Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Please don't sue me because they are owned by Marvel and what not.

Author's Note: Thanks to my siblings and everyone out there reading this. This is my second X-men story of the second movie. I really hope you like it! Please review. And if you liked this one than please go to the X-men Evolution section and read all my other stories. Enjoy AND REVIEW!!!

Caress of the Rogue

Rogue pulled her black scrunchy from her long brown hair. She tucked it behind her ear, leaving her two front white strands loose around her round face. She looked over to her right to see a boy with curly blond hair and glittering blue eyes gulping down on an icy. She looked at him in amazement at how fast he could drink something so cold. After all, they called him Iceman for a reason.

"What?" Bobby asked as he sipped up what was left of his drink. Rogue just shook her head with a smile that was returned by him. "Hey, you want to go to the movies?"

Rogue scooted closer to him on the couch and looked around the living room. None of the students were there and all the other X-men were a little sad these days. But she couldn't blame them after what happened at Alkali Lake. "Ah'd love to see a movie," she said. She was going to mention John but changed her mind. It seemed like Bobby never wanted to talk about him again. "Maybe we could even bring Logan along and…"

"Rogue, you know he wouldn't want to come with us. He's still not over everything yet. You have to give him some time. And you know he starts teaching class tomorrow. He doesn't need pressure," Bobby stated as his smile faded.

"If everyone else is showing their grief, than we should too. Ah mean we're acting lahke nothing happened," Rogue said with her southern accent as Bobby gazed into her brown eyes. Bobby sighed and realized she was right. He leaned back on the couch and then looked towards her. She was so beautiful. All he wanted to do was kiss her forever and pretend they were the only people in the universe. But he knew it would never be.

Without thinking of what he was doing he turned to her and pulled her closer. They entangled their lips with each other and a few seconds later Bobby could feel the life force being squeezed out of him. But he didn't pull away. Instead Rogue did.

She creased her eyebrows as if she had just seen something terrifying. Bobby calmed his breathing down and closed his eyes. He turned to Rogue and saw that she wasn't there. "Rogue?"

He heard nothing in response except for the sound of a door closing.

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"Alright," Logan said gruffly as he watched all the students walk into the classroom. He looked at Storm who was in the back of the room evaluating his teaching. Great, he thought to himself with hilarity. The only thing I'm going to read from that evaluation is the words "awfully quiet".

He's never felt this way before. Complete nervousness. He knew it didn't show, but he was fond of everyone in the Xavier Institute. He just didn't know how he was going to teach them. Especially after all that's happened.

He gave everyone a very small and unnoticeable smile. He rubbed his hands together in concentration. "Art. Everyone get out paper and um…… write the definition."

He turned to the blackboard and picked up the chalk. He sighed a small sigh and remembered that he didn't remember anything from his school days. All he knew was that teachers were annoying. "Art is beauty beyond the image." Did I just show my sentimental side? Logan thought to himself as he watched Storm's eyebrows go up in amazement.

Rogue gave a little smile at Logan's teaching. It was a little weird, but she could get used to the idea. She wrote the definition and tried to ignore eye contact with Bobby. Ever since their kiss yesterday she's been trying to ignore him. If they were to talk, she didn't know if she could hold in her urge to break out in sobs.

"Rogue?" Bobby asked, trying to get her to talk to him. He didn't know what was bothering her and he intended to find out very soon. "Can I borrow a pencil?"

Rogue passed him one of her pencils without even a glance. She looked straight ahead. "Rogue, what is this all about? I mean you've been acting weird since the ki…… I mean did I say something to upset you? Come on. Please talk to me and tell me what's bothering you so much," Bobby said as he heard a voice that was directed to him.

"Iceman!" Logan growled. "Don't think that just because you're part of the team now you can get away with talking in my class."

"Sorry," Bobby said as he turned back in his seat and listened to Logan's words.

"Anyways, it's all about the feeling of the painting," Logan said gruffly, not sounding right with the words he was uttering. "It's a complicated thing."

He looked over to Storm who nodded her head to say she approved. Suddenly Nightcrawler popped into the classroom and Logan shook his head.

"Guten tag," he said with a smile.

"Elf, don't pop in here and interrupt," Logan said as he rolled his eyes and all the kids greeted him with happiness. Kurt turned to Storm and gave her a loving smile. Bobby noticed the way he looked at Storm. Just like the way Scott used to looked at Dr. Grey and the way Logan wished she would look at him. It was the same way Bobby looked at Rogue.

"Oh, sorry. I vill talk to you later," Kurt said as he disappeared with a bamf and no sight of the blue fellow was seen. Everyone in the classroom made awing sounds and let out giggles as Storm waved her hands in the air at them with a smile. She left the classroom and acknowledged Logan to continue.

When class was over Rogue stayed behind to talk to Logan. She desperately needed someone right now, and she knew Logan would understand. She hesitated of what to say not to upset him about Jean. "So is Scott doing better?" Rogue asked quietly.

"He had a meal with Professor Xavier yesterday," Logan said gruffly. "One step at a time, one step at a time."

"Yeah, one step at a time," Rogue said. "That's what Bobby and ah are doin."

Logan knitted his eyebrows together in concern. "What's bothering you kid?"

"Nothing," Rogue said quickly. She knew that Logan didn't believe that. "Actually, can ah ask you a favor?"

"Shoot," Logan said.

"Ah want to spend the weekend away from the mansion. Just to get away from Bobby and smell the fresh air," Rogue said.

"Where do you want to spend it?" Logan asked.

Rogue's eyes brightened which told Logan that she knew exactly where she wanted to go.

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"Isn't it beautiful?" Rogue asked with knowledge that she wasn't going to get an answer to that question from Logan.

"Niagara Falls," Logan said solemnly.

"Do you think everything is the way it is for a reason?" Rogue asked tightening her mouth.

Logan knitted his eyebrows and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah I believe that."

"Then what's the reason for me being lahke this?" Rogue asked as Logan gave her a sympathetic look. "You don't know how hard it is to not be able to touch someone."

"Yeah I do," Logan said as Rogue bit her bottom lip, realizing he was talking about Jean.

"Hey," a voice called that was heard along with footsteps. Rogue shook her head at Logan.

"Logan!" Rogue exclaimed with annoyance as she shifted uncomfortably in her position. "So he was the noise that was comin from the trunk on the ride here." She turned her back and walked forward.

"Shall we advance to the Canadian Rockies?" Logan said as he walked behind Rogue, followed by Bobby.

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"Water!" Bobby exclaimed as Rogue handed him the water bottle. The weekend was almost over and she hasn't said a word to him the whole way up the Canadian Rockies. It had been fun and she had smiled at him a few times, but not said a word. "Thanks."

Rogue looked back at Logan who was sitting on a rock. He was fiddling with his backpack. Rogue turned back to look at the view beneath them. She examined the mountains and shivered. She was glad she was sharing this memory with the man she loved. She sat on the edge of the flat area of land at the top of the mountain. Her legs swayed back and forth as she rubbed her gloved hands together to keep warm. She looked up at Bobby who advanced to sit towards her.

"Are you gonna say anything to me?" Bobby asked with a pleading sound in his voice.

"Yesterday, when we kissed…" Rogue started then stopped.

"What?"

"It was pain to mah heart," Rogue said putting her hand to her aching heart, "when ah absorbed ……… your feelings."

"I hope you saw and felt how much I love you," Bobby said.

"You overwhelmed mah thoughts and heart with love. Bobby, ah don't want to torture you," Rogue said swallowing her saliva. "How can you love me? Just stop loving me."

"How could I ever think of doing that? You think that I'll stop loving you because we can't make-out or feel each other's bare skin?" Bobby asked raising his voice with frustration. Rogue creased her eyebrows and wanted to hug him forever. His frustration of her thinking turned into pure love now. "Art is beauty beyond the image. It's all about the feeling of the painting. It's a complicated thing," Bobby said, repeating the words Logan spoke in his lesson. He turned to Logan who gave a short appreciated nod.

Bobby put two of his fingers to his lips and blew his cold breathe to Rogue who smiled and leaned in for a hug.

Logan sighed a sigh of relief and examined his picture. It was of the mountains that stood in his view with Rogue and Bobby's faces in it. Snow covered both of their faces in the picture and Bobby was centimeters from Rogue's lips. Their lips never touched but Bobby's eyes showed so much love. As did Rogue's. Her lips were curved into a smile. He put the drawing away, not wanting to show it to anyone, and went to join Bobby and Rogue.

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"Come on Cyclops," Logan said to Scott who was walking by the dining room. "Join us." Scott stopped in his tracks and turned to everyone at the table with a solemn expression on his face. He hesitated and then walked towards them. He took his seat that was empty for him. No one replaced the seat next to him that used to be Jean's. No one could see his sad eyes that were hidden behind ruby-quartz sunglasses.

Everyone leaned in to start eating but were interrupted. "Aren't ve going to say grace?" Kurt asked as they all stopped and looked at each other in embarrassment. They bent their heads down. He signaled for Logan to say something.

Logan hesitated. There was silence for ten seconds before he began to speak. He cleared his throat. "Thank you for this food and this family," Logan said roughly and forcefully, but from the heart. "And just because you can't touch someone, doesn't mean they're not there for you to still love them."

"Amen," Rogue said as they all started eating. Logan noticed Scott looking at him from across the table. For the first time since the Alkali Lake incident Logan had never seen a smile on Scott's face.

But today was different.

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Author's Note: Hope you liked it! A special, special thanks to Pinkchick for encouraging me to write, write, write. Thank you. Oh, does anybody know where I can find the script to X-men the movie or X2?!? I looked everywhere for it! If anybody knows, please tell me. And don't forget to click the button in the left hand corner at the bottom of this page. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!