Logan pulled up to the school in his big black truck that had a trailer with Scott's bike in the back.  He walked up to the school and knocked on the door, Jean answered.

  "Logan, you're back. What a nice surprise." She said giving him a quick hug and stepping back to let him in. They walked into the living room where Scott, Ororo, and a big blue guy sat talking. They stopped at their entrance; Logan was greeted warmly and was introduced to Dr. Henry McCoy.

"So Logan did you find anything?" Ororo asked.

"Naw, when I finally found the place there was nothing left. I spent some time following some leads but they all came to a dead end."

"That's too bad Logan, the Professor will want to see you." Jean began

"Before that I want to say Hi to Marie." He said

"She is in the Med Lab, Hank and I were about to go there. We will show you the way." Ororo said standing up. Logan left his bag in the foyer and followed.

"The kid isn't hurt is she?" He asked worriedly

"No, she is counseling a child, the kid, as you like to call her, has grown up a lot since you left. She is working on a Master's Degree." She stopped and pressed her hand to the silver plate by the door.

"You're kidding me right?"

"No we are quite proud of her. She is in there, if you need anything we shall be across the hall." She said leaving him alone.

            He entered the dimly lit room, at the end he could see a girl lying in the bed and Marie sitting next to her, she was breathing evenly, she appeared to be asleep. He walked up and took the opportunity to thoroughly inspect her.  She was sitting straight up holding the girls hand, well, one question is answered, and she has control of her powers. He tried to keep too many dirty thoughts from entering his mind. His eyes moved up her legs, long and shapely in denim. Her stomach flat and smooth under her half zipped sweatshirt. Cleavage rose temptingly over a scooped necked white shirt, her neck and upper chest, and face glowed a golden hue but was still pale.  Her hair was thick and long and twisted up on the back of her head, platinum tendrils brushing her high cheekbones. Sooty black lashes rested on her cheeks and her eyes where moving under her lids, she must be dreaming. Her full lips started to move.

"Alice?"

Alice? Why was she dreaming about an Alice?

"What am I doing wrong?" Her smooth brow creased as she drew her eyebrows together as if in deep thought. "Red Queen? The sweatshirt." She breathed. Still keeping one hand on the girls and with the other she unzipped her sweatshirt. Then she drew one arm out at a time making sure a hand was always on the girls. "Please, I don't have a key, I have to talk to her."

She started to twitch, then her breathing grew rapid, then she let out a whoosh of air and it looked like she was fighting to catch her breath. I couldn't take it anyone I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. She woke up with a jerk, eyes wide with fear. She pushed me away and stumbled backwards, over the chair, when she stood she took a few steps then collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Help! Somebody help me!" I picked her up and put her on a bed close by. Blood was pouring from a gash on her neck and down over her shirt. The red stood out brightly against the white and I was almost sick. Had she cut herself in the fall? Jean and Hank entered and began taking her vitals.

"Turn her on her side quick!" Jean said trying to examine her wound, "Jugular is still barely intact, thank God." She fought to stop the bleeding.

"Logan what happened?" Hank asked lifting up each eyelid and shining a light into them.

"I don't know, I mean I came in and it looked like she was sleeping, but then she started to twitch and it looked like she was struggling for breath. I woke her up, she pushed me away took a few steps and hit the floor."

"She was just sleeping?"

"Yeah she was sitting next to that girl over there, sleeping." I explained. Jean and Hank exchanged worried looks. "What?"

"You don't think…" Hank began

"Yeah, I do." Jean said, "Logan was Rogue touching the girl?"

"She was holding her hand what fucking difference does it make?"

"Logan we were just curious," Jean lied, "Marie's mutation is still some cause for concern. Don't worry she will be fine, she probably had a nightmare, stood up too quickly and fell. As for the cut it's tiny and needs only about ten stitches." She took me by the arm and led me to the door. "The Professor wants to see you," She said and opened the door.

"Logan, I have to give Rogue a blood transfusion and close the wound. The Professor is outside and will answer all of your questions okay?" Sure enough Wheels was outside.

"Get me the minute she wakes up." I said, and then followed Charles to the conference room down the hall.

            I sat down in a chair across from where the Professor had wheeled himself. God that was terrifying, I rubbed a hand across my face and great fully accepted the cup of coffee Ororo offered, welcoming the bitter burn in my mouth.

"Well that was a fine welcome if I do say so myself." Ro said smiling as she sipped her tea.

"Tell me about it, a lot has changed," I said.

"That happens after all, you couldn't expect things to be the same after five years." The Professor said warmly. "I will fill you in all the necessary details after you tell me about what you've been doing all this time."

"I followed all the leads you gave me they didn't turn up much, I went up near Alaska on one lead. That too was a dead end, then I just drifted from town to town listen for leads and cage fighting."

"I'm sorry to hear that Logan, I got the names of several of the doctor, but they are all dead and have no surviving family. You want to now what Rogue has been up to?"

"Yeah, I just want to know if you guys have been treating her right." I said, not wanting to sound too interested.

"Well about a month after you left she began to come to sessions with me to help her gain control of her gifts, we were quite successful she has a whole range of control. But one side effect is that she went so long without human contact she became what is known as an Empathic. Meaning she can sense what emotions people are experiencing, sometimes she can pick up pictures that are flashing through their heads. When she touches a person she can pick out certain memories, and information a person has. She can enter their minds and she can even bring somebody else into hers."

"And she has control over all of this?" I asked in disbelief it sounded like a lot to deal with.

"Well, yes and no. She is able to have contact with a human being, but reframes from doing so. While she doesn't suck the life out of people, she can't control her powers enough, so she almost always gets the other person's emotions and mental pictures. Rogue thinks that's its evasion of privacy. But, with in the year we expect her to have absolute and complete control"

"Aren't you forgetting something Charles?" Ro asked

"No Ororo I don't think I am." He said giving her a meaningful look and I was sure he said something telepathically

"Oh don't be silly, Logan won't mind." She said

"What won't I mind?" I asked a little suspicious

"That,"

"Ro I really think that," Chuck tried to intterupt, with no avail.

"Rogue is a vital and accomplished member of the X-Men."

"She's What!?" I exploded. "Jesus, I leave her in your care and this is what you do? Turn her into an X-man? How could you put her in such danger?"

"What did I tell you?" Charles said to Ro

"Logan one thing you have to realize is that Rogue is not a child anymore, she wanted to become an X-man, she wanted to go through all the training and pushed herself to be one of the strongest members of the team. She's a 24 year-old woman Logan." Ororo said soothingly as if she were talking to a child.
"Don't worry Ororo, he'll have plenty of time to talk with Rogue about this, she's awake."