Title: Hazy Indigo
Author: AaronR
Email: raaaron@mindspring.comRating: NC-17 for the good stuff
Summary: Rogue finds a solution to her problem, but fails to consider the costs. Angsty fluff.
Pairing: (duh) Rogue/Logan
Disclaimer: I own nothing, so don't sue,... please?
Archive: Please!
Author's Notes: Harsh criticism welcome, I can take it! I can take it! Yeah! Here we go!
Feedback: PLEASE!!"Does it work?" she drawled.
"Oh, yess." the old man across the table slithered through those god awful yellow teeth of his, "very well."
Rouge fidgeted, anxious to be out of the small room that reeked of chemicals, and away from the poisonous little man with the yellow teeth and beady eyes, but her resolve glued her body to the worn and dirty chair. On the shelves that covered three of the room's four walls were hundreds of jars and vials carefully labeled in an archaic, spidery hand. At first she had almost refused to enter the room, but she had driven all the way to New York for this, she wasn't letting her cowardice stop her now. The point of her journey was resting on the table separating her from the old man, known simply as the Alchemist. It looked so small for something so costly, the frosty glass of the bottle gleaming dully under the bear light bulb above. Inside, the liquid was a blue so deep it was almost black. The label contained only two words, scrawled in the same hand as all the others, "Hazy Indigo." Rouge swallowed.
"Of course," the man's slimy voice continued, "I don't have the facilities to properly test a new item like this. There's not a lot of funding for mutant druggists, but so far all my customers have survived, with a few minor ill effects."
Rouge's ears pricked up at this, "Whatda ya mean a few 'minor ill effects'?" she snarled. The man across the table kept his composure, but edged back from the table a little.
"Minor nausea, fainting spells, erratic heart beat." He glared at her angry face, "Well, what did you expect? Hazy Indigo completely suppresses Mutant powers for 15 hours, so completely that even the governments most sensitive machines can't pick up any trace of abnormality. Do you think you can just waltz through that like it was nothing?" Then his voice mellowed, "The effects seem to intensify according to the strength of the Mutant the drug is suppressing. Most of my customers aren't all that powerful, they just want to go to the doctor in peace, or test for a government job, so the drug is completely untested on a higher level."
"But it'll work..." Rouge broke in.
"Oh, it'll work, I just can't guarantee you'll be feeling too great afterwards." The man began to fidget more openly, thanks to her bond with Logan, Rouge cold smell the fear seeping out of him. "Look missy," he continued breathily, " either you pay up and get out or just plain get out. It's not good for business workin' with an X-Man."
Rouge looked up, face diffusing into a mask of sincerity, "What makes you think ah'm an X- Man, sugar?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness. The man glared at her.
"I'm not as dumb as you think," he grumbled, "I watch the news." Rouge glared, then tossed him a rather fat envelope. Leaving him to count the money, she snatched up her coat and the little bottle. As she turned to leave, she heard one last comment, almost to quiet for her to hear, but very pointed.
"I don't know what you're planning to do with the Indigo, girl, but remember, you never saw me. I know who you are and I doubt that the other X-Men will take kindly to a news story about one of their own being a junkie."
Rouge bristled, how dare he threaten her! "I'll remember" was her cold reply as she pulled on her coat and began to climb the stairs leading back out to the street.
"Just making sure" he responded dimly as she slammed the door. Outside the air was very cold. Quickly she made her way down the dark alley to the street where she had parked her Jeep. When she finally reached it, she was surprised to see it still intact. 'So much for New York's reputation' she thought wryly, plopping down in the driver's seat. As she reached into her pocket for the keys, her hand closed around the small vile she had come all the way here to get. A smile spread across her face. Hazy Indigo, if it really worked, it would be worth any side effects. Now that she was away from the disgusting hole that man called a home she felt better. After all, with the help of that blue liquid she was going to make all her dreams come true tomorrow. Her eyes gleamed as she started the engine, she couldn't wait.
Back at the Mansion, Logan was pacing. Damn that girl! Where was she? Disappearing in the middle of the night, not even telling him where she was going. Well, when she got back he was going to read her the riot act, that was for sure. Not even a fucking note! He punched the wall, leaving a sizeable hole. Great, another thing for him to be angry about later. It had been four years since he had first left the Mansion, looking for answers, and one year since he'd returned empty handed. He hadn't expected the kid to grow up so fast. She wasn't a kid any more, Logan smiled, remembering all those slender curves that had assaulted him when he first saw her after being away. In the beginning he had thought those kind of curves didn't belong on his little Marie, but he had quickly gotten over that. A little too quickly, he thought.
Hell, he had always cared for the girl, from the moment he had found her in his trailer, but he hadn't expected to fall in love with her, and that was where he found himself, hopelessly infatuated with that little vixen. Then again, he thought, who in their right mind wouldn't be in love with Marie? She was kind, smart, fun, not to mention beautiful. God was she beautiful. He growled softly, remembering that first night he had held her, not like a sister, but like a lover, her soft hair, her body pressing into his. That had almost driven him crazy, he wasn't very good about keeping his head, pun intended. It had taken every ounce of his self control to keep from ripping her cloths off and kissing that gorgeous body everywhere, powers or no. Since then they had always stayed close to each other, they called it 'watching each other's back.' He smiled guiltily, that wasn't all he watched. He had almost gotten himself killed on numerous occasions because he was having some kind of damn fantasy about peeling off her cat suit uniform with his claws when he should have been paying attention. Logan shook his head, he was damn whipped, she had him wrapped so tightly around her finger he didn't know which way was up any more. He leaned back against their bed. He loved the sound of that, their bed, his and Marie's. It was enough to make him start giggling like a damn teenager. If One-eye ever caught him acting like this Logan would never hear the end of it. His ears pricked up at the sound of a car turning into the lane. Their window looked out over the outdoor garage, affording him a good look at the Jeep coming up the driveway. He listened closely as it entered the garage and the roar of the engine died. Then he faintly heard the click of her heels on the pavement as she made her way toward the mansion. He would know her footsteps blindfolded and upside down, just like he knew every other part of her. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, 3:32. He was going to give that girl a good talking to when she got up here. Rolling over he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He didn't want her to know he had actually stayed up waiting for her. Damn that little vixen.
Rouge tiptoed down the dark hall toward the room she now shared with Logan. Even if he couldn't really touch her, they both needed the company. She smiled remembering how outraged Scott had been when she'd first breached the topic. He had begun railing at their lack of ethics, their depravity, how could she even think of trusting a man like that? Logan had looked even more eager to skewer him than usual, and Rouge had been afraid she might have to physically hold the men apart. It was at that point Jean shot Scott a look that lowered the temperature of the room about fifteen degrees. She then proceeded to remind him that they had shared a room for almost five years before actually getting married. That was the point when Logan began to chuckle, he loved seeing Scott get knocked down like that. She opened and shut their door as quietly as she could, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark.
"So," said a gruff voice from the bed, "do you have a reason for being gone half the night or did you just want to get rid of me?"
Marie sighed, she had wondered how she was going to deal with this, fortunately, she had an excuse pre-prepared.
"Sorry, Logan." She said, smiling at the figure who was now sitting up right, glaring at her. "I had a little case of woman problems."
That shut him up, she knew it would. For a man with so much experience he was very uncomfortable with the idea of periods. He didn't want to know, she didn't tell him. Besides, the drug was for her certain kind of woman problems, sort of. He sighed, then motioned for her to come to him. She gladly conceded, placing her coat with its precious contents on the chair.
"You could have left me a note," he grumbled.
"I'm sorry, didn't think it would take that long," she lied. He would kill her if he knew where she had been. "I had to go to three stores, you know how picky I am. Why? You worried or something."
"Of course I worry Marie, I always worry." Logan began to fidget, damn it, he knew he sounded like a lovesick idiot. He was suppose to be mad at her, he had even rehearsed what he was going to say to her before she came in, but, this was Marie. He could never stay mad at her when she smiled her special smile, the one she saved just for him. God, he was so whipped. The things love did to a man, it was disgusting.
He watched her undress and put on the body stocking she wore to bed. The material was soft and light, but it tasted terrible. Every time she covered that perfect body of hers with that damn stocking, even though she was doing it for him, he winced. He would give almost anything to touch her skin, to make love to her. Damn, he'd been sleeping with the girl for three months and she was still a virgin. There was something very wrong with that. Every bestial part of him was begging for her, he wanted her desperately. She lifted the covers to join him, but when her stocking feet touched his he nearly jumped out of his metal skeleton.
"Damn Marie! Your feet are freezing! Warn me before you do something like that!" He smiled down at her as she pouted.
"But you're so warm, please?"
He made this big show of thinking it over before he agreed, letting her snuggle into his chest. She had a big smile on her face he noticed sleepily, but when he asked her about it she just giggled and said she'd tell him tomorrow. Knowing that was all he was going to get out of her tonight, he began to doze off as the now warm little body snuggled into his. In the pocket of the discarded coat, the vial waited.
Rouge woke up alone, guessing that Logan had already left to run she groggily pulled herself out of bed. She smiled as she looked at the clock, 9:00 am. He had let her sleep in. A warm feeling rushed through her, he was so kind in so many little ways. Like how he would sleep on his side so she could spoon up into him, even though she knew he liked sleeping on his back, or how he was always there to help her up or open a door. Little things, his little unconscious ways of showing her loved her. She grinned and flopped back into bed, breathing in his smell. Then she remembered what day it was. It was their anniversary. it had been exactly five years ago today that she had entered that smoky Canadian bar, a frightened little girl, five years since she had stowed away in his trailer, changing both of their lives forever. She hadn't mentioned it, and she wasn't surprised Logan didn't remember. Dates had never really been his thing. That's why she had planned everything so carefully, she wanted to surprise him. She grinned even wider, her eyes drifting over to her coat pocket and the outline of the vial there, was he ever going to be surprised!
It took her a full minute to regain her composure after that last thought. When she finally stopped laughing, she walked into their bathroom and turned on the shower. She washed herself more carefully than she could ever remember doing before. She scrubbed her skin until it was pink and soft. She used the body lotion he liked, and her special shampoo. She knew how important her smell was to him, and tonight she wanted to smell just right. Lathering up her already smooth legs, she began to shave them, carefully. She felt like a child at Christmas, watching the clock, waiting for morning. She was so giddy she almost cut herself a few times. She was going to be touched tonight. Logan was going to touch her. She began to sing silly love songs, her lighthearted voice drifting out the bathroom window down to the jogging trail where Logan's sensitive ears picked it up.
Why would she be singing? Logan shook his head, he would never understand that girl. Still, she did have a nice voice...just another thing he loved about her. A student jogging the other way paused to look at him quizzically. Shit, he probably had some kind of stupid grin on his face. He snarled at the other jogger, who then decided to make his way down the trail VERY quickly. Glaring at the path, Logan continued, grumbling to himself. Hell, he was going to wind up just as sappy as Scotty-boy if he didn't watch out.
After arriving back where he had started, Logan paused, barely winded. He wasn't used to running for exercise. Normally his night long bar fights would keep him in fine shape, but upstate New York didn't really have a big demand for mutant cage fighters. Even if he could find a place to fight, Marie would never let him. He chuckled, Marie. It always came back to Marie, some how or another. He grabbed a towel from the stack in the gym closet and made his way to the showers. It was nice to have all this free stuff, Logan admitted, even if it did make him feel like a pansy. Still, a nice hot shower anytime he wanted one was something he could get used to. He had just finished drying off when an alarm sounded in his mind. He immediately knew the Professor's signal. Throwing on his clothes, he made his was to the elevator and pressed the button for the basement.
He hoped that what ever this mission was, it would be a little more rough and tumble than his last one. He had hardly gotten to do anything that time. His claws itched under his hands, ready for action. Fighting was just about the only thing he was really good at. With a devilish grin he stepped out of the elevator, he was ready for a good tussle.
Five minutes later he was in the control room, watching the monitor with Storm and Jean. Some idiot mutant had gotten herself in trouble. On the screen was a man in a Klan's men outfit holding a frightened woman by a rope around her neck. Shock waves, apparently emanating from the frightened girl surrounded them and the other Klansmen, protecting them from the less than eager authorities. Scott entered the room, followed by Gambit. Logan glowered. That new guy was getting a bit too friendly with Rogue for his liking. When Logan had first come back, Gambit had just officially joined the X-Men, and it was quite clear that Rogue was the object of his affections. Logan had been more than a little smug when Rogue dropped the Cajun like a bad habit for himself, but that didn't mean he had to like the guy. The two men scowled at each other, apparently the feeling was mutual. He smelled her a moment before she kissed his back, her arms wrapping around him. He looked back and grinned at her, grinning even wider when he realized that Gambit was glaring at them. She gave him a quick squeeze before walking up to look at the monitor with Scott.
"Another one?" she drawled "Don't those boys have anything better to do with their time than lynching young ladies?" Cyclopes frowned, and was about to say something when the Professor's face appeared on the side screen. "Time is of importance, you know the drill. Oh, and Logan, try not to hurt them too badly, we don't want to blemish the X-Men's name." Logan harrumphed, but smiled when he saw Rogue grinning at him. She loved his reputation as a ruthless hard ass, it made her more intimidating, the woman who tamed the Wolverine. They hurried into the Jet as Scott laid out the plan. Rogue and Storm would fly in first, and grab the girl while Wolverine, Gambit, and himself would provide back up for their escape. Jean would stay in the Jet and coordinate.
"And Logan," Scott warned as they took off, "don't get carried away." "Don't get your panties in a wad one-eye" he sneered, "I won't kill 'em all, just the really annoying ones." Scott sighed and shook his head, Rogue giggled, then quickly stopped. Looking over at her in the seat beside him, he kissed her gloved hand. She smiled and then leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"You better not get too carried away, I've got a surprise for you latter." He arched an eyebrow, but she just leaned against his arm and grinned, playing absent mindedly with one bright white lock of hair. Logan started to smile, and his thoughts on this must have been pretty vivid, because Jean paused, then blushed scarlet. This just made Logan grin like a damn fool as they flew on high above the country.
Mississippi was just as flat and green as she remembered it. Though she didn't mention it to the other X-Men, Rogue recognized the landscape. The small green field they landed in was less than a mile from her old house. Walking down the ramp, she stopped just long enough to smell the air, the green scent of fresh grass clippings and the faint smell of burning leaves filled her with nostalgia. These were the smells of a simpler time when she was just Marie, when she could still be touched. Shaking her head she felt Logan's warm hand on her shoulder. She smiled at his worried look and shook her head again. The X-Men quietly made their way toward the now audible shouts in the distance.
Rouge glanced at Storm from her vantagepoint in the nearby tree. The scene before them was unsettling to say the least. Almost a hundred men were pushing around a large tree with a foreboding loop of rope hanging from it. Inside that loop was the neck of a very frightened preteen girl. Even at this height, Rogue could feel the shaking and rumbling as the girl's powers spun out of control in her terror. She felt Jean in her head, relaying what she saw to the other X-Men waiting below. Tensing, she waited for the signal.
It came less than a second later as Storm's rage began to howl. Leaping off the tree, the feeling of guilt over her new powers still assaulting her, Rogue made a mad dash for the girl. She could never fly, or use her strength without that guilt, the knowledge that she had taken another's life. Lightning struck the ground just beneath her. Storm must be pretty upset, she didn't normally aim lightning at the crowd itself. When she reached the tree the girl had already fainted and the rumblings had stopped. Poor thing, Rogue thought, she must be scared out of her mind. Slipping the girl's head out of the noose, Rogue sprang back up into the sky. She could hear Jean relaying the message of her success and ordering the fall back. Storm had subsided and the wind was dying down, affording her a much easier flight back. She almost reached the trees when a shot rang out. Rogue dodged frantically, feeling the rush of the bullet as it barely grazed her side. She heard Logan snarl and then a strangled cry as the gun was cut apart and the man sent flying. She smiled at this as she landed beside the jet, passing the still unconscious girl to a worried Jean. She knew Logan wouldn't kill the bastard, but he would give him the fright of his life. Whoever he was, he would think twice about picking on little girls again.
"Rogue!"
She turned toward the man who was quickly covering the ground between them, worry evident on his face. Seeing her smile Logan's face relaxed, just a little. He worried about her too much. Rogue sighed, then trotted into the jet, Logan following closely behind. Jean was busy, fussing over the girl, Rogue gripped her side. The blood was beginning to trickle down her leg, she'd have to get it bandaged soon. The cut was shallow, but long, and it was still bleeding quite a bit. Logan grabbed some bandages and began to wipe the blood away. Despite his tenderness, she flinched. It was always the little ones that stung the most. Logan frowned and glanced around for Jean who still had her hands full with the little girl. They had to be sure Jean had a good reign on the girl's mind, otherwise her uncontrolled powers might rip the ship apart. Still frowning, Logan bound her waist tightly. Still not satisfied, he cupped her face in his gloved hands. The look of open concern and love made her heart melt.
"Logan," she whispered to him "I'll be fine, it's just a cut."
"Yeah," he replied, as his face broke out into a wicked smile, "but it's marring my view." Then he kissed her lips, so quickly she barely had time to react. Jerking as their connection reopened, she tried to scream as she felt her poison skin start to drain off his energy. The skin in her side began to itch, pulling itself back together. Then, it was over, as quickly as it had begun. The wound was gone and Logan was looking at her with this devilish grin. He was panting and seemed a little paler, but he was glowing with pride.
"Logan!" she slugged his arm, a little harder than she meant to, he didn't seem to feel it. "Why the hell did you do that? I could have really hurt you."
He just kept grinning as he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I couldn't let that damn red-neck ruin my perfect view of your waist, now could I? Besides," he continued, his voice dipping to a low growl, "I want you in perfect shape for our anniversary celebration tonight."
Rogue looked at him in disbelief, did he know about the vial? He chuckled lowly, the sound vibrating against her cheek, "I even bought you a new silk body suit, so I can't have you too delicate for some rough handling." Rogue sighed, he didn't know. Then, another though struck her.
"How did you know about the anniversary?"
Logan smiled sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head. "Storm kind of reminded me. She asked me what I was going to get you, and when it was obvious I had no clue what she was talking about, she filled me in. Don't tell me you forgot."
Rogue grinned, silently reminding herself to thank Ororo later. Turning back to Logan, she smiled up at him. "It was suppose to be a surprise."
"So surprise me." He replied, pulling her down onto his lap, but before she could get comfortable, Cyclopes snapped at them to sit properly. Logan glowered and started to move, evidently intending to go up there and give Scott a piece of his mind when Rogue placed a hand on his thigh, stopping him. She shook her head and motioned for him to sit beside her. When he sat down she immediately snuggled into his arm. As the Jet reached cruising altitude and began to roar towards home, Rouge looked up at the man she was currently using as a pillow.
"Logan," she said quietly. "thank you."
He kissed her head, "Any time."
Scott glared at Wolverine and Rogue out of the corner of his eye, then shook his head in disbelief. Of all the unlikely couples...oh well, at least he wasn't still mooning over Jean. Still, their closeness made him smile. As much as he hated Logan, he liked Rogue. After Logan left, Scott had hoped Rogue would get together with Bobby. The kid was nice and polite, and utterly devoted to her, but Rogue never seemed interested, so Scott had let it be. Bobby eventually left to go to college at Yale, the kid had a lot of potential, but he and Rogue still kept up. This had made Scott happy, she needed friends, trustworthy friends, ones who wouldn't run at the drop of a hat. He hadn't realized how lonely she had been until Logan waltzed back into their lives. He had been glad to get his bike back, even if it was worse for wear, but Logan's presence still infuriated him. The damn man hadn't so much as written the girl and here he was, expecting her to run to his arms like he'd never been gone. The worst part was that she had. The two of them had some kind of bond, obviously a pretty strong one considering how short both their tempers were. He was a violent, obnoxious hothead, and she was a lightning tempered, passionate hothead, if he didn't know how much more Rogue deserved, the situation would have been funny. Gambit was seated next to him, shuffling his cards like he had taken to doing lately. Scott's heart went out to the tall Cajun, he had been the first person Rogue had been interested in for a long time. For a while, it seemed like the two of them would finally be able to overcome the barriers and be happy. Of course, it had taken Logan one day to ruin that.
Gambit had withdrawn like a gentleman, but Scott saw the longing glances he shot at Rogue, even if she was too wrapped up in Logan to notice. He had it bad, and he would be a million times better for Rogue than the animal man, but, Scott sighed, it was her choice. She had looked, and she had chosen Logan. Jean had to forcibly remind him at times that he was not Rogue's father, she was happy and that was all that mattered.
She did seem happy. Scott stole a glance back at the couple lolling on the back seats like there was no one else in the world, Rogue smiling up at Logan who was sleeping off the after effects of their kiss, both looked perfectly content. Since that unspeakable day when she had absorbed Ms. Marvel's powers, killing her in the process, Rogue had been wreck. She would stay up all night, crying and screaming. Even though she insisted she was fine, Jean knew, and he would have known even if his wife hadn't told him, the girl was losing her mind. She had gotten better, slowly become herself again, but she had never been the same. If Logan could make her smile, make her feel whole, then it was worth everything, even Logan's snide comments. As long she was happy, then he would let Logan be, but if he ever broke her heart again, like he did when he left the first time, even though she put on a brave face, if he ever did that Scott would blast him without a second thought.
Still, the look of peaceful happiness on Logan's sleeping face made him happy. Rogue was definitely a positive force in his life. She could calm his temper with just a look, which was good for Scott who had been on the wrong end of those claws too many times for comfort. No, ridiculous as it seemed, the two of them were actually good for each other, and if Rogue had a thing for obnoxious, irresponsible, hulking, violent psychopaths, then that was her choice. Didn't mean he had to like the guy.
Scott sighed as they began their decent, she had tamed the Wolverine, which was probably a good thing for everyone, he just wished Logan had gained a bit of tact along with that happiness, but that would probably be too much to ask.
The girl woke up shortly after they arrived. At first she had been too scared to speak, it had taken ever bit of Jean's power to restrain her from using her mutation. She didn't clam down until Rogue came in to toss the bandages in the biohazard canister, even her dry blood was dangerous, if not very. The girl had just stared at the X-Woman, then she said the first coherent thing she had said since arriving.
"Marie?"
Rogue froze, the bandage still dangling from her hand. Slowly she looked up, the girl was now sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her with an expression of intent hope.
"How do you know.." Rogue began, then recognition lit up her face. "Casey? Casey Woodling?"
In a moment the girl had thrown herself at Rogue, who was almost too shocked to keep the now sobbing girl from accidentally touching her skin. "They said you were dead, that you'd killed yourself in some nut house in Georgia after you went crazy and hurt Cody. I knew you didn't mean to hurt him, Marie. Marie, where am I, who are these people, am I dead too?"
"Aint none of us dead, honey," Rogue laughed, her drawl suddenly becoming thick and natural, "We're safe here, this is where people with special powers like yours and mine can be safe. They found me too, Casey, and you're safe now."
"Powers? You mean like my bein' a mutant. Marie! I'm a freak! Momma let those men take me, they were going to.." She never finished, collapsing into hysterics again. Marie just held her. Jean took the opportunity to ask how Rogue knew their foundling.
"I babysat her and her older sister for years, never though I'd see her again after leaving home."
"What was she doing out there?"
Rouge's face darkened, "Where we landed wasn't a mile away from my home town. The Klan was always strong there, young mutants make good targets I guess, 'specially since no one really wants to stick up for them."
Jean's face was pained. "I'm sorry Rogue."
Rogue smiled, "Don't be, I always meant to get out of there, one way was as good as another."
Both women looked up as Logan stuck his head in, eyes widening in disbelief at the scene. Rogue sighed and looked at the clock, it was getting late. Shrugging at Logan, she gestured for him to join them. He sat by her side, staring at his Marie cradling the girl, his eyes tender. He winked at her and she smiled, tilting the girl's head up to introduce her to Logan. At first, she didn't want to talk, but Logan's gruff frankness paired with Rogue's understanding soon calmed her, and she began to talk. As her story spilled out, how she had accidentally destroyed her parent's barn when she had been running from a school bully, how her family had denounced her, how she had been running away when the Klan caught her. How her own father had been in the crowd, shouting for her blood. Jean kneeled, using her calming thoughts to sooth the girls troubled mind. Rouge leaned back against Logan, Casey leaning into them both. Rogue smiled sadly at Logan, and he held her tighter. The little girl reminded them both of another southern runaway, shaking in the back of an icy trailer five years ago today, some things never changed.
Rogue sighed. It taken almost three hours to calm Casey down and explain things to her, then another hour to convince her to go to sleep and let her and Logan leave. She couldn't help giggling, the little Mississippi rat had latched onto the two of them like long lost parents. The really funny thing was how much Logan seemed to enjoy being a father, despite his complaints. He had helped Rogue get her into bed after she had fallen asleep in her chair, carrying her down the hall to the guestroom. The man had a chronic soft spot for little girls with hard luck cases. He wrapped her arm around her as they made their way back to their room, grinning like a maniac.
"Did that kid remind you of anyone?" he asked casually. Rogue smiled.
"No one I can think of."
"Sure, Mar-Mar."
Rogue blushed, she would kill that kid for calling her by her old pet name. Logan seemed extremely tickled by this, he snickered the entire way back. When they reached their room he still hadn't shut up, so she slugged him. "Cut it out Logan!" she warned, then wrinkled her nose. "And go take a shower, you smell like a bunch of sweaty red necks just dog-piled you."
"A bunch just did." He replied, making his way to the bathroom, grabbing his robe.
"Take a long one!" She yelled after him, then dropped her voice to a sexy drawl "I gotta get ready." He smiled and looked her over.
"You look damn fine to me, sexy."
"Shoo! You know what I mean, no peeking!" He grinned, then shut the bathroom door. She sighed in relief, then began to dig out the vial. She didn't have much time, it would take fifteen minutes for the stuff to start working once she drank it, and she had to be sure it was working by the time Logan got out of the bathroom. Her fingers closed around the little bottle that seemed too cold for having sat in the air of the room. It was almost chilled. It seemed like an eternity since she had left the little basement room, clutching her prize. Now all the insecurity and giddiness rushed back. With shaking hands, she undid the cap, the old man's voice murmuring the instructions in her head as she looked at the blue liquid. 'Drink it all at once, as quickly as you can. It will taste bad, but the taste will fade as soon as you swallow. Keep moving for at least ten minutes after you drink, don't eat anything for at least an hour. After fifteen minutes you should have no evidence that you ever had a mutant ability. You might feel a little queasy, but that will pass. That's it, so pay up.'
Before she had a chance to back down, Rogue tilted the bottle into her mouth, fighting the urge to gag as the vile tasting blue liquid ran down her throat. It took her two swallows to finish the bottle. After she had finished, the taste did go away, just like the man had said. Rogue was relieved, she had done it, there was no turning back now. She paced around the room, rubbing her arms. Her mind was racing as she listened to the sound of the shower. Logan was in there, his naked body waiting for her touch. Her real touch, skin to skin. Confusion and fear were replaced with excitement and joy. She was going to touch him, she had dreamed about this for almost five yeas and tonight she was really going to do it. She smiled, this was worth anything, the money she'd paid and more. This was a chance to be a normal woman. So she continued to pace, and waited.
Twelve minutes passed before she dared to try anything. Hopping up, she attempted to float just above the ground, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't get more than an inch off the floor. After another minuet she couldn't get any lift at all. Grinning, she started to look around for something else to test her powers. Glancing out the window, she noticed a squirrel in the tree just outside their window. Perfect.
Grabbing a cracker from her secret stash, she opened the window and crumbled it onto the sill. The squirrels here were very tame, thanks to a new girl with an uncanny ability to calm animals, and this one jumped right onto the windowsill. As it sniffed at the crumbs, Rogue put out her hand, offering the rest, her naked hand.
The squirrel hesitated, and Rogue held her breath. What if it didn't work? She didn't think she could handle the disappointment. The squirrel was less than an inch from her finger, hesitating almost as if it knew what danger that hand would normally hold. Then, it placed one paw on her finger and reached out to take the cracker. Nothing happened. It snatched the cracker and began to eat, unknowing that a touch from that skin would normally have killed it in less than a second. Rogue sighted so loudly that the little animal started and skittered down the ledge with its hard-earned prize. Rogue began to dance around the room. It worked! It really worked. It took all her control not to bust onto the bathroom and tackle Logan right there in the shower. It was now 9:17, she had until twelve the next day before her abilities returned. Stripping everything off, she carefully arranged her pale body on the bed, eyes glued to the bathroom door, to wait for Logan.
Logan smiled in satisfaction. He had worried they'd never get that kid to sleep. Now he and Marie were alone for the first time all day. Turning off the shower, he could hear his hormones going into overdrive at the thought of all those delicious curves pressing against the silk of the new body suit. After Storm had reminded him of the anniversary, he had been disgusted that his first impulse was to go out and buy her a present. Now he was glad he had. The new body suit was hanging in the closet, so he was sure she had found it by now. He barely suppressed a growl at the thought of Marie slipping on the flesh colored silk, thinking of how it would encase her like a second skin. It wasn't as good as the real thing, but it would be damn close. He was determined that tonight he would make her forget that he couldn't touch her. Tonight she would be truly his in mind and body. The animal in him delighted at the thought of claiming its mate, permanently, but the man in Logan was even happier. She would know she was his, and he wouldn't let her go. Opening the bathroom linen closet, he carefully reached in and pulled out a small box he had hidden there months ago. With a nervousness he had never felt before, he opened the box, revealing a silver ring set with one perfect blue star sapphire. He had actually bought it two years ago, on a whim, because the part of him that was Marie had loved it. That damn girl was always doing things like that to him. It had cost him almost a month's worth of fights and left him practically broke, but tonight he glad he had bought it. He smiled, thinking how her eyes would light up when she saw it.
After checking himself in the mirror, he pulled on the loose gray sweat pants and the robe he normally wore. Carefully, he placed the box in his robe pocket, feeling it tap against his leg, then he opened the door and looked into the dimly lit bed room.
His breath caught in his throat. There, on the bed, lay Marie, naked as the day she was born and smiling maliciously at him. He just looked at her, his jaw on the ground. God, she was beautiful. He had seen her almost naked several times, but never like this. Feeling her was one thing, actually seeing all that skin was another. Her smile widened at his reaction. Marie was a virgin, but she wasn't innocent, not after walking around with him in her head, and she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Slowly, she crooked a finger, inviting him to the bed. He obeyed, too lost in lust to wonder what she was up to. With one slender finger, she reached up to touch his eyebrow, sliding across millimeters from the skin of his face. Logan shuddered at her proximity, the never ending need to touch her deepening. Then, dreamlike, the tip of her index finger brushed his forehead. Logan tensed, waiting for the shock - nothing happened - and he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What was that?" he almost shouted, Marie just grinned wider.
"Your surprise." She purred.
"But..how..when..?" he stuttered. She silenced him with a finger on his lips, shaking her head.
"It's a long story, does it really matter?" suddenly she looked uncertain, "Don't you like it?" she asked.
Logan responded by reaching out a timid hand to touch her face, wonder flooding his eyes as he ran his fingers along her cheek. Marie closed her eyes, almost quivering with joy at the feel of his rough hand on her. She had never imagined his hands were so rough. Taking it in her own, she cradled the abused hand, kissing it tenderly, sighing as he shuddered at the contact. There was nothing particularly erotic in the touch, but when you've never touched the one you love, the feeling was almost too intense to bear. Slowly, she slipped one of his fingers into her mouth, closing her lips and began tenderly exploring it with her tongue. Logan shuddered again, his other hand pressing against the back of her head. Carefully, he reclaimed his hand, using it to cradle her face. She was startled by the raging need in his eyes, the animal hunger. A thrill of power went through her, she did this to him, only her, Marie. She placed her naked hands on his chest, sliding the tips of her fingers down his hard muscle. She marveled at the feel of his skin, soft and hard at the same time, and warm, warmer than anything, a comforting warmth that spread up her fingers and into her body, making her giddy. She was absorbing him again, in a way that had nothing to do with her powers, but with the simple conduction of heat, skin to skin. The sensation was intoxicating. She could feel him leaning into her touch, his face a hair's breath away from her own, his breath on her lips as he muttered her name. Then he kissed her.
It was soft at first, his lips barely there, brushing her own. Then he was in her, pressed against her body, his hands on her face, their tongues intertwining. Now it was her turn to shudder. She clung to him, sighing into his mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck, then pulled at the robe, willing it off. He released her for a moment as he flung it to the floor, then he was on her again, his grip becoming desperate, painful. His fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled at her, like he was trying to climb inside her. She surrendered to him, letting him hold her against his naked chest, too lost in the long awaited sea of touch to protest. His mouth slid down her chin to her neck and his hands followed, gripping her shoulders as he kissed her throat. She abandoned her body to him, gasping as his teeth brushed over a particularly sensitive spot beneath her ear. He growled at the response and did it again, baring down harder, drawing another moan which became a shriek. Her cries excited him, because they were for him. Then his hands were everywhere on her body, making her shiver and groan. He could feel her lips on his ear, mouthing his ear lobe. She knew from his memories that his ears were very sensitive, and she smiled as her actions drew a growl of pure, lusty animal pleasure from his lips against her neck. Dipping his head further, he kissed the little cup where her collarbone dipped, running his tongue along the ridge. One hand reached down and he cupped her breast, holding it against his cheek before engulfing it with his mouth. She arched into his touch, melting into the warm heat of his mouth. It was unlike anything else she had experienced. He had done this to her before, but always through a barrier, the feel of his naked mouth on her skin was too much, she began to lose control. He loved it, she was responding to his every move. He flicked his tongue over her nipple, wrenching another gasp through her clinched teeth. This was better than he had ever imagined. He had had many lovers over the years, one-night stands where he would be gone before they awoke, and that had seemed like enough. Now he knew that it was never enough. Marie was writhing against him, filling him with a carnal ecstasy, and she loved him. He looked up at her eyes, now wide open and staring down at him, and he saw such love and trust that it nearly knocked him over with its force. She trusted him unconditionally, loved him unconditionally. The look made him realize how much he needed her too. He had been alone for so long, but only now did he realize how lost he'd been without her. She was something bright which made his dark days bearable. She could have anything, but she had chosen him, needed him. That realization made him stop, looking up into those eyes again, losing himself in their depths. Nothing could separate them now. His self and her self were so inextricably wrapped together that separation was not possible. They belonged to each other. She licked her lips, and he kissed them, with more tenderness than he had ever shone another living thing.
She wrapped herself in the feel of his touch, his mouth on hers, inside hers. She had given up the hope of ever being touched, resigned herself to being alone, then he had come and touched her without hesitation, without fear. It was bliss and torture, knowing that here was someone who was not only willing to risk getting close to her, but he actually wanted to, and she could not bring herself to let him. She would die if she hurt him again. He was nuzzling her stomach now, nipping at her skin. She gasped as a wave of sensation flooded through her. He could touch her forever and it would never be enough. His large hands spread against her back, gripping her as she began to writhe under his kiss. In a moment she would fly to pieces under him, but he still kept going, nibbling her waist and hips, then moving back to her chest. It was too much, it wasn't enough. As she tipped over the edge she grasped his head, pulling him up to kiss his face and neck, shudders shaking her body until she was nothing, wrapped around him for dear life.
Logan smiled at the far away look in her eyes. He didn't know what he had done to cause that climax, or how she had tamed her powers, he just knew that he loved their touches and he wanted to keep touching her. Gently, he grasped her still shaking shoulder, pulling her arms around him. He held her, enjoying the warmth of her bare skin against his own. The need that was in him grew again as she came back from where ever she had gone, moving sluggishly beneath him.
He was just about to kiss her again when there was a knock at the door. Logan ignored it, but the person knocked again. Marie looked at the door, frustration evident on her face. Logan just glowered before untangling himself from her and stomping toward the door, pulling at his sweat pants. He was going to kill whoever was on the other side of that door. When he opened it and saw Scott, the decision was made.
"This had better be good, Summers." He growled. He might as well let the man explain why he had interrupted them before he skewered him. Scott just glowered back.
"Knock it off Logan, Jean sent me to ask if Rogue was feeling all right, her powers have disappeared from Jean's mind." Logan looked a little alarmed, but what ever he had been going to say was halted by the woman behind him. "I'm fine Scott." Said Rogue, who had put on Logan's robe and come up to the door. "Really, I'm Ok, but thanks for the concern." She smiled at him, which ticked Wolverine off, and he smiled back, which ticked him off even more. Logan growled at him one last time, for good measure, then shut the door. Scott frowned at the wooden surface. She deserved so much better with that kind of tact and control. Still, she might just be their guardian angel, rescuing Logan's life from pain and his from ending on Logan's claws. Scott smiled as he made his way down the hall to the suite he shared with Jean, Rogue might be the one to finally save Logan from himself. As soon as the door was closed, Logan punched the wall, again, leaving a hole, again. Rogue just laughed and leaned into him.
"He meant well, Logan." She said.
"You should have let me chop him into bite size pieces." Logan replied. Rogue looked thoughtful, then sighed.
"No, Jean would never forgive me." She giggled at the incredulous look on his face, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "So, where were we?" The only answer she got was a long kiss. Gathering her up, Logan carried her to the bed, never breaking the kiss. Removing the robe he laid her down, then removed his pants and stretched out next to her. She reached out for him and he took her in his arms, his mind racing as she wrapped a leg around his waist, drawing him closer. He buried his face in her hair, clenching his teeth as she ground her hips into his, feeling her everywhere on his body. Marie shivered as he responded to her body, rubbing into her. With a timid hand, she traced his rib cage, then down his hip, feeling his groan reverberate against her neck as she grasped him. Before she could react, he had flipped on her back and covered her body with his. He looked at her, cupping her face, then he leaned to whisper in her ear.
"I need you, Marie"
Her eyes welled up with tears, he kissed them away. She looked at him, trying to let all the love and trust, peace and happiness she felt flow into him through her eyes. He held her to him.
"Please Marie,"
She nodded, and he slipped his hand down her body, resting between her legs. She could feel him moving, slipping against her wet insides, and all she could think of was having that movement inside her. Then his fingers sped up and she lost control.
God she was beautiful. Her body under him, answering his every action, his fingers played her, giving him more pleasure in watching her go crazy again than he could remember. Before she came, he stopped, no longer able to control himself. Leaping onto her, he tilted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. He wanted this to be perfect, but he wasn't sure if he could keep control. The girl was driving him wild and he hadn't even entered her yet.
"Marie," He said as calmly as he could, "do you want this? Really want this?" Her answer floored him as she grabbed his head and kissed him savagely before whispering to him in a low desperate voice.
"Logan, I want this more than I've wanted anything in my entire life."
His excitement threatened to overwhelm him, she wanted him, just him. He struggled to keep control. "Marie..." he murmured, his voice low and unsteady, "Baby, it'll hurt a little, I don't want you to-" She silenced him with one slender finger against his lips.
"I know you would never hurt me, Logan, I trust you. Please."
That last please was what pushed him over the edge. The woman he loved more than anything, the one person he really cared about, begging him to love her in the most intimate way possible. He positioned himself against her, leaning in to kiss her as her entered.
She refused to wince at the pain of the unfamiliar intrusion. His shudder of ecstasy quickly drowned all her pain as he began to move inside her. She let herself ride with him, floating on the feeling of emotional and physical union. She had him now, every bit. She could feel the nausea in the pit of her stomach left from the Hazy Indigo, but the feelings he was giving her drowned that out along with everything else. She shook beneath him, watching his face relax into utter joy. She had never felt this whole in her entire life. Only one thought floated to the top of that hazy joy, but it was bitter sweet, I never knew I was so empty to be so full.'
He came like he could never remember doing before. It was an eternity of bliss in an instant, and in the center was Marie. His Marie. He collapsed on top of her, then rolled over to save her the burden of his weight, skillfully keeping himself inside her. She snuggled into him, kissing him on the nose. They lay there for the longest time, looking at each other in the room's semi-dark. He stared at her, preparing to work up the courage to speak, to say the words he had been thinking for three months, he opened his mouth and found he hadn't needed to work up his courage after all, because the words were right there.
"I love you, Marie"
She looked at him, a little shocked. He wasn't surprised, he didn't think he had ever said those words to anyone, not since he woke up anyway. So, he kissed her, to show he was sincere. She pulled away and smiled.
"I love you too, Logan." Cradling him in her arms, they lay in silence, there was no more need for words.
He woke up feeling better than he could ever remember feeling. Marie was next to him, one arm draped over his chest, smiling in her sleep. He had lost count of how many times they had attacked each other throughout the night. He was the Wolverine, and his stamina was unending. Marie, however, was exhausted, and he didn't have the heart to wake her. He watched her sleep, her breathing slow. Finally, he managed to drag himself up and into the bathroom. He looked at his face in the mirror beaming back at him, and for once he didn't care if he looked like a love struck fool. Hell, that's what he was, and he wanted the whole world to know that Marie was his and his alone. He knew what he would do when she awoke, he should have done it a long time ago.
Slipping back into his sweat pants, he looked at the sleeping woman. She looked so still and peaceful, wrapped up in his shirt. He watched her chest, waiting for it to move as she breathed.
He waited, nothing happened.
Before he could even realize what that meant he was by her side, feeling her pulse. Nothing. He panicked, pressing the palms of his hands to her face, there was no pull, nothing. Fear filled him, his veins flooding with ice, she had repressed her powers, and he had been too stupid and lustful to demand to know how. What had she done to herself? What had he done to her? His voice was hoarse before he realized he was screaming. He pressed into her chest, then blew air into her lungs, nothing. He did it again, nothing. So he just kept doing it until Scott basted the door open. He felt her stir under him, then heard her gasp for air. Then she stopped and was still again. Scott was demanding to know what was happening. Grabbing Rogue, Logan shouted for him to get Jean. Then he flew down stairs faster than he had ever run in his life.
Rouge was dying. Jean had tried everything she could think of, but the girl's heart kept stalling. She was in the iron lung now, letting the machine take over for her failing lungs, but unless they could steady her heartbeat she was not going to make it. Jean would have worried about how to break the news to Logan, but she could tell he already knew. He looked like he was dying too.
It had been almost an hour since Logan's screaming had woken them, but to Jean it felt like years. Years of failure. Nothing worked on her, what was worse, her powers were going haywire. Her skin would go from harmless to deadly in a few seconds, it could also spike dangerously high, higher than ever before. Logan learned that the hard way, he had gotten zapped over three inches away from her skin. If he had been touching her it would have killed him. The worst part was he didn't look like he would have minded that too much.
For safety reasons she had ordered everyone except herself to leave to leave the lab. She could hear Logan pacing just outside the door. He had refused to leave at first, it had taken both her and the Professor to convince him, and he had only let himself be led out on the condition that he would stay right outside the door. Jean felt close to tears. Logan was a passionate man, she knew how much he loved the girl, she couldn't imagine what she would do if it were Scott on the bed instead of Rogue. The computer beeped at her as it finished the blood analysis. Looking at it her jaw dropped. She tossed it down and ran to the small lab refrigerator, grabbing one of the syringes inside, hoping she was not too late.
Logan pounced on her the moment the lab door opened.
"How is she? Will she be alright?" The worry in her eyes stopped him. He followed her out to the lobby around the corner where the other X-Men were waiting.
"Rogue has an extremely bad case of Tetrathyamine poisoning." Jean told the group, now seated in the lab around Rogue, Logan clutching her gloved hand. "What the hell is that?" Logan growled, the man looked deadly. Sensing Jean's pain, the Professor answered for her.
"Tetrathyamine is a drug designed to inhibit mutant powers. It was initially designed by the government to suppress potentially dangerous mutants, but it was too unstable for safe usage. Officially, all manufacture has stopped, but the drug has apparently found its way into the street market. Small time dealers can make a good living selling the drug to Mutants trying to hide as normal people. Even in small doses, it's harmful over time."
Logan began to twitch. Jean looked worried, and lowered her eyes, then continued where the Professor had left off. "Frankly, I've never seen this much in one person, I'm surprised it hasn't killed her. We have Logan to thank for that." He looked at her, and for the first time that day, Jean smiled. "The residual healing power of the kiss you gave her yesterday saved her life. It's only through your borrowed strength that she has held on this long. I gave her a shot which will hopefully stabilize her system temporarily by neutralizing the drug, but" she continued, "unless we find a sample of the initial dose, I can't tell how much anti-toxin to give her. Too much will kill her and too little won't do any good. We need to Logan!" She shouted, but the grief stricken man was already out the door at a dead run, going upstairs to the room where they had so recently been happy.
He knew why she had done it. She had wanted to touch him, so she had hurt herself, for his sake. His mind was a tangle of grief and anger and guilt and fear. He couldn't live if Marie left, she had bound herself too tightly to his soul. He didn't get attatched easily, but this girl was everything to him. She was what made him human, kept him human. If she died, he would die too.
Reaching their room, he began to pull it apart, his mind racing. She had been fine until he had gone to take a shower. He didn't know how fast acting the stuff was, but she couldn't have taken it before then, there had been no opportunity. First the mission, then sitting with Casey in the med lab, there had been no time for her to take it until after they had gotten back to the room. She had told him to take a long shower, then things had gotten weird.
He upended drawers, ransacked the closet, went through the trash, nothing. He was looking around at the chaos, trying to calm down, when a light caught his eye. Sitting on the windowsill, next to some cracker crumbs she always put out for the birds, was a small bottle with a bluish tinge to it. The sunlight bounced off the glass in a rainbow, reflecting onto the few drops of blue liquid at the bottom. Logan grabbed the bottle and wheeled around back toward the lab, knocking over Scott as he bolted. Not that he would have apologized anyway, Logan paid him no mind. He was down stairs faster than he could remember going before, then he was in the lab, thrusting the bottle at Jean with two words.
"Help her."
Jean grabbed the bottle and disappeared into the lab. Logan tried to follow but the door had locked automatically. He was about to claw his way through when he felt Storm's hand on his shoulder. She shook her head, and Logan nodded reluctantly. Jean was Rogue's only hope, he knew he had to let her work, but knowing that didn't stop the need to be where Rogue was. He settled down right in front of the door, his ears straining for the snips of sound that occasionally floated out. He would know the minute she woke up and then, Jean or no Jean, he would never leave her again.
Jean looked at the few drops of blue liquid, frowning. The sample was so small, she had to be very careful not to waste it. She had already run the indicators through the first half of the sample and the results had frightened her. This was the most potent version of the drug she'd seen yet, Rogue must had paid a fortune for it. Judging from where and how they had found her this morning, she had probably taken the drug to suppress her powers long enough to sleep with Logan. No wonder she had been unable to feel her last night. Jean sighed, worried, they might not even have enough anti-toxin on hand to neutralize this kind of dose. Judging from the size of the bottle, this was a very dangerous situation. She had no idea how the anti-toxin needed to fight a dose of this size would affect a person with Rogue's body weight. Rogue would need all the help her body could get. Jean frowned, she didn't like the way this was going. Wringing her hands, she called for Logan.
After Jean had explained the situation to him, Logan agreed immediately, as she had known he would. The man would do anything for Rogue. Standing over her, Logan slid off her glove. Rogue twitched at the feeling but didn't open her eyes. Jean nodded at him, but he didn't see her, his eyes on Rogue's face. Gently, he took her bare hand in his, pressing them together. For a moment nothing happened, then the familiar connection snapped open. Logan gasped as his life seeped into her, but something was wrong. The pull, usually so hungry and strong, was jerking. He could feel her mind fighting inside him, stumbling and confused. All of the memories came flooding into him and he felt himself falling. The voices in her head were screaming in terror, his own was in there as well, all the people she had touched. As he hit the ground, Jean pulling him away, breaking the connection, he realized that the one voice he hadn't heard was Marie's.
He was dimly aware of Jean calling Scott to help her get him onto a bed, but his mind was elsewhere. How did she live with that racket in her brain? The connection had been stronger than usual, draining him dry, he could almost hear his body groaning under the weight of his metal skeleton. His mind in chaos, he tried to sort through the feelings she had given him in exchange for his strength. The connection had never been like this before. The rage he assigned to his influence, the bitterness to Magneto, the dim fear was probably from that first boy she kissed. There were others, all very slight touches, adding to the confusion, but one stood out above all the others. Her presence had been almost as strong as the pull itself, filling his mind with images of the earth from high up in the sky, of flipping tanks and cars with one hand, the smug satisfaction at seeing the reflection of a slender figure with white blonde hair, and of Rogue, grasping a cheek, her eyes terrified as the life flowed into her.
That, Logan guessed, was the remains of Ms. Marvel, the woman whose powers Rogue had absorbed permanently before he had come back. Straining his ears, before he went under, he could just make out Jean's shaking voice ordering Rogue restrained and readied for the injection. He started to wonder why she had to be restrained, but he couldn't concentrate. Jean's voice was little more than a buzz now, reasuring him, telling him to sleep. Logan faded out, trusting that Jean wouldn't let him down.
With the aid of Logan's healing factor, even confused by the suppressant, Rogue's body began to right itself. The Professor was monitoring both Rogue and Logan's minds from his position across the room, and from his expression Jean guessed he didn't like what he saw. They would deal with those problems when they got there, right now Scott was strapping Rogue to the table to keep her from hurting herself when the anti-toxin kicked in. The cesures were awful with any dose, but looking at the 500 milliliters she was about to inject into Rogue, Jean hoped the straps would be enough.
It took almost a minute to empty the three syringes into Rogue's body, Jean was half way through the third one before Rogue's eyes shot open. She barely managed to finish the injection before Rogue's squirming made it impossible. Rogue was screaming, rolling her eyes in nameless terror. She began to yell insults in Polish the Professor later said he remembered Eric using once when he had almost crushed his leg. Then she switched to French with some German, before settling into good old English obscenities which Jean attributed to Logan, though where the other languages came from she didn't know. Rogue had almost two hundred of accumulated experience in her head, but not necessarily the understanding that came with it. Most of the things she was saying probably made less sense to her than to them. Jean watched Rogue's body convulse wildly on the table, wincing as she heard a bone snap. She was glad Logan was out cold, she didn't think any of them would have lived through this had he been awake to see what Rogue was going through. After about twenty minutes, Rogue began to calm down, this was when Jean really started to worry. The anti-toxin had spread all throughout her system by now, but even with Logan's help there was no telling if her body would be strong enough to survive the cure. All they could do was wait and watch for her to return to them.
Logan woke up the next day and almost went ballistic when he saw that Rogue was still in a coma. He turned on Jean accusingly, but he was interrupted before he could start.
"She did all she could, Logan" The Professor's voice was soft and commanding, "All we can do is try to help her back out of the shell she's built around her mind."
"Dammit! I can't just and wait, Marie's dead on a slab and you want me to sit and twiddle my thumbs? Let me touch her again, I'll touch her a hundred times it I have to, just wake her up!"
"Logan," The Professor said firmly, "Rogue is not dead, her body is fine, thanks to your help, but her mind is lost in the confusion. Nothing you can do will help her, except for talking to her, draw her back." The Professor wheeled himself toward the door, then he turned again, "Jean, let's give them some privacy."
Jean nodded, knowing he had just said it out loud for Logan's benefit, and followed him out. Logan pulled a chair up by Marie's bed and clutched her gloved hand. His memories of that hand against his flesh gave him no comfort, it was because she had done this to be with him that she was flat on her back. He had hurt her again, failed her again. It seemed like he would never be able to love her without hurting her. He lay his head on her stomach, trying to let her steady breaths calm him. Closing his eyes, he waited for her to wake up.
She didn't wake up that day or the next, by the third day Scott had found the man who had sold her the stuff, what he called "Hazy Indigo." Scott had been so mad at the dealer that he had seriously considered letting Wolverine have his way with the guy, but then decided he wouldn't wish that on anyone. The Alchemist was able to tell Jean how he had gotten the formula and who else sold it, but for Rogue he had been useless. Jean was appalled to find that he hadn't even bothered to learn about the anti-toxin before selling the drug. They handed him over to the authorities, but kept Rogue's role a secret. There was plenty of other evidence to convict him in any case. Wolverine told Casey that Rogue was sick, and Jean believed she had accepted it. The girl apparently accepted anything he told her point blank, and during her short time at 'Mutant High,' she had made lots of friends, so she was easily distracted. Logan was another story. Jean tried everything to get him out of the Med Bay and get some sleep, but he wouldn't move. He didn't eat unless they brought him food and he never seemed to sleep. He just starred at her face, talking to her in a low voice about anything and everything, waiting for her to wake up. Sometimes he would get angry, other times he just looked sad, his mind a tangle of depression and guilt. Jean didn't bother trying to convince him it wasn't his fault, that was something Rogue would have to tell him. So, day after day they waited, Logan watching Rogue, Jean watching them both, waiting for a sign. She wasn't sure how much more of this they could take.
Her eyes drifted open, taking in the room around her. The lights were dimmed, but she recognized the med room. She raised her arm and winced, every muscle was sore. Why was she in the Med Bay? Had she fainted? She glanced at the wall clock, 9:00. AM or PM? She was about to sit up when she realized Logan's head was on her stomach. He was sitting next to her, his head on her middle, sleeping like a baby. She smiled and raised a gloved hand to run it through his hair. He jumped at the contact, scaring her to death. Then he was hugging her, she was looked around, bewildered, and hugged him back, thankful that he wasn't mad at her. Since she was in the med bay, they had to know about the Hazy Indigo, but God, she smiled, had it been worth it. She blushed in remembrance, recalling the way his skin had felt. His shaky voice startled her from her thoughts.
"God, Marie, I thought I'd lost you." He whispered raggedly in her ear. She looked at him, puzzled, "How long was I out"
"Five days." He said grimly, leaving her gasping. This was impossible. She was going to kill that slimy chemist. She opened her mouth, but Logan's pained eyes cut her off. So she held him, words passing unsaid through their clothed bodies pressing together. She stifled a sob, feeling his guilt mixed with hers, his pain. She pulled away, looking him in the eye.
"Logan, don't apologize, never apologize for that night. Being with you was worth every minute of pain. I should apologize for worrying you, I never thought it would wind up like this. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I love you."
She would have kept going, but he grabbed her again, pulling her tight. Lowly he whispered his relief, his fears that she was gone, how much he needed her. She just snuggled into his chest. Letting his love wash over her, answering it with hers. That was how Jean found them, no pain, no anger, just relief and forgiveness. She closed the door quietly, careful not to disturb them. After all they had been through, they deserved each other.
Two days later things were back to normal. Rogue's powers had returned with no ill effects, if anything she seemed more at peace with herself. She would tell Jean about the conflicts in her head, how she had almost lost herself until Logan touched her, taking some of her pain himself. She felt both guilty and grateful for that. She had forced her chaos on him, but he had given her the upper hand she needed in the battle for her mind. His presence had over powered the furious Ms. Marvel, letting Rogue come back. For the first time since her powers had manifested, she felt at peace, the voices in her head quieted. Jean was glad, Rogue looked happier than she could remember, even the sensations spilling over from her mind were softer, less conflicted.
Logan was also calmer, though to a casual observer he would seem unchanged, to those who knew him, especially to Rogue, he seemed more at peace with himself. When he slept through the whole night without waking up from a nightmare, Rogue had almost jumped into his lap in elation. Now they were walking in the garden outside the mansion. Marie still felt a little unsteady, so he let her lean on him as they walked, her laughter light as it went tinkling down the paths. It was full spring now, and she would often stop to watch nature around her, she seemed to have developed a fondness of squirrels. Logan was happy, though he let only Marie see his smile. Today he fingered the object in his pocket nervously. Logan was not a man who liked to do things half way, this was the last step in sealing his and Marie's bond, so why was he nervous? She was kneeling in front of a patch of Daffodils, the pale yellow flowers surrounding her like a glow. She was everything good in him, everything right,
"Marie," he said softly. When she turned and smiled, he felt his heart leap, what that smile could do to him. She was surprised when he tossed her the box from his pocket, barely catching it. She looked at him, bewildered, but he just shrugged. "Happy anniversary, I guess"
She opened the box with shivering hands. Her eyes widening before she reached into the box, pulling the ring out and slipping it on her finger. She stared at it, and at him, for a long time, her eyes glowing. He felt calmer, this was right, she was right. His nervousness from a few moments before was gone as he sat down next to her, "So," he said, confident of her answer. "You wanna get hitched?"
"Yes" she snapped, then blushed at her too quick response. He just chuckled and drew her to him, placing his chin on her head.
"You know I'll always take care of you." he began, but she cut him off.
"Logan, I don't need any promises," Her head burrowed into his chest, perfectly content, "I just need you."
There was nothing to say as they sat in the spring sunshine. Nothing needed to be said. When they finally went back inside, Marie giggled at how cocky Logan looked with her on his arm. He was almost strutting down the hall, for once not glaring at anyone, not even Scott who quirked an eyebrow at their passing but kept his mouth shut. As they walked to the Professor's office, she felt her head raise of its own accord, proudly smiling at the passing crowd which parted for them, her left hand carefully placed where all could see.