By the end of the week, the group took its first steps onto Xavier's property. Precautions were taken as they were supposed to be refugees and they spent the first night on the edge of the property. The second day, people slowly trickled from the camp to the mansion.
Rogue held back, apprehensive of what would be expected of her. Would they want the girl she'd been when she lived here? Would they expect her to fall right back into it? She didn't think she could. Maybe she didn't want to be that girl anymore.
Logan had been gone since before dawn and she decided it was best to head toward the mansion at noon. At lunch, he might want to eat with her and she didn't want to make him trudge all the way back to the camp. There were several tents set up outside the mansion and she didn't see him there.
Though to be fair she saw the blue scientist and the red-headed scientist in one, so even if Logan had been at one of those tents she wouldn't know it. They were probably checking on those that had medical needs. Rogue had no issues she wanted to discuss with either of them so she steered clear of the tents.
She made her way into the mansion and easily found her old room. It was pretty much as she'd left it. Most of the things held little interest for her, picking through them she took what she wanted along with some clothes. Taking her selections, she wandered up to Logan's old room on the next floor.
His bag was just inside the door and she left hers next to it, placing her other belongings on the bed. There was hot water, so she stripped down to take a shower. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she stopped. Flicking on the light, she squinted and made a face-- she'd forgotten how bright that was-- and took a closer look.
It didn't really matter, crisscrossed by scars or deadly to the touch. She wasn't sure which way she preferred it. No....she would choose the scars, that way she could touch Logan without worry. Perhaps that was sour grapes talking, but she didn't care.
This time there was no reason to hurry with her shower, the water wasn't going to run out. The soap was something left over from before the war, but she didn't mind; she imagined that stuff never really went bad. Didn't matter as she was clean once again. Her hair wasn't what it once had been, however, it was slowly recovering along with the rest of her.
Rogue stood at the foot of the bed for a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had choices to make about clothing. In the end, she went with something she hadn't thought of in a while, a long skirt and peasant blouse; loose, floaty fabrics that didn't irritate her skin.
Speaking of irritating, she'd never noticed all those years ago how noisy the mansion was. People coming and going, conversations down the hall, music in the next room. During the war people were careful with their noise, no banging things around or yelling down the way to others. She hadn't realized how comforting the quiet was.
In camp, you could tell where people were and what was going on. Here it was a confusing jumble. Maybe that was why she hadn't known to run the first time. With all the noise, how would she know if they came for her again?
Walking over to a window, she thought opening it might help. It just made her wish she was back outside. Maybe when the weather turned cold she would feel different, but right now being inside was all too much.
Logan tracked her to a meadow out of sight of the mansion. She was lying on her back in the tall grass gazing up at the sky. For a moment he thought about letting her be, she'd obviously sought out this spot for a bit of solace.
He'd let her have space when they arrived back. There was no need to push her into anything. He'd seen her come in, avoiding the medical tent. She'd found her way around the mansion, her clothes on his bed were evidence enough of that, but she hadn't stayed inside any longer than necessary. Now, he stood only a little way off in the trees keeping an eye on her.
"Don't mind," she said, knowing he'd hear her. She appreciated him not just walking up to her, but she'd found some balance and was ready to be around others. Well, Logan at least.
Laying down beside her, he watched the clouds float by. It'd been a long time since he'd been able to do this, take a break with no worries niggling at the back of his mind. This was nice; his woman, him and nature.
"Gonna rain," he mentioned casually. He'd known it that morning, but even the less enhanced probably smelled it by now.
Reaching over, Marie took his hand and held it. "Good," she said, then added, "Nice here."
"The mansion?" he asked. They'd have to go back eventually, at least for the night, especially with the rain.
She shrugged. "Too much..." He gave her time to collect her thoughts. Finally, she pressed on, "Noise, people."
He fully understood that. There was a time he'd had to learn to blot out those things. "Confinement," he added.
Rogue squeezed his hand lightly, it was in the oddest ways he brought her comfort. She believed it was because he put no great expectations on her, on them. She wondered if that was why they never quite fit this way before. Logan would have had to change himself to fit into her world, her expectations. Now she saw him for who he was and he didn't have to change a bit for her. Then again, it was possible she just wasn't ready back then.
Turning to her side, she leaned over him wanting one of his soft kisses. She liked the connection they provided, the relief that he understood her. She hoped it conveyed her need for him, not only a sexual need but that she had feelings for him even if she couldn't articulate them.
It was slow and languid, neither of them in a hurry. She played with the buttons on his shirt, a nice flannel one that he hadn't dared wear during the war. She liked that they could take their time, there was no need to rush, even with the approaching rain.
Logan's hand slid up underneath her skirt. He followed the intersecting lines and patches, paying particular attention to the unmarred skin between them. This drew a moan from her and she became more insistent with her kissing.
She pulled back, looking down at him. "Please."
Carefully he rolled them so that she was on her back once more. His hand skimmed further up her thigh as she pulled up her shirt to expose her breasts. He slowly licked one nipple until it peaked then did the same to the other. She squirmed under him as his fingers found her moist folds.
She was already undoing his jeans, taking his hardened length in her hand. "Tell me," she whispered.
"Love you," he mumbled around her nipple.
Rogue stopped stroking him. "No." This time he looked up, hazel eyes questioning her.
Taking a second, she thought about what she wanted. She was always observing, but she wanted to hear it from his point of view, to know what he felt.
Slowly, she stroked him, "Hard, smooth."
He let her pull him over on top of her, slicking his cock on her folds. Pushing into her, Logan stopped and swallowed hard. He didn't know how long he would last if he did this but she asked for so little from him. "Wet and so...so damn hot."
She relaxed beneath him, closing her eyes and running a hand through his chest hair. He started a slow rhythm, "Slick, soft..." She clenched around his cock and he groaned. "Can hear how wet you are, your heart pounding."
This was taking a toll on him. He was beginning to shake from the effort to maintain control. He licked at her throat, "Taste your sweat, my soap..." She wrapped her legs around his thighs creating more friction and he grunted.
"Smell?" she prompted, knowing it might send him over the edge. She listened carefully trying to hear and smell those things with him.
The rain began and rapidly picked up speed until it drenched them with its quietness. Logan could feel the drops running off of him onto Marie, but he continued on. "You, rain." He reached out further with his sense to restrain the building tension in his body. "Grass, earth, pines in the distance."
Daring a glance at her, eyes still closed and a smile on her face, she was so beautiful. As if on cue her eyes fluttered open locking with his. He could see the urgency there and he ground into her. She made a whimpering, needy noise in reply and was suddenly convulsing around him, hooking her heels into him harder. Thrusting a final time, he filled her in a short series of spasms.
They laid still entangled in the rain for a while longer. He finally broke away reluctantly, straightening their clothes; he picked the grass from her hair. "Ready to go back?" he asked.
"Together?" she asked taking his hand.
"Always, Darlin'," he answered. That small smile of hers appeared as they began walking toward the mansion becoming completely soaked by the rain. The smile didn't disappear, he took it as a good sign and he was determined to make this work for both of them.
That night was spent in Logan's old room before moving their items to the top floor the next day. At one time Xavier had started the renovation of several rooms there but due to limited access and the war it was never finished. The rooms were probably some of the original Victorian-era servant's quarters, now stripped down to the studs with only the bathroom mostly finished.
The space was quiet and away from the rest of the mansion, just the way Rogue liked it. One back staircase was the only easy access but it was enough. Some old furniture had been stored there, and it was in serviceable enough condition to set up the area to make it liveable.
Neither she nor Logan minded the extra set of stairs to get to and from the rest of the mansion. After their living space was arranged, she decided it would be best to go down and find a 'job'. She surmised it would be much like camp where everyone was expected to pitch in and do what they could.
Immediately, Rogue thought of Sally the blue-eyed lady. She had been one that always found things that Rogue was capable of doing. It was with that thought that she found her in the kitchen area at breakfast.
Sally greeted her with a touch on the arm and a cheery, "Morning."
Rogue had seen Sally do this with others and guessed it was her way of doing things. She tried not to bristle at the touch and even thought it might be time to try out her smile. Sally returned the smile and Rogue figured they were off to a good start.
"Boy, do I have a job for you," Sally said, motioning for Rogue to follow. "We'll leave the cooking to people better at it than I."
This confused Rogue. Sally had taught her a lot about cooking in the camps. Looking back, she saw someone else directing everyone and Rogue wondered if Sally, like Rogue herself, preferred to not be in the middle of so much activity. Their camp 'kitchens' had usually consisted of only a few people.
They made their way to the old gym which was currently housing all the donated items. It was mostly clothing and shoes the orphanage had been given but other items for the newer refugees were starting to arrive.
Rogue's job was to unpack, wash, and sort the items. Sally rounded up a couple more women to help and they set about their task.
She liked this work; the others were friendly and she could listen to their chatter without feeling the need to join in. She suspected she was hearing the most current news of the outside world, with a fair share of mansion gossip sprinkled in. They didn't mind that she remained silent, but they didn't act as if she weren't there either. Even though there seemed to be a mountain of items, she knew it wouldn't last forever yet she wished she could continue to work with these women indefinitely.
It felt odd to want to belong. She thought maybe she wanted to belong to Logan too but dismissed that thought. This group of women fit a different need than he did. With him, there was something below the surface need to socialize, if what she was doing even counted as socializing. She hadn't been able to quantify her need for Logan yet.
Rogue heard his footsteps as he came across the old wood floor. She hadn't thought about how distinctive his walk was before this, though she also knew he could be deathly silent too. Turning as he appeared at the far end of the clothes rack, she smiled. A warm feeling crept through her. Oddly, that only seemed to happen when he sought her out.
The X-Men had been working on something the last few days and he hadn't kept a schedule of any kind. Now he was dressed in tactical gear. What caught her attention was that he didn't return her smile. Instead, his expression was very serious.
"Gonna be gone for a while."
"How long?" she asked. Before the mansion, it wasn't unusual for him to come and go at odd times. Since arriving, most mission times never amounted to much more than a handful of hours.
"A week, maybe two." Logan didn't know why he was worrying. She had something to keep her busy and people that would look out for her, she wasn't helpless. He sighed; he was overprotective and needed to make sure not to smother her.
She nodded. This was nothing new, so why was her stomach flip-flopping. "Others?" Maybe knowing more details would help settle whatever was wrong with her stomach.
"Pyro," he said. The boy had really stepped up and was stealthy enough, never hesitating to engage the enemy when needed. "A couple other teams, need to confirm our intel before we proceed."
Rogue thought she should tell him to be careful, but she knew he wouldn't be. Be safe was a waste of the telling. She went with the idea floating in her mind. "Come back."
That earned her a lopsided grin. "Always, Darlin'. Always."
A quick kiss and he was gone. She was left standing among the clothes wondering why she'd felt the need to cling to him. There had never been a need for any reassurance before. Obviously, she'd become too accustomed to his presence. She guessed that was only to be expected when they shared a space.
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