Jean lay in her bed reading and glanced over to Scott, who seemed to be lost in thought, having stared at the same page of his novel for the last ten minutes. "What is it, Scott?" She placed her book face down onto her lap waiting for a respond.

"Nothing." After a moment he sighed. Maybe Jean could give some input, brooding alone didn't get him far after all. "Well… maybe Logan isn't such a bastard, I thought him to be." He eventually stated and saw Jean turn her full attention on him.

"Whatchaya meaning?"

"I spoke with the professor today." What was the best to start with? "Logan bought everything out of his own pocket, even the gas for the car." He saw Jean's genuine surprise. "He apparently didn't even consider asking for financial support from the funds."

The doctor hadn't seen that one coming. Logan always took Scott's bike without permission and never cared to return it with a full gas tank at least. "Fine, then he tries to buy himself a clean vest. Still, it doesn't change the fact that he took advantage of Rogue and he will hurt her sooner or later."

Fine, these were also his arguments, but since the conversation with his mentor, doubts were nagging on him. The feral mutant had practically sacrificed his own life to save Rogue back at Liberty Island. If he was such an uncaring bastard, why did he even look for her in the first place, when the girl had run away to the train station? "The professor is convinced that Logan's feelings for Rogue are real and not in a sick way." Jean was moving her eyebrows upwards in disbelief. "Yeah, I know… Let's take what the professor and the two of them said for true, and they didn't have sex and Logan kicked her out… how did it come to the baby?" This was the catch in the story that made it hard to believe it was true. Jean nodded. "The professor told me the baby was an accident. Wonder what he meant by that…" That the child wasn't planned from anyone of the two was clear as day, but apparently the tiny girl was the accident of an accident and that didn't make any sense.

A dark chuckle left the redhead's lips. "Did Rogue trip and accidentally fell upon his dick?"

Scott had to laugh on this, but winced when a loud cry started in the neighbored room and he prayed that the baby could be calmed fast.

Jean was somehow glad that the topic of kids hadn't come up yet. Sure she wanted to have the perfect life, being married to the good guy, who could and would provide her with everything she needed to be happy. Children were no doubt a part of that plan, but at the moment she was thankful that the nightly disturbances didn't concern her. Even so the picture of the sleeping Logan holding his daughter lovingly in his arms brought a pang to her heart. 'Why? I'm not in love with Logan. I love Scott. He's the right one for me. He'll be the one to give me that fairy tale life, every girl dreams of. Logan is the bad guy, selfishly taking what he wants. It's just coincidence that he wants to play daddy at the moment…'

"He'll leave sooner or later." She muttered, somehow hoping to lighten the ache to her heart.

"Huh?" Scott asked startled, but soon got what his girlfriend meant. "Wouldn't surprise me."

"It'll break Rogue. She's blind of love for him." Her worry for the girl was real, yet a small dark part of her hoped for that outcome. Was she jealous of the life and family the girl now had? 'Why? Scott is a much better choice than Logan. He's dependable and caring. Logan is not.'

"We can just hope that he'll stick around." It would be the best for Rogue and her baby at the moment, he had to admit this, though he wouldn't miss the other man one second if he vanished again.

"It isn't in his nature." Jean returned her attention to her book, just as a high pitched shriek drowned Becca's cries out. She traded a horrified glance with her boyfriend before both of them jumped to their feet and raced towards Rogue's room.

Storm had already thrown the door wide open to the dark room and the three watched Logan throw concerned gazes between the heavily panting brunette sitting upright in her bed and the crib.

Eventually Logan leaned over the crib and lifted the wailing bundle into his arms, rocking her in vain while his hazel eyes swapped over to his mate. The trembling girl stared into the space before her with clouded and terrified eyes. Thick tears made their way down her pale cheeks and his heart ached in the knowledge that she most likely had one of his nightmares.

Propping the sobbing Becca up on his shoulder, Logan stepped carefully closer to the petrified girl, the light from the hallway illuminating her sweaty features, her salt and pepper hair sticking to her temple. "Kid, you ok?" He reached out to tug a white strain behind her ear, but he immediately stopped his movement when her head shot up and her wide chocolate eyes stared at him with terror.

"Don't!" The sobbing brunette slid away and pressed her back further into her pillow. "Don't touch me! Ah'm just gonna kill ya!"

"Marie?" He furrowed his brows in confusion – apparently this hadn't been one of his flashbacks. Pulling his hand back Logan crouched down beside her bed, his reassuring smile betrayed his worry. "It was just a nightmare."

Her eyes were still clouded by terror and she was still half caught up into her dream, focusing on her child's father. "Ah didn't want to hurt Becca!" Thick tears streamed down her cheeks while her breathing hitched. "Ah couldn't stop draining her. Ah killed our baby, Logan!" More salty rivers streamed down her flushed cheeks. "Ah didn't want to… ya have to believe me, Ah didn't want to…" She pulled her knees towards her body and buried her miserable features in her comforter. "Gawd, Ah still hear her cries…" Her voice broke at those whispered words.

"That's 'cuz Becca's fine and cryin' on the tips of her lungs." Logan was highly concerned, but he tried to hide this circumstance on his features and relaxed his expression into a gentle reassuring half-smile – despite the presence of his fellow X-Men. But Rogue resumed her mantra, still caught into her nightmare. "It was just a bad dream, Kid. Our baby is alive and is screamin' her head off 'cuz she's hungry." His voice was calm and he carefully sunk down on the edge of her bed, the mattress giving away under his weight.

With the hand he didn't rub Becca's back Logan reached over to her nightstand and switched the small lamp on, driving the darkness of the room away. He saw Marie blink a few times, adjusting her eyes to the sudden brightness while his large hand moved towards her sheet-covered leg, rubbing it gently. At first she pulled her leg closer to her body, away from his grasp but she eventually realized that the fabric would protect him from her deadly mutation and allowed his soothing touch.

The minutes ticked slowly away, the newborn's cries were the only noise in the silence of the night as Logan felt his mate calm down slowly. He eventually stopped the caress of her leg and squeezed it lightly, gaining more of her attention. "Marie? Kid?" Her large terrified eyes wandered over to his face and he removed his hand to lift his wailing daughter from his shoulder and hold her closer to her mother. "Look Becca is fine." He carefully stroked the sobbing child's cheek, glad that the teenager was finally gazing down on her, recognition dawning in her chocolate eyes.

"Becca?" Marie whispered in disbelief, slowly leaving the dreadful shadows of her nightmare behind. With a trembling hand she reached for her child, but withdrew it suddenly in obvious fear her terrible dream might come true.

"She's fine. It was just a nightmare, Kid."

New tears welled up in her miserable eyes. "Gawd, Logan. It was so real!"

He placed the baby onto his lap, her head on his thigh and tried anew to reach for his mate's cheek, but she withdrew from his touch immediately. "No! Don't touch me!"

Storm watched the scene as did her fellow X-Men and came to the conclusion that Logan might need a little help, if it was just that the child was out of harms way. So the weather goddess carefully approached the Canadian, making eye contact with him at once and picked the crying bundle up into her arms, rocking the child. A curt nod was the other mutant's respond as his attention returned to the brunette hugging her covers almost violently.

"You can control your gift now, Marie." Logan's voice was firm, but gentleness rang in it.

Despite the brunette's attempts to slide from his grasp, his callused hands got hold of her shirt covered upper-arms and she began her struggle to break free. "No, Ah can't!" She was careful to not touch his bare arms with her uncovered hands when she placed her palms flat against his chest, his wife-beater between them, and tried to push away.

Logan tightened his grip on her, squeezing her with more force while his features became darker the more concerned he got. "Bullshit! Even if, you can't kill me that easily. Back at Liberty Island I held you a half eternity and I'm still here." Their eyes eventually locked and she could see his kindness and his worry in his hazel orbs. As soon as she had stopped her struggle, Logan pulled her into his lap, not without renewed resistance from her side and held her trembling frame in a tight embrace.

After a moment she began to relax in his arms, still cautious to not touch his bare skin, she rested her head on his wife-beater clad chest, her arms squished between their bodies. "Why ain't ya scared of me, Logan?" She whispered as her last tears soaked into his shirt.

"Could give back that question, Kid." The Canadian murmured, his chin resting on the top of her head while he caressed her back with soothing circles.

The minutes went by and Becca's cries became more urgent, the finger Storm had placed into the child's mouth to suck on, didn't help any longer and Logan eventually released his now calm mate from his embrace. His hands were still on her arms, as their gazes met. "Kid. Becca's hungry."

She instantly knew what his words were implying and the fear returned to her chocolate eyes with full force. "No. Ah can't!" She shook her head vehemently. "Try the bottle again."

"You know she doesn't like the formula."

"But what if Ah accidentally turn mah skin back on, Logan? Ah would kill our baby!" New tears welled up in her eyes and her gaze rested fearfully on her crying daughter in Storm's arms.

Logan contemplated a moment, before his features lit up. He jumped to his feet and sprinted over to his room, only to return with the shopping bag from the afternoon before. Retrieving an empty baby bottle from the top drawer of Rogue's dresser, he sat down on his former spot on the bed and rummaged in the bag. After a moment, all attendances watched him curiously, he came up with a box and placed it rather unceremoniously in the brunette's lap. "Here, then use this!"

Marie blinked and eyed the inscription warily. "A breast pump?" Her cheeks blushed and she stared wide eyed at her mate. "Wh- How… how does that work?"

"What you ask me? Read the manual and fill the damn bottle." Logan barked his order as he saw her uncomfortable gaze switch over to her teachers behind him. With a low growl his eyes burned into the other mutants. "The show is over!" He got up and stomped over to Storm, who placed the still wailing newborn into his arms before turning to leave, Scott and Jean on her heels.

"So her real name is Marie." Scott heard a whistle and came face to face with Logan when he spun around.

"Listen, Summers. Neither of you should have learned of Rogue's real name nor will anybody else. You'll forget 'bout it immediately!" His dark gaze swept from one of his teammates to the next. "Understood, bub?"

Nodding Scott backed a little off, but then he frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Cuz it's none of your damn business! If Rogue would want people to know, she'd have already let you in on that secret!" With those words growled out Wolverine closed the door into Scott's face and began to rock his daughter in vain.