Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
A mere forty-eight hours had elapsed since they found Rogue in her tub and there was still no change in her she was still unconscious in the med-lab. Those in charge of the Institue and its students had barely slept a wink in the last two days,
"We need to bring the Professor back now Hank"
"He's not ready to come back Ororo, Dr McTaggart..."
"To hell with Moira, Emma's out there with him she's reported that he's more than willing to home and is highly concerned about Rogue"
Logan did not get involved with the arguements between Hank and Ororo instead he wandered down to the med-lab every-now and then to check on Rogue - his Marie. Bobby had decided to deal with what was going on by getting back to reality by spending time with the ohter Xmen and some of the newer mature students. Logan for the first time ion years was feeling pitifully sorry for himself, wanting nothing more than to lock himself away or pack up everything and leave it all behind in the light of what had happened to Jean and now with Marie, the only solace he took was that Marie was still alive, he still had a chance to save her
"Its two years since Jean die Logan, move on, she never loved you anyway, she loved Scott and you need to realise that you pathetic excuse for a man" he'd tell himself, and little by little it began to sink in
***
"So it's settled then" Storm spoke as she headed briskly towards the lift Hank and Logan trailing in her shadow, seventy-two hours had now passed and the bickering adults had finally reached a conclusion.
"I'll fly out tonight" She spoke authoratively
"Ororo I still don't think this is a good idea"
"To hell with you Hank" Logan snapped as they stepped into the lift "We're doing this for Rogue. God the kid tried to kill herself, thats evident ,no argument 'bout it"
Hank knew that Logan was right, and where Rogue was concerned Hank knew there was no point in arguing.
"Besides Hank" Storm spoke breaking the silence "The Drake boy said that Rogue was hearing voices"
"That's something the Professor needs to look at fuzz-ball, don't you think?" Logan arched an eye-brow and glared at him. The lift came to a halt and the three stepped out Hank made straight for the med-lad whilst Logan followed Storm to the Jet.
"You really think the Professor can help her Storm?" Logan stopped short and watched as Storm did the same before turning to look at him
"I think that there's more to whats happening than we know"
"But why the Professor, can't we just get her to talk to us" he paused "I can get her to talk, she trusts me" he announced proudly, smiling his cocky smile
"I don't deny that she does Logan but" she stepped closer to him and looked into his deep feral eyes "In all honesty what Bobby said about Rogue hearing voices concerns me and I don't half worry that it may be related to the cure"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that maybe the cure has unforseen side-effects, maybe its not working, maybe its back-fired and with the nature of rogue's ability it could be dangerous for all of us, I mean look at her now" she sighed and moved off, "keep an eye on the Institue and the students while I'm gone"
"What about Rogue" he shouted
"That was a given Logan" she stepped up onto the Jet and Logan watched as it ascended through the roof, a basketball dropping down into the room as the Blackbird vanished he sighed, walked over and picked it up, bouncing it once or twice he thought about what was going to happen when the Professor got back, was it even going to look like Charles and what was he going to say about Marie
"Voices? What the hell? "
He left the room, basketball tucked under his arm he made his way back up into the school
***
"And no one knows whats wrong with her Charles, its not like her at all"
"No you're right Ororo it doesn't sound like her in the least. If I had been there I would have told her not to bother with the cure, I doubted its ability to work from the get go"
"It wouldn't have worked Charles. Rogue was bent on getting it"
"I can only imagine" Charles turned to Emma Frost who was sitting attentively at his bed side, she was a psychic with power rival to Jean's but she possessed more control over her ability and Charles had taken and instant liking to the girl he now deemed his protogé
"Emma go find Moira" Emma left without saying a word and the two watched her go
"Charles?"
"Yes,about Rogue, I know, but there isn't much I can do or say from here. What's her current condition?"
"She's been unconscious since it happened. Hank says shes in a coma, but he can't explain why."
"Do you know how long she was under..."
"No, Bobby Drake found her like that, for all we know she could have been like that for hours"
Xavier sat back in his bed, closed his eyes and thought about what lay ahead for him, his x-men and his precious Rogue.
***
"Oh God my head." Rogue grunted and huffed as she pulled herself upright, every part of her hurt. She blinked her eyes open slowly but couldn't focus on anything. She felt nauseas, dizzy, drained. Squinting she forced her eyes to focus on her surroundings "What the..." as everything came into focus she realized where she was "The Med-lab?" pausing "Oh God" she grabbed the sides of her head "No, no, no. STOP!"
"Stop What?"
"Talking"
"But we aren't..."
"STOP!" she let go of the sides of her head and pulled herself into a fully upright position, crossing her legs and pulling the wires and needles out of her arms and of her chest she spoke to herself
"Someone needs to explain this to me, one minute I'm running a bath, and now I'm here?"
"What do you want explained kid?"
"How the hell did I get here?"
"Well you kept complaining about us, how you wanted it to stop, for it all to end"
"So what?"
"C'mon kid, you can't put two and two together"
"Logan's right Rouge. Think about it?"
Rogue paused as the voices and twisted personalities in her head giggled "OH GOD! I didn't!!!"
"No you didn't, we did it for you?"
"Why?That's not what I meant"
"And"
"Crap. Now everyone's going to think I'm a suicidal, depressed wreck"
"Well you are"
"Shut-up Jon"
"Pyro's right. You had so much potential and you wasted it all with Xavier and his X-men"
"Shut it Eric, you tried to kill me before, this was probably you're idea, physco!"
The voices fell silent as Rogue swung her legs of the table. The doors to the lab opened and Rogue struggled to raise her head
"Rouge?"
She lifted her head at an angle and stared blearily at the fuzzy blue figure standing in the door way
"Hank are you a sight for sore eyes!"
Hank chuckled that hearty, Santa like chuckle of his "Well the sleeping beauty wakes" he remarked striding over to her "and how are you feeling?"
Rogue followed all his little movements with an alarming intensity "rough" she snapped before meeting his gaze, shaking her head "I'm not myself Hank, I know there's something really wrong with me"
Hank reached out to take her hand, a way of comforting her but Rouge recoiled
"It's not you" she settled "it's me, I just don't need anyone else inside my head"
Hank took a seat beside her on the bed and looked and her lovingly
"It's just" she sighed "I've been hearing things for ages now, ever since I took the cure things have been...different. When it first happened I shrugged it off, then they came in my sleep, everything felt real, at night I relived everything that's happened, the pain of anyone I've ever come into contact with then I'd wake up and I could still hear them, it was like all the personalities of everyone I've ever touched were escaping" she looked at Hank whose expression conveyed his confused concern "I know none of this makes sense" she hopped of the bed , there was a breif awkward silence
"Storm's bringing the Professor back with her"
"I know" she looked at McCoy, his face riddled with confusion
"You're in here to McCoy" Hank noticed how like Logan she sounded "God, everything Hank, I'm losing myself to them, before you know I'll be talking like Magneto" she laughed nervously
"It's all going to work out Rogue, I promise"
"Have you seen Logan?
Hank got off the bed "Earlier yes but I haven't since." Hank looked at her and smiled "odd considering he's been in here every chance he's got"
"Really?"
"Yeah he's been worried sick about you, hangs around here so much I'm surprised that he hasn't moved in" Hank joked. Rogue felt a warm tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach like she had the first time she saw him, smiling to herself she could hardly believe that part of her still felt that way about him.
***
Logan strode into the kitchen, chucked the bike keys across the counter and went straight to the fridge grabbing a soda, as he took the top off he seriously considered buying a six-pack of beer, and keeping it stashed in his room. He lent back against the fridge and drunk down the cold soda, making do with what he had. Bobby walked out of the lift a smile stretching from ear to ear Rogue was awake, and she seemed to be back to her old self again, she was even happy to see him
"The second she's all better I'm taking her away somewhere, we can back to what we were" he thought to himself, how nice it would be just him, Rogue and the open road he spun into the kitchen and straight into Logan
"Watch where you're goin' kid...Oh it's you"
Logan didn't like Bobby, he thought he was a bit of a wet blanket, completely without back-bone, maybe it was more to do with the fact that he was dating Rogue, his Marie, that bothered him. He was like an animal protecting his territory, he didn't want anyone else touching her, didn't want her getting hurt, and he knew what teenage boys were like, he saw the way the ice-cube looked at Kitty and something about him simply spelled trouble, for Rogue anyway.
"What's gone and got you in such a good mood" he grunted shifting away from the fridge
"Rogue"
"WHAT!" he pinned Bobby against the fridge by his shoulder
Bobby looked in shock "Rouge" he paused "Sh-sh-she's awake"
"What?" Logan let go of Bobby, arched his eye-brow
Bobby gulped "Yeah Hank says she woke up this afternoon..."
Before Bobby could finish what he was saying Logan had sped from the room and was heading straight for the lift "Why did no one tell me" he lunged out of the lift towards the med-lad "I didn't ask them to damn it!"
***The med-lab the doors swung open and time slowed down as he saw her sitting there laughing like her old self again, her southern twang and sweet cinnamon scent drifting through the air, making him smile. Neither Rogue or Hank and noticed his hasty entrance so he remained in the door way simply looking at her, he hadn't noticed it before but she was growing up and growing into a radiant young woman he smiled at the thought, remembering how fragile and naive she was when they first met.
"Logan!" Rogue lept from the table and threw herself into his arms "God, I thought I'd never see you again"
Logan wrapped his arms around her and embraced her, never wanting to let go as he kissed the top of her head he spoke low and soft into her ear "I thought I'd lost you for real this time Marie"
Logan pulled back, loosening his grip on her slightly whilst Rogue arched her back to stare up at him with those big soulful, chocolate, doe eyes of hers
"I'd never give up on you that easy Logan" she said resting her head on his chest
Something in Logan stirred, something he'd never felt before he didn't want to let her go, ever, he noted how good she smelt and how right it felt holding her and how comfortable the embrace, this moment seemed how entirely perfect.
***
"We'll be back at the Mansion soon Professor" Storm announced with a smile on her face.
The Professor sat behind her with Emma Frost across from him. Storm didn't know how she felt about Emma, and she had convinced herself that her sentiments would be shared by the others at the school. Jean's tragic second death, "as if one wasn't enough" she often thought, and the Professor had just come out of hiding and suddenly he has a new protegé, with similar abilities and attitude to Jean, the only real difference being where Jean was a fiery red head with a personality to match Emma was a icy cool blond and frosty like her name suggests. Neither was she sure about how this new recruit was going to work into the X-men. Storm along with Hank and a reclusive, reluctant Logan had run the school for the last two years, training each student to fight so they would never have to but if the time came they would be ready, something about the Professor's return spelt change and with this Emma Frost, and in light of what had happened or was happening to Rogue, Storm knew that things were going to be drastically different.
"Charles" Emma spoke softly, still rather shy of the new life she'd taken on when she became part of Xaveir's
"Yes Emma"
"Why are you taking me to this tinstitue of yours?"
"Emma" The Professor spoke in his fatherly voice "Jean was a lot like you, incredible ability, potential, but angry, she possessed the ability to destroy the world or save it In the end none of us could reach her. You on the other hand have that same great ability and potential and I don't wish for history to repeat itself, my X-men are lost without their physic and I would be lost without someone to take over when I'm gone"
Storm cocked her head over her shoulder scowling at Emma "I'm taking over, you told me that, I've been running he school for two years Charles!"
Xavier threw her a look and she knew he was inside her head, she turned back to the wheel and focused on what she was doing
"We'll be there within the hour Professor
***
Night drew in fast, Rogue hadn't noticed the time fly by. She had spent most of her time sitting in the rec. room alone, all the other students had classes and training, Bobby, Poitr, Kitty, Jubilee, the new girl Lorna and some of other older students had gone out. Hank had advised her take it easy, not to be worrying about classes or training, just to relax. So she lumbered up to the rec. room and set up camp there with a book.
"Hey kid" the low, smooth, gruff accent, that still made her weak at the knees, drifted from the door. She cocked her head over her shoulder and smiled at Logan standing there in nothing but his scruff white wife beater and his tight denims on.
"Hey Logan" she placed her book on the coffee table and pulled her jacket about her shoulders
"It's late" he muttered and he waltzed into the room "shouldn't you be in bed" he whispered into her ear "in mine" he thought pressing his hands down into the arm of the sofa either side of her. Rogue closed her eyes and smiled feeling his warm breath against her cool neck, she lent her head back looking up at him
"I'm twenty, nearly twenty-one Logan, I can decide for myself where I should and shouldn't be" she looked at him a coy smile and a gleam in her chocolate eyes. He simply smiled and walked over sitting down at the end of the sofa, Rogue swung tuckend her legs behind her, leaning on the back of the sofa she was within inches of Logan in all his under dressed glory.
"Missed you in training today kid" he smiled reclining with his arm over the back of the sofa
"Really?" Rogue smiled and inched closer. Logan reached out and ran his fingers through her silky white streaks
"Yeah kid, cure or no cure you're the only one that can give me a real run for my money"
Rogue smiled as Logan dropped his hand from her face to her shoulder running it gently down her arm and coming to rest on her hip Rogue inched closer rolling her hip under his hand she moved her legs over his, if she moved again she'd be straddling across him. Logan brought his free hand up, running it gently along her chin feeling her creamy smooth skin against his rough hands, the anticipation was killing her, this was the moment she'd dreamnt of time after time since they met in Laughlin she closed her eyes and moved her head in against his.
Logans hand moved from her hip to the small of her back pulling her onto his lap, she straddled across him and Logan placed his other and around the back of her neck he could almost taste her, their lips almost touching, Rogues heart-beat began to soar as she ran her hand onto his shoulder and the other roamed across his chest, she looked into his and found herself lost as Logan pulled her in for a kiss. There lips met and Rogue's world exploded, she ground into him as she sucked at his lower lip, Logan's hands found the subtle curve of her hips and slipped his hand under her top rubbing his thumbs over her cool skin as he pulled her in closer Rogue placed her hands on either side of his face running one through his hair as their impromtu kiss grew ever more intense she felt Logan shift under her and turn as he started to lay her back on the sofa
"Rogue, Rogue?" Bobby's voice echoed down the corridor,she snapped out of the moment immediately and rolled of the sofa out from under Logan putting distance between her and Logan, who dropped forward on the couch before realizing she was gone. Rogue through a look at him somewhere between dissapointment and anxiety
"Rogue?" Bobby spun into the rec. room "There you are" he ran over and hugged her, she saw Logan's face over Bobby's shoulder as he straightened himself up and getting off the sofa left the room.
"You're back already? You weren't out for long?" she broke from his embrace in an attempt to go after Logan but Bobby simply held her hands making it impossible for her to leave
"I couldn't enjoy myself without you there"
She laughed nervously "Aw that's sweet" kissing him on the cheek she continued "I was actually just going to go up to bed" she started for the door in a faint hope of catching Logan
"Well I'll come with you"
Rogue stopped and looked at him lovingly, as she did she realized, she'd grown out of him, maybe it was having come so close to death or kissing Logan that made her realize it but she'd been through more than him and had matured because of it.
"Bobby look it's sweet and all how much you want to spend time with me but" she paused " I just want to be on my own for a bit ok?" she kissed him on the cheek and left the room, leaving Bobby to sit alone and wonder.
***
"God!" Logan stormed into his room slamming the door behind him "If it weren't for that bloody ice-cube boyfriend of hers!!" he sat at the end of his bed
"What were you hoping would happen, you kiss her then what?"
Logan looked about the room. "I mean you're old enough to be the kids father"
"She's twenty" he paused "Jesus, almost twenty-one even and..." he sighed
"And you're, oh that right you can't remember, hell you could be older than the Professor for all you know!!"
Logan fell back into his bed and began to drift of to sleep, and tonight instead of nightmares he dreamnt of Marie.
Down the hall, Rogue was finding it harder to get to sleep. Tonight the voices were silent, all of them, except Logan's, all she could think about was that perfect kiss. "Bobby has the worst timing" she thought to her self as she clambered awkwardly into bed "I'm right down the hall Marie, why don't we see if that kiss couldn't lead to something more" she smiled at the thought, it wasn't like it was the first time she'd fantasized about her and Logan in that kind of situation. The reason she didn't leave her room and run into Logan's was the simple fact that she did she should but he was a teacher, and her closest friend, did she really want to endanger that for lust? and something told her that maybe he was acting on impulse instead of affection, she knew that better than anyone, regardless of his motivations she couldn't stop smiling, from the moment they met he'd taking a shine to her, she belonged to him, and although she wanted to be more than his charge, more the "the kid" she took great comfort in the knowledge that she would always belong to him in some way. So she snuggled down into bed and let the Logan in her head fill in the gaps of what could have happened in the rec. room.
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