A/N: This is a short, angsty/dramatic chapter that I felt should be included before I get back to the silliness of the story when they return to the mansion. Rogue's POV is based on the song "The One" by Blu Cantrell and "Sometimes" by Clay Davidson inspired me to write Logan's words and actions. The lyrics for both songs can be found at the end of this installment.

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The One

The following morning, it was a somber Rogue that lay in another bubble bath drawn by Logan.

Unlike yesterday's bath, she was completely alone for this one while he got everything ready for their departure. Knowing that at that very moment he was washing the bed linens and cleaning the place up so that there was no sign they'd ever been there made her depressed. Without the crumpled sheets with two little drops of blood from her lost virginity on the bed it was just too easy to imagine that their incredible weekend hadn't happened.

That wasn't completely true, she conceded.

Logan might be able to forget the weekend by cleaning the place up if he chose to, but Rogue had mementos.

He'd left marks of possession all over her body and many more on her mind and soul.

Her lips were red and swollen from all the kisses they'd exchange.

Hickeys and lovebites decorated her neck and shoulders.

His fingers had left light bruises on her hips, waist and arms during moments of extreme pleasure when he hadn't been able to hold back any longer.

In addition to those markings he'd left behind, she had a stiffness in all her overused and newly discovered muscles. When she'd tried to stand after getting out of bed to get into this bath, her legs had bowed and shook beneath her from the workout they'd gotten.

With her first real smile of the day, she slid a hand down over her abdomen to the apex of her thighs where she swore she could feel his presence as strongly as she had during the night.

Nothing could top this weekend in her memories and part of her was afraid it would never happen again.

Yes, Logan had said he loved her, but did he mean it?

He was a surprisingly chivalrous gentleman, he may have only said it to ease his guilt at being given and accepting her chastity.

God she couldn't live with it if he felt guilty, Rogue thought worriedly.

His every action these past few days and many of them before they'd known this passion between them was mutual indicated that he was the one for her.

A lot of people would be surprised to know that goth and rock wasn't the only music she listened to.

She was also familiar with most all the other genres, though, and there was a song by Blu Cantrell that she knew. It was called "The One" and she couldn't hear it without thinking of Logan as her one.

The songs' lyrics had gripped her the second she first heard the song and they were so fitting.

He was now her lover as well as one of her best friends.

He'd been a guiding force in her life since the very second they'd first met. Even if it had been Mystique playing at being Wolverine in that first real moment, "he" had had a profound effect on her.

In all the chaos of her life, he'd been the one to hold her when she needed held.

But now she was left uncertain about how well he fit the best lines of the song.

Was she now and would she always be his baby?

Will he always be the one to wipe away her tears and kiss away her fears?

Would he always be there making everything all right?

Getting tearful at the haunting thoughts, she tried to shake them off and reassure herself that it was Logan she was thinking such things about and she being foolish to doubt he wouldn't be there for always.

What if he doesn't really love her, though, and all she was left with were nights even lonelier than the ones she'd known before sharing a bed with the man of her dreams?

That thought was too much and all the happiness she'd experienced that weekend vanished in a flood of self-doubting tears.

~*~*~

Even over the washer's rinse cycle Logan heard those tears begin and stiffened.

Clenching his hands into fists so tight his claws nearly shot out, he again cursed reality's intrusion on their weekend.

This was all too new for both of them and having to return to the mansion so soon was torture.

Praying to whatever God may listen that she wasn't regretting what they'd done, he stalked from the laundry room to stand unsurely outside the bathroom.

His heart clenched painfully at the sight of her huddled in the bathtub, her knees drawn up under her forehead and her arms wrapped tightly around them as she sobbed.

Rogue was the only woman he'd ever bothered to deal with when they cried and he had no idea how to ease her tears this time if he was the cause of them.

Suddenly she stiffened and raised her head with a few loud sniffles.

"Logan?" she whispered while turning to look at him in the doorway.

Tears were running down her cheeks from her glistening green eyes and he forgot any hesitations and simply responded to those tears as he did all her others.

He rushed to her and scooped her up in his arms.

Her arms were dripping with water and bubbles from the bath as she wrapped them tightly around his neck, but he didn't give a damn. She was holding him back and that gave him all the reassurances he needed.

Rocking her gently he kissed and wiped away her every tear until they stopped falling and she buried her face against his neck.

For a moment he allowed her to stay like that while he kept up the gentle rocking motion of his body, but he had to know the reason for her tears and slowly tilted her head back until their eyes were locked.

"Why the waterworks, darlin'?" he asked gruffly.

Smiling weakly at the typically Logan question, Rogue bit her lower lip nervously as the answer formed in her mind.

"Ah'm scared," she eventually whispered while trying to break eye contact.

Gripping her chin firmly, he refused to allow her to dodge his intense stare.

"Scared of what?"

"Everythang," her eyes filled again with tears and her lip quivered as her concerns began spilling out. "Do you really love me? What did this weekend really mean? What do we do next? Will we ever do this again? How long will this last? How will the team react to us being togethah? Are we really togethah? What do we do when Ah start school again? Wha -"

He cut off her flow of questions first with a gentle finger over her lips then his mouth pressing against them.

It only took her a second to respond to the kiss.

Moments later they pulled apart to gulp much needed air into their lungs after the deep, feverish embrace.

While she was still trying to regain her senses, he tucked her head into the crook of his neck and pressed his mouth against her hair.

"I don't give many speeches, so you better listen to this one good 'cause I won't repeat it," he began. "First, I have to say I don't know much about love, but everything I do know about it tells me that's exactly what I feel for you. I've loved you from the moment you placed your lil gloved hand in mine on the Blackbird the day you joined the team. I love you now and I'll love you till we're both dead and probably much longer than that. This weekend meant everything. It meant that we love each other enough to share every bit of ourselves without reservation. And it's just the beginning.

"After we leave here I'm not all that sure what we'll do, but you can be damned sure we'll be doing it together. Once ya start back to school we may not be able to slip away for another weekend like this, but I guarantee you we'll be doing everything we've done here at the mansion when we get back. I don't give a damn how the team reacts, but if the Prof. has a problem with us living together we'll get ourselves a place of our own. This is love, darlin', and it's gonna last us forever."

Tilting her head back to stare into his passionately sincere eyes, Rogue felt her heart stop beating for a moment before it took flight in her chest.

Laughing and crying in her delight, she covered his face with kisses while pushing him back to lie on the floor.

She'd known the song suited him.

He was the one.

For always.

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The OneLyrics courtesy of lyricsxp.com
Blu Cantrell
(So Blu)


I've been looking for a man
To stay here till the end
He will not just be my lover
He'll be my best friend
He will always be a
Guiding force in my life
Then he'll hold me tight

Bridge:
He will never leave me standing
In the pouring rain
He will never disrespect me
Call me out my name
He will never have me waiting
Till the morning comes
I will always be his baby
When it's said and done

'Cause he'll be the one
'Cause he'll be the one
'Cause he'll be the one
'Cause he'll be the one

He will always be the one
To wipe away my tears
He will always be the one
To kiss away my fears
He will always be there
Making everything all right
Be the one to always love me
No more lonely nights

Bridge

Sometimes – Lyrics courtesy of goodwinmusic.com

Clay Davidson

(Unconditional)

She got my full attention
With an out of nowhere question
I thought she knew the answer to
She felt the need to ask
Cause just last night she'd had
Some crazy dream about losin' me

She said do I still turn you on and fill your every need
I need to hear you say you still love me

CHORUS:
And I don't mean sometimes
Not almost always
Not a little or most times
All night and all day
Tell me I'm (Darlin' you're) in you (my) heart and on
your (my) mind
Baby and I don't mean sometimes

I told her darlin' shake me
Next time that you're awakened
By the thought that I could go
And I'll take you in my arms
Oh with all my heart
I'll make it clear that I ain't going nowhere

Yes you're all I want and all I'll ever need
I'm still hopelessly in love as I can be

She got my full attention
With an out of nowhere question
I thought she knew the answer to.