Logan knocked gently on her door at 8:15, exactly as he had done every night for the past three weeks. It swung open quickly enough for him to know she had been waiting, but he did not mention this and only greeted her with a gruff " 'Lo, darlin'."
"Hi, Logan," since finding out about her father, Rogue had not been entirely the same. She was still sweet as ever, but more obviously introspective and reserved. She rarely spoke to anyone but Logan outside the demands of politeness, and had taken to going on long walks around the grounds. Logan was worried about her, but determined not to show it. Tonight, he wanted her to enjoy herself. Dropping onto her bed, he wordlessly handed her a wrapped package.
"What's this?" He nodded at her to unwrap it and she did so, all the while glancing at him questioningly from under her eyelashes. At last she could read the writing on the rectangular box, and the smile she directed at him made his heart melt. "Parcheesi, Logan?" Now he grinned back, and she laughed aloud. It had been so long since he heard that sound, and he hadn't realized how much he had missed it.
They played three games, two of which he won, and she fell asleep on his shoulder part-way through the third. Gently, he laid her head on the pillow, and pulled up the blankets around her still form. Instinctively, he leaned in to kiss her pale forehead. "Sleep well, Marie," it was only as he shut the door quietly behind him that he heard her own sleepy goodnight.
Over the next month, Logan continued to sit with her each night until she fell asleep, and at these times was given the opportunity to study her closely. If he said so himself, during their time together she was coming back out of her shell, even if she still kept mostly to herself during the day. Now in the evenings, when they did not play a game or watch a movie, they just talked. He told her stories from his bar-hopping days, while she reminisced about growing up with her parents. At these times, she would become almost animated, but it was only when she fell asleep in his arms that she truly seemed at peace.
One night, he read a book while she slept next to him. Her sleep, usually so serene, became fitful. By his side, she began to turn over and mumble, then flail. Still asleep, her hand crept across his chest and then began to drag gently across the thin undershirt toward his stomach. Surprised, Logan flinched away then glanced down at her sleeping form, only to be met with a view of her full breasts down the top of her camisole. Shocked and oddly guilty, he leapt from the bed and hurried from the room.
"Logan?" Marie called sleepily as the door slammed behind him.
Over the next few days, Marie was hurt and bewildered when Logan did not come to see her. He avoided her in the halls, and pretended not to hear when she called his name across a crowded room. At a barbecue for faculty and students, he pointedly engaged in conversation with Ororo or one of the other teachers whenever she came within speaking distance. Marie did not find another chance to talk with him until mid-May, when their paths crossed in one of the gardens.
"Logan! Wait!" They were too close for him to pretend he hadn't heard, so he slowed down for her to catch up, even though he still did not meet her eyes. "I, Logan, I need to know why you've been avoiding me. Is something wrong, did I do something?" He couldn't stand the sadness in her deep green eyes.
"No, darlin', you didn't do anything," now the hurt in her face flickered briefly to anger. "Then what is it, why've you been ignoring me?" For the first time, he brought his eyes to hers, and held her gaze. This time, it was she who looked away first. Now she knew, there was no denying what she must see in his eyes. But what she said next surprised him.
"Logan... what would you do if I told you I loved you?" He drew in a deep breath, then stepped forward to grasp her waist intimately. Could she really mean -- ? "Oh, Marie," he slid one hand up her back. "I'd have to tell you it would never work," he brought the other up to cup her jaw, "I'd have to tell you I'm much too old," he gently tilted her head backwards, "I'd have to tell you that even though I've always wanted to touch you, I'd never realized just how much until this moment." And then he kissed her. Gently, warmly, implacably.