Chapter Seven - Graduation
Ten days after the prom - and Rogue was still floating on air over how wonderful it was - was Logan's first mission. The Professor told the X-men there was a briefing in the library. Logan strolled down, arriving 'fashionably late'. Of course, t he main objective was to piss Scott off, as always. Logan was still not sure if it was a good idea for him to be on the team. Taking orders from a pansy? What was he thinking?
Scott looked at him, and Logan could tell there was a glare behind those rose-colored glasses. Logan was all too happy to return the glare.
"Look Logan," Cyclops said sternly. "I am the leader here. You will listen to me and take orders from me. If you don't think you can handle that, leave now."
Logan was so tempted to do exactly as Scooter said and leave. But, if Rogue was going to be on the team… Well, he didn't have much of a choice, did he? All of the other things the Professor had said tempted him, too. So, Logan just crossed his arms and strengthened his glare, with no intention of going anywhere.
"Good. Now, to business. The Brotherhood is stirring up trouble, again. They are planning on raiding a military establishment and kidnapping some people to use as guinea pigs. Obviously, we have to stop them."
"We still have Magneto, right?" Storm asked in her mellow voice. "I mean, he hasn't escaped and you guys haven't told me? There's no way he could be orchestrating this?"
"No possible way," Scott affirmed.
"So, are we dealing with a new ringleader?" Once more, the question came from the weather goddess.
"We don't know. Hopefully, this mission will shed some light on that. We're going to stop them, maybe take a captive, nothing more. Let's try not to wreak havoc."
Logan knew that particular comment was aimed at him. Usually, he would have come up with a snappy comeback, but for some reason, he didn't feel like it. Which was strange, seeing as how he didn't really want to be part of the X-Geeks team. He was just doing this so he could protect Rogue like he promised, right?
They boarded the Blackbird and flew to the military base. To Logan, this did not feel right. It felt wrong, beyond the fact that he was wearing some pansy uniform and taking orders from someone else. Why would the Brotherhood be attacking anything that had to do with the government? They would be more heavily defended and more likely to take revenge against the mutants. Logan was used to trusting his instincts - they weren't exactly screaming 'danger!', but they sure as hell weren't whispering. Still, Logan kept silent. Whatever came at them, they could handle it.
Scott landed the Blackbird in a secluded area. Somehow, using new technology, he made it invisible to all radars.
That could sure come in handy sometime, Logan mused.
Don't even think about it. Scott and the Professor would kill you.
Stay out of my head, Jeannie.
They took up their positions. To Logan, this was feeling ever-increasingly like a trap. He could smell trouble. The place was almost empty. As far as Logan knew, it should be bustling with people.
Hey Jeannie. This feels like a trap.
Yes, it does. Logan heard as she broadcast to everybody, Logan thinks this feels like a trap and I agree. Then she told the other two what Scott was saying. Scott agrees, but he says there's little we can do. He's confident we can handle anything that they throw at us. If not, we can make a quick escape.
Everything was quiet for, maybe, ten minutes. Logan could smell something he couldn't quite identify. It was a sharp and acrid smell. He wasn't quite sure where it was coming from. It might have been a tiny building near Scott, but he just wasn't sure.
They were slowly working their way through the nearly empty buildings. Scott was getting closer and closer to that building. Suddenly, it clicked in Logan's head what the smell was - gunpowder. That made sense, thought. The military always smelled of gunpowder. Still… But, would he really care if One-Eye died? Logan was surprised to find - he did. And he was positive it was in the building.
Jean! What's in that building near Scooter?
He says it's storage.
What kind? Ammo?
No, food.
Tell him- Logan caught the smell of fire. Fuck, it's gonna explode, he thought as he shouted, "Scott! Get your ass away from that building!" My god, did I just call him 'Scott'?
As soon as the last word left his lips, the building exploded. Logan felt a moment's satisfaction that he was right, then - since he was the second closest person - he was being pelted with flying shrapnel. A good-sized chunk hit his shoulder, breaking his collarbone. He ignored it - he could feel it healing already.
"Back to the Blackbird!" Scott yelled as he ran, dodging falling chunks of brick and blasting other pieces.
Jean and Storm were far enough away so nothing reached them. They started running for the Blackbird. Logan did, too. He assumed Scott was following, until Jean happened to glance back and shriek, "Scott!" She turned around and started running back, Storm following.
Logan whirled around, and immediately saw the problem. A huge chunk of rock had smashed into Scott, knocking him down and landing on his leg. He couldn't quite get a shot at it; the angle was bad. Wonderful - their fearless leader was trapped under a piece of rock, and there was Sabertooth coming.
"Go guys!" Logan shouted. "I'll get him." Wait - didn't I kill Sabertooth? Well, he couldn't worry about that now. He had to save their fearless leader's ass. As he turned around to dash back, Jean hesitated until Scott yelled, "Damn it, Jean! Go!"
There were more mutants following Sabertooth. This was just getting worse and worse. Not only did Scott apparently trust him with his life, but there were now more people than Logan could fight - as hard as it was for him to admit. He heaved the rock off Scott's leg as Cyclops groaned in pain. Logan hissed, too. His collarbone still hurt.
Glancing back as he hauled Scott up, Logan saw that the horde of mutants was breaking into a run.
"I hope you've been eating light," he commented dryly as he grabbed Scott and tossed him over his shoulder. "Watch my back."
Logan heard the dying screams of the mutants as Scott shot at the ones in the lead. Nothing hit them, so Logan assumed Scott got all the ones about to hit them. Logan grudgingly admitted that he had to respect Scooter's ability to hit his target while moving like this. Miraculously, they made it back onto the Blackbird without getting hurt. Scott's face was white, and sweat beaded his brow. His leg must have hurt worse than hell.
Storm flew the jet back to the mansion. They carried Scott out on a stretcher and put him in the infirmary. His leg was disgusting - it was mashed up and bloody, and the bone was showing. Logan, for that matter, was covered in Scott's blood.
While they were all still in the infirmary, Scott spoke up in a pain-filled voice. "There will be a debriefing eventually - the Professor will tell you when." They all - except for Jean - turned to go. "And Logan… Thanks."
Logan just grunted in reply and escaped as quick as he could. He still couldn't believe he had actually gone back for Scooter, of all people. Wolverine's motto was 'don't care for anyone but #1'. Before, he would have left Scott and run. Now, he had gone back. And he was pretty sure he would have done so whether Jean had seen him or not. Christ! He didn't even like her like that anymore. He would have gone because Scott was… his friend.
* *
* * *
Rogue wandered restlessly around her room. She was worrying - even though she knew it was senseless, she couldn't help it. Logan was on his first mission - with Mr. Summers as the leader. There was no way that could turn out good. And Logan never thought before he acted, so he got into 'trouble' a lot. In other words, he got into reckless fights that could have been avoided.
At one point, Nire walked into the room. "Stop it. He'll be fine. He's not just Logan, he's the Wolverine, remember? He can take care of himself. Watch - he's going to come back without a scratch on him. You worry needlessly."
"But Ah can't help it. If he died…"
"But he won't. It's basically impossible for him to die. Chill out."
Nire left, and Rogue tried to do what she said. Jubilee and Kitty told her variations of the same thing. Yet, she could not. He was pretty much everything to her - her world and more, as sappy as that sounded.
She heard the Blackbird come back and resisted the urge to run to meet Logan. She wouldn't act like a little kid - she'd wait for him to come to her. And, somehow, she knew he would.
But, when she heard him nearing her door - his room was right next to hers, and she could tell his footsteps anywhere - she couldn't help herself. She ran out of her room to stand in the hallway. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the blood staining the front of his uniform - okay, so it wasn't a lot, but still…
"Oh my god, are you okay?" she gasped. Great, she thought. Not only do I sound like a stupid little kid, I sound like Jubilee.
"Yeah, kid," he said, touched by her obvious concern for a dirty bastard like him. "Not mine, Scooter's."
She sounded relieved when she said, "Is Mr. Summers okay? What happened?"
Logan couldn't see any harm in telling her. "They rigged a building to explode. Cyke was closest, and a chunk of the building fell on his leg." He went into his room with Marie trailing behind. She sat on his bed as he grabbed some jeans and went into the bathroom to take a shower. "Gashed open his leg and broke the bone. I got him back to the Blackbird, while he watched my back. We definitely got a few of them. One-Eye's remarkably resistant to pain. He's going to be in a wheelchair for a while." Logan couldn't keep the grudging admiration out of his voice.
Rogue decided to forego the mentioning of his use of the word 'we'. She heard the water in the shower turn on, and tried desperately not to think of a naked Logan in the shower. "What about you? Did you get hurt?" She knew he could hear her with the animal-like hearing of his. She still had a little of his extra-sharp senses.
"Just a broken collarbone, darlin'. But that's healed already." It was no use trying to lie to her, Logan knew. She always could tell, without fail. He heard her make that little noise that meant she really wanted to ask him something, but didn't know how. "What?"
"Umm, if your whole skeleton's covered with adamantium, how can ya break anythin'?"
"Good point, kid. Maybe I tore the muscle or something." He turned off the shower and toweled off. "Anyway, I'm fine now."
"So ya saved Mr. Summers' life." It was more a statement than a question.
Logan paused to consider this for a moment. "Nah. If I hadn't, Storm or Jean would've."
He came out with no shirt, of course, and Rogue had to fight the urge not to stare. "But they didn't; you did. The Chinese say that if you save a man's life, he's forever under your care. Or something like that."
He shuddered, his muscles rippling. "That's a scary thought. Don't say that, kid."
So she was back to being 'kid' again. Every time he called her 'darlin'', her heart lifted in hope a little, even though she knew it was hopeless.
A knock came on the closed door.
"What?" Logan growled.
"Yo, you make it back alive?"
"No. I'm dead."
Nire walked in. "So, I'm talkin' t' a ghost?" Logan rolled his eyes. "Have fun?"
"If you mean, did I get a fight, then no. If you mean was it interesting, then yes."
"So, I heard ya tried t' kill Cyclops."
"And I heard you're nosier than your image, listen to pieces of conversations, then make the rest up."
The look on Nire's face was her own special version of a smile, much akin to Logan's version. "True, true, but behind the stupid comment, I always know th' real story, whether I admit or not."
"Talkative today, are we?"
Rogue smiled to herself at their easy banter. Besides herself and Logan, nobody could get more than two words out of Nire. And she would only talk to them when there was no one else around. She figured that Logan must have something about him that drew people like her and Nire. Nobody else trusted. But Rogue would put her life in his hands, and she was pretty sure Nire would, too. Not even the Professor could get her to say as much as Logan could.
Soon after that, there was a debriefing. They needed to do that while everything was still fresh in everybody's mind. Logan smirked when he saw Scott in the wheelchair. His leg must have hurt like hell, and Jean hovered over him like a hen with her chicks. That made Logan's smirk widen - even though, deep down, he was jealous and wished he could get hurt like that and Marie would hover over him.
* *
* * *
Marie's parents arrived the day before graduation. Everybody else's parents - who were coming - were already there. She worried her way around the mansion, despite everyone's constant assurances that they would come. When they did arrive, Marie stood on the front steps to greet them. Logan and Nire skulked in the shadows of the foyer. Kitty, Bobby, Jubilee, and St. John just happened to be playing catch next to the driveway.
She took a hesitant step forward as the car pulled up, but then she stopped. She glanced back towards the door of the mansion, but no one came out to give her more support.
"Hey, idiot," Nire said softly to Logan as Marie's parents got out of the car. "That was a silent plea for someone - most likely you - to come stand on the porch with her. Now go hang off the corner of the porch with one of those cigars that you always keep in your pocket hanging out of your mouth."
That was what he wanted to do all along, so he did what Nire said. Marie's parents came up onto the porch. She wanted to hug them - he could see by her posture that she did - but she was too afraid of their reaction. Logan silently cursed them as her mother hesitantly stuck out her hand and flinched a little as Marie shook it. Her father didn't even offer a handshake. He basically ignored his daughter. Logan's knuckles itched. He wanted to kill the two of them for hurting his Marie. What - she was not his Marie.
"It's good ta see ya, deah." That was Marie's mother, and Logan was amazed at how much Marie's accent had faded.
"You, too. Come on in."
Logan followed them into the mansion, his unlit cigar still dangling from his mouth. Nire followed, once he passed her, and the four teens fell in line behind her. Logan noticed that Marie's mother glanced back at them a couple of times, seemingly intimidated. Good - he liked that.
The Professor was waiting for him, with the rest of the X-men team in a tight arc behind him. "Welcome Mr. And Mrs. (Whatever - too lazy to make up a name/research it). I am Professor Charles Xavier. This is Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Ororo Monroe. Behind you, you have Logan. We hope you enjoy your stay at our school."
"Thank ya." Marie's mother seemed to be the spokesperson.
The five of you can leave. These two are not here threatening Rogue. They won't say anything in a school full of mutants.
Bobby, Kitty, Jubilee, and St. John left. You didn't argue with the Professor when he spoke in that tone of voice. At least, they didn't. However, Logan and Nire both sent back the same thought. No way in hell.
The Professor smiled slightly at their loyalty. He knew that both of them were itching to strangle Rogue's parents. He hoped the two of them could restrain themselves until after graduation.
Logan and Nire were Rogue's silent shadows - most times unseen - for the rest of the day. Logan could smell Rogue's parents' fear, and was about ready to explode at them after they had flinched away for - what seemed to be - the hundredth time.
Don't you dare. The message came unbidden into his head. It wasn't Jean or the Professor.
Who the hell is this? he snarled in his head.
Nire. And if you tell anyone I'm telepathic, I'll kill you many times over. Don't worry - I'll be shielding that part of your thoughts from Jean and the Professor.
Well, why shouldn't I try to kill them both? Strangely enough, although he didn't like Nire in his head, he didn't mind as much as with the Professor and Jean.
Because she will never speak to you again. Ever.
Logan managed to keep his temper in check. But, he knew, Marie would need some major confidence boosters once her parents were gone.
* *
* * *
The hour of graduation approached. The parents were seated in white chairs on the lawn. Some of the younger students were scattered among them. Nire hung around in the shadows of a tree far back from the other people. She hated crowds. Logan had to sit with the other teachers. He would have much preferred to be near the back, or skulking in the shadows.
The graduates filed down to sit in the front rows, to that irritating tune that was played at every graduation. Rogue stood up to give her valedictorian speech - she had been right - after Professor Xavier had said a little blurb. Logan could smell her nervousness, and her eyes roamed the crowd as she talked. They passed over her parents plenty of times, but it wasn't them she was looking for. As soon as she locked eyes with Logan, she settled down. She kept eye contact with him until she exited the stage to the applause of her friends and their parents.
Logan felt a swell of prize for her. Professor Xavier began calling names for students to come up and get their diplomas. AS Rogue went across, she flashed a small smile at Logan as he stood on stage - yes, they had actually made him get up and stand with the rest of the teachers.
Unlike the rest of the students, after the Professor gave her the diploma, he also gave her a hug. The rest of the teachers did, too. Logan was grateful that not a single one of them smelled like fear - he knew that Rogue still had some of his sharp senses. He was last in line and whispered 'congratulations' in Rogue's ear as he hugged her. Then she was off the stage and the next person came along, getting handshakes from everybody.
After the ceremony, everybody was with their parents or their friends' parents. The teachers were circulating through the crowd, except for Logan, of course. He had melted to the very fringes of the crowd. Rogue's first instinct was to go find him. Then she realized what she was thinking and where she was heading, and immediately switched directions to go find her parents.
They, too, were on the fringes of the crowd. They were looking decidedly uncomfortable around all the mutants. Once more, her mother shook her hand and her father basically ignored her. Rogue caught sight of Logan, skulking in the shadows, with Nire slinking along a few yards away from him.
"We're leavin' now, deah," her mother said. Rogue tried to fight down the wave of sadness, and willed her tears to stay unshed. "It was nahce seein' ya."
"You, too, mama. And you, papa." Her father merely grunted.
Rogue could see Logan's face, suffused with anger, and prayed that he wouldn't do anything. Yet, she sort of wished he would. A few seconds later, she saw Nire glide up to his side and start whispering urgently into his ear. He seemed pacified after that, and Rogue was relieved. She did not want any more cards stacked against her.
Her mother offered her another handshake, and then they just left. That was it. Rogue fled to her room, never noticing the conspicuous absence of the X-men from the group of happy graduates and parents.
* *
* * *
Professor Charles Xavier, and the rest of the X-men, were, as Nire put it to Logan, 'totally ripshit'. Nire was with them as they waited by Marie's parents' car. When they appeared, and got closer, Logan could smell their fear.
"We, ah, have some very pressin' mattuhs we have ta get back ta," Marie's mother stammered, looking at her husband for support.
"No you don't," Professor Xavier said quietly, but with much vehemence in his voice. "We all know the real reason you're leaving."
"Any idiot could see that you're lying," Jean put it.
"Rogue is very dear to us," Ororo added.
Schnikt! Logan's claws popped out. "And we don't like to see her get fucked over by anybody," he growled.
"Least of all her biological," and Scott stressed that word, "parents."
It was Nire's turn to speak, and she smiled. It was the first smile any of them had seen on her face, and it was not a pretty sight. She seemed to notice everyone's looks. "When I smile, you should be afraid." She let those words sink in - instead of being a funny comment, when applied to her, they actually seemed true. "Very few people think of how the other person feels when they ostracize someone. I know the burning bite of being and outcast from my peers. I know the pain of being the outcast in a family, and I hate to see that cold sword plunged through another's heart. Especially not such a sweet girl as Rogue. I don't make friends easily, by choice. But when I do, I hold them dear. If I were you, I would beware, for I am not a happy person when my friends have been burned, and I know that revenge is a dish best served cold." Nire let out a low, evil chuckle. "And I would not want to be you when my revenge comes seeking your doorstep. Mayhap, instead of hoping that the forces of evil become confused on the way to your doorstep, I will give them explicit directions. Rogue would be better off without parents than with the likes of you."
The rest of the X-men just looked at the girl. The single thought running through their minds at the time was, "Man, does this girl have issues."
Marie's father drew himself up. "We don't want her anymoah - mutants ah an abomination in tha ahyes of God. You people can have all tha rahghts ta her, for all we cauh."
The Professor smiled. "Good, then. We'll be mailing you the papers."
They moved away, and Marie's parents got in their car and sped out of there. The X-men watched with satisfied smiles on their faces, except for Scott and Logan.
Logan retracted his claws. "I think you should have just let me kill them," he growled at the Professor.
"One of them," Scott said from his wheelchair, "and let me have the other one."
"And then Rogue would undoubtedly have had our heads," Ororo told the two men. "She's going ot be mad enough already because of this - you two know that."
Logan grunted and Scott nodded. They both knew she was right. Logan strode off to go find Marie. Nire faded away like a wisp of smoke. The rest of the team went back to the celebrating graduates.
* *
* * *
Marie's scent didn't go up to her room as Logan thought it would. Instead, it went to the roof. He should have guessed that - it was where she always went if she was feeling bad, or sometimes just so she could be alone. He could smell the tears before he even got out there. She was back in 'normal clothes', which consisted of jeans, a T-shirt, her gloves and her scarf today. She sat with her head buried in her arms, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.
"Hey, darlin'." He sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and drawing her into his side. He stroked her hair with a gloved hand, sitting silently with her as she cried on his shoulder.
"How come nobody wants me?" she sobbed. Her voice broke Logan's heart, and he had to struggle not to release his claws.
"That's not true, darlin'. They said we could adopt you, and right now, Scooter and Wheels are arguing over which one gets to." Logan had heard the beginnings of that argument as he went up the stairs. To him, the easiest (and best solution) would be to just make her a ward of the school, but the other two men didn't want to do that.
"But they're right. Ah am worthless, a mutant among mutants."
"Don't ever say that," Logan said fiercely. "You are not. Do you think I would waste my time hanging around someone who's worthless?"
She sniffled. "No, Ah guess not."
"Those poor excuses for parents are just a couple of assholes, darlin', and don't you forget it."
"Logan, nobody will come near me. That many people can't be wrong, can they?"
"They sure as hell can, darlin', and they are." He hugged her tightly, loving the feeling of her in his arms. "Don't you ever forget that."
She hugged him back and sniffled, smiling a little. "You already said that."
"Yeah, well, I can't come up with a better thing. So sue me."
She smiled a little more. "Did they really say you guys could adopt me?"
"Yes they did. Like I said before, Scooter and Wheels are arguing over who has the honor right now."
"Really?"
"Uh huh. Eventually, they'll realize it should be you who makes the decision."
"They're arguing over me?"
Logan laughed. "No matter how many times you ask, darlin', it will still be a yes."
She smiled through her tears. "What did ya do ta mah parents?"
"Nothin', unfortunately. And it wasn't just me, it was all the X-Geeks. Wheels wouldn't let us do anything but talk. Surprisingly, he participated. Though, I suppose five very mad X-Geeks and Nire are pretty damn intimidating."
"All of them?"
"Of course. You're either their friend of their prodigal daughter, darlin'." He gently smoothed the tears off her face with his leather-gloved hands. "I got you somethin' for graduation, darlin'. It's down in my room, somewhere." What better than a present to take her mind off what had just happened?
Marie trailed after him. She hadn't expected to get anything more than maybe a hug from her friends. Logan searched through his drawers for a bit, before finally pulling out a wrapped box. It was definitely clothes, but it was bigger than a normal clothing box.
"Congratulations," he said gruffly, trying to make it seem as if he really didn't care.
She sat down on his bed, carefully unwrapping it. Logan fidgeted a little, watching her. He muttered something about 'women' and 'saving wrapping paper'. She smiled a little, and started going a little slower - until her own impatience got the best of her. She slid the box out and took off the top. The scent of new leather hit her nose, and she pulled out a beautiful leather motorcycle jacket from the encasing tissue paper. She stared at it for a moment with shining eyes before taking it - almost reverently - from the box and trying it on. It was the perfect size.
Logan could tell by looking at her that she loved it. The way she flew into his arms and gave him a bone-cracking hug erased any doubts he might have had.
"Glad you like it kid," he said, still trying to sound gruff. But it was kind of hard when she was in his arms, and he could really smell the vanilla shampoo she used. She always smelled like vanilla.
Before Marie realized what she was doing, she brushed a feather-light kiss across Logan's rough cheek, pulling back before her power could catch hold. When she realized what she had done - less than half a second later - she drew back even more.
"Sorry," she muttered, staring at the floor and blushing.
Logan tipped her chin up with gloved fingers until she was looking at him. She saw that he was smiling - not a smirk, not a grin, not even a Logan-smile, but an actual smile - and that made her feel a lot better.
"You worry too much, darlin'." Damn, she was sexy when she blushed. He wanted her right now in every way possible. God damnit, she's just a kid. Don't think about her like that. He congratulated himself that she was so comfortable with him that she could let go like that. He couldn't picture her kissing anybody else at the mansion like that, and he wasn't sure he wanted her to. Hell, he knew he didn't. That feather-light brush of her lips had sent fires racing through his body-
He had to stop thinking like that. He was just going to end up hurting Mrie if he followed up on any of those thoughts. But the way she was looking at him - with those sorrowful eyes happy for once - he had to get out of this room before he lost control.
"You goin' to the graduation party, kid?"
"Yeah, Ah guess so. After Ah change."
"See ya down there, then, kid."
Marie watched him go. She could not believe she had done that. She just hadn't been thinking… Only Logan wouldn't have flipped out, would act like it was nothing, then tell her she was being an idiot because she was worried about hurting him. Anyone else would have flinched away, pulled away faster than the eyes could see.
When she got down to the party, she immediately sought out Logan. Of course, he was back against the wall, staying away from everybody. That was the perfect place for her. Of course, before she could get there, Jubilee and Kitty caught her.
"Come on! Come dance! Where ya been?" They dragged her out to the center of the floor. She stayed out there until the first slow song came on. Then, she worked her way through the swaying bodies to the refreshment table. The Professor was there, serving the snacks and drinks. She took a soda, and smiled her thanks.
Are you okay, Rogue? he asked telepathically, ensuring some privacy amongst the throngs of teenagers.
Yeah. Ah realized that you guys are mah family, and all the family Ah need. She paused. Did they really say ya could adopt me?
Yes, they did, dear. Of course, the final decision is yours. Yes, that was an interesting arguent. No, don't try to make a decision now.
Damn telepaths, Marie thought to herself. Always know what you're thinking before you think it.
The Professor laughed. "That's right, Rogue."
The slow song ended, and Kitty and Jubilee retrieved Rogue and forced her onto the dance floor again. Logan came and grabbed some punch. Marie had been heading over to him, he had been sure, when her friends kidnapped her. The only reason he was here was so he could hang out with Marie. He was becoming as much of a codependent pansy as Scooter!
The Professor laughed again. Almost nothing was funnier than listening to loud thoughts from Logan and Rogue.
"Stay outta my head, Wheels," Logan growled and stalked away.
Rogue finally escaped from her friends the next slow song. She immediately went and found Logan - they would leave her alone for a little longer if she was with him, and she was out of the crowd of people. Close crowds like this still made her nervous, even though she had on a covering dress and long opera gloves.
Logan could smell her nervousness fading as she came towards him. He hadn't realized how tense she was until he saw her relax visibly as she got further into the shadows. When she got beside him, she didn't slouch against the wall like he was, but definitely relaxed to that point.
"Havin' fun, kid?"
She smiled sweetly at him. "Of course. Ah'm hidin' from Jubes an' Kitty right now, so Ah can take a break."
"Don't lead them to me!" he said, only half-joking.
Marie laughed a little, knowing that. She watched Bobby and Kitty slow dancing, and Jubilee and St. John on the other side of the room. Bobby and Kitty had pretty much become an item after the prom. Marie watched all the couples on the floor with a hint of longing in her eyes. She wished she could be out there, but knew that wasn't likely to happen for two reasons - number one, Bobby was the only one who would ever ask, and now he was with Kitty; number two, it really made her worry to be that close to another person. It was too easy for accidents to happen.
Logan noticed the shadowed look in Marie's eyes. He went through his mental list of causes, trying to figure out if it was something he could fix. Whenever she got that look, he knew he would go to the moon and back to make her smile. Even if she made him think poetic like a pansy. So what was going on now…slow dance…lost of people close together…the two of them about the only people not dancing…not to hard to figure out why the sudden mood swing.
Of course, as soon as he realized this, the song ended. Oh well. Marie noticed Jubilee and Kitty looking for her. She shrank against Logan a little bit, almost unconsciously. They knew exactly where she was, however, and made a beeline for where she was standing with Logan. Kitty, Bobby, and St. John managed to get her away before Logan could protest. That left him alone - with Jubilee.
She stood before him in her yellow dress with her hands on her hips.
"You ever gonna ask her to dance?" Logan blinked and Jubilee sighed. "You gotta ask her to dance. It's not fair she doesn't get at least one slow dance at her graduation party. Nobody else'll ask 'cept for Bobby, and she'll just say no to him. And I think you and her are the only two who don't know that you like her. A lot. So you gotta ask her to dance."
Logan sighed. "Go away, Jubilee." She was crazy, obviously. He didn't feel up to dealing with her.
"Fine, but you gotta ask her." She bounced away, leaving a very relieved Logan behind. He definitely was not that transparent. Jubilee was nuts, making things up.
Rogue was back soon. Apparently, her friends had let her go.
"You just gonna stand here through every song?" he asked when the next slow dance came on. She hadn't moved from her spot next to him, enjoying being able to watch the people without them coming near.
When he said that, a hurt look flashed across her face. "No," she said as she started to walk away.
"Wait, kid," he grabbed her arm. "I didn't mean it like that. But you just graduated. Shouldn't you be out there with your friends, having fun, instead of hanging in a shadowy corner with an old grouch like me?"
"Ah like it over here. Ah've been here for three years, an' crowds like this still make me nervous. But Ah feel safe with you."
Logan saw Jubilee look meaningfully at him. He couldn't believe he was actually going to listen to the annoying Asian chick and do this. "D'you wanna dance?"
She stared at him with wide eyes. "With you?"
"Sure, why not? It's your graduation."
She knew he was only doing it out of friendship…but she would get to dance with him again, and pretend they were together. "Okay."
Logan put his arms around her waist as she hesitantly put hers around his neck. She was still afraid of hurting him - he could smell that fear. They swayed in time with the music. Logan had to concentrate on not letting his hands wander, playing the part of a good friend. But he did not ever want to let her go. This situation was spinning out of control. He did not know how long he could control himself without doing…something.