Disclaimer: I do not own X-men in any way, shape, or form.
"Bobby said you came back," a feminine voice spoke from Rogue's doorway. Rogue turned to fine Kitty standing there, a vulnerable expression on her face.
"He tells you an awful lot, doesn't he?" Rogue questioned sharply. She had hoped that with her powers gone, she would have more of Bobby's attention, but, apparently, he was spending just as much time with Kitty as before.
"Rogue… I'm not trying to take your place. Bobby and I are just friends."
Rogue laughed sardonically. "Yeah… I've heard that one before."
Kitty's eyes flashed. "I just came to welcome you back. It looks like I shouldn't have bothered."
"You got that right. Look…" Rogue said, taking a couple steps toward Kitty. She felt kind of bad. It wasn't Kitty's fault that Rogue hadn't been able to touch anyone. Now that things had changed… maybe she could try making friends. "I don't want to be enemies, and I don't want Bobby to feel like he can't be friends with you. I guess I'm just… feeling a little insecure. Don't take it personally, okay?"
Kitty shrugged. "Whatever." She turned to leave.
"Oh… and, Kitty?" Kitty turned, not quite sure what would come from Rogue next. "Thanks. It's good to be back." She gave Kitty a small smile, which she returned weakly.
0o0o0o0o0
Logan sat in a chair in the corner of the entertainment room. Blink (at least, that's what he called him, seeing he hadn't actually taken the time to learn the kid's real name) was sitting in front of the t.v. as usual, blinking once every time he wanted to change the channel. Logan didn't care how many times the kid did it, although the constant clicking usually annoyed him to no end, for he had more important things to worry about. Nightmares of Jean dying in his arms, on his account, still plagued his dreams. He hadn't spoken to anyone about her, or about that night, for that matter. All they needed to know was that she was gone. Besides, he figured most of them knew anyways. At least the older ones like Bobby and Kitty. Storm definitely knew. Of that he had no doubt. Speaking of Storm…
Logan stood to exit the room. "Bye, Wolverine," Blink called after his retreating back, his eyes never leaving the t.v. screen.
"Yup."
A few minutes later, Logan entered Storm's new office. It was the Professor's old one, and both of them were still getting used to her occupying it. "Storm? You in here?"
"Out here, Logan!" her voice called back. Logan followed it to the patio. "What brings you here? You headed out?"
Logan shook his head, leaning his forearms on the cement railing Storm was also leaning against. "Nope. I think you're stuck with me for a while." She turned, studying him for a moment. He allowed her to, knowing she wouldn't find what she was looking for.
"Why won't you let me in?" she finally questioned softly.
Logan chuckled. "Storm… you couldn't get in even if you were psychic. Besides… you don't want to. Trust me."
"It's Jean, isn't it?"
"I don't want to talk about Jean."
"It didn't take you this long after the first time."
Logan pushed himself up off the railing, his eyes blazing as he glared at her. "Yeah? Well I didn't kill her the first time, did I?"
Storm looked away. "You did what you had to, Logan. Nobody blames you for her death. Nobody but yourself."
"Look… I didn't come out here to talk about what happened. I just wanted to know if you needed me for anything seeing that I'll be staying here indefinitely."
Storm sighed heavily. "Fine. If that's they way you want to be."
"It's a simple question, Storm."
The edge in his voice wasn't lost on her, and she dropped the subject. "Well, we have several new students in classes this year."
"Your point?"
Storm gave him a look. "My point is that it would help if you could keep an eye out for problems. You know… between students."
Logan's lips twitched slightly. "Any in particular?"
Storm nodded. "Jimmy."
Logan gave her a skeptical look. "You think he's gonna cause problems?"
"No, I think that the other kids are going to… need some adjusting time. I just want everything to go smoothly. This isn't a normal school, Logan. Things are more dangerous here."
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Storm."
"Just keep an eye out for me, will you?"
Logan smiled. "Sure thing." He began to leave, when her next statement stopped him.
"Rogue's back."
He paused for a moment. "Did she…"
"Why don't you go see for yourself?"
Logan nodded once and disappeared back into the mansion. Storm sighed. He was taking Jean's death hard… just as she'd feared. With the professor gone, she needed him more than ever. She needed him to be himself, though, not just present. Maybe working with the students would be good for him. She hoped so… for come second quarter, she'd need him more than ever… he just didn't know why yet.
A/N: Well? What do you think? This is my first X-men fic, so advice/thoughts would be much appreciated!
