If the law passes..."
"I hope...I have hope, that won't happen," Scott said, sliding off the car. "That's what I'm holding on to. You should do the same."
Marie wished she could. She let Magneto's thoughts swirl around her head a little longer before making them stop.
Her fingers drifted up to her neck, to the dog tag she still wore. She couldn't wait for Logan to get back.
Washington, DC
"Thought I'd find you down here."
Logan twisted the barstool just enough to look over his shoulder at Jean. She was still wearing the suit from earlier, only minus the jacket. His eyes drifted over her bare arms and slender frame before lifting them to her face.
"Where else would I be?" he muttered as Jean slid into the seat next to his. She waved the bartender off and turned her attention on him. Logan set his drink down and scratched over the thin layer of stubble now covering his face.
"That's a good question," Jean said, crossing her legs and her arms on top of them. Her expression was contemplative; it always was where he was concerned. Logan knew she was just itching to get inside his head again. Once had been enough.
"Were you able to read the other Senators?" he asked. They'd divided up earlier to assess the situation. Jean, to find out how easily the votes could be swayed back in their direction, and Logan, to find Mystique, if she was there. He'd come up empty handed and hoped Jean had better luck.
"It's not good," she said, shaking her head. She didn't have to say anything more. She looked so sad that he felt the need for distraction.
"You didn't really need me for this," Logan said, changing gears. "I think you just wanted to see me get dressed up."
Jean bit her lip in an effort not to smile. Her cheeks flushed slightly and somehow managed to look even more beautiful.
"I wanted you to know what we're up against," Jean continued, moving past that comment. She leaned over the bar to lay her hand on top of his. Jean traced his knuckles with her fingertip, then turned her eyes back to his. He felt her touch, briefly, in his mind as well. "Not everything is a physical threat."
"Is that what I am?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow at her. He caught her hand in his and ran his thumb over her fingers. It made Jean's breath hitch up in her chest and he smiled. "A physical threat?"
Jean shivered slightly. To anyone else, it would have been imperceptible. To Logan, he knew it was a sign of arousal. He lowered his gaze to the hardened peaks visible through the soft fabric of her blouse.
"That's not why I came down here," Jean maintained, shyly turning her head away. She looked at their joined hands, but made no move to separate them.
"I think that's exactly why you did," Logan teased, just to see Jean smile again. He lowered his voice to mess with her even more. "C'mon. I won't tell Scott..."
"Yes, you would," she said, finally untangling their hands. She paused and drew another breath before adding, "And I'm not going to be a substitute for what you really want."
That hit Logan a little too close.
"You don't know what I want," he said, finishing what was left of his drink before moving off the barstool. He fished some money out of his pocket and dropped it on the counter as Jean watched. He wasn't even five feet away when he heard her voice, this time echoing in his head.
~But you know.~
Fuck.
"Stop that," he warned, turning around to find Jean standing. He stealthily moved towards her, stopping only when they were face to face. Tensions, sexual and otherwise, rose between them but neither backed off.
"Why?" Jean asked, her eyes afire as they searched his. "You don't like having someone in your head?"
"No," Logan answered. He didn't. And he didn't like where she was going with this either. Marie was his...well, Marie was just his. It was complicated enough without Jean overanalyzing.
"Well, imagine if that someone was Erik Lehnsherr," she said, taking a step back. "You're not the only one in her head, Logan."
But he was the only one Marie ever mentioned, on the rare occasions they talked about that particular consequence of her gift. Him and that kid in Mississippi she put in a coma.
"What are you saying?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. Marie certainly wouldn't have discussed it with Jean.
"Just make sure you talk with her when we get back," she answered, getting the last word in before walking away.
Westchester, NY
"Professor?"
Marie hesitantly pushed the door to Xavier's study in. He looked up and gave her a warm smile.
"Rogue, what a pleasant surprise," he said, backing his wheelchair up to maneuver it around his desk. She felt some of the nervousness fade at his welcome. Marie let the door close behind her and Xavier motioned to an empty chair. "What can I do for you?"
Marie was struck by the irony of that statement. He had done so much already for her and for Logan. She sat down quickly and folded her hands onto her lap.
"I wanted to talk to you about my. . .progress," she said, unsure of how else to begin.
"I'm certainly very pleased with it," he said enthusiastically. "Aren't you?"
"No," she admitted and felt guilty for it. The Professor had devoted countless hours to helping her develop some sort of control and here she was saying it wasn't enough. She closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "I mean, I am..."
"You can tell me, Rogue," she heard his voice softly say. So soft, she wondered if she only heard it in her head.
"But I'll always have to wear these, won't I?" she said, holding her hands up. It was a statement, not a question. She only wanted confirmation of what she already knew.
The Professor sighed. "Yes. Most likely, you will."
"But?" Marie pressed, sensing there was more.
"But I hope in time you'll see it not as a limitation, but a challenge. Not just to you, but to those who care about you. To find a way around it," he said, before suddenly becoming quiet. Too quiet.
"Professor?" she asked, sensing something was wrong.
"Jean and Logan have returned," he murmured, swiveling his chair in the direction of the door. Half a second later, it opened.
"Charles, we need to talk," Jean started, before noticing Marie sitting there. She looked back at the Professor before saying anything more.
"About the Registration Bill," he said and Jean nodded. Marie started to get up, but he motioned for her to stay. "That certainly affects all of us."
"I read as many of the Senators as I could," Jean continued, sounding increasingly apologetic. She folded her arms and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. "It's going to pass this time."
"Because of what we did. . ." Logan added, stepping in behind Jean. Marie's heart skipped in her chest as his eyes focused on hers.
"To save me," Marie finished, rising to her feet. An awkward silence fell across the room. "That is what you were goin' to say."
"Because of Magneto," the Professor corrected, looking at each one of them. He drew a deep breath. "Let's not lose sight of who is to blame."
He was to blame, but Marie still felt somehow indirectly responsible. Her power, unlike Jean's or Logan's or even Scott's, seemed to serve no practical use except to their enemies. Magneto had wanted her, no one else.
Marie thought it was best she go.
"Hey, didn't you hear what he just said?" Logan asked softly, stepping so he was blocking her path to the door.
"Perfectly," Marie answered, before brushing past Logan.
Logan wasn't exactly surprised to discover Marie wasn't in her room. He was surprised that, after a thorough search, she wasn't in the mansion at all. Even though they shared a history of running, he knew she wouldn't go without at least telling him first. She was the one who brought him back; it didn't make sense for her to leave. Which was why finding her in the garage behind the steering wheel of a convertible at this late hour concerned him.
Marie's face was distant, her hands idle, as she sat staring blankly ahead. She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice he was there until he climbed into the back seat and leaned into the front.
"Do you even know how to drive a stick?" Logan asked, extending one hand out towards it. He tilted his head forward even more and their noses almost collided when she turned her face to his.
"You wanna to teach me?" she asked, her dark eyes widening only slightly at their close proximity. She didn't pull back and neither did he even though it would safer if they did. His body stiffened at the other implications such a request could mean.
"Not if you're just going to take off," Logan said, folding his arms over the front seat. He rested his chin on them and studied her for a moment, then nudged her shoulder. "C'mon, kid..."
"Marie," she corrected, giving him a stern look. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"I know," Logan said in all seriousness. He slid his hand out once more, this time to run his finger down the white streak framing her face. It made her smile slightly. "Not since that night."
"If they pass that law..."
"It's not because of you, got it?" Logan said, cutting her off. He withdrew his hand and settled into the back seat. He stretched his legs out and tried to get comfortable. He couldn't. Not with Marie looking like she wanted to crawl right back there with him.
"They experimented on him. Much like you," she said, her voice uneven. "He thought if he could make all those people like us, he could get back at them. At everyone who thinks like they did."
Logan nodded, understanding the flawed logic. He himself was guilty of it to a lesser degree. Had Marie not come after him, he'd still be out searching for those responsible for his own experimentation. He hadn't abandoned the hope that one day he would find them; it just no longer was the focal point in his life. Something else was.
"You could have told me I wasn't the only one up there," Logan said, shifting the conversation to what he really wanted to know.
"You never asked," she replied simply, twisting herself so she was no longer sitting forward.
"Anything else I should be...asking?" Logan ventured, raising both eyebrows up. He was almost afraid of the answer, of where else this could lead. Of what Jean had been alluding to. The longer she thought about it, the more uncomfortable it made him.
"I'll always need my gloves," she finally said.
"That's not a question," Logan pointed out.
"Is that goin' to be a problem?" she asked, making it a question.
"Problem?" Logan repeated, even though he knew exactly what she meant. He only had a few seconds to process that before she drew her legs up to crawl into the back seat. The convertible rocked a little as she did. Marie settled right into his lap, her slim thighs cradling his on either side.
She nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to let her skin touch his. He had every good intention of easing her off when his hands found her hips. Instead, Logan closed his eyes as he pressed them into his.
"Yeah. It's a problem," he whispered, almost growled at the pleasure the contact caused. This was what he'd been avoiding; it was also what he was wanting and not with Jean.
He opened his eyes and found her staring into them before she closed her own in concentration. Concentration Logan knew better than to break as she brought her mouth to his.
It was just a careful press of lips at first, but then she parted hers to allow his tongue access inside. He wasted no time sweeping it against hers, hoping like hell she wouldn't lose control. And she didn't, until a low, prickling heat caused her to draw back abruptly.
"Sorry," Marie breathed, her eyes snapping open. As soon as she did, she felt everything go black for a minute as the drain hit her. She dropped her head on Logan's shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut again until it passed. Even after it had, she kept her head down anyway.
Stupid, Rogue. That was stupid, she told herself.
But he had kissed her back.
In fact, she could still taste the kiss, the hint of cigar and whatever had to be just Logan. She became increasingly aware of the growing pressure beneath her, the weight of her body over his and the heavy sound of his breathing. His hands drifted from her waist and down her backside before finally pulling them away.
"We, uh, really should..."
Marie lifted her head to stare at Logan. Flustered. He looked flustered.
"Really should what?" she asked, her heart racing.
"Shouldn't. That. This," he stammered, giving his head a slight shake. He seemed more disappointed with himself than with her.
"It's a problem," Marie concluded, knowingly, because it was.
"Yeah," he exhaled, his eyes searching hers intensely. She let out a little gasp as his hands found her waist again, this time to ease her off and back so she was sitting on his thighs. Her arms fell from around his neck, but Logan managed to catch one gloved hand in his. He held it up. "But not because of this. There are ways around this."
How he said it led her to believe he'd thought out those ways.
"Sometimes," Marie began, her voice faltering. It didn't help he was still holding her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers. Her words got stuck in her throat, which was quickly tightening. "I..."
"Sometimes you what?" Logan pressed, wanting her to explain what she really couldn't. She'd absorbed both David and Erik, felt them in her head, but neither left her with the same sense of attachment she had with Logan. It already went beyond anything physical, yet she still found herself craving it just the same. Maybe it was an after effect of all they'd been through already, but still the want was there. She sighed and chose the only three words she could to describe it.
"I need you," she said, almost apologetically. She winced, anticipating a negative reaction. It didn't appear to phase him at all. He simply nodded in acceptance, then let go of her hand.
"And I need you to get back in the front seat," he warned, leaning forward just enough to bring his face to hers. In his eyes, flickered something unsettled and solicitous before he blinked it away.
"Why? Are we goin' somewhere?" Marie asked, shifting off him to climb back over. She slid into the passenger's side and looked back at him expectantly. She knew it wasn't what he meant, but he gave in to her request anyway. Logan rolled his eyes and reluctantly climbed out of the car.
"Got the keys?" he asked, walking around it and her to the driver's side. Marie fished them out of her back pocket and tossed them at him. Logan caught them in one hand and shook his head in disapproval.
"One of these days. . ." he muttered to himself, as he got in. Marie watched with a smile as he fumbled with the keys before inserting the right one into the ignition.
One of these days, it wasn't going to be a problem.
With the Registration Act so close to being passed, she only hoped that day would be sooner rather than later.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is a follow up to 'Crossroads,' but certainly can be read on it's own. Special thanks to Bonnie for her encouragement. This is movieverse and I apologize if there is anything in here that is contrary to the comicverse. I'm just going off the movie. Thanks!