A/N: Lonewolf, 'Honestly OK' was also the song that made me think of Rogue, but for the purpose of this story, 'Slide' fits in so much better, as you will see in the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews, all of you, and do continue. They are my staple food (next to coffee...) :) A/N: My, My, thanks to whomever it was that warned me I was spelling her name wrong. I honestly thought it was Rouge, and not Rogue. Silly me. But, it is corrected now.

Chapter 3 - Old Faces, New Triggers

Logan stopped, unsure of what to do. He was very well aware that young girl he held in his arms had certain feelings for Scott Summers. Everyone knew it. It was quite obvious to many, and to those who had better things to do, it was promptly reported, in the form of 'wild fire spreading' gossip. Now Rogue's secret crush was no longer secret for anyone but her. She still lived in conviction that building a wall of ice around her prevented anyone from seeing further than her deadly skin. Or, at least, right now, Logan dearly hoped she did.

Suddenly, he was aware that Rogue has seen the unaware couple, because the arm she held around his neck became rigid and the gloved fingers thrust themselves into his flesh, making it painfully obvious to Logan that if he didn't do something soon, he would have to deal with a lot more than pain in his shoulder. She started to shiver nervously, an unconscious gesture of a wounded animal. Logan was just about to turn around, hoping that their intrusion upon Scott and Jean would remain unknown, when Rogue threw both arms around his neck, and hiding her face in the crook of his shoulder, whispered in a weak voice, which trembled with lousily concealed tension, "Ah can't do this, Logan. Ah feel Ah'll go mad..."

The voice, however weak and muffled, carried itself down the dark hallway and strangely echoed in the night. Scott snapped away, peering into the gloom, while in the same time stepping forward and putting an arm in front of Jean, preventing her attempts to investigate further.

"Who's there? Wolverine?!" Scott asked in a firm tone, slightly raising his hand towards his glasses. Jean stood back, her form melting with the shadows of the curtains, however tall and erect she stood.

Feeling Rogue's warm breath and her face pressed against the fabric of his T-shirt, and convinced by the stillness and rigidness of her body that she had no intention of facing either of the two, he answered quietly, "Yeah, Scott, it's me... but that's no reason you should have to wake half the mansion." Scott failed to notice the note of sarcasm in Logan's voice, focused as he was on the shape in his arms.

"Who's...?" Scott's question remained unfinished, as Jean's voice floated from the shadows, quiet and unobtrusive, yet surprisingly commanding, "Hurry Logan, she is not feeling well... Scott, don't just stand there, move aside. I'll go wake up the Professor and Hank."

Both men were equally astonished by Jean, yet both of them observed her words immediately, Scott out of sheer surprise on seeing whose body it was that Logan carried so gently and protectively, and Logan on realizing that Rogue started to shake like a leaf on water, her body going through heavy convulsions, and while her face was still hidden, he heard quiet, but anguished cries. In an instant, he realized. There was more to it than her pain on seeing Jean and Scott. Rogue was phasing again.