Rogue woke up slowly as the sunlight drifted in the window. Sleepily, she lifted her head slightly to look at the clock beside the bed. One o' clock. Rogue's eyes shot open. Frantically, she sat up and realized she was naked from the waist up. In her haste to get out of bed, her legs tangled in the blankets and she fell off the bed with a thud. Scrambling to get her shirt on, she quickly dressed and ran to her room. Jumping into the shower, she washed as fast as she could and dried herself as she ran into her room. Dressing in record time, she dashed down the stairs. As she ran into the kitchen, Mystique spoke calmly.
"Mr. Jackman is waiting for you in the lounge, whenever you're ready, Daughter."
Rogue closed her eyes in defeat and waited for the lecture she was sure would come. When Mystique remained silent, Rogue opened her eyes. Her mother was reading the paper, Rogue and her tardiness seemingly forgotten. Surprised, Rogue quickly grabbed an orange and hurried to the lounge, not wanting to push her luck.
Wolverine was sitting on the couch, watching television. He looked up at her as she skidded into the room.
"Wolverine, Ah'm so sorry. Ah've never slept this late Ah swear. Ah must have fallen asleep in your room, and without mah alarm—" or my shirt. Suddenly Rogue remembered why she hadn't been in her own room. Thoughts of Wolverine's massage replayed in her mind and her face flushed in belated self-consciousness.
Wolverine looked at her with amusement as her face colored, but mercifully, he didn't say anything about it.
"Why don't we go get something decent to eat?" he suggested, eyeing the orange in her hand.
"Sounds good," she agreed quickly.
Leading the way, Wolverine walked outside to his bike.
"You're not afraid of riding motorcycles are you?" he asked as he climbed on.
"Ah'm not even gonna grace that question with an answer," Rogue responded, swinging one leg over and sitting behind him.
Wolverine grinned. Starting the bike, he revved the engine and they were off. Rogue felt her spirits rise as the wind whipped through her hair, blowing it off her shoulders. She'd forgotten how freeing motorcycles could be. It was a fairly long drive to get to a good restaurant, since the Brotherhood's headquarters were located strategically to keep people from wandering by, but to Rogue it seemed like minutes until they finally arrived at their destination.
When they went in they were seated almost immediately since they had made it after the lunch hour and before the dinner rush.
"Looks like your laziness paid off," Wolverine commented.
Rogue glared at him. "Ah said Ah was sorry so either get over it or take me home. If Ah wanted to be insulted Ah would hang out with Avalanche and Toad."
Wolverine held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."
Rogue still looked offended, but she let it go. Wolverine sighed. Things weren't going like he planned.
"Okay, listen, I didn't ask you to come to lunch to argue. I just thought we oughta get to know one another before we continue to work together."
"That's bullshit. We've already worked together once without a problem, why do you all of a sudden feel like 'getting to know one another'?"
Wolverine looked at her for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "Fair enough. I noticed Mystique's been working you real hard. Even when you're not carrying out orders, you never relax."
"Why should Ah waste mah time? Mama prefers Ah keep mahself busy—"
"I don't want you falling asleep while you're supposed to be watching my back."
"Oh don't worry about me, Wolverine, Ah'll have plenty of energy—"
"How?" Wolverine interrupted in frustration. "You gonna absorb it from someone else?"
Rogue's mouth snapped shut. For a few moments, she contemplated Wolverine in silence. It was a rare occasion that Mystique required outside help for a job, and even rarer when that person took an interest in how Mystique ran things. Why is it that all of a sudden, Wolverine seemed to take personal interest in how she did her job?
Finally, she spoke. "What do you want from me?" she asked quietly.
"I want you to loosen up. You already understand what we're going to be doing, right?"
"Of course," Rogue acknowledged.
Wolverine nodded. "Good. Then we're going to relax and get to know one another. We'll compare notes on what we're gonna be doing and plan on doing it—what's today? Tuesday?--we'll plan on doing it Thursday night. Until then, we rest, we relax."
Rogue stared at him. Seeing he was serious, she finally sighed. "All right."
"Good."
Just then their food arrived. For awhile they both just ate, each of them chewing thoughtfully on their steaks.
"So tell me something about yourself," Wolverine said.
Rogue fought down the urge to ask him why he cared and thought for a moment. "Well, Ah discovered mah powers when Ah was five. Mah 'boyfriend,' Cody, kissed me."
"What happened to him?"
"He went into a coma for three days," Rogue said softly.
Wolverine put down his silverware and reached over to lay his hand on hers. "I'm sorry."
"So was Ah."
Wolverine considered that a moment. "Does your power always last that long?"
"No," she said exhaling. "On humans it seems to last a little longer. Anywhere from a couple hours to . . . you know. Anyway, Ah have a little more control now. Usually the mutant is out for less than an hour if Ah hold on just enough to take their power. If Ah want them out for longer Ah just hold onto them longer."
"I take it Mystique gave you training on that?"
"Yeah."
"How long have you been with her?"
"After what happened with Cody, Ah ran away from home. The whole town hated me. That's when Mystique found me. She's been mah mama ever since."
"Hell of a family." Rogue didn't bother asking if he was talking about the terrorist Mystique or her family who had rejected her. It didn't matter.
"I didn't mean to pry into something so personal."
"S'okay. Ah volunteered it," Rogue replied, brushing him off.
"Is there anything you want to know about me? I owe you something personal."
Rogue smiled wryly. "You have a short memory."
Wolverine looked confused, so she explained. "The other day when Ah, um . . ." she trailed off.
Quirking an eyebrow, Wolverine prompted her. "When you kissed me . . .?"
"Yeah, when Ah kissed you. Ah absorbed you, memories and all. If anything, Ah seem to owe you something personal."
Wolverine frowned. He'd never thought about that. They both continued eating in silence.
When they got back to the mansion, Rogue tried to head out to the training field, but Wolverine stopped her.
"Uh uh. We're relaxing." Leading her into the rec room, he turned on the television.
"You can't be serious. What on earth is watching television gonna accomplish?"
"We are going to relax and make small talk," Wolverine insisted.
Rogue opened her mouth and closed it again. Mystique had agreed to let him prepare her for this mission and since she had nothing else in particular to do, she may as well humor him.
Three hours later (7: 00 p.m.)
Rogue sighed to herself. Wolverine was the strangest employee Mystique had ever hired. All of the memories Rogue had taken from Wolverine seemed to tell her he was an all business type of guy, gruff even. Yet here he was, on a mission to make her relax. Either she was worse off than she thought, or he was a complete lunatic. They had watched television for two whole hours before she'd convinced him to let her train outside. He'd granted her an hour and now she was ready to change.
They both walked upstairs, and when Rogue turned to go to her own room, Wolverine followed her.
"Hey!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Wolverine asked innocently.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Into your room," he explained.
"Any particular reason you think Ah'm gonna let you into mah room?" Rogue asked suspiciously.
"We're not done yet. Anyway, you said so yourself earlier, you owe me something personal."
Dubiously, Rogue let him follow her into her room.
"Is it all right if Ah get a quick shower first?" she asked sarcastically.
"Sure, go ahead. Give me more time to look around," he smirked.
Rogue rolled her eyes. Walking over to her drawer she reached in and pulled out a clean bodysuit. Aware of Wolverine's gaze following her movements, she hurried into her bathroom.
Wolverine smiled to himself as he heard the door lock behind her. A few seconds later the shower came on. He sighed and sat down on the bed. Looking around the room, he tried to get a feel for what Rogue was really like. Her bed had plain black sheets with a matching black comforter, not much information there. A desk and chair stood against the wall by the bed, nothing on it of interest. Her dressers had a few books on them, placed neatly between two bookends. Wolverine got up and went over to examine the titles more closely. Just as he suspected, they were mostly nonfiction.
"Gun manuals," he muttered despairingly. "And I thought I lived for my work." He looked around a little more, but there wasn't much to see. Her bedroom was almost Spartan in its simplicity. Soon he heard the shower turn off. After a few minutes the door opened and Rogue stepped out.
"All right," she said toweling her hair. "Let's get whatever this is over with so you can get out of mah room."
"Okay, first sit on the floor with your legs crossed like so." He sat down on the floor and demonstrated. Rogue mimicked his position. "Good. Now rest the backs of your hands on your knees, like so."
"Like so," Rogue echoed, following his example.
Wolverine shot her an irritated look. "Now close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and let your muscles relax."
As Rogue followed his instructions, they both fell silent. For awhile the only sound in the room was their steady breathing.
Finally, Wolverine opened his eyes. Keeping calm and still he looked at Rogue. "Do you know why we're doing this?"
"Because you still think I need more rest and you're trying to put me to sleep again?"
Wolverine rolled his eyes.
"It's meditation. It helps you to center your energies so that you can channel them. Think of it as being more efficient with your efforts." Rogue smirked, but kept her eyes closed.
"Ah train all the time, how do you suggest Ah channel mah energies?"
"How about into observation?" he suggested.
"Observation?"
"Yeah, when you're calm you notice all sorts of things," he insisted.
"Such as . . . ?"
"Such as, you didn't want to get a pair of underwear out of your drawer while I was watching, so you went without."
Rogue's eyes shot open. Wolverine chuckled, still holding his position.
"Sorry. Couldn't resist."
"Try."
"Okay, okay," he conceded. "Just look at it this way, meditation helps you to get in touch with yourself."
"So this is a lesson in 'know thyself.'"
"Exactly," he agreed. "So tell me what you know about yourself."
"Like what?"
"Just look around your room. You can tell a lot of things about a person by looking at their room. Look at your room and tell me how it reflects on you."
Rogue took a deep breath and looked around her room.
"Ah like order."
"Why?"
She thought about it. "Ah've absorbed a lot of people," she started slowly. "Mah head feels crowded sometimes, and there's nothin' Ah can do about it. Keeping mah room in order gives me a sense of control."
"Good," Wolverine nodded. "What else?"
Rogue took a few more deep breaths. She was used to seeing people's most private thoughts, but putting her own mind out for someone else to see was turning out to be harder than she'd thought. Her eyes fell on her books. Some of the few personal belongings she had.
"Mah books are all about the job. Reading is just another form of training."
That last sentence was tinged with hesitation. Wolverine looked at her closely. "There's something you're keeping back."
Rogue looked down for a long time before getting up out of her position. Walking over to her bed, she reached under the mattress and pulled out another book. This one was smaller and a paperback. It's cover was faded and you could tell it had been read over and over. She walked back over. Fighting her instinct to keep it to herself, she let him read the cover.
"A romance novel?" Wolverine looked up at her as she clutched it back to her chest. "Why do you keep it hidden?"
"Why not? Mah skin keeps me from expressing any romantic inclinations Ah feel. If Ah hide mah emotions, why not hide evidence that Ah have them to begin with?"
Her voice sounded matter of fact, but there was a deep underlying sadness to her words. Looking into her eyes, Wolverine saw someone too old for her body. The pain he saw in their depths reminded him of himself, when he'd gone to Japan seeking the peace he couldn't find in himself. Shaking his head, he stood up.
"Why don't you practice meditating for awhile? We'll pick up again tomorrow."
Rogue nodded and went to replace her precious book under her mattress. Before he left the room, Wolverine stopped in the doorway.
"Rogue?"
"Yeah?" She turned to look at him.
"I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to talk to me."
Rogue smiled. "Yeah, well, after that kiss, Ah feel like Ah've known you your whole life."
Wolverine nodded. When he'd gone, Rogue resumed her meditative position and closed her eyes. For what seemed like hours she sat there, just breathing and reflecting. At one time a tear made its way down her cheek.
Finally, she opened her eyes. Feeling more at peace with herself than she had in a long time, she stood up and crawled into bed. The room had gotten dark as she meditated and she'd never turned her lights on.
Just before she drifted off to sleep, Rogue made a decision. Getting out of bed, she fished her book out from under her mattress. Taking it over to her dresser, she slipped it between her bookends. It seemed out of place among the grim nonfiction, but the soft pink and rolling cursive title somehow made the harsher texts seem less intimidating. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, Rogue went back to bed.
The next day Wolverine called to say he wouldn't be there until eight o' clock at night. At first, Rogue slipped back into her old habits, spending her time training and running around the track. She hadn't been at it long when it hit her that this was exactly what Wolverine had been trying to help her with. Making up her mind to continue with what Wolverine had taught her, she went up to her room and showered off before meditating for two hours. At the end of her meditation, Rogue found she was actually feeling so good that she decided to make another change.
Walking into the rec room, Rogue found Toad, Avalanche, and the Blob hanging out. Blob was parked on the sofa eating his usual tub of ice cream, Toad was using his tongue to knock bottles off the end of the bar, and Avalanche was practicing his billiard skills on the pool table. They all looked up when she came in the room.
"Hey guys," Rogue said cheerfully.
They all stared at her like she'd grown a third head. Undeterred, Rogue walked over to the pool table.
"Mind if Ah play?" she asked.
Avalanche seemed to be deciding if she was joking or not.
"Did Mystique send you down here to keep an eye on us?" he asked suspiciously.
"No," Rogue said reassuringly. "Ah just thought Ah'd hang out with ya'll a bit before Ah have ta go with Wolverine."
"Oh, so now she's calling in an outsider to train you," Toad said sarcastically. Hopping down from the bar he walked over until he was only inches away from Rogue. "Aren't we the important one?" he whispered.
"Look, Ah just thought—"
"Don't think," Toad snapped.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want Mystique's precious daughter to have to lower herself to consorting with the likes of us," Avalanche added.
Rogue's mouth hung open. Finally, she gave up and left the room. Going upstairs she went in to lie down on her bed.
She still hadn't moved when Wolverine arrived.
"Hey," he waved. "Your mom said I might find you up here. What are you doing just lying around? I figured I'd find you out on that damn training course again." He chuckled.
"You're the one that told me Ah need ta get more rest."
Wolverine frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Ah'm fine."
"Riiiight. And I teach Art." He walked in and sat on the edge of her bed. "What happened?"
Rogue sighed and told him about trying to hang out with the rest of the Brotherhood.
"They didn't even give me a chance," she finished. Sighing, she looked down at her lap. "Face it, Ah have no social skills."
Wolverine snorted. "I kinda figured that when you shot me with a plasma gun for callin' you 'kid.'" Rogue's face fell, and Wolverine rubbed a hand over his face. "Look, darlin', you can't ignore the fact that we don't exactly sell Amco products for a living. In our line of work social skills aren't exactly necessary for survival. Is it any wonder you're a social failure?"
Rogue's head snapped up and she stared at him. "Excuse me? I'm a social failure?" She stood up. "Maybe Ah just need a little help communicating. Hang on, Ah'm gonna get mah plasma gun. Don't move."
Just as she was about to storm out the door she heard Wolverine's voice. "Why do you suppose any time I give you shit, you threaten to shoot me, again, but when those assholes downstairs give you shit you run and hide in your room?"
Rogue froze outside the door before slowly turning to face him. For several minutes she just stood there and stared, the wheels in her mind spinning.
"Go ahead, you can say it," Wolverine said reassuringly. At her confused look he smiled and finished, "I'm a genius."
Rogue tried not to smile, but failed. Laughing, she shook her head and crossed her arms.
"Ah outta smack you."
"That's the spirit. Now get dressed, we're goin' out."
"Where are we going?"
"Got a fake ID?" Wolverine asked.
Rogue quirked an eyebrow. "Several. Why?"
"Bars usually require one." He started to leave the room to give her some privacy, but she followed behind him. "Where are you going?" he asked, stopping her.
"Apparently to a bar."
"Aren't you going to change first?" he asked.
"Change into what?" Rogue asked exasperated. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Wolverine looked down at her signature latex bodysuit. He looked up with a suggestive grin. "It's not that kind of club."
Rogue blushed furiously. "Well, what the hell do you want me to wear?" she sputtered.
"I don't know, something nice, but comfortable. You're the female here, what do females wear to bars?"
Rogue glared at him, a tinge of hurt in her eyes. "Females with poisonous skin wear bodysuits—everywhere."
Wolverine could have smacked himself. Avoiding looking into her eyes, he strode over to her closet, set into the far wall. Throwing open the door he reached in and grabbed a black shirt.
"You got a pair of blue jeans?" he asked as he thrust the shirt at her.
Rogue rolled her eyes and took the shirt. Grabbing a pair of jeans from her drawer she made her way toward the bathroom.
"Don't forget underwear," Wolverine called. He ducked as a brush flew out of the bathroom at his head. "Just trying to be helpful," he snickered.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rogue asked nervously. "There are a lot of people here." She tugged on the hem of her low cut black top. Wolverine considered pointing out that when she did that her breasts came dangerously close to falling out of her shirt, but decided against it since he hadn't checked her for weapons. Anyway, he reasoned, it wasn't his fault she was fidgety. Besides, he was enjoying the eye candy.
Taking Rogue's arm, he led her over to the bar, where they both grabbed a stool. The bartender came over and Wolverine ordered a Canadian Gold.
"What do you want?" he asked Rogue.
"Oh, Ah don't think Ah should drink. Mama would kill me, and who knows who Ah might kill."
Wolverine gave her a look. "I'll be right here with you, you'll be fine. Now what do you want?"
Rogue sighed. "Canadian Gold is fine."
The bartender didn't even ask for her ID. Rogue wisely suspected it was Wolverine's friendly demeanor. For awhile they just sat there sipping their beers.
"Well, what now?" Rogue asked finally.
"Now we play pool."
Rogue didn't bother inquiring as to the theraputic value of billiards. Instead, she shrugged and followed him over to a table. Soon they had a game going. Five games and a few beers later Wolverine looked up in pleasant surprise.
"Not bad, you won two. I guess you don't spend all your time trainin'."
Rogue smiled. "Actually, Ah'm usin' you."
"What do you mean?"
She tapped the side of her head. "Got ya up here, shugah. Memories, skills, and all. You sure do spend a lotta time in bars."
Wolverine frowned as they both put their cues back and went back to the bar to sit down. "You mean my memories are all just floatin' around your head?"
Rogue ordered another beer, before she turned to answer him. "Not exactly," she said. "Mama used to make me practice with mah powers all the time. Now when Ah absorb someone, Ah file their memories in mah mind. Ah kin access them whenever Ah want, but Ah don't just . . ." she waved a hand around in the air, trying to think of how to put it. "Ah don't just know them like Ah know mah own memories."
She looked at him and noticed a look of unease on his face. She couldn't blame him. It had to be weird knowing someone else could look through your personal private thoughts. She propped her elbow on the bar and rested her face in her hand.
"It's ok, Logan. Ah won't peek."
He smiled a little, and she turned to look out at the little dance floor. It wasn't very big but there were a decent number of people dancing. "Hungry Eyes" was playing. She closed her eyes and swayed a little to the music.
Wolverine watched her. "Why don't you go out there and dance?" he asked.
Rogue opened her eyes. "Too many people. If anyone asked me to dance, Ah'd be too worried they might try to touch me. It wouldn't even have to be a kiss. Cheek to cheek would do it."
Her voice sounded wistful and Wolverine knew it wasn't all from the alcohol. Gripping his beer a little tighter, he clenched his teeth and looked away. He was not going to dance. He'd picked out her clothes, he'd taken her out to lunch . . . he was not dancing. He wasn't paid to dance and if he was, fifty thousand wasn't going to do it. He glared down at his beer. Shit.
Sighing, he looked over at Rogue.
"Come on," he said. Taking her arm he led her out onto the dance floor. He put one arm around her waist and took her other gloved hand in his. Together they danced to the Eric Carmen song that had stolen so many hearts in the movie Dirty Dancing.
Rogue sighed in contentment. The look on her face almost made it worth being forced to dance. The song that was playing now was slow, and for a few minutes they just swayed back and forth to the music. Finally, Rogue laid her head on Wolverine's shoulder. Her hair protected him from her skin, and he could smell the shampoo she'd used earlier.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hmmm?" she murmured.
"You ready to get going?"
She took a deep breath and lifted her head off his shoulder.
"Yeah, sure."
As they walked off the dance floor, Wolverine put an arm around her waist to steady her. Together they left to go back to the Brotherhood's mansion.
"I just don't like it. I hired him for his reputation, not as a companion for my daughter." Mystique paced around the room. Mastermind watched her from her place on the bed.
"Raven, he may be a hired gun, but he's still a man. Believe me, Wolverine does have honor. I honestly believe he's trying to help Rogue."
"Rogue doesn't need his help, she has me," Mystique snapped. When Mastermind didn't say anything. Mystique sighed. "I'm sorry." She walked over and laid down on the bed. Mastermind opened her arms, and Mystique leaned into her embrace.
"Raven, Rogue is a woman, not a child. You helped her adjust to her powers and I have no doubt you saved her from insanity. Thanks to you, she isn't overwhelmed by the memories or powers of those she absorbs. That's an incredible achievement. But you must admit," she said gently. "You never tried to help her learn to control them totally. In essence, you've perpetuated her lack of control as a means of birth control."
Mystique leaned back farther and tilted her head back, looking into Mastermind's eyes.
"If you were anyone else, I would hate you for being so insightful."
Mastermind chuckled. "And if Rogue were anyone else, she may have another reason for not worrying about pregnancy."
A slow smile spread across Mystique's face. "And what might that reason be?"
In answer, Mastermind leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lover's lips.
Mystique started to respond, when suddenly there was a loud thud on the lower level. Both women sprang apart.
"What in the blue blazes was that?" Mystique said in irritation. She and Mastermind both jumped out of bed and made their way downstairs. The sight that greeted them enraged Mystique.
"Rogue!"
Wolverine groaned inwardly as Rogue's mother came down the stairs. Shit. He looked up at her from his place on the floor. He had been guiding Rogue through the living room towards the stairs, when she'd tripped over the footrest to a chair. With her balance gone, he'd moved to steady her and hit his shin on the same footrest. In a tangle of arms and legs they'd fallen to the floor. And just his luck that Mystique and Mastermind would still be awake. As his gaze met Mystique's angry yellow eyes, he heard Rogue speak up behind him.
"Mama, it's okay, Ah'm all right."
"You won't be for long," Mystique promised. She whirled on Wolverine. "What the hell do you think you're doing bringing my daughter back at this hour?" Beside them, Rogue started to stand up, lost her balance and fell back down. Mystique's eyes widened.
"Rogue, have you been drinking?"
"Oh, lord," Rogue moaned. "Mama just go back to bed."
Mastermind placed a placating hand on Mystique's arm. "Raven, maybe we should just let them handle this."
"Oh I think they've handled it enough. Wolverine, you will leave immediately. Tomorrow night you will accomplish what I've paid you for and then I never want to see you near my daughter again."
"Mama!"
Wolverine stood up slowly and fixed Mystique with an unwavering gaze. They stared at one another for several moments, neither one backing down. Finally, Wolverine turned and leaned down to pick Rogue up in his arms. He walked toward the stairs with her.
"Where do you—"
"Raven," Mastermind interrupted gently. "Let them go. We'll handle this in the morning."
Shaking with repressed anger and frustration, Mystique allowed Mastermind to guide them both back to their bedroom.
As Wolverine walked into her room, Rogue sighed and laid her head against his chest.
"That didn't go well. Ah knew Mama wouldn't like me drinking."
Wolverine laid her down carefully on her bed. After he covered her up, he pulled up the chair from her desk and sat down.
"You gonna be okay, Rogue?"
Rogue smiled up at him. "Ah'll be fine Logan. Ah kin handle Mama."
Wolverine looked startled.
"What did you call me?"
"Logan," Rogue murmured. Her eyes had drifted closed. "That's you name isn't it?" She opened one eye to peek up at him. "You still look surprised. How many times do Ah have to remind you, you're in mah head?"
"Sorry," Wolverine shook his head. "It just takes some getting used to."
"Tell me about it," she sighed again and snuggled under the blanket. Wolverine smiled and stood up.
"Good night Rogue," he said, replacing the chair and moving towards the door.
"Night, Logan."