Shout Outs, Etc:
Thank y'all as usual for the great reviews and sticking with the story. Sorry it's taken a few days to get this chappie up, but I had a bit of a problem trying to decide exactly where I wanted to go from the last installment.
Selph, I have this horrible little habit of getting carried away as I write and often not knowing what will happen next myself, which led to the above mentioned block. For the most part, I have a vague idea how I want the last chapters to play out and it's just a matter of leading up to and developing them for uploading. :-)
WisAthena, I'm honored by your compliment and thank you for the review.
DeMoNic GigGleS, lol and thanks for pointing that out. It explains why my spellcheck always highlighted my use of the word. :-P My 'hick'ness is showing though, as I always overruled suggestions to change the term 'cause I say it like that all the time. I'll watch for it in future and obey mah software. :-) And your story idea, I don't support character death scenes, but if you'd like to write someone making and using a lil voodoo doll of Jean or maybe sneaking in her bedroom and cutting off some or all that long red hair or something torturous, humiliating and painful, but without permanent side effects, Let me know so I can read it! :-P I just cannot forgive the woman for attracting Wolverine in the comic series and choosing Scott, I mean … SCOTT?!?!?! … over mah man Logan. She's insane! Of course had she and Logan ended up together I'd probably hang myself.
There's more, but my writers block has broken to just overwhelm me with ideas, so I'm typing my fingers off to get them out and hopefully uploaded. :-)
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The Road Gets Bumpy
Rogue rolled over with a frown when she felt Logan leave the bed to go shower the next morning.
"Shuga?" she moaned sleepily with a loving smile as she watched his tight little backside flex with his steps.
Turning to see that he'd woken her, her love came back to the bed to lean over the edge and kiss her.
Sighing contentedly she slid a hand into his hair and tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back.
"Prof.'s callin' me, darlin'. I gotta go," he pulled away and stroked back her tangled hair. "It's early yet, so go back to sleep."
With a yawn, she rolled back over into the warm spot his body had left in the bed, wrapped her arms around his pillow and snuggled her head against it like she did his chest before going back to sleep.
Logan stood smiling down at her for a moment then went to take his shower and get dressed for his normal Monday morning meeting with the institute's other adults.
Unable to resist though, once dressed, he returned to her side and bent over the bed to brush her hair back and kiss her cheek.
"Love you, darlin'," he whispered as he straightened.
The little faker's eyes fluttered open to look up at him with a smile on her lips.
"Love you, too, shuga."
Growling playfully, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and started tickling her ribs.
"Stop, stop, UNCLE!" she shrieked between loud giggles and laughs.
"Maybe I outta move your training session up this morning since your up so early," he teased as she recovered from the tickling.
Her green eyes widened at the threat before she forced out a yawn and went back to looking all exhausted and sleepy.
"Nah, Ah need some more rest for that," she said snuggling back against his pillow. "This afternoon with be soon enough."
Knowing how much all the kids loathed his sessions, he chuckled at her antics before giving her another kiss and leaving the room.
~*~*~
Surprisingly, she did end up going back to sleep after he left their room.
A delightfully wicked smile curled her lips as she stretched and thought of the activities of last night that had so worn her out.
They'd both been little more than animals staking their claims on each other after defeating the pair that had tried to get between them. With the way they gotten their message across to Jean and Scott as well as the obvious way they couldn't keep their hands off each other, Rogue was sure no one else at the mansion would ever try messing with her man or hitting on her again.
She laughed aloud again as her eyes landed on the area of the wall where her man had pinned a terrified Scott and made his claim on her clear to the boy.
Her eyes then landed on the bedside clock and widened in horror.
10:30 am!
She'd missed breakfast and everything and worst of all had Logan's training to look forward to in just three short hours.
As much as she loved the man, that was one of his workouts her body just didn't wanna go through.
Reluctantly she got up and went to grab a hot, invigorating shower to start her day.
Only to find the bathroom something of a mess and all the towels damp.
Then and there she made a mental note to cut back on the bathroom love play just a bit as she went back to the room to pull on some clothes and head to the linen closet in the hallway for more clean, dry towels.
Nah, she quickly amended that mental note, we'll just make sure we keep more of these on hand in the bedroom.
With that in mind, she grabbed a whole big stack of towels and smilingly carried them to their bedroom.
Rogue was so focused on thinking of the things she and Logan had been doing to use up all their other towels that she didn't notice the girl hovering nervously outside Logan's bedroom door until she almost walked into her.
"Jean?" she asked in some surprise when she finally saw the girl and took in how distraught Red looked.
The older girl actually seemed startled by the sound of her own name and jumped back a little.
"Relax, girlie, Ah ain't gonna hurtcha again or anythang," Rogue assured her with a slight frown.
"You'd have every right to," Jean whispered with her eyes downcast and staring at the carpetless hallway.
"Ah thought Ah'd made mah point pretty clearly. Are ya sayin' you think ya need a refreshah already?"
"NO!" the redhead stumbled back so quickly Rogue actually had to reach out and grab her to keep her from crashing into a potted plant.
"Whatcha doin' here, Red?" she finally asked after steadying the girl.
"I … I," Jean began awkwardly but then her voice kind of broke and a little sob escaped her.
Startled, Rogue quickly ushered the girl into her bedroom, tossed the towels she carried onto the bed then sat the telepath down on it.
"What's wrong?"
At the younger girl's question, Jeannie seemed to snap. With a body-shaking sob, she buried her red head in her up drawn hands and began to cry loudly.
For a moment, Rogue simply watched the other girl in a detached kind of horror. Her pale green eyes noted that Jean wore the same clothes as yesterday, her long hair was uncombed and without it's usual healthy shine and the usually well manicured fingernails of the hands she held to her face were bitten and their polish chipped.
Miss Perfect was a wreck and the sight almost scared Rogue, who finally did the only thing she could think of – try to comfort and calm the other girl.
Not having any experience with comforting others, she did something of what Logan did when she cried. Sitting down next to the sobbing girl, she awkwardly gave her a hug and tried saying things like, "It'll be ok" and "There, there now, whatever it is ain't worth tha waterworks, girl."
"It won't be ok," Jean suddenly jumped away to say. "Oh, Rogue, I've never made such a mess of things before in my life! I … I can't even believe that was me yesterday! It's like some horrible nightmare and I just can't wake up."
Speechless, the girl still seated on the bed could only watch as her emotional visitor began pacing while she spoke.
"I thought it couldn't get any worse than you catching me trying to make a play on Logan, but I was soooo wrong. Everyone here hates me now. I could hear their thoughts about me all the way in my room. And Scott … Scott," her voice broke and she again dropped her head into her hands to cry.
Wishing she were anywhere but there right then, Rogue cautiously rose to her feet and placed a consoling hand on the other girl's shoulder.
"He ain't worth cryin' ovah, Jean."
"But he is!" the other girl exclaimed as she threw her arms tightly around Rogue and began sobbing on the stunned girl's shoulder. "I love him, Rogue. I always have and now I've screwed it all up. I just know he'll never forgive me for being so stupid."
Biting her lip at the realization that the other girl had no idea that her boyfriend had made a play for her, Rogue tried to figure out what to say to get the sobbing to stop.
"Ah don't believe that, Jean," she finally began while awkwardly rubbing the other girl's back in a soothing manner, "Scott ain't exactlah a saint himself, but he really does love you as much as ya love him and Ah'm sure he'll undahstand all this."
At least he will if he knows what's good for him, Rogue thought fiercely as she began thinking of things to do with the moron if he didn't forgive his girl when he was just as guilty as Jean.
Suddenly, the girl she was trying to console stiffened in her arms and pulled away from her with her sobs turning to inelegant sniffles.
"What do you mean he's just as guilty as I am?" the red head demanded suspiciously.
Aw shit, the younger girl thought as she slapped a hand to her forehead. Damn mind readers!
"Rogue?!" Jean's anguish was quickly turning to anger.
Even though she knew the telepath was tuned into her thoughts, Rogue was unable to stop the memory of Scott's actions in this very room yesterday evening from replaying in her mind.
"That … that," Red's hands curled into fists as her powers allowed her to see every one of her boyfriend's actions. "And to think … How dare he?! … That … GOD! … That DICK!"
Furiously the girl turned on her heel and stormed from the bedroom, opening the door and slamming it behind her with her telekinesis.
Hand still pressed to her forehead, Rogue sank to the bed and tried to figure out what the heck had just happened.
~*~*~
Charles tiredly rubbed his forehead as Hank finished relaying the events he'd witnessed yesterday evening and the argument he'd had with Scott in the lab this morning.
The two men were now alone in the Professor's office as Logan and Ororo had left a while ago to do their daily chores.
The Professor had spent a long night shielding emotionally projected thoughts from many of the students and this morning had only taken more of his concentration to avoid being overwhelmed by everyone thinking of and having some opinion about the now infamous Rogue/Jean fight and Logan/Scott threat.
Now Hank was telling him that they had a very big time bomb ticking away in the form of the ruse they'd all chosen to put on for Rogue regarding her mutation.
"Perhaps I should talk to him?" Charles thought aloud.
"I don't think it will help, Charles. As much as Scott admires and listens to you, his ego has taken such a beating from Logan that I doubt anything you could say would sway him. Especially as he feels Rogue to be completely responsible for the whole situation," the big blue man sighed. "He adamantly refuses to take the serum any more or have anything to do with either of them."
Sighing himself, Charles wheeled his chair over to the window and gazed out across the sunlit lawns.
"I do believe we're going to have to come clean to our Rogue about the serum and her mutation. It will be difficult, but the results will be far better than her learning the truth in any other way," the Professor said.
"Like during the training session Logan has planned for all the senior team members to start right about," Hank checked his watch, "five minutes ago?"
"All of them?" Charles asked.
"Yes. Betsy, Brian, Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Scott and Tabitha."
"Good Lord," the Professor exclaimed in dawning horror. "It will be a nightmare."
~*~*~
They all knew Logan liked to challenge and surprise them, but the team was stunned to see who all he locked into the Danger Room for this session.
Jean immediately lunged for Scott, only to be restrained by a startled Brian who stood between the couple.
"Save it for the simulation, Red," Logan growled over the intercom as he took his place up in the observation room above them.
Even through his visor it was obvious Cyclops was glaring at his girlfriend and everyone else in the room with them.
Betsy picked up on some of the thoughts going through the couples head and her wide blue eyes locked with Rogue's guilty ones.
Her friend shrugged and gave a weak "Oops" smile while telling the British telepath, ~~ It's a long story. ~~
Kitty and Tabitha quickly moved to Rogue's side in a show of solidarity against Jean.
Kurt was looking around at them all and nervously noting all the tension and hostility in the room.
Mein Gott, zhis has got OUCH vritten all over it, he thought as the Danger Room came to life with the simulation Logan had planned for them.
~*~*~
It was a very good thing he'd selected a survival situation rather than one of the 'work as a team' exercises, Logan thought as he watched the team fighting drones, obstacles and each other in the room below.
The elf was frantically trying to keep everyone out of harms way.
Jean was telekinetically throwing her boyfriend around the room while a stunned Brian tried to calm the girl and preventing either of them from getting injured by the action around them.
Big mistake getting between a lover's spat, Britain, Logan thought with a chuckle as the red head grew tired of the interference and shifted her concentration to send Scott's flailing body crashing into Brian's.
While the two men collided and went rolling back into a drone that quickly turned to attack them both, Betsy and Tabitha both went after the older girl for daring attack Brian.
It didn't sink in that an optic blast from Scott is the thing that disabled the drone before it could tag either of the guys who were beginning to scramble to their feet.
In the meantime, BoomBoom created a handful of little charges and sprinkled them around Jean's feet, but the targeted girl dove away and flicked out her hands to send the charges scattering back toward the pyrokinetic who shrieked and ran away from them.
With the blonde distracting Red, Betsy leapt at the other girl with double snap kick that knocked Jean down and left her breathless on the floor.
Sensing big trouble when the purple-haired girl unleashed her psychic blade, Logan quickly ordered two drones in the room below to make a move on Betsy to draw her attention from the fallen Jean.
~~ I'll remember that, luv. ~~
Even as the British telepath turned to battle the drones, she managed to send Logan that mental warning.
He couldn't help chuckling at that.
Finally he turned his attention to Rogue who was standing back to back with Kitty as they awaited the drones circling them to make a move so they could make theirs.
Proud as can be, he watched his girl see her opening and take it.
As the drone she faced reared back to attack her, Rogue dove and rolled under the mechanical beast then shot her first up through the control paneling on it's underbelly to power the drone down.
And relieve it of a few necessary wires.
Kitty handled her target in much the same way, only she laughingly phased through it and shorted the drone out.
High-fiving each other, the two girls quickly jumped to the side as the ground beneath them began cracking open in a simulated earthquake.
Their celebrating quickly stopped as their bodies collided with a drone that had been awaiting their movement away from the opening ground.
Logan grimaced as he watched their bodies slam into the unforgiving hunk of metal.
Seeing that his girl could get hurt, for the first time ever his hand hovered over the cancellation button to end the simulation, but Kurt quickly teleported the girls from harm's way as Cyclops blasted the machine.
That time, the man observing the session couldn't miss the fact the Cyke was using his powers.
But how, Logan wondered as he remembered that Scott had taken Hank's serum, too, and just yesterday his mutation had been gone. Logan vividly remembered seeing the boy minus his shades and deadly eyes looking all up at his Rogue.
Something wasn't right here and unfortunately the Wolverine saw he wasn't the only one catching on to that.
