Logan was the first to awaken later that night. It was around ten when he opened his eyes and found Ray sitting in his recliner, watching them closely. Gently, so as not to disturb her, he peeled himself away from Rogue and stood, stretching out his muscles. She whimpered only a little until Logan threw the blanket back over her, gently tucking it in around her.
Through this whole thing, Ray stayed quiet and observed. He had questions about what had just happened, but he felt it best until Logan was ready to answer them. He had gone to the liberty of making a few sandwiches an hour earlier when Logan began to stir. He suspected that the bread was becoming a little stale from sitting out, but Logan didn’t seem to mind as he grabbed two before sitting in the chair across from him.
Ray watched as Logan finished the sandwich in four bites. He popped open a beer for the man and watched as he swallowed at least most of the contents quickly. Ray cleared his throat as Logan started in on his second sandwich, actually taking time to chew this one.
“Sorry about the mess out there. I can replace the tree and help you get the yard cleaned up if you need it. I know a kid who can help plants grow and a woman who’s really great with gardens that might be able to donate some flowers and stuff.” He was trying to lighten the mood, but, judging by the look on Ray’s face, Logan knew the attempt was futile. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know what it is my daughter is involved in and why my wife and I watched as a bunch of bodies were carried away. Who the hell was that and why did he want Marie?” He spoke quietly, but there was no mistaking the anger in his voice.
“Well,” Logan began slowly, not sure where to start. “Where do you want me to begin?’
“The beginning seems like a good place to start, don’t you think?” Logan wasn’t sure what Rogue wanted to hold back, but, after what they had gone through, he knew he owed it to the man before him to explain everything.
“Rogue and I met at a bar….”
“Before you go any further, why don’t you start by explaining why she’s calling herself that now?” Ray inquired, cutting Logan off before he could really get into the story.
“Honestly, you would have to ask her. I think she chose that name because of her skin, and the fact that she couldn’t let anyone get close without hurting them,” Logan replied, shrugging his shoulders. “It was the first name she gave me. She only told me her real name after I picked her up. I’ve noticed a lot of mutants start using a different name after they’ve manifested.”
Ray thought about this for a moment before speaking. “But you were able to get close to her?”
“Yeah, well,” Logan paused, raking his hand through his hair. “Rogue and I are one in the same, pretty much. We were both given bad hands in life and have worked through them.”
“So what happened when you met?”
“Well, she thought she saved my life from a guy with a knife. The only problem was that my knives were bigger and meaner. But you already know what happened after that,” Logan said with another shrug. He looked at Rogue, who was still sound asleep before continuing. “While we were on the road, we were attacked. I tried to fight the guy off, but he hit me with a tree. When I came to, I found out that we were rescued by a group of people who called themselves The X-men.”
Logan spent the next hour or so telling Ray about the event that had transpired over the last few years. The told him of everything he had witnessed, and the things that he had found out about second hand. He explained how she had almost taken the cure, only to show up at the last minute and save everyone.
He then went on to tell him about everything that happened afterward, including the attack on the mansion, and her decision to leave for awhile.
Ray listened to everything without interrupting again. He seemed to be soaking it all in and analyzing every detail. It was one of the first times Logan couldn’t be sure of someone’s real reactions, and, he silently admitted to himself that it was a little disturbing.
“This wasn’t the life I had envisioned for her, you know,” Ray said slowly when Logan was finished. “I had always thought she would do something noble and worthwhile, but I thought it would be safe, too.”
“Nothing noble is safe,” Logan replied softly. “You always make a few enemies, no matter what. But, what Rogue does, well, she’s good at it. She’s smart. She can handle it. After everything that’s happened, I don’t think there is anything left that life can throw at her that she can’t handle.”
“How many people are in her head now?”
“I don’t know, really. A few. She’s strong, though. She can control them.”
“She’s not my little girl anymore,” Ray commented as his shoulders slumped. The man looked exhausted, and Logan didn’t blame him. He had taken in a lot in one day. Logan, himself and Rogue were both used to it. It was easier for them to bounce back from. Ray, though, had led a pretty sheltered life up till now, even if his wife was a mutant. “I don’t even know who she really is.”
“To be honest, I think she stopped being a little girl the moment her mutation flared,” Logan sighed before taking a swig of beer. “But, to be fare, she has tried hard to hold on to a piece of that girl she was. Just being here proves it.”
“How is that?”
“Well, if she really was someone else, she wouldn’t have returned. She would have washed her hands of this entire place and said to hell with it. She wouldn’t have given a damn if you had fought beside her today or not. She might have even joined Magneto. You have to remember, the majority of the personalities in her head were from people who were once on Magneto’s side,” Logan paused, eyeing Ray closely. “Phoenix, Pyro, Danvers, Magneto himself. It would have been really easy to persuade. If it wasn’t for the person you taught her to be, she wouldn’t have survived.”
“She’s amazing,” Ray whispered, looking down at his sleeping daughter.
“You have no idea.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
They stayed for the next few days to make sure everything had calmed down. Though the neighbors were upset, Leah and Ray were able to smooth it all over, claiming that they had been attacked by a group of mutants. The police filed the report, but did little to investigate, claiming that they just didn’t have the man power and resources needed to handle something of this magnitude.
Rogue told her parents everything, supporting Logan’s story. Leah cried over what her daughter had gone through, but reassured her that she was proud.
“Where do you go from here?” Ray asked on their last night as they sat down to dinner.
“Home,” Logan replied quickly. He was tired, Rogue was tired. There was no more threat. It was time to head back to the school. “Our ride will be here in the afternoon.”
“No,” Rogue said softly, shaking her head lightly. “I have something else I need to do first, before I can go home. And I think I need to do this by myself.”
“I’m not leaving you behind, Marie.” She knew he was serious by the way he used her given name. He had gone back to calling her Rogue after they were attacked. Even her parents had picked up on it. “Who knows what else can happen?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to leave here right after you do. I need to do this, Logan. I need some answers.”