~oOo~
Logan stood at the window and stared into the eyes of the girl, no…the woman, whom he hadn't seen or spoken with in five years. If he ran into her on the street, aside from the white streaks in her hair, he had serious doubts he would have been able to recognize her. It wasn't just that she'd filled out…and pretty goddamn nicely, he thought…it was her confidence; the ease at which she carried herself among her students. She was fucking beautiful.
He heard Xavier talking and had to turn away from the glass in order to concentrate. With a wave of his hand, Logan interrupted the Professor mid-sentence.
"So, wait. You're tellin' me that Marie can fly, is practically invulnerable and, to top this shit off, can control her skin?"
"Yes, Logan, that's exactly right."
"Since when?"
The telepath moved his wheelchair to join Logan at the window. The Professor paused and Logan could tell he was choosing his words carefully.
"It's been about a year now. We'd received a call to assist in the infiltration and rescue of mutants from a Friends of Humanity compound. One of the other mutants assisting us was Carol Danvers, otherwise known as Miss Marvel. The mission went well but upon their exit, the team was met with resistance from the Brotherhood."
The thought of Marie having to confront Magneto or Mystique again after what they'd put her through, turned Logan's stomach.
"Apparently, one of the mutants we'd rescued was wanted by Magneto and he intended to retrieve her at any cost. During the battle, one of his telepaths attacked Rogue and, controlling her mind, forced her to turn on Miss Marvel. From what Rogue recalled, visions overtook her and she was deceived into believing Carol Danvers was an enemy."
Logan could hear Charles' heartbeat quicken and smell the man's anger as he recounted what happened that day.
"Carol flew as high as she could, trying to get herself free of Rogue's grasp. But, ultimately, Rogue's mutation won out and she absorbed all of Carol Danvers."
Logan didn't want to say the words. "Marie….."
"Killed her. Yes."
Logan's next word spilled from his lips like a growl. "Goddammit." He stepped away from the window, his thoughts racing. The wolverine began to snarl in the recesses of his mind; snapping and clawing at the thought of what Marie had endured at the hands of Magneto once again.
"She's struggling, Logan. Prior to the attack, she'd been doing so well with her powers. We'd found a way to help her control them; access them when she needed to and then file them away, so to speak, until necessary."
Charles turned the chair and moved back to his desk, folding his hands on top of the dark wood surface.
"Afterwards, we had to keep her in isolation for a week. Her powers manifested on their own, she was hearing voices; mostly those of Carol Danvers. But Rogue said the others she'd absorbed, even slightly, began speaking as well. I'm attempting to help her in the best way I can but she's a very powerful mutant, Logan. More so than we ever thought possible. Probably even more than Jean."
He paused and Logan sensed the apprehension at what the Professor wanted to say next.
"I'm afraid for her. So very afraid."
~oOo~
Feigning a smile, Rogue put her hands up in mock surrender. "That's it, y'all win! I give up!"
The students cheered as she dropped her water balloons on the ground and stood for a moment, looking at the now empty window. He was back. After five years Logan was here at the mansion. Marie thought she'd prepared herself for the possibility of him returning but the actual moment was more jarring than she'd expected. The plain fact of the matter was that she'd long ago let go of her teenage crush on the dark and brooding Wolverine. When he left so hurriedly, she found herself walking past his door, pining for him; waiting for him to come back. But as that first year passed day by excruciating day, she grew busy with friends, her college courses and, finally, mercifully, she was able to cross his door without that ache of loneliness filling her chest.
To her surprise, the feelings she'd held for Logan had been replaced by a deep resentment. She understood the shock of getting his memories back and the need to escape and deal with them as he needed to. The little girl in her was upset that he reneged on his promise to protect her but the woman in her knew he had to reconcile himself with his past. But that knowledge didn't lessen the fact that he'd abandoned them…her and never once contacted anyone. Contacted her.
The years wore on and she learned to access and control her powers more efficiently. She began going on missions with the X-Men and saw their respect toward her grow as she proved herself not only in battle, but as a responsible adult.
Then came the day everyone referred to as 'the incident'. She didn't want to remember the feeling of Carol Danvers' entire essence flooding into her body, invading her mind; screaming and struggling to be set free.
Before Carol Danvers, Rogue's powers had been safely ensconced in her mind, accessible only when called upon.
Before Carol Danvers, Rogue had finally begun to feel a sense of belonging and normality.
Before Carol Danvers, Rogue had never murdered anyone.
Rogue turned away from the mansion, the laughter of the students fading as she found herself safely among the trees. She allowed her feral senses to overtake her and ran into the shelter of the woods.
~oOo~
Scott stepped forward, watching as Rogue disappeared into the dense treeline.
"What the hell was that all about?"
Ororo shook her head. "I do not know, Scott. Maybe she is experiencing another flashback."
The sound of the Professor's wheelchair rose behind the two teachers.
"Ororo. Scott."
The duo turned to greet their friend and stopped when they saw who was standing by his side. Ororo was the first to speak.
"Logan?" She moved to him and put her arms around his shoulders. "It is good to see you." Her dark eyes moved from Logan to the Professor. "And…are you staying?"
"Yeah, Ro. I'm stayin'."
Scott crossed his arms and moved back to face the students, still chasing each other around the grass.
"Your ride's out back, Scooter."
"Already bought a new one."
"Well, then I guess you got two."
"Keep it."
"Jesus, Scott, stop bein' such a dick and just come out with it."
The team leader turned around, placing his hands at his sides. His brow furrowed with anger and he took a deep breath. Logan could hear Scott's heartbeat race and smell the testosterone in the air. The tone of his voice was low, as if it took complete control not to give in to his rage.
"I don't give a shit about my bike. You could have sold it for scrap for all I care. I'm pissed because you left. You abandoned this team, you turned your back on those kids...some who depended on you, Logan. The Professor's running things so if he wants you here, I'm not going to fight it. But if you do something to hurt anyone in this mansion or jeopardize what we do, I will fucking incinerate you."
Scott Summers held Logan's gaze for only a few seconds before stepping forward and walking past him, avoiding the temptation to hit him on the shoulder as he went.
Xavier spoke first. "I'm sorry, Logan. It wasn't appropriate for Scott to lash out at you like that."
"He's right and you know it, Chuck. If I do something stupid again, I sure as hell hope one-eye blasts me into next week."
Charles nodded, smiling weakly, and turned his wheelchair, his form growing darker as he moved inside the house.
Logan stepped bedside Ororo and they watched as the kids continued assaulting each other with water, laughing and enjoying themselves. He was sure they didn't do this often enough.
"So…where's Marie?"
Ororo didn't take her eyes off the children when she answered. "She prefers to be addressed as Rogue. Mostly likely, she is in the woods. That is where she goes to think."
The woods. "Any particular reason that she wants to run around in the trees? I always took Marie for the indoor type."
Storm's voice was full of sadness. "Since the incident, Rogue has had…difficulties…managing the absorbed mutations. There are only a few that she cannot fully control. Yours are particularly troublesome."
"Troublesome?"
"The Professor does not know why. Maybe it is the fact that she touched you twice and both times were fairly prolonged. It could be that her previous emotional attachment to you has resurfaced and those mutations are serving as a comfort. Whatever the reason, in times of stress, Rogue retreats to the woods."
"Emotional attachment? Christ, Ro. You make it sound like the kid was in love with me or somethin'."
Now it was Ororo's turn to be angry. Her scent spiked quickly and he almost stepped backward when she turned to face him.
"Logan, Rogue was never just a kid. When she took your mutation, she took a part of you. Your memories. Your feelings. It was not some infatuation, she needed you. There was a bond she felt that you completely ignored because of your own obsession with finding your past. After you left, without even saying goodbye, may I remind you, she was devastated."
He could smell the salty tears forming in the weather goddess's eyes.
"But she grew up, Logan. She became a strong woman. Then, after Carol, she was…broken. She spent a week in the med lab with nightmares, her powers coming out at random times, screaming…" Ororo took a breath. "It has been a year of pure hell for her, Logan. And I do not want to see her hurt again."
She looked at him in the face again. "Do you understand what I am saying to you? I do not want to see her hurt."
He could barely muster the will to speak much less come out with some flippant, smart ass comment.
"Yeah, Ro. Yeah, I got it."
"Fine then." Turning her attention to the children, she walked down the small hill. He stood for a moment and ran his hands through his thick hair.
"Goddammit, Marie. I never should have left you."
~oOo~
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