Well, the fourth and final chapter. Let's see...yay for comments, they make Laura happy. And a happy Laura is...well, I guess she's a happy Laura, because she sure ain't a productive one. Um...right, about Toad's "being someone's senorita" comment in the last chapter: ff.n has suddenly disabled the asterisks (little star-things). Because I don't personally swear, I don't like writing the swearing, but I realize that there's characters like Toad probably have a dirty mouth. An' there was a movie where Chris Rock gave a guy a choice between "being someone's insert-swear-word-here, or being someone's senorita" (american or mexican jail) so.... yeah okay then.
Well, that was unnecessary. Um, right. X-men (c) Marvel.

Toad waved nonchalantly to Blink as he silently padded to the kitchen. The boy nodded and turned back to his laptop. Toad had formed a comfortable, silent friendship with the sleepless mutant, a good thing since Blink was always awake to see the technically-imprisioned mutant sneaking around the mansion. Another student might have reported him to Scott by now. But Blink was cool.

Toad got himself a soda from the fridge and grimaced, once again missing beer. He twisted the top of and took a long swig. He hadn't really been thirsty, but he'd needed to get out and walk around a bit. Technically, Toad wasn't allowed out of his room once the students were in bed--a safety measure-- but he'd gotten cabin fever the first week and picked the lock. No one had said anything yet, so he figured either no one knew, or Xavier had realized that even with Toad breaking out every couple of nights, no one had woken up dead or robbed, and the green mutant had always been in his room the next morning. It wasn't so much that he enjoyed nighttime walks, he just hated the idea of being locked in any one place--it reminded him too much of his early childhood. So every now and then he needed to break out and walk around, just to reassure himself that he could.

It had been a little more than a month since he had accepted Xavier's hospitality. In that time, things had changed somewhat, though he had tried to convince himself otherwise. He still thought that if he ever got word of Magneto escaping that he'd be out of the Institute faster than the lightning that had sent him there in the first place, but for now...For now, he told himself, it made sense to stay at Xavier's. It wasn't like there was anywhere for him to go, any work he could get, any other chance life was going to give him. And in some ways, though he still wouldn't admit it consciously, he liked it. It was peaceful here, even with Scott's thinly-veiled hostility and the presence of Storm (he still wasn't comfortable being in the same room as her). He worked in the garage on the motorcycles and cars, and felt useful, but not used, which was new. In some ways, it was a relief to not be a part of "the fight for a new and glorious future." It made him feel...normal. Like he could just settle down and lead a decent life without getting caught up in the plans of powers and principalities.

He downed the rest of the coke and deposited the bottle in the recycling bin. Aw, lookit me. A responsible and concerned citizen. Bless, how sweet. He shook his head with a sardonic grin, and start back for his room. He was halfway through the living room when he heard a whimper. He whirled around, his eyes darting about the room before landing on a figure laying on the couch. Rogue. Xavier's "progress" had not been able to stop the nightmares, but managed to dull them, so that the memories weren't as clear and she forgot more of them on waking. Apparently, she was having another one.

Toad walked toward the couch and gently shook her. She started awake and calmed down when she saw him. That's a change, he thought.

"Hey, Princess," he said softly. "Mine, this time? Or someone else's?" Rogue shook her head and sat up, tucking her hair behind her ears. Toad sat down beside her.

"There's so many...I'm not sure anymore." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "There. It's gone." She sighed. "Ah thought that if Ah walked around some, maybe I'd keep 'em away. Guess I was wrong."

"Sorry 'bout that." Rogue laughed softly.

"Ahh, might not even be your fault. John tried to grab me the other day, and I got some of his."

"Oh, you poor thing." She laughed even more at that, then yawned in mid-chuckle. "Y'should get some sleep, luv."

"Ah can't. Ah been tryin'. Looks like tanight it just ain't in the cards." She looked at him. "Well, maybe..." Toad shifted uncomfortably.

"Wot?"

"Well..." Rogue blushed and pushed her hair back again. "When I'm around Logan, I don't have as many nightmares, and since you're here...well...Ya think you could stay for awhile? Just until I fall asleep again? It helps to be around someone."

"S-sure," said Toad, uncertainly. Rogue looked panicked.

"Oh, you don't have to if ya don't wanna."

"No...no, it's okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. Was havin' trouble sleepin' tanight anyway."

"Thanks, Mort." Toad sighed. That was one thing he hadn't been able to fix. He wasn't comfortable with his old name, not just yet, maybe not ever. But when Rogue had touched him--had been him, practically-- the name had stuck in her mind. He couldn't get her to call him Toad without constantly reminding her, and eventually, had decided it just wasn't worth it. Maybe one day he wouldn't even mind.

His thoughts broke off when Rogue put a pillow in his lap and rested her head on it. Suddenly, anything in the realm of coherent cognition shut off and he stared at her, awkwardly. Letting his body take over for his brain, which had gone off to try and figure out what exactly was happening, he gingerly put an arm around her. She sighed, a soft, contented sound, and snuggled against him. All riiiiight......? He stopped trying to think about it and concentrated on her. She was warm, something he never was. He rubbed her back gently, soothingly, then rested his hand on her head. Her breathing steadied, the gentle rise and fall of sleep. Her hair was soft. There. He could focus on that. Her hair was soft...and he was touching it...and he felt...

He dozed off like that, staring at the girl asleep in his lap, his hand lightly cupping her head. Even the puttering noise of an engine coming up the driveway didn't wake him. It wasn't until a floorboard by the doorway creaked that he jolted awake, years of training and life on the streets bringing him to an instant alertness. His head swung straight to the door, where he saw a short, bulky figure leaning against the door frame. In the light from the kitchen he could just make him out. Logan. As in, Rogue's protector. Toad gulped and quickly took his hand from Rogue's head, and frantically tried to figure out if it would be better to gently remove her, or to just bolt and run for his room--when he realized that Logan wasn't making a move. The other man just stood there with his arms crossed, looking at Toad with a raised eyebrow and an interested, nonthreatening expression. Toad managed a lopsided grin and a shrug--he certainly couldn't explain how they had gotten in this position. Logan smiled and nodded once, approving, then turned and left.

With a relieved sigh, Toad leaned back against the cushions. He felt...different. Accepted, somehow, in a way he hadn't been before. It had been sort of a 'welcome to the club, you're an official member now' nod. Smiling softly to himself, he looked down at the girl in his arms. All of a sudden, a life at Xavier's Institute was looking a lot better.

Alright then. The End. Everyone all together now. 1, 2, 3. Awwwwwwww....

Yeah, the ending was a bit awkward for me, but endings usually are. Now back to your regularly scheduled program. wink wink cough