The oh-so-important training we all had to be up for so bright and early in the morning was all Logan's idea. He thought the team needed more practice at fighting the Brotherhood without using our powers.

Not even once.

He said he wants us to work on our hand-to-hand combat survival skills. Rogue is sure he just wants to see our asses get kicked so he can have a few good laughs.

Logan laughing.

The thought of such a delightful but rare thing distracted her and a simulated "Mystique" knocked Rogue's head back with a right hook.

Dammit.

He was gonna give her hell for that.

Shaking off the effects of the blow, she got to her feet and went after the bitch. Punches are thrown, bruises acquired, Rogue thought she was winning, then she left her stomach unprotected. "Mystique" takes advantage and kicks her in the gut so hard she saw stars. Then the nasty shapeshifter delivered a blow to the head that leaves her seeing nothing as she blacked out.

~*~*~

Aww shit.

They're all standing over me, looking worried. Guess I was really knocked out there for a minute. Logan had even managed to make it down from the observation deck to be kneeling beside me before I woke up.

With a groan, she closed her eyes again.

I do not want to be lectured right now.

"Rogue, wake up." She groans again as he gives that command while jerking her shoulder.

She let her killing glare say it all as she opens an eye to look at him.

He chuckled at that.

Bastard.

My killing, drop dead glare made him laugh.

It also had the effect he had intended which was her opening both eyes to glare at him.

"Good girl. Now, how you feel?" He asks running his hands briefly over her body looking for broken bones.

He should know that she'd only hit her stubbornly hard head, but Rogue couldn't blame him for being cautious. Plus, she was not some kind of idiot who would object to anything that got Logan's hands on her body.

She was tempted to just give him her "Duh, how you think I feel" look to answer his question, but the others are around so it won't be any fun baiting him.

Instead, she answers, "Sore."

Apparently, he has no problems with picking on her in the presence of the team because he give Rogue this "Well, duh, anyone would feel sore" look that makes her feel stupid for her brief answer and wish she'd just given him the glare.

Sighing, she pushes herself into a sitting position that makes her body tense painfully in protest.

"I'm ok, you don't have to treat me like some baby."

"Yeah, you look swell, Stripes. Let's see you stand up?"

Why can't hate or resentment or defiance be the only emotions this man stirs in her?

Knowing she shouldn't, she went to stand up and meet his challenge.

He's right again, she conceded a second later as she fall weakly into his waiting arms closing her eyes and waiting for the world to stop spinning.

Fortunately there's no "I told you so" at her collapse, probably because she wasn't alert enough to get riled at the words. He just maneuvers himself to his feet with her in his arms, tells the other the exercise is over, and starts on taking her to the medlab.

Lord, why'd you have to make this man smell so good?

And his strong arms and chest feel even better?

Rogue may have been woozy from the blow to her head, but nothing ever seemed to stop her from being effected by Logan's pure animal magnetism.

She was snuggling into his arms, nose burying itself into the rippling muscles of his chest barely covered by the black cotton of a t-shirt and starting to relive her dream from before waking that morning, when Logan carried had carried her in a completely different way to a very different destination, when a gasp from behind the stopped her dead in her mental tracks.

A very loud, very shocked gasp from Jean.

The sudden noise drew Logan's attention as well and he turned back to ask the girl what was wrong.

Facing Jean now, Rogue could see her clearly and she was looking at Rogue and the sickening suspicion beginning to form in her mind was confirmed.

She'd seen something.

Jean had entered her scrambled lil mind and seen that yummy fantasy she'd been about to have about Logan.

How dare she?!

Guess she read that thought to, judging by the way her eyes just about jumped out of their sockets and her mouth nearly opened to defend herself.

God, kill her or me and do it now, Rogue prayed in that instant.

"Jean is something wrong?" Logan was asking again.

"No, nothing's wrong." She finally answers.

He arches a brow that says he knows "nothing" would cause the girl to gasp in such a startled manner. Even though it irritated her like crazy when he turned that look on Rogue, she still thought it was sexy as hell.

Jean, knowing she needed to explain herself better stammered, "I..I just remembered I have Trig homework due tomorrow that I haven't finished yet."

Nodding, he accepted that answer and quickly carried Rogue from the room over to the medlab.

Jean's shocked expression when she'd first turned to look at her face stayed with Rogue. The whole time Hank was checking her over for any serious injuries, she was imagining all kinds of horrible scenarios where Jean told everyone what she'd seen and Rogue again became an outcast here.

What exactly had she seen? Rogue wondered.