Author's Chapter Notes:

This is more RogueLotus than me.

Rogue huffed in frustration as she adjusted her uniform, pulling the zippers harshly. Stupid mission. She and Logan had just shared a beautiful, intimate kiss in the elevator, and then the call came: suit up, pronto. Why then, at that very moment, of all times? Ugh, couldn't the FOH wait 5 more minutes to launch their attack?

She wanted more in that moment, both physically and emotionally, and she was sure he did, too. God, that kiss was so good, it stole her breath away. Logan even admitted he had feelings for her, something he had never done before; and who knows what that would have led to, if they had just been able to stay in that moment a little longer. Her mind spun with the possibilities. For the first time in what seemed like a very long time, she could feel a glimmer of hope sparking in her chest. Maybe they were finally coming to an understanding.

All decked out on the flight line, they waited for the others to arrive. Rogue's heart fluttered as Logan sidled up closer to her; not actually touching her, but close enough that she could feel the heat emanating from his body as he invaded her personal space. He wasn't just beside her, either; he was turned into her, looking down at her with heated stares.

"I like you in the leather," he murmured quietly into her ear, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. "You're filling out that uniform quite nicely."

She blushed a deep shade of pink and smiled. "You're not so bad yourself, mister."

"Hmm," he smiled with hooded eyes. "I look even better out of uniform, darlin'. I bet you do, too."

Rogue bit her lip. "You think so?" She could feel her heart fluttering again. Logan was never like this with her; flirting and making eyes was something reserved for others.

"Mmhmm," he answered. "I think we should--"

"Well, well, isn't this cozy," Jubilee teased as she came into the hanger bay. "Nice to see you two getting intimate."

It took only a moment for Logan's expression to change, almost like he'd been caught doing something wrong. Rogue's hopes were dashed just as quickly.

He greeted Jubilee with a grunt and left her with Rogue as he moved further away. Jubilee watched him go. "What happened to Mr. Grumpypants?"

Rogue stared at Logan, but he refused to meet her eyes. She shook her head in disbelief.

"He kissed me," Rogue stated flatly, her heart seizing up.

"Chica, that's a good thing...right?" Jubilee smiled, but needed confirmation as Rogue's face told a different story.

"I thought it was," Rogue smiled weakly in return. "It was everything I wanted it to be, it left me breathless."

"He told you he loved you?" Jubilee pressed.

Rogue sighed, twisting her lips in thought. "Not outright, but he said I make him lose 'all rational thought'."

Jubilee laughed, earning her a dirty look from Logan who was halfway across the hanger bay. "Wow, Chica, that's admitting a lot for Logan."

"I know," Rogue nodded, watching Logan fiddle with his uniform. "But I don't think.... Damn it, why do I keep doing this?"

"Aw, Chica," Jubilee rubbed her friend's arm. "Cause you love the big lug. You just need to get up your gumption thingie again and face this head-on."

"I know, do this like adults and talk."

"Or," Jubilee offered. "There's always kissing and groping." Jubilee laughed again as Rogue rolled her eyes at her.




Jean checked Logan's vitals one more time and then covered him with a light blanket. It was a surprise seeing him come back to the jet on a stretcher. Logan must have been distracted, Scott told her later; the jet had barely landed before he was blowing out the door, heading straight into the thick of things. Not entirely unusual, him itching to get to the fight, but he was always big on tactical planning with Scott, and made sure he did a rundown with the team one last time before they got off the jet.

It was a hard battle. True to Logan's nature, he fought without regard for the consequences to his body, and he took a hit. Only this hit was harder, more direct than he would normally take. He had been injured countless times before, but he wasn't careless about it, so for him to get taken out like this, he must not have had his mind on the fight. Jean had some idea of why that would be, and she was sure it had to do with Rogue.

Jean wanted to laugh at these two but she knew all to well from her own experience how hard it was to maintain a relationship, especially in a mansion full of people who expected you to act a certain way. (If she had a nickel for every time people thought she and Scott never argued or had perfect communication because she was telepathic.) Add into the whole mess that Rogue was inexperienced and Logan did most of his communicating in grunts, well they had a hard road ahead of them.

Rogue was quite insistent on staying by Logan's side from the moment they got back from the mission even though she was clearly exhausted. Jean shooed her away for a shower and a change of clothes, with a promise to let her know if he came to. A direct blast of energy to the head, even one encased in metal, would knock even the Wolverine for a loop, but he would be just fine.

She sat down, finishing a little paperwork from earlier when she heard Logan groan from across the room. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised that over a half hour had gone by. It seemed the paperwork required for the school mounted with each passing year.

The bed's guardrail clanked and she jumped up, bolting for the bed on the other side of the room. Just as she suspected, Logan had dropped the guardrail and was struggling to get out of bed. "Oh no, you don't!" Jean commanded, focusing her telekinetic powers on him.

He harrumphed at her and struggled even more, grabbing for the nearby IV stand and sending it clattering to the floor. Climbing halfway off the bed, he managed to pull off his monitor patch and gown in his effort to gain traction against her 'grip'. He was being stubborn, and even without her telepathy she could have sensed his semi-conscious state of mind.

Jean reached him, physically pushing on his chest and shoulder with her hands. He grabbed her waist, trying to grapple with her. With her mind she reached out to him, coaxing him to awareness, and finally, after several moments, he began to relax.

"Logan, can you hear me?"

He took in a steadying breath and looked up at her. "Jeannie?" he spoke, his voice gravelly.

She smiled, glad to see him coming to his senses. "Hey. Glad you're finally coming around. How are you feeling?"

"Like a million bucks," he grunted, coughing a little at the end.

"Lay back," she ordered, pushing on his chest.

He resisted her push and attempted to stand up. "I'm fine," he insisted, his voice growing stronger, his eyes clearer with every passing moment.

"You took a major hit, Logan. Even if you think you're fine, you should rest for a little bit."

"It was nothin'," he grumbled, looking a little embarrassed.

"It wasn't nothing. Not if it knocked you out for several hours." She took a light pen from her pocket and began checking his pupils. "Rogue was very worried."

At the mention of Rogue's name, he stilled. "Rogue?"

"She waited by your bedside the whole night."

He sat for a moment, saying nothing. "She was with me all night?"

"Mmhmm," Jean answered, clicking the light pen off and tucking it into her pocket. "She was looking pretty worn out, so I made her go take a break."

Logan didn't answer, but Jean could tell that this new information affected him.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise; she's always looking after you. She's been at your side since day one. You and Rogue are like...two peas in a pod."

Again Logan said nothing, but she noticed him shift uncomfortably and look away. It seemed strange to her that he would suddenly become uncomfortable at the mention of their relationship. It was common knowledge around the mansion that these two were as close to being a couple as two people could be, without actually being a couple. Everyone was just waiting for them to take that final step. What was holding them back?

"I think Rogue has always been a little more than taken with you," Jean said, trying to sound casual. "I used to think it was just a crush, but I can see it's become much more than that. I think everyone is just glad to see you two finally getting together."

At that, Logan's eyes darted to hers. "I think everyone has the wrong idea and they need to mind their own business." He moved to get up.

"Logan, I'm not finished with my exam. It's proper medical procedure." She placed her hands on his chest to stop him.

"I don't need medical attention. I'm all healed up now, good as new."

"Be that as it may," Jean replied, ignoring his statement, "I want you to lay back and let me check your vitals and perform a few scans." She exerted pressure on his chest again, but he refused to lay back.

Logan paused and glanced down, eyeing her hands on his bare chest, and looked up again, a smirk forming on his lips as if an idea had just occurred to him. "You wanna check me out, huh?"

She huffed and removed her hands from his chest. "I want to check your vitals," she corrected him.

"Just my vitals?" he asked with a little twinkle in his eye.

Clearly Logan was already back to his old self, Jean thought wryly. Still, she was not going to be thrown off by his sudden change in tactics. "Logan...please. Just lay back and let me do this."

He cocked his eyebrow at her and said nothing, his smirk growing bigger. Jean crossed her arms and shot him a stern look.

"Alright, Red, whatever you say." He leaned back to lay on the bed, lacing his hands behind his head, his expression one of sexy arrogance. "Go ahead, examine me all you want."

Jean rolled her eyes, biting back a smile. "Just your vitals and a quick
scan. Then I'll release you."
"You'll release me? Does that mean there will be handcuffs involved?" he said with a smirk again. "Sounds kind of kinky."

She ignored him and began taking his blood pressure. After she finished his vitals, she escorted him to the scanner and directed him to the sliding table. "Here," she motioned for him to lie down.

"I remember this machine. My first day at the mansion, when you couldn't wait to get my shirt off." He watched her as she pressed a few buttons on the control panel, ignoring his comment. "Looks like some things never change."

She paused and looked at him, narrowing her eyes.

"Plenty of room on this table for two, darlin'," he said smugly. "Care to join me?"

"I don't think so," she replied.

"Why not?" Logan got up from the table suddenly and stood closely in front of Jean, almost touching her with his body. He twirled a lock of her red hair around his finger. "Afraid you might like it?"

Just then, they heard a gasp at the door. A pair of brown eyes stared at them in horror.

"Rogue--"

"I see you're not off balance around Jean, are you?"

Before he could say anything, Rogue spun on her heel and bolted down the hallway, a flurry of brown and white hair whipping behind her. Logan ran after her, catching up with her halfway to the elevator.

"Wait!" He grabbed her arm.

"Wait??" Rogue snapped, spinning around to face him. "Waiting for you is all I ever seem to do, Logan."
He stood there, at a loss for words.

"Rogue...I..."

"Save it, Logan. Did you know that there are cameras in the medbay? I saw and heard everything on Hank's monitor. I just came down to see it with my own two eyes, and for once, you didn't let me down."

With those words hanging in the air, Rogue yanked herself free and walked away, leaving Logan standing there in the hallway alone.

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