Disclaimer: I don't own anything here (though I would sooo take Logan if you let me). Be nice to me.
I have never written a fic for the X-Men, so this is my first. It is not, however, going to be my last, I'm sure. I hope you enjoy this! It may get a little too medical for you toward the end, but I think if you get that far you will love the ending, shipper or not.
This story takes place sort of instead of the second movie, or during it, or something like that. You'll get the idea.
10:25 AM
Xavier's Institution for Gifted Youngsters
"Good morning, Professor." Jean Grey greeted Professor Xavier as she entered his study.
"Good morning Jean. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I've been doing a little research down in the medical lab, and I've made a very interesting discovery." The Professor carefully placed a bookmark in his latest reading selection and set the book on his desk.
"Do tell." Jean walked briskly over to his desk and passed him a file folder she was holding. As he opened it, she took a seat in one of the two chairs across from him. "This is Rogue's medical file."
"Yes it is. The way her power works, when she touches someone else's skin, she absorbs their energy on the molecular level."
"You didn't come in here to tell me what I already know." He raised one eyebrow at her, and she smiled.
"I'm getting there. What I've been analyzing is the latest sample of her DNA. It's changed in one particular gene, right next to her established mutation." Jean rose just enough to point to a particular diagram in the file she'd handed to him.
"Is she in any danger from this further mutation?" There was a note of concern in his voice.
"I don't think so. Actually, I think it's quite the opposite: I think it's going to give her the ability to control her gift."
"That's wonderful news, Jean." He paused. "Is there something else?"
"Actually, there is. Because of the specific location of the newly affected gene, I think there might be a very slight chance that she might eventually reverse her ability to be able to help others, but there's a very good chance it would be at her own expense."
"Interesting. I'll talk to her about it when school is over for the day."
Jean nodded in agreement. "There is one problem."
"There's always a catch. Well, out with it then."
"She's going to need to practice in order to gain control." The Professor leaned back in his wheelchair.
"Ah. Well, knowing you as well as I do, I'm sure you have come up with a solution."
"Maybe. You know that…well, Logan has advanced regenerative abilities, and we all know how fond he is of Rogue. I was thinking that if we ask him the right way, he would want to help her any way he can."
"That's very bold, Jean."
"Maybe. But do you think I'm wrong?"
The Professor smiled. "I think you may be on to something." His eyes took on a thoughtful glaze. "I think perhaps it would be best if I convinced him before we get Rogue's hopes up." Jean nodded and rose to leave, but as she neared the door he stopped her. "Jean," –she turned around with her hand still on the doorknob- "no one else needs to know about this. Rogue should know before the rest of the school's population."
"Of course. I won't tell anyone else. Would you like me to send Logan in?"
"Please do. Tell him…I want to speak with him about an opportunity for Rogue." Jean nodded and exited, closing the door behind her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Half an hour later, the Professor heard an unnecessarily loud knock on the door. He chuckled to himself.
"Come in, Logan." The large man entered looking a little uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"
"I just have this thing about being called to the principal's office."
"And what might this 'thing' be?"
"It's usually not a good thing." He's having way too much fun with this, Logan thought.
"This time it may be a good thing, depending on how you look at it." Logan tilted his head a little. "And forgive me if I seem to find your discomfort at being called to my office a little amusing." The Professor gestured to the chair Jean had occupied not too long ago, and Logan hesitantly accepted it.
"So, what's this about an opportunity for Rogue?"
"Jean's been doing some research, and it looks like Rogue may have unknowingly developed the ability to control her gift."
"And you're telling me this…why?"
He never was one to beat around the bush. The Professor chose his next words carefully, knowing that Logan would most likely be somewhat apprehensive about being a practice test subject. "She doesn't know yet. The truth is, Logan, she's going to have to practice to actually control her ability."
"And you want me to be the lab rat. Forget about it."
"Logan-"
"Look. The kid may be like a little sister to me, but that doesn't mean I want to go through hell for her."
The professor leaned forward. "I want to give you the opportunity to help Rogue. You know as well as I do that she feels like she'll never be able to get close to anyone because of her mutation. You are in a unique position to help her develop the control she doesn't yet know she can have." Logan buried his face in his hands. "You said yourself that she is like a little sister to you. I don't have to use my abilities to know that if she needed you to go to 'go through hell', you would do it."
Both were silent for several minutes as Logan's self-preservation instincts fought with his love for the teenager with the funkily colored bangs. As the professor sensed (non-invasively) that Logan was leaning more toward accepting the challenge, he gave him one last push. "You may be her only chance at the ability to lead a relatively normal life, and you know she would never ask you herself."
Logan nodded almost imperceptibly, then spoke in a low voice without raising his face from his hands.
"Do you wanna tell her or should I?"
"I think she will be more easily convinced if the news comes from you."
"Like you couldn't convince her yourself? You came in my head a minute ago."
"Actually, I could see your discomfort written on your expression. You know I don't invade people's mental privacy on a whim. And as for Rogue, if you would rather that I speak with her, very well."
"No. I'll talk to her when she's done with school."
"Alright. I'll have Jean let you know where the two of you should meet her, and I'm sure she'll want to start as soon as you're both ready." As Logan got up to leave, he turned and growled his plans for the remainder of the day.
"If anyone needs me, I'm goin' for a ride."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rogue ambled down the residence corridor lost in thought. It hadn't been a good day, but it also hadn't been a bad day. Instead, it was just one of those mundane days that have to happen so that the extraordinary days can stick out in your memory. As she neared her room at the Institute, she made a mental checklist of what little homework she had. Math –not too bad, just 4 problems I didn't have time to finish in class. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. Science –pre-lab reading. Since when does she actually expect me to do those? I'll skim it tomorrow morning before class. History –quiz today, so no homework. I love it when that happens. Not that the quiz went all that great, but hey, ya win some, ya lose some. Art –is all class work, and we have a sub in English tomorrow so there's really no point reading tonight what I can read in study hall tomorrow afternoon. Awesome.
By this time, she was at her door. She opened it casually and tossed her backpack on the bed, closing the door behind her as she did. Only now did she notice a scruffy immensity in a leather jacket sitting backwards in the chair across from her bed.
"Logan? I didn't expect to see you here. Where's Jubilee?"
"I asked Storm to keep her after class. Have a seat." She obeyed as a confused and somewhat concerned expression took over her face. She waited for him to continue. "Jean thinks you have a new mutation that will let you control the first one."
"What?" Rogue couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"If she's right, you'll be able to have a relatively normal life. You know, people, friends, maybe even boyfriends if they get my permission first." Rogue smiled at his protective instincts, but what he had said was still sinking in.
"You mean I'll be able to actually touch people? Like, without gloves?" Logan shrugged and nodded. "Wait. You said Jean knows. You know. Who else knows?"
"The Professor."
"Why am I the last to know?" She was beginning to get angry and Logan noticed. "Didn't anyone stop to think that maybe I should be the first to know stuff when it's about me?" She was standing now with her voice slightly raised. Logan also stood and crossed her room in about a step and a half. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently as her green eyes looked back up into his big brown ones with a great many different emotions swirling behind them.
"Jean did the research and took it to the Professor to decide how to deal with it. He told me because it also involves me." Confusion rose back to the top of Rogue's pool of emotions.
"You? How?" He released her and they both sat on the edge of the bed.
"You're going to have to practice to learn control."
Realization dawned on Rogue. "Absolutely not. No. I refuse to hurt you." She instinctively moved away from him to try to protect him from herself, but he followed her.
"You have to. I'll be fine like always, and this is your only chance at a 'relatively normal life', as the Professor put it."
Rogue was still shaking her head. She looked like she was about to cry, and she stood up and turned so that her back was facing the bed where Logan still sat.
For a couple of seconds, the room was silent. Then he heard a sniff and saw Rogue wipe her eyes. He stood and pulled a tissue from the box at the head of her bed, then walked up behind her. "Here." He held his arm around her so that she could reach what he offered. She mumbled "thanks", and he laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Rogue." She turned around, but he didn't move his hand. "I won't take no for an answer. This is a very important chance for you and if you pass it up, I swear to you you'll regret it later." She waited for a few seconds, then nodded. When she did, she started crying again.
"I'm sorry. It's just- it's just that I'm a little overwhelmed right now. And I really don't want to hurt you." He pulled her to his chest and held her tightly as she relapsed into her sobs.
"I know, kid. I know." He just stroked her hair for a few minutes while she worked on controlling her tears.
When she stopped crying, he told her to come find him in the gym when she was ready – he was going to be teaching some 8th grade bully with rubber bands for a body how not to fight. She finally laughed at that, and she pulled out her math homework as he left.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"And that's why you shouldn't stretch yourself too thin for the girls, Bub."
Rogue stood in the doorway and watched the events occurring in the gym's boxing ring. Logan had stretched a young teenage boy all the way around the four posts that supported the elastic boundaries of the ring. Twice, apparently, and Logan seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly as he stood in center-ring and surveyed his work.
"That looks painful." Rogue finally made her presence known to the older man, and he turned and nodded a greeting.
"That's the idea." He climbed out between the new elastic bands and grabbed his jacket from the corner post. "You ready?" She nodded, and as they turned to leave, they heard a girlish whine coming from the ring.
"You guys can't just leave me here!" Logan looked back with a smirk as he pulled his jacket on over the button-up shirt he was wearing, and Rogue stifled a giggle. The kid does look kinda pitiful. Logan didn't bother to stifle his laugh, then turned back toward the door.
"Logan!" Rogue was still laughing, but she did feel sorry for the punk. Logan turned back around.
"I'll send someone to unwind you. Eventually."
Once they were out the door, Rogue asked where they were headed.
"Jean wants to do this in my room." Too bad she doesn't want to do anything else in my room.
"Makes sense." If I'm going to hurt him, I guess it's best to be somewhere he can be comfortable and not have to be moved afterward.
"Mmhhmm." He grunted in agreement and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Finally, they were at his door. Rogue grabbed his sleeve before he opened it.
"You don't have to do this, you know."
He looked down at her, trying to figure out the best way to respond. "I know. But you need me to." He didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead he opened the door and went in. Rogue followed him, pulling the door shut behind her.
Jean was ready for them. She had set up a small monitoring station on Logan's nightstand which, when connected, could monitor his brain waves, heart rate, and breathing rate.
"Hi, Rogue. Logan, I'm assuming you already explained everything to her?" Rogue answered for him.
"He told me the important parts."
"Good. Shall we?" Logan shrugged and took a seat in his chair. Jean gestured for Rogue to join her sitting on the bed for a moment. "Rogue, I'm going to try to help you focus. Now, the first couple of times, this may not go quite as planned, but each time you should be able to stay in contact for a little bit longer. I'm going to run through a simulation with you once or twice, but that's really not going to help you very much." Rogue nodded, somewhat nervously. "Here we go." Jean raised her hands to the sides of Rogue's head, and the latter shrunk away. "Try to relax. I know what I'm doing."
Logan rolled his eyes, but neither of the other two saw. Jean let her hands float on either side of Rogue's head, except for her fingertips which she rested on top of Rogue's hair. "I'm going to try to show you how you should concentrate." Jean closed her eyes, and Rogue followed suit. Logan just watched curiously as the two sat silently for a moment without moving. Eventually both women's eyes snapped open simultaneously, causing him to start. Jean broke the silence.
"Ready?"
"Not really."
"Alright. Let's get started for real. Logan?" He rose from his chair in the corner as Jean and Rogue stood up. "Your jacket." He looked down.
"Oh. Right." He pulled it off, making sure to flex as he did so. If Jean was going to play hard-to-get, he was not going to make it any easier for her. She noticed, but didn't say anything. "Shirt too?" He looked at Jean and she stared straight back at him.
"What do you think?"
He unbuttoned his shirt and removed it the same way he had removed his jacket. He then tugged at his wife-beater as if to ask 'And this?' Jean nodded.
As he pulled it over his head, Jean was treated to a very nice view of his incredibly ripped abdominal muscles. A couple of questionable thoughts went through her head, but she was able to keep her focus fairly easily, especially since Rogue was in the room. Once that was off, Logan looked at her again, this time for further instructions. She gestured to his bed. He hid the smug look that wanted to come onto his face as he went over and sat down.
"All the way."
He laid back with one knee raised up and his hands folded over his chest. Jean stuck two little circular sensors to his temples as he followed her every move. Next, she put two on his upper chest. Then using her telekinetic abilities to raise his arms, she attached two to his lower chest, right around his ribs.
"Show-off."
Rogue smirked. Fortunately for Logan, all of these sensors were wireless so that they wouldn't bother him any more than necessary.
Once that was accomplished, Jean put his arms down by his sides and took a step back. Rogue was sitting backward in the chair she had pulled up to the side of the bed opposite from Jean, subconsciously using the back of the chair as a barrier between herself and Logan.
"Rogue, it's time." Jean understood how upsetting this whole scenario was for the teen, but it really was for her own good. Rogue tentatively unbuttoned her glove.
Logan, talk to her, Jean's voice sounded in his head.
And say what?
It doesn't matter. Reassure her. Let her know that you'll be fine.
Logan looked over at Rogue. "Hey." Her eyes came up to meet his. "Take it easy. You know I always bounce back." Rogue nodded and pulled off her glove.
"Try to focus. Think about distance on the molecular level just like I showed you." Jean nodded and Logan closed his eyes. Rogue swallowed hard as she stretched out her now bare hand toward his exposed shoulder, hesitating only for a second. Once her skin touched his, she noticed that instead of the previously established two seconds, there was about a three second interval before she felt herself drawing from him and his jaw clenched. Immediately Rogue jerked her hand back, and Logan inhaled the breath that had gotten stuck a moment ago.
Jean looked at the monitor beside him, noting the minor change in his vitals that were quickly fixing themselves.
"Not bad for your first try. Let's see if you can do it for a little longer this time." Rogue looked at Logan, and his expression told her 'go ahead'. She reached out and touched his arm lightly with her fingertips. This time the contact lasted for about four seconds.
"Good, Rogue. Try again, but this time when time when your power kicks in, instead of jerking away, try to stop it. Okay?" Rogue nodded, and Logan shrugged with his eyebrows without opening his eyes. "I'll help you."
Logan opened his eyes briefly to let Rogue know he was good to go again. Rogue swallowed and tried again. She managed to add another second and a half to her record, but finally she couldn't hold back any longer. Logan struggled to breathe, but Jean reminded Rogue from inside her head that he would be fine and she needed to learn to stop. Rogue blinked back tears as she strained hard to stop herself from drawing any more energy from her "invincible" friend as he lay seemingly helpless at her mercy before her. To her amazement, after a couple of seconds the foreign lines that had appeared on his body because of her began to fade slowly.
Suddenly an obnoxious "beeeeep" punctured her thoughts, and she instantly pulled her hand back. Her wet eyes opened as wide as saucers as Jean bustled between Logan and the monitor on his nightstand. She first turned down the volume on the monitor. Next, she reached behind it and pulled out a syringe and a small glass vial filled with green liquid.
"What is that?" Rogue asked.
"Epinephrine." She felt Rogue's confusion and clarified for her as she used the needle to suck the green liquid out of its vial. "Pure adrenaline. Since you have his powers for the moment, he's on his own for a little bit." Rogue's confusion turned into a wave of guilt. "Don't blame yourself. This is exactly the reason I'm here, and he knew what he was getting himself into."
Rogue just blinked as she watched Jean's fingertips explore the area of Logan's chest directly above his heart as she sought exactly the right spot. Rogue swallowed hard as Jean stabbed directly between her carefully manicured fingernails to inject the contents of the syringe into his heart. She pressed the plunger down as quickly as she dared, then pulled out the needle and waited a few seconds for something to happen. When nothing did, she began to get a little flustered. Come on, Logan! Snap back! Jean silently willed him to 'bounce back' like he had promised Rogue.
"Can't you use your mind to make him come back? Like, make him breathe and make his heart beat again from inside?" Jean was a little taken aback. She had never even thought of that.
"I don't know, but it's definitely worth a try." Jean raised her hands and held them above him, then closed her eyes. She used her telekinesis to feel around inside his chest.
Rogue looked on silently with eyes as wide as saucers both out of concern and curiosity as she watched Jean's fingers twitch over her friend.
Okay. First things first. Jean mentally talked herself through the process. Heartbeat. She found his heart without any trouble. She focused carefully as she called to memory the delicate cycle of the heart which she had learned back in high school anatomy. Ever-so-gently, she caused the muscle to contract and the blood to flow. Once she had accomplished a few good solid heartbeats, she planned her next move. Good. Now, on to breathing. Let's see…she continued to control Logan's heart with one hand as she used the other to mentally feel around for his diaphragm. …Negative pressure. Right. Diaprhagm- here we go- contracts, pulling the lungs down with it. Had Logan been awake, he would have felt an invisible hand pushing down on something in his chest, forcing him to pull air into his lungs.
Rogue saw Jean's closed eyelids flutter a little bit as Logan seemed to gasp for breath. She then watched him seem to exhale, then inhale again.
Jean was struggling to stay in focus and in control. Fortunately for both her and Logan, she sensed that his body was starting to react to the epinephrine she had injected into his heart. Gratefully and full of relief, she released her hold on him, falling on her elbows on the edge of his bed. She noted half-heartedly that at some point her hands had actually come to rest on top of his chest before she fell.
Scott. Jean mentally called out for her fiancé when she saw that Logan was indeed functioning on his own again and the beeping had stopped.
Jean? Is something wrong? There was a note of panic in Scott's mental response.
No, everything's fine. I just need you to come help me back to our room. I'm exhausted, but I'll fill you in on the details later.
Okay. Where are you?
I'm in Logan's room. She could picture the expression she was sure was on Scott's face. It's not what you're thinking. Rogue's here too- she's been practicing to control her power. Jean felt Scott's relief.
I'll be right there.
Rogue finally spoke.
"Are you alright?" Jean nodded. "What about him? He'll be fine, right?"
"Yes, he will. He'll probably be unconscious for a while, though." Rogue swallowed.
"Is it okay if I stay here with him until he wakes up?"
"I don't see why not."
"Thanks. My roommate…"
"I'll let Jubilee know not to worry."
"Are you going to tell her where I am?"
"I think that's something you should do when you're ready, since I'm sure she'll want to know why. And Rogue, we'll do this again when we've all recovered from today." Jean saw that Rogue was about to protest. "You're drained too, and you still need more practice. Five and a half seconds is not very long, you know."
By this time Scott had arrived. He knocked lightly on the door, then opened it and poked his head in. Jean hadn't moved from where she had half-collapsed.
"Jean?"
"Come on in."
He walked around the bed to where she was and pulled her arm around his neck. He used his other hand to support her waist, and without another word the two of them left, closing the door behind them.
Rogue pulled her glove back on as she looked around his room for something. She wasn't quite sure what, but her eyes finally came to rest on an extra pillow sitting in the bottom of his open closet. She went over to it and stripped it of its pillowcase, then came back to the bed.
Without a word, she spread the pillowcase over his exposed shoulder. She ran her gloved hand over the side of his scruffy face with an unreadable expression, then climbed up beside him. She rested her head on his covered shoulder and rested her arm across his abdomen. It's a good thing I wore long sleeves today. She barely bent her knee so that it was just overlapping his thigh, and she planted a light kiss on top of the pillowcase before she drifted off to sleep.
So...please tell me what you think! I'm no Xavier! I can't read your minds! (If you ask nicely for a sequel, I just might be inclined to write one.)