Rogue shrank back against her bed as she watched Jean and Storm place Logan on the table in the centre of the room. Jean firmly held Logan’s head straight as he convulsed as she instructed Storm to place on the nearby oxygen mask and hold it there. As Jean began darting around the bed to stabilise him, Rogue could feel her hands suddenly twitching.
“Jean?” called Rogue quietly as she raised her hands towards her face in inspection. Her fingers were subtly shaking and arching.
“In a minute, Rogue,” Jean replied without looking back as she continued to tend to Logan.
Rogue could feel her breaths rising, coming from her mouth in low pants. A bellow of alien fury raged inside her, and without any given warning, she whirled round, grabbing the side of her bed. With almost no effort, she wrenched it from the floor and span round to send it flying towards the nearest wall. Jean and Storm turned at the explosion of metal hitting metal, eyes watching as the bed slid down from the wall to slump weakly on the floor after it’s abuse. The two women stared at Rogue, for she began knocking glass vials from their tabletops with furious swipes of her hands.
The glass easily cut and sliced her skin and the blood leaked down the pale flesh of her arms as she released a hellish attack on the table that once held the vials. She grabbed the legs in her fists, spinning as she hurled it against the circular doorway.
Rogue was next up against the metal wall, her bloodied hands swiping and clawing her fingernails against the smooth surface. After being shocked still, Jean quickly hurried over to her, “Rogue!”
Gasping, Rogue slumped her small form against the metal wall, resting her forehead there as she closed her eyes. Her hands, still pressed there relaxed their position and she slowly looked round with an anxious gaze. Jean was stood a few feet away, looking quite intimidated by the previous actions. Storm was still stood by Logan, whose was now sleeping peacefully. Storm looked as alarmed as Jean.
“Rogue?” asked Jean tentatively, her eyes regarding Rogue in a cautious manner.
But Rogue was looking round at the destruction. Her bed lay against a dented wall whilst glass and broken debris littered the floor. A broken table was on its side against the door and the wall behind her was scratched and bloodstained. “I..” she stepped forward slowly before looking down at her hands. Blood was still running down her limbs, but her wounds had healed, “I don’t understand!” She gave a frightened noise, collapsing onto her knees as her terrified eyes stared at Logan’s form.
Jean lowered in front of her, placing a careful hand to her clothed shoulder, “Rogue, do you know what your powers do?”
Tears were beginning to leak out of the corners of Rogue’s eyes and she managed to shake her head weakly in response.
Concerned, Jean looked round to Storm before back to Rogue. There was a moment’s pause before she spoke, “The Professor is on his way. Come on, let me clean you up.” She held a trembling Rogue to her feet, the broken glass being telekinetically gathered as they walked by. Rogue seated herself in a chair, still crying as Jean carefully wiped the blood from her hands with a damp cloth.
A frown came upon Jean’s face as she regarded the smooth palms that were revealed. There were no cuts or injuries that caused the heavy bleeding. She was quickly putting two and two together, “Rogue, you’ve healed,” she said softly, then looking over to Wolverine, “Because you touched Logan?”
Rogue quickly snapped her eyes upon Logan, her breaths shaking with her tears, “I didn’t mean to,” she said fretfully, “I’ve stolen his powers ain’t I? I’ve taken them from him!”
The doors of the infirmary parted, and Charles entered with a concerned expression. His eyes roamed over the destruction before upon Rogue. “No, you haven’t,” he said softly, coming towards the girl with a reassuring smile. “Logan will be fine. You merely borrowed his powers and characteristics for a short while.”
Rogue turned to the Professor, sniffing quietly as she tried to fight back any more tears. “It was an accident,” she repeated quietly.
“I’m sure if you were in a stronger state of mind and he more prepared, the effects would not have been quite so alarming.” He paused for a moment, “Are feeling alright, my dear?”
Rogue nodded her head gently, “Yeah, jus’ a lil’ shook up.”
“Indeed. There are easier personalities to take on board than Wolverine’s that’s for sure,” he offered the girl a reassuring smile.
Jean nodded her head gently to the pair before she walked through the infirmary, straightening the fallen items and gathering the broken ones.
Watching Jean go, Rogue turned to face the Professor, her eyes rising up watch Logan. “Will he wake up soon?”
“Sooner than most would, I assume. You haven’t taken his powers away, Rogue. His body will be healing.”
“I was scared that I had stolen them,” she whispered quietly.
“It seems to be that you take them for a short period of time, it Wolverine’s case, it was his ability to heal, which of course, has put you back to full health since your fall.” He looked round at Jean for a moment before back to Rogue, “You’re welcome to get some sleep Rogue, I’m sure it has been a rather stressful evening.” He saw Rogue quickly look to Logan, “Jean will stay and keep watch,” he answered her silent question. He settled his hand on the control stick of his wheelchair, and reversed himself a little, “Come, my dear. I’ll take you to your room.”
Obediently, Rogue pushed herself out of her seat, following Charles’ exiting wheelchair. She glanced gently at Logan’s cataleptic form before hurrying out after the Professor. After a brief word with Jean, Storm took up the rear, and the doors closed.
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With a quiet groan, Logan opened his eyes to find himself staring up at the dimmed lights of the infirmary ceiling. He slowly craned his head to one side, noticing Jean sat curled up in a chair with a book in her lap. However, she had quickly closed it once she noticed that he was awake, and set it down on the bedside table. With a smile she leant forward, “Hey.”
Logan blinked a little, as though testing his vision before he spoke, “Hey.” Then, he suddenly remembered everything that had happened. “Where’s Rogue? Is she alright?”
Jean quickly nodded her head, pressing Logan back as he tried to sit up, “She’s fine. She upstairs, asleep.”
With a sigh, Logan dropped his head back down onto the pillow, “What the hell happened?”
“Rogue’s mutation is very unique. When she touched you, she somehow took your energy and your powers. Your ability to heal was temporarily transferred to her when you fell unconscious.”
“What did it do?”
“Well, it healed her injuries from her fall.. but also..” Jean paused a little with a sigh, “It also triggered something else. She took on some of your more.. violent personality traits.”
Logan quickly looked at Jean with a frown, “What do you mean?”
Slowly, Jean glanced around the infirmary, whilst she had tidied up most of the infirmary, there broken bed was still lying on the floor lopsidedly, and the walls remained scratched and slightly bloodstained. Logan sat up slowly, his eyes following the evidence of destruction, “How is she?”
“She’s fine now, if a little shaken.”
“I need to go and see her,” announced Logan, proceeding to throw back the bed covers.
But Jean gently placed her hand on his arm, his touch causing him to fall still. “I told you, she’s asleep. I think you’ll be better off seeing her in the morning.”
A quiet sigh was released as Logan sat back, “Alright,” he murmured softly. “What you doin’ here anyway?”
“Charles wanted me to keep an eye on you, and explain everything. I can go now if you don’t want me here.”
Logan considered this for a moment, “What time is it?”
“11.23.”
“No, it’s alright. You can go to bed.”
Jean regarded him with gentle eyes, “You sure?”
“’Course. I’m fine now.”
“Alright then,” she said softly as she stood to her feet. “The worst of the damage has been cleared up, but just watch where you’re walking if you do get up.”
“Ok,” said Logan simply as she settled back down under the covers.
With a small smile Jean made her way to the infirmary doors, dimming the lights to blackness as she exited. “Goodnight, Logan.”
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