Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. We owe Marvel Comics so much for all these wonderful characters!
"Have Scott and Jean gotten back from their honeymoon yet?" Logan could hear the conversation occurring in the kitchen all the way in his private quarters. Just another piece of his mutation.
"Nah, I think they'll be getting here some time next week." Logan shook his head and smirked. It's about time those two got hitched.
"Anyone seen Rogue?" That stopped Logan in his tracks. Lately he had been avoiding Rogue like the plague, afraid he would act on his feelings. He knew he had gone too far in the gardens and wanted to make sure it never happened again.
"I think she's down with Dr. McCoy and Dr. Grey in the labs," answered one of the boys. Logan wasn't concerned with who it was. Without thinking he was heading down to the central headquarters.
He had grown to known the laboratories at the mansion very well. Professor Xavier ran several tests on him when he first arrived with Rogue in tow in an attempt to learn more about his past. Little was discovered, but he knew if anyone was taken down to the labs, Xavier meant business.
"I've never seen anything like this in all my life." That did not sit well with Logan. Picking up his pace, he rounded the corner and entered the room to see Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy staring at a computer screen.
"What's wrong?" was all Logan could get out.
"Ah, Logan," said Hank. "Nice to see you again."
"Yeah, yeah. Same to you fur ball. What are you looking at?"
"This," began Hank motioning towards a computer screen "is a scan of Rogue's brain. The activity is quite unusual. It's like nothings I've ever seen."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Logan could feel himself growing angry. He hated seeing Marie hooked up to Hank's machines. "Get her out of there. She's not some animal you can run you're little experiments on."
"Logan, please." Professor Xavier spoke up but didn't take his eyes off of the monitor. "Rogue is in a delicate place right now. She may seem indestructible, but her mental stability is teetering on the edge."
"What do you mean?" Logan walked over to the examination table and took Marie's hand, cradling it in his own. She looked so peaceful.
"Do you remember what happened to Rogue when she absorbed other mutants?"
"She sucked out their power. She's done it to me more than once." He tried his hardest to forget about why Rogue had to use his healing power. It was just another reason he needed to stay away from her.
"Yes, that is true. But along with absorbing a power, she also takes on some of their personality traits. Take for instance when she touched you. Let's just say she was prone to violent outbursts if she didn't get her way for a few days."
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Logan. Something in the Professor's eyes made him worry. He didn't like that look.
"Well, she absorbed not only your power, but your very life," explained Professor Xavier. "She became you, Wolverine. And she held on for only seconds."
"I'm guessing she held onto Marvel longer." Logan was beginning to piece everything together, and he wasn't liking the outcome.
"Exactly. Doctor McCoy and I have a theory."
"Have I ever told you how I hate your theories, Professor?" Logan was not in the mood for bad news. Particularly if that bad news pertained to Rogue. He felt a need to protect her. Take her away from the cold table she was lying on and hold her. He wanted to make her better.
"Well, this one is good and bad." Professor Xavier looked back at Rogue. "Do you remember Rogue telling you about our sessions together? It began as just a therapy session. Something to help her cope. Gradually I began to see a new Rogue. She seemed much more, how do I put it delicately?"
"Bad-tempered? Callous? Difficult?" Hank offered with a grin.
"So, she had a hard time after the accident. Who wouldn't?" Logan liked Hank and would have hated to knock him out for insulting Marie.
"I began working with her almost everyday," continued the Professor, ignoring the comments. "At first it was to control her temper. That led to controlling her new powers. She practiced meditation and focused on creating walls between the anger within and her old self. It wasn't long before she found, when concentrating, she could control her own mutation. It was remarkable. It was as if she could pull it within herself, and keep it there. She's established barriers, with my help, and we've succeeded in keeping her powers at bay."
"So why are you still hooking her up to these machines and poking around inside her head? Sounds to me that she's doing better than ever."
Xavier took a moment before answering and looked back at the monitor. "She has grown, Logan. I cannot deny that. However, I fear that Marvel is still somewhere in there, waiting to break free."
"You mean the bitch is living inside Marie's head?"
"Precisely, Logan." Xavier looked at Rogue before looking back at the monitor, and for a brief moment, Logan could have sworn he saw fear pass across the Professor's features.
"You said there were barriers though." Logan looked back down at Rogue. How could anything so beautiful house such an evil monster?
"Marvel is powerful. Much more powerful that Rogue. If she survived, she'll be trying to find a way out."
"So that's what all that color is?" Asked Logan, motioning over towards the monitor.
"I believe so. Her brain activity is much higher than any normal human's. Look at this section," said Xavier pointing to one section of image. "It's highly unusual to have this much activity. Especially when you're in a near coma-like state. It's as if there is a war waging within her own mind. Fortunately the barriers seem to be holding."
Logan looked back down at Rogue. She looked peaceful, but the monitor told a completely different story.
"Is it time to wake her up, Professor?" Hank moved by Rogue's side.
"I believe it is. Will you send her to my office?" Xavier began to move towards the door. "Logan, you can follow me. There's someone I'd like for you to meet."
Logan kept his mouth shut as he followed the Professor to his office. He preferred the silence. It gave him more time to think about Rogue. The idea that his sweet Marie could be harboring a killer mutant actually scared him, and nothing scared Wolverine. The fact that this was a battle she was fighting alone, a battle he couldn't fight for her, was killing him. He questioned his decision to leave. Perhaps if he hadn't, he would have been the one that faced Marvel.
Logan was pulled from his thoughts when Professor Xavier spoke. "Remy. So nice of you to come. I was afraid you hadn't gotten my message."
"Remy just had a little business and whatnot to tend to. My apologies."
This was the first time Logan noticed the tall, dark haired man standing in the middle of Professor Xavier's study. He was Cajun, Logan could tell that by his thick accent. He moved surprisingly gracefully for his size and looked as though he spent a night or two on the streets. However, the most surprising thing Logan noticed about the man were his eyes. What should have been the whites of his eyes were a solid black with two red irises in the center.
"Logan, I'd like you to meet Remy LeBeau, or Gambit, as many know him as."
"Nice to meet ya Logan." Remy offered Logan a hand but was cut off when Logan spoke up.
"What's this kid doin here?" Logan didn't care for outsiders. New mutants brought new trouble, and this new mutant looked like trouble was his middle name.
"He will be helping you train our young students." Logan tensed. This guy looked like he was barely out of high school. How did he have enough experience to train others?
"What's your mutation?"
"Well, Logan. May I call you Logan?" Gambit paused. Logan gave him a nod and waited for him to continue. "I can manipulate kinetic energy. I've lived on the streets, didn't have no teacher to help me learn to control it. But the Professor here thinks I might be able to help. And may I add, some would argue I have a type of hypnotic power, but that's another story for another time"
One mutant came to Logan's mind. Marie. This dirty Cajun was going to be spending time with his perfect Marie.
"You wanted to see me professor?" Logan turned to see a breathtaking Rogue enter the study. "I came as quickly as I could."
"Ah, yes. Come in, Rogue." Xavier motioned for her to come in. "I'd like you to meet Gambit. He's here as an instructor, but will be working with your primarily to help you control and develop you're new powers."
"Oh." Rogue looked from the Professor to Logan to the man standing before her. "It's nice to meet you, Gambit."
"The pleasure is all mine, belle." The Cajun bowed low. "But please, I would rather you call me Remy."
Logan looked on in silence at the exchange. There was something about the way this street rat was looking at Marie that he didn't like. He could practically smell the lust he had for his precious Marie, and it sickened him.
This was going to be a long year.
A/N: I am so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I hit writers block, then I got sick. But I'm all better. Thank you all so much for the support. I wish I could thank each one of you individually. It means the world when you leave a comment. So if you like it, let me know! I hope you guys are like it!
Also, if you like Ginny/Draco stories please check mine out. I definitely need some support with that one. No one is leaving me comments and I don't know if it's good or not! :(