Title: Not All On the Sunny Side
Author: Anonymiss83/Renee
E-mail: Anonymiss83@yahoo.com

Series: Sorta. Just outtakes from life at the mansion as it involves
Logan, Rogue, and the younger team. I GUESS it could follow Having
Fun At Another's Expense.
Summary: One of the younger team has found a way to deal with her
problems. Unfortunately, it's as far from the best way as one can
get, and Rogue goes to Logan for advice, and reflects on their
relationship.
Rating: R for somewhat disturbing subject matter, language.
Archive: WRFA, otherwise, I'm probably flattering myself. But if you
want it, I'll say yes.
Feedback: I beg of you. I don't know how to really do something
that's not light and funny, and this is my first foray into this type
of thing (Crosses fingers).
Category: L/R
Author's Notes: This is nowhere near as happy and funny as my other
fics. I guess moving's got me down. Don't worry, Rogue and Logan are
okay.

In typical teenage fashion, denial ruled until it could be ignored no more. Even then, it was obliquely referred to, lightly joked about, or covered up. But when the teaching staff began poking their noses into the situation, the younger students knew action had to be taken.

It had started out innocently enough. All the students had problems, and rather large ones, usually. They were dealt with as the individual saw fit. Talking with a staff member, friends, meditation, religion...it just depended on the person. It was rare that more than a few people knew of it, if anyone. With the small number of people at Xavier's and their common bond, the students tended to be a tight bunch.

And so when Jubilation Lee began showing up with dark undereye circles, Rogue and Kitty gave her some concealer and asked what was wrong. They were brushed off. When the dark cirles progressed to hollow, gray cheeks, shaky hands, lack of coordination, bizarre mood swings, and stolen money, their male counterparts began to pry.

Which brought the small group of Xavier's seniors, consisting of Kathrine Pryde, St. John Allerdyce, Robert Drake, Remy LeBeau, and Rogue to their present situation.

"If we find...something, we'll just, you know, talk to her," asserted Kitty.

"She just goin' to blow it off, mon ami," snorted Remy. "De chere gettin' good at dat."

"Which is why we're doin' this, I suppose. If she does shake us off, what're we gonna do then? Take it to Xavier or somethin'?" Rogue asked. She carefully opened Jubilee's dresser and delicately shifted the items inside around.

"I dunno. We'll have to think of something. I don't get why she'd be doing drugs, though," said St. John. "It's just not like her."

"Same reason I drank alot when the voices got too loud," shrugged Rogue, opening a small tin. "We've all got problems, and it's easy to deal that way. By the way, sugar, bingo."

"What is it?" asked Kitty, moving in closer. The others followed suit.

Rogue considered the brownish-green caplets. "Chieva, sugar. Black tar heroin. We had problems with it in Mississippi."

"Holy fucking shit," Bobby's voice had gone high and reedy.

"Fucking HEROIN?" whispered St. John. "Holy God, what're we gonna do with this?"

Rogue walked purposefully to the bathroom with the caplets. The sounds of a toilet flushing could be heard, and she then reappeared. "That."

"Beyond that, though. What're we gonna say to her? What about Scott and Jean and everyone?" Kitty shifted nervously to the other foot.

"She's on a trip to D.C. with Hank till Monday. Which gives us precisely four days. I really...We'll figure it out." Rogue seemed sure of her diagnosis, easing the others.

* * *

Rogue paced in her now-empty room, weighing her options. As of now, she hadn't thought of any, which was just the problem. And didn't she- she was suppose to do something today, she was sure of it. It was just that the current problem had sucked up all of her thoughts. What was it that she was suppose to do?

Heavy footsteps sounded down the hall, and she knew it was Logan even before he gruffly requested she open the door.

"Come on in, sugar."

"Where the hell've ya been, darlin'?"

"Huh?" She wasn't quite getting what he-

"We were suppose ta go for a ride, remember? To that place I wanted to show ya?"

Oh, oh. That. Whoops. It was funny that she'd forgotten that, because she'd been looking forward to it since he'd mentioned it. "Sorry, sorry. Lemme just get my boots on and my jacket-"

"What's with ya? You and all yer friends. You're all actin' funny."

He couldn't mean the decidedly suspicious behavior of those who were hiding something, yet basically wanted to get caught, she thought wryly. "Nothin' much. Come on, let's go."

"Ya know better'n ta lie ta me, kid. It don't smell right on ya."

"I'll tell ya later. Let's go, okay?"

He must've seen the pleading in her eyes, or heard it in her tone, because he dropped it and was silent on their way to the garage.

* * *

It was only with Logan that she would take her gloves off and lose the slightly defensive posture. A year of living with deadly skin had given her hypersensitivity, but he gave her a sense of normalcy. An extremely short-tempered, animalistic amnesiac with six razor-sharp metal claws made her feel normal.

Which made her snicker a little as she stretched her arms over her head and lay back in the grass, just watching the sky, letting him watch her. He'd been doing that more obviously lately, and she didn't mind. She had his thoughts in her head; she knew what would happen when she turned eighteen. It had scared her at first, but she'd grown warm to the idea. Especially after absorbing Carol. Through her, she'd seen what love and lust and want were, and it hadn't terrified her so much. So far, it was unspoken between them, and she didn't know how to broach the topic.

"What's so funny, darlin'?"

Rogue stretched her legs out and sighed, felt his eyes travel down her face, neck, and chest. "Nothin' much."

"Seems you've been sayin' that alot lately."

"Sorry."

"Wanna tell me what the fuck's goin' on?"

"You're goin' to badger me till I give it up, so I guess so, sugar."

"Well?"

"You know this isn't my problem to tell, but..."

"Say it anyway."

"Jubilee's been doin' up on chieva. I know you know what that is, so I won't go into it. Trouble is, Bobby, Johnny, Kitty and me don't know what's makin' her do it, or how to get her off it."

Logan was quiet for a few minutes. She was used to it; silences were par for the course with them. It was comfortable, though, and he'd say something eventually. In the meantime, even with her eyes closed, she could feel him wanting to touch her, lay a hand on her somewhere. It was his way of claiming her, even before he could really have her.

"Ya know I useta-"

"Yeah. And you know I don't care." Of course she knew, hadn't she absorbed him? His smuggling of various contraband used to frighten her of him, before she really began to explore the Logan in her head. He wasn't noble or even particularly law-abiding, but he was him, and that was okay. Smuggling was lower on the list than murder, or attempted murder.

"Did ya get rid of it?"

"Flushed it, yeah. Now we've gotta think of what to say to her when she gets back."

"Haven't told any of the X-Men?"

"I dunno about the others. You're the only one I've told."

"Watch her close, don't let her outta yer sight. Make sure someone's with her all the goddamn time. She's gonna cuss ya, fight ya, and hate ya, but she'll be better off doin' that than that shit."

"Thanks, yeah. I just--I'm gonna be blunt, I guess. Tell her what we know, and what's gonna happen, if she doesn't want anyone else to find out. I'm not a snitch, so if it comes to it, Kitty'll tell Scott or somethin'."

He was quiet again, then laid down beside her. She stiffened a little, knowing he would touch her soon. God, she was still so young, she didn't know if two months till her eighteenth birthday would be enough. Especially after all the younger team had gone through, both on the team and individually. Some things took awhile to heal.

"If it comes to it, go ta 'Ro."

"She'd be the best one for it, I guess."

"When's school get out?" The abrupt change in topic made her open her eyes and look over at him. "Another month or so."

"Hmmm."

"Why'd you wanna know?"

"Thinkin' on somethin' a little."

This time, he did touch her. She stiffened a little as his hand rubbed her stomach lightly, then relaxed. "What's that?" The question applied to both the touching and the unnamed subject.

"You wanted ta see Alaska, didn't ya?"

She'd been wondering when he'd take her with him on one of his excursions. "Yeah. Did the Professor find somethin' for you there?"

"No. Just thought we might wanna go there."

She almost blurted out that she wouldn't be eighteen till July, more than a month after she graduated. Instead, she held herself in check and took it for what it was suppose to come across as. "Been there much, sugar?"

"A few times. You know that." His hand drifted up to her temple, tapped it gently.

"Of course. Sorry, just not thinkin' today." Which was what had let Jubilee stray so far down her chosen course, so she'd better start. "How long are we gonna be in Alaska?"

"Dunno. We'll come back when ya wanna."

Figured. "I'm suppose to go to New Orleans with Remy and the others after we graduate, you know."

It was his turn to stiffen then. "He's a goddamn punk-"

"I know, I know. It's not like that. He's just a close friend."

"That sonuvabitch wants more that that, darlin'. Just come with me to Alaska for awhile."

It was unspoken between them, what would happen in Alaska. She wanted to tell him she fucking well knew, and he should just say it, because it wasn't like him to beat around the bush. She'd fallen in love with him, no getting around that, but this indirect thing irritated her. That, and she wanted more time. She hadn't been able to just be young. She wanted that for now, to just not have to worry about anything for awhile. It was selfish, but true. She didn't want to fall in love just yet, didn't want to have to deal with everything that would come with it.

"So?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're comin' with me to Alaska?"

She paused. She really didn't know. It came down to a simple choice that, when you really looked at it, wasn't so simple. Be a child, or be a woman. Being caught in between wasn't pleasant, and she wanted to ask him if he knew what he was asking of her. "Gimme awhile."

His jaw clenched a little, and she knew he was thinking of all the things that could happen in New Orleans. That she'd end up with Remy, that she'd sleep with him, or do those things with someone else. That she'd get hurt somehow, and couldn't be saved in time. But she could also see that he was trying to be patient, trying to give her what time he could.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll probably end up goin' to Alaska."

He smiled then, a genuine smile. "Good."

* * *

"How's she doin'?" Rogue asked cautiously.

Jean pursed her lips. "The methodone is helping with her withdrawls. She'll be okay."

Rogue smiled and nodded. "Thank God. Really, for awhile, we didn't know how she was gonna do."

The older woman nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again.

"Go ahead, Jean."

"Rogue, do you know what you're doing?"

"I don't know what you-"

"What you're getting into. With Logan."

"Yes." In the end, it was as simple as that. She did know, and that was the problem. If she could just rush right in, no thought to the consequences, it might make things easier. She still had a month...or two, because he wouldn't try anything until she was legal. That was a line he just wouldn't cross. Until then, she'd make the most of now. It would have to do.

-End-