Sorry everybody, I swear I was on my way for more, and I had sworn to myself not to make any more 1-month stretch between two chapters, but life kind of caught up with me, in the form of work overload and some quality time in hospital….

But here I am again, breathing and functioning reasonably ok. Besides, I'm starting to write another story with Mayirella, so hopefully that will help to keep myself focused.

As always, this is dedicated to the people who took time to read and review.

SailorSun1: In my universe, Rogue's mutation is one that can take many aspects, most of them, at this point, still remain to be discovered. SO don't expect them to discover about it soon, they just know what we all do about it. In fact, I dare add that it's not them who are going to figure it out completely. And don't ask who, cause I won't tell. I know, I'm evil….

Note: Although I dare say I know the Evolution and Movie verses very well, I cannot go that far when the comics are concerned, especially concerning what has happened in its early days and in the alternate universes. And I'm especially clueless when it comes to characters I used to find less interesting than most, among them Scott and Jean. Luckily, I happened to read a shortfic published on this very site about the Scott and Jean relationship that I liked, and went to this person's site to learn more: I'm still there to learn more about them, and eager to do so! Hopefully, this will show in the next chapters where Scott and Jean have a bigger part to play.

You have to go there, whether you like Jott or not, these fics are just too good: Minisinoo, you rock !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now on to the fic!

The Mansion woke up at its usual 6.30 AM on Monday morning. In various places alarm clocks rang, followed by growls, whines and a few muttered-or not so muttered- curses. Doors were opened and closed, showers were running, closets were opened, clothes unfolded, make-up applied, until footsteps all leading to the kitchen resonated and the flow of students spilled into the room.

Outside his door, only a few feet away from the main stairs, Logan unconsciously braced himself against the onslaught on his senses that was coming between the steps and the voices which never failed to submerge his sensible hearing. Not helping any, he had barely slept, his mind working over all the implications of what they had discovered the previous night.

Those fighters had been turned into legends that frightened little kids for a reason. Once their mind was set on a prey, they would hunt until they killed or were killed. And only the strongest were admitted, men mastering several arts of combat, who could survive under almost any conditions, and whose minds were made of steel; it was even reported that some had some knowledge of witchcraft, although that was a rumour, not a proven fact.

Still, they were dangerous enough as it were. There was little chance that, if they indeed were after someone in the mansion, that that person would survive the encounter. From a dark corner, he watched the kids pass through. First were Sam and Bobby, racing each other to the kitchen as a morning ritual. But the point must be a little lost when you live with a teleporter. Then babbling senseless were Jubilee, Tabitha, Jean and Kitty, followed by the rest of the guys. Despite what they've been through already, they looked as careless as any other group of teenagers he'd come across.

Logan shook his head. None of them was even near ready for a face-off with one of those lunatic samurais. He wasn't even sure he could teach them enough to survive such an encounter. Because "survive" was the word. He hadn't been kidding: "kill or be killed", that was their law, and you better abide to it if you wanted to have the smallest chance of winning. That was what would ultimately cost them their lives, no matter the sum of preparation: they weren't in the same state of mind, weren't ready to take someone's life to defend their own.

And his guts were telling him, despite his comforting parting words to Rogue a few hours before, that she had been right: that guy had been here to spy on someone. He was half-hoping that it had been on her. Despite the fact the other half was screaming at the thought, wanting to lock her someplace safe if needed, he had to admit she was probably the only one who could have a remote chance to still be alive after facing one of them.

She wasn't like the rest of the Xmen, her mutation, her life experience, everything had made her different on so many levels, more like him in some regards. He knew it was a shame, because that meant she would never be as carefree as her team mates, yet at the same time, he found himself oddly…."pleased", for lack of a better word. Where that came from, he had no idea, and he decided, as he strolled down the stairs to join the bunch in the kitchen, to shove it away for now.

With many other thoughts of the same kind already there.

Kitty arrived, took some coffee, bread and jam she arranged on her tray, and sat down by Rogue, who had obviously been there for a while, judging by the emptied glass and the half-eaten bowl of cereals in front of her. She was reading the newspapers, not even slightly phased by the sudden noise around her, but she acknowledged the younger girl's presence with a clipped nod in her direction and a muttered "hi". She responded in kind before she started eating, and she was about midway through her breakfast when she heard Rogue's "Hi, Logan" although she hadn't taken her eyes off the paper the entire time.

Kitty turned to see him standing in the doorway, before passing by with a grunt that was his usual morning greetings before he had a good dose of coffee himself. She hadn't heard him arrived, and doubted that Rogue did either.

They did that more and more often, and she couldn't make up her mind if she found that wonderful or plain spooky, especially since he must have been the only resident she hadn't absorbed even once.

But the wonder won over, and she avoided getting to carried away in any of the animated conversations around her to keep an eye on the two of them.

He drank standing by the counter, away from all the agitation, mostly looking out the window bay. After a few minutes, Rogue folded the newspaper carefully before standing up, took the dirty glass and bowl and went by the sink to rinse them, a couple of feet away from the feral mutant. She had just turned her back on him when his low voice rang clear enough to hear for Kitty, above all the commotion around her.

"I hope you had nothing planned for tonight…."

She stopped right in the middle of her move to exit the kitchen.

"….or for the nights to come." A lop-sided grin made its way on his face, as she whirled around, disbelief and anger obviously at war.

"Excuse me!?"

"You better come back right after school, ya hear. You didn't seriously believe I would forget that you were out after curfew last night?"

Judging by her tightening fists, Kitty could tell Rogue was not ok with that plan. At all.

"What!? You mean that 'we' got followed by something plain creepy, 'we' got the fright of our life, 'we' stayed after to investigate with you, and 'I' get punished?"

The grin went bigger: "No, that wouldn't be fair." He posed long enough for Rogue's body to relax slightly, as he too went to the sink, breaking their gaze. Wait for the final blow, girl….

"Betsy will be grounded with you. For one month. You go to school, you come back here. It's as easy as that. You don't leave the grounds unless it's for educational reasons."

I just knew it! Kitty couldn't help her own smile. He may pay more attention to Rogue, something that all the girls in the mansion resented to some degree. After all, if there was another womanizer in this place besides Gambit, that would be the Wolverine. But he was also stricter with her. Fair was fair.

He closed the cupboard after putting his mug back in place. Rogue was about to say something, but he beat her to it.

"Ok?"

"Al' right." She said, dejected. "It's not as if I had a choice, is it?"

"Damn right!"

Walking towards the door, he added "You promise, right?"

At that Rogue did a pretty good imitation of his eyebrow-of-disbelief . "Why do you need me to promise, it's not as if I elude you for too long, or lie?"

He had now disappeared from Kitty's view, Rogue close on his heels.

"I won't be able to make sure you respect my decision, for the simple reason that I…."

He was now too far away, and the rest was lost to her.

"I won't be able to make sure you respect my decision, for the simple reason that I won't be here to enforce it."

"You're leaving again?" Rogue run to catch up with him in the deserted hallway. She caught his biceps and they both stopped, facing each other. There was no anger left in her emerald eyes.

"I have to."

She released her grip on his arm. "You're leaving with Piotr right? That means you're finally on to something."

He wasn't quite looking at her. "Possibly."

She took a step back, as if to let the way open for him. "Wherever they are, I hope you'll find them soon."

This time, it wasn't a grin on Logan's face, but a genuine smile. He had never explained to her what exactly they were looking for with Piotr, as they were leaving on a regular basis. It wasn't because he didn't trust her; after all, she knew more about it than anybody else here, with the exception, of course, of the Professor. But he didn't want to lay more worries on her: she had already more than she should have been able to stand. And she had always listened carefully to what he had to said, without pushing for more.

"Thanks. So do I."

For Piotr's sake. And for the sake of us all.

She watched him continuing to the lift that would take him to the underground levels, and just before he disappeared from her view behind the corner, she shouted "I promise".

A "Never doubted it darlin'!" echoed before she took up the stairs to her room to get her books.

Kitty caught up ten minutes later with Rogue just before she entered the garage to take Jean's car.

"Hey, wait for me!" She looked around, suddenly confused. "Betsy is, like, not coming with you?"

"She's got quite the hangover from last night. She won't make it today."

"Oh!"

"I'll tell you about it later."

"And why is it that Mr. Logan had to make you promise to stay on the grounds? Can't he, like, totally smell it on you if you try to lie?"

"It's because he's leaving."

"Again?"

Rogue smiled as it reminded her of her own reaction in the hall just a while before.

Kitty felt silent, as she thought about what this could imply….before starting to run in the opposite direction, back to the mansion.

"Kitty, what are you doing? We're going to be late?"

Slightly out of breath, but not slowing down, she replied "It's ok, I've just realised I forgot my biology book! Don't wait for me! I'll get a ride from someone else!"

Rogue looked at her, an uneasy feeling coiling at the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why, but something told her she should do something to stop her. But it was too late, as she had all but disappeared from her view.

She hoped she wouldn't regret it

Oh yeah, the "eyebrow-of-disbelief" is not mine, although I wish it were. However, I don't remember who wrote that first, so if it's yours, email-me to get your prize….