Jean had witnessed the whole conversation and was troubled. Wolverine really did care for this girl. Anyone could see that. Jean couldn't help but wish that she were as powerful as the professor so that she could

read his mind and see just how deep those feelings ran. Suddenly she felt Scott's presence and spun around. Scott was standing in the shadows watching her. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed him before.

"Scott, you scared me!"

Scott folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "I saw you watching Rogue and Logan with that strange look on your face. What were you thinking just then?"

Jean's face heated up and she quickly turned away. "I was just thinking about how sweet their relationship is. They only knew each other for a few days and yet they're so close."

"Funny, that's not what it looked like you were thinking."

Jean glared at him and walked away. Scott stared after her, not knowing what to think.

Later that night, Charles called all the X-men to his office. It took them about 15 minutes to assemble. They were all there: Storm, Beast, Rogue, Cyclops, Jean, Iceman, and Jubilee. Scott and Jean arrived together but stood apart with a certain tenseness between them. Charles began.

"I'm sorry to call everyone in here so late at night, but I have an announcement. I'm sure you have all heard by now that Wolverine has come back. I spent a number of hours talking to him and it seems that he would like to join us and live here from now on." Nobody said anything. He went on," I realize that there are mixed feelings about this. I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on the matter. Wolverine has even agreed to start teaching a self defense class to the students."

Scott cleared his throat and stood up. "I really think this could be a mistake. That man is nothing but trouble."

"That's not true!" Rogue said in Logan's defense. " You don't know the first thing about him."

"I think we should all give him a chance," Jean agreed, avoiding Scott's eyes.

Scott sullenly looked away.

"What do the rest of you think?" Charles asked, regarding the four silent mutants.

They all agreed to letting him stay for a while and join the team.

Over the next few days, Logan settled in and began teaching his class. Rogue started avoiding Logan for reasons unknown even to herself. Finally Jubilee decided to confront her on the matter. She found Rogue in her normal hiding place, the garden. Rogue was sitting on the bench, with tears flowing down her face. Jubilee sat down next to her and put her hand comfortingly on Rogue's back.

"Rogue, why are you crying?"

Rogue wiped the tears and looked at her friend. "I'm not really sure. Everything just seems so hopeless."

"Because of the baby?" Jubilee asked with concern.

"Yes, that and so much else."

"How are things going with Logan?"

Rogue looked away. "I haven't spoken with him since the day he came back. I've been avoiding him. Or, he's been avoiding me. I'm not sure which."

"I thought you said your conversation with him had gone well."

"Well, I guess it did go well. It was just too hard having him say those things and look at me like that when I know it's Jean he loves. I'm afraid that he only cares for me in a fatherly way."

"Rogue, why can't you just trust me? Its obvious to anyone who sees him look at you that you're the object of his desire. I think what went on with him and Jean was just a silly flirtation. Maybe he did it to make you jealous," Jubilee said with a smile.

"But wouldn't Jean have picked that up through her telepathy?"

"Maybe, maybe not. She's not all that powerful yet. Maybe she's just trying to hurt you because she knows what you think."

Rogue smiled at her friend. "I really do hope you're right."

"And don't worry so much about the baby. We're all going to help you through this."

"I'm just so afraid its going to die being born. I keep getting awful nightmares. I'm even afraid to sleep sometimes."

Jubilee hugged her friend. "It's not going to happen. You heard Dr. McCoy. There's only a 10% chance."

"I'd still worry if the chance were only 1%."

Jubilee nodded sadly.

"I think I'll go for a walk. I need some time to think," Rogue said.

"All right, just remember what I said. Everything will be okay."

"Thanks." Rogue smiled and headed for the walking path.

Logan finished his class early that day and went outside for a jog. Ever since returning to New York, he had felt distracted. He had thought about Rogue a lot during the two years he spent in Canada, more than he felt he should have. She was only 17 when they had met and it was likely he was old enough to be her grandfather, maybe even her great grandfather, but despite that, he had come to care for her in those few days more than he could remember ever caring for anyone. She meant the world to him, but instead of letting her know that, he had pretended that he was in love with Jean. Then, after Rogue was kidnapped and almost died, he realized that he more than just cared for her, he loved her. It was when he realized his full feelings for her that he decided he should leave. He knew that Rogue cared for him, but with their age difference and all else that stood between them, he felt pursuing her would be wrong, and that time away from her would be the best thing. Charles provided him with a good excuse when he told him about the abandoned military base in Canada. He went there but found no answers, as all the files had been burned. After that, he traveled from town to town earning money by fighting. He tried to forget about Rogue, but finding that to be impossible, he at last decided to give in to his feelings and return to her. Suddenly, Logan was torn from his thoughts as he saw Rogue in front of him. She was leaning against a tree with her back to him, breathing heavily. Logan walked up to her and gently touched her shoulder. She turned around and collapsed in his arms, unconscious. He laid her on the ground and put on the gloves he'd been keeping in his pocket since returning. He lightly slapped her. Her eyelids slowly opened and she lookedaround, dazed for a moment, then focused her eyes on Logan.

"Logan? What happened?" she asked, confused.

"You fainted, Marie," Logan said tenderly.

Rogue blinked hard and looked away, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's been years since anyone has called me that.....I didn't realize how much I missed hearing it."

Sitting up slowly, she brushed the dirt from her hair.

"What were you doing out here anyway, in your condition?" He asked sternly.

"I was just taking a walk. I needed some time to myself. What's it to you anyway?" she asked, suddenly angry.

Logan looked at her, surprised.

"What do you mean, what's it to me? You know how much I care for you. I just don't think you should be taking walks this close to your due date."

"You don't even know when my due date is!"

Suddenly Logan started laughing. "Ok, you got me there. Can you stand?"

Rogue's face softened and she smiled. "Let me try."

She started to rise and immediately felt the dizziness rush back to her head.

"Don't worry, I'll carry you," Logan said quickly.

Rogue blushed, but took a deep breath and smiled. "No, Logan, I'm sure that's not necessary."

She tried to get up again, but Logan stopped her and picked her up.

"Don't argue with me. There's no way you can make it back to the mansion on your own."

Rogue didn't struggle, but put her arms around his neck and rested her head against him.

Logan drew in a breath. They went on in silence for a few moments, both perfectly comfortable. Rogue looked up into his face with curiosity.

"What is it?" he asked.

Here in Logan's arms Rogue finally had the courage to ask what had been on her mind for the past two years.

"You said that I know how much you care for me. But the truth is, I have no idea how much or in what way you care for me."

Logan looked into her eyes and almost told her everything but then decided against it. "Don't do this, kid," he said, looking away.

Rogue drew back as if she'd been slapped. "Put me down, Logan!"

He hesitated and opened his mouth to say something, but Rogue cut him off.

"Now, Logan!"

He let her go and she immediately started walking back to the mansion as fast as her legs would carry her.

Logan cursed and ran after her. "Marie, wait!"

She didn't even pause. Logan grabbed her arm and she stopped, turning to him with a hurt look on her face.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You know, Logan," she said, smiling sadly at him, "I have touched three men since my curse began. I didn't only gain their energy, they became a part of me. I now possess three extra sets of memories. Sometimes I actually forget which ones are mine. I now speak Polish and Japanese and I never even took one lesson." She looked away and sighed. "I have memories of growing up in Poland. When I was about 12 years old, the Nazis came for my family and we were sent to a concentration camp. I was separated from my family and I watched as my parents were led away to be killed. That's when I discovered my powers. I bent the big gate that separated me from my parents and the guards beat me almost to death. I have memories of growing up in Mississippi. My father was very strict and often beat me for "allowing" the boys at school to pick on me. When I was 17 I fell in love for the first time with a girl in my class and when we kissed the first time I felt the most terrible pain I had ever experienced in my short life and the last thing I thought before going into a coma was that my father would most likely disown me for having gotten involved with a "mutie". I have memories of being an assassin and living like an animal in Canada, not even knowing who I was, having lost my memory years before. And I have nightmares of being strapped down and having horrible experiments done to me which I can only assume brought on the memory loss. I feel the pain of these men and remember the those things as if they had happened to me. Can you imagine what that must be like? I dream your nightmares." She turned to face him "And lastly, I have memories of growing up and living a perfectly normal life and then at age 17 kissing a boy for the first time and sending him into a coma. My father threw me out for being a mutant and I hitchhiked my way to Canada with only $50 in my pocket. The town I believed to be a mutant haven turned out to be a tiny hellhole full of bigoted ruffians. But it was there that I met my savior, the man I grew to love more than life itself. Don't you see, Logan? If it's my age that you're concerned about, know that I may be older mentally than even you. How could I not be, with all I've been through?"

She started crying and was suddenly very tired. She steadied herself on a tree, then Logan lifted her in his arms and again started for the mansion. Rogue rested her head and closed her eyes. When she awoke she found herself in her bed with her socks and shoes off. It was dark outside and the clock said 3:30. Suddenly she heard a movement and discovered that Logan was sitting on the chair next to her bed. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue asked timidly.

Logan sat up and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was worried about you. You were in pretty bad shape out there."

Rogue nodded. "Thanks for carrying me back. I'm sorry that I got angry."

Logan looked surprised. "Don't apologize. I deserved it. I didn't realize that you have my memories. I'm so sorry all that junk has to be in your head. I'd take it back if I could."

Rogue smiled softly at him."I know you would."



He looked at the floor. "Marie, I should have said this a long time ago." He paused and looked at Rogue. "I love you, kid." He paused again and looked away. "And not in a fatherly way."

Shocked, Rogue turned away sobbing, silently trying to let the words sink in.

"I thought I was protecting you by not letting you know. I didn't mean to cause you so much pain. I blame myself for every bad thing that happened to you since we met."

Rogue looked at Logan with confusion. "But what about Jean?"

Logan looked away. "Marie, don't you see? It was only an act. I was just trying to cover up my love for you, and I thought that if you believed I loved Jean, you'd forget about me."

Rogue wiped her eyes and smiled lightly. "It would take a lot more than that to make me forget about you."

Logan stood up and sat next to Marie. "Does that mean you still love me?" he asked, taking her hand.

"Of course it does. How could you ever doubt me?" Rogue replied with a laugh.

Logan leaned over and kissed Rogue on the side of the head over her hair and pulled her into an embrace. "I've wanted to hold you for so long."

Rogue molded herself to his warm body.

That night they slept in each others arms, and for the first time in months, both slept in peace, undisturbed by dark dreams.