A back story to Partners, my tale of Rogue and Logan, to help answer some of the questions, which have been asked of me, of those I left behind at the mansion.

Once again, I do not own any of these characters, and the scene I set is an amalgam of comic books I collected as an adolescent and the recent movies. I hope what I craft is pleasing to you readers.

Part One

The image of Logan's truck peeling off into the darkness had left Kurt feeling almost hollow inside. His two best friends were leaving for parts unknown; in an attempt to save the life of the one he could have loved the most. He told himself could, because despite the physical response he could feel in her presence, and better, when she touched him, his mind knew the truth, that she was made for Logan, and he for her, and because of that, he did not allow himself the regret of exploring what might have been, even in his darkest moments of sadness.

No, he could miss her and him for other reasons. There had been such a joy in knowing that she could touch him, for among all the others at the mansion; except perhaps including Hank, he was the only one. It had given them a bond; as had her understanding of what it was like to be forcibly alone. He missed watching movies with her, because she made the effort to be with him, and he missed Logan, for his friendship, and his inclusion, and his trust, and he held on to the cell phone Logan had left with him, waiting for it to ring, so that he could fulfill his promise to Logan, to look after things beyond the mansion while they were away. And he had stayed, and not tried to follow them, because of the promise to also look after the people in the mansion. But whether he admitted the sadness to himself or not, he spent the first lonely week brooding to himself, and haunting the grounds of the school in the darkness, waiting for it to swallow him so he would not have to think.

Everyone it seemed had tiptoed around for those first few days, not quite certain what to do with themselves: half believing that Logan and Rogue would return, but of course they didn't. Xavier was the first to completely acknowledge that the void existed, but, looking to the greater good, as he always did, he pulled the team back together.

Kurt, being one of the eldest remaining students was pulled into a teaching role, and along with Scott, they were assigned to the physical training of the students. Logan's programs were all still in the computer, so they were modified and used, and each man added some of their own skills into the mix. Scott certainly brought forethought and planning, and set up some complex classes which played out virtual scenarios as the students postulated their moves, and then saw then acted out. Kurt brought in the weapons training, and more hand to hand combat. And by the fall a well established program was once again running; though not as physical as Logan's kill or be killed programs, it was no less effective in training, and no less urgent.

By September Kurt had heard a few words from Marie; even if they were in rather broken German, at least she was trying. The first email had been hard to read, because it tore at the barely healing wound, but as they went on they became easier, and he took comfort that she was safe, and found that he did not feel quite so empty.

Professor Wagner was a good title for him; he came to enjoy hearing it, though for the first few weeks of the new semester he had found it a little foreign. But now he had a real purpose again, and that was a good thing for him. It was hard to feel self-pity when you had responsibilities. Somewhere inside himself he knew that Xavier had known it would be this way from the beginning, and he was not displeased.

The first time the cellular phone had rung had startled him, he was lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of nothing much in particular, which was a great relief to him when he realized it. He rolled over and picked it up, checking the caller ID, nothing he recognized, but it must have been important, someone was calling for Logan.

"Good Evening." He answered the phone most politely, probably totally the opposite of the greeting Logan would have used, which is probably why the line seemed oddly silent for a few moments.

"Hello? Could I speak with Logan please?" It was a masculine voice.

"I must apologize friend, Logan has had to leave town for a while. He asked that I look after things for him while he is away."

There was a bit of a stammer on the other end of the line.

"You're a friend of Logan's?"

"I am."

"Can you do 'things' like Logan?"

"I have certain 'abilities', yes." An interesting back and forth Kurt thought to himself.

"Look sir, I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but I am in a bit of a difficult situation here, and Logan usually helps me out with these things."

"I would be most happy to assist you sir if you would care to explain the situation to me."

"It's one of my girls, she's run off, with her supposed boyfriend I guess. The police tell me they can't go get her back because she's eighteen and can make her own choices, but I'm afraid for her, and quite frankly, I am not a menacing looking man, and Logan was. And I need to get her back before anything bad happens to her that I can't fix." Curiouser and curiouser, Kurt thought to himself. But, this man had Logan's number, and he had asked for help.

"Where can I meet you friend?"

"I run the youth shelter out behind the Catholic Church off Front Street. I can meet you in the sanctuary if you like, that's where I always met Logan."

"I feel I should warn you sir, I have a different appearance than other people."

"I suspected you might, as a friend of Logan's, tell me what to expect."

"I am blue, shall we leave it at that?"

"I am certain I will not miss you then, I will wait in the first pew."

"I will see you shortly."

An adventure. Now, he thought to himself, to round up his trench coat and fedora and find a set of car keys. Kurt realized that he suddenly felt more alive than he had in many weeks, and he found that he liked the feeling very much.