Marie was living at Charles Xavier mansion for five years now. She wasn't a student anymore, and she usually joined the team for most of the missions. But most importantly: Rogue could control her mutation.

Some might think that this change made her feel more confident, because she didn't need to be afraid to touch people or to be touched anymore. But the truth was Marie never stopped being shy and a little scared. Even now, when she could say she kicked ass at every mission she participated in, the world still was a scary place to her.

When people first knew Marie they would think she was naive, but that wasn't true. She'd been through a lot after she left her parents house, before finding Logan on the road. She knew evil and she knew people could do very bad things. Because of that knowledge, she learned very quickly how to protect herself from others, not only physically, by taking combat lessons, but also emotionally, by having only a handful of trustful friends that she could rely on.

Marie get so used to wear lots of layers of clothes because of her mutation that even after she had learned how to control it, she would still hid under long sleeves and coats. She was protecting herself from the world. The clothes are her protection from the looks of others. Even though she is a pretty girl and everyone could see it easily, Marie never had anyone to tell her that. Her parents didn't do much for her self esteem, and she spent her teenage years looking at herself in the mirror and seeing a girl who didn't look like the ones in the magazines.

She wasn't very thin, but she wasn't fat either. Her stomach wasn't flat and she hated the folds it formed when she bends her body. Her face was a little round too, but in a delicate way. If someone asked her, she would say she was ugly, plain and simple.

But that wasn't true. Marie was beautiful. Her brown and white hair was straight and very glossy, and it fell on her face in a gracious and mysterious way. Her lips were full and her brown eyes were rounded with very long lashes. She had legs for days and her ass and breasts were proportional and natural, matching her body.

But it's her skin that drives him crazy. Even if she doesn't show much of that, he can see that the pale skin is soft and silky. He could tell when he held her hand or kissed her forehead. Maybe he feels so attracted to her skin because for a long time he couldn't touch it. And Logan has a tendency of wanting what he can't have.

Obviously, every guy in the mansion had noticed how Rogue had grown from a girl into a beautiful young woman in these five years. Knowing how shy she was, her male friends, including Bobby, avoided complimenting her, because they knew that would make her feel even more uncomfortable. Logan was the exception, of course. Not only because his brain was practically connected directly to his mouth and he always says what he's thinking, but because he and Marie were really close. They'd created a bond beyond comparison. They understand each other like no one else, and could rely on each other when things became more difficult than normal.

The two of them being so close didn't stop Marie from being a little shy, even around him. They were on the couch one afternoon, watching a game on TV and sharing a bucket of popcorn, her legs on his lap. An advertising on the break about a TV show Marie liked caught her attention. This new character was being introduced in the next episode. A beautiful young woman who was very insecure about her body. Glancing a side look at Marie, Logan saw and heard when she sighed and a glimpse of sadness passed through her face.

"I can see that you're not loving the idea of this new character in your favorite TV show, huh, kid?", he asked, trying to make a conversation.

"Not at all", answered Marie, looking at him and rolling her eyes. "I always hate this plot about the girl who is simply perfect but thinks she's ugly or somethin' like that", she said, looking really bothered.

Logan raised an eyebrow. He hates talking about feelings, but it was different with Marie. It was very easy for him to have deep conversations as it was easy to talk about silly things and make dirty jokes. He said exactly what was on his mind. "Hm, firstly, she's not perfect, because nobody is. Secondly, yes, she's a pretty girl, but that doesn't mean she can't be insecure or see herself differently from what she really is. It happens to everyone. And third, you're way more beautiful than her".

Like every time he'd complimented her, she would blush furiously and try to dismiss his comment. "Thanks, Logan, but you don't have to tell me that just to make me feel better".

"Marie, you know me enough to know that I'm not the kinda guy who compliments people without meaning it. If I say I think you're beautiful, it's because I really do", he said, placing his hands a little above her knees and squeezing there gently.

Marie stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth to stop him from talking and picked some for her too, laying back on the couch and making Logan chuckle and shake his head at her gesture.

That night, when he went to his bedroom, he couldn't stop thinking about what to do to make Marie see how beautiful she was. For Logan, it was really difficult to imagine how she could look in the mirror and not see what a gorgeous woman she became. He respected and loved her too much to tell her everything that went through his mind every time he saw her training, using the X-Men leather uniform, which she hated, but it hugged her body in all the right places. The training sessions demanded every drop of his self-control not to pin her against a wall with his body and whisper in her ear how hot she looked in tight clothes.

Logan knew the insecurity Marie had didn't simply fade away when she learned how to control her powers. It was much deeper than that. She needed to stop being scared of what other people would think about her body and get rid of all those unnecessary layers of clothes.

Well, he was more than willing to make her feel beautiful. Damn, he was eager to show her how beautiful he thinks she is.