Author Note: This is my first fanfic ever so be kind. I think I like reviews so review away. Of course I don't own any of the characters and like everyone else I'd love to. Enjoy! Short Chaps, but I hope to have many. (depending on the reviews I guess). Scott or Logan? That is the question of the day!

As she entered the Mansion's ominous foyer, only the ticking of a large grandfather clock to her left greeted her. The noise echoed in her head, thanks to the somewhat sensitive hearing left over from Logan since that fateful night at the Statue of Liberty.

Marie was exhausted. She had been out jogging for almost three hours through the mansion's beautiful grounds. Her jogs had become part of a regular routine since Jean had died. The fresh air filling her lungs during her workouts was a relief to the stagnant, heaviness she felt sometimes when she was inside Xavier's. With Scott mopping around in one half of the mansion, and Logan constantly fidgeting around in the other half, Marie sometimes felt trapped between the two extremes.

It had only been six months since Jean's death and the men continued to cope, each in their own way. Both were teaching classes, Scott taught most of the academics (English Lit, World History, and Math), while Logan taught the more physical classes: self-defense, mutation skills, and combat training (for the older students). Logan however didn't stay at the mansion overnight. Ever. He always left sometime after dinner, and returned before Marie had returned from her morning jog. Where he went was anyone's guess, and Marie felt it was probably better this way. Scott on the other hand, did stay at the mansion. He moved out of the room that he shared with Jean, and "started fresh" as he liked to call it, in the room across from Marie's.

Marie hurried up the stairs. She hadn't intended on jogging for so long, but at least she had chosen to do so on a Sunday when she didn't have any classes to teach. Between her and Ororo, they managed to cover all of the classes that Jean had taught and then some. Ororo had managed to scoop up any science classes, leaving Marie to teach Art, Music and to assist Logan in teaching Mutation Skills. Ororo merely scoffed at the notion of teaching with Logan, stating that Marie understood him and his questionable teaching methods. There was also an under-the-breath comment about lightning striking some manners into the adamantium thick skull, but no one would admit to hearing it.

Marie quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans, a low cut green top and matching gloves, she would have to shower later. She couldn't miss her flight training with Scott. He had insisted that she get in a few more rounds this weekend. Now that she was an official X-Men member, she had obligations, responsibilities to the team, a reason to keep living with her horrible mutation. That, and she was the alternate co-pilot, incase either Ororo or Scott were unavailable to fly the Blackbird.

Her horrible mutation. Really what else could be said, she hadn't succeeded in any attempts to control her skin. She was done moping about it. She knew that it was a weapon, that it would be forever a part of her and that clearly it was best used in combat. To kill. To borrow her enemies mutations and use them against them. It was its only true value. Relationships were just not a possibility. Bobby had been sweet but naïve. As an X-Man, he had now become one of her closest friends. Their relationship had mutated into that friendship upon returning to the Mansion the day Jean had died and Pyro had joined the Brotherhood. Somehow the loss of Pyro had affected their circle more than either would attest to.

Scott was already in the cock pit when she arrived. Marie could hear him ranting as she walked up the ramp.

"...if I even so much as got a speck of food on her yellow jacket, she would have zapped my ass so full of fire works! Women are so..so..so...HYPOCRITICAL!"

And there was Scott, bent over the floor of his precious blackbird, vacuuming up crumbs. Marie couldn't help but laugh.

"What? You'd be mad too! Why can't Jubilee and Kitty eat BEFORE we go on missions, like everyone else?!?"

Marie couldn't really fathom eating right before a big battle. Then of course, Kitty and Jubilee were not yet advanced enough to go on the really dangerous missions that Marie (finally!) had been cleared for.

"Scott, I think it's clean enough don't you? I really need some flight time, ya know, before anything major happens 'round here".

Scott stood up and faced Marie. She had grown into quite the young woman and had the figure to prove it. However, although her body was that of a twenty year old, her eyes told a different story. Behind the brilliant green, there was an unequivocal history that reached far beyond her physical years that Scott hadn't really noticed until then. He was slowly beginning to understand why Logan often stared at Marie when he thought no one was watching. Scott had to tear his eyes away from hers,

"Then I guess we'd better get going" he added quickly.