"Thanks," Rogue said absently. Then she saw him and remembered his newest presence in her mind. "Professor? How long do you think it'll be before they merge?"

"I don't know, Rogue. How long was it last time?"

"You mean when Logan touched me on the Statue? It was immediate, I think. I didn't really know how to go in there and talk to them all back then, though. But also, there had only been one day between one touch and the next. This time it's been close to a year and a half. His original presence is pretty strong."

"So, I guess I'm givin' you trouble up there," Logan ventured, with a gesture at Rogue's head.

Rogue started to glare at him, then shook her head and smiled. "You don't know the half of it," she told him. "I'm getting the strong impression we really need to talk."

Logan frowned. "We've been doing nothing but talking since I got here, darlin'. Think I've talked more in the last couple weeks than I did in the whole year I was gone."

"I, for one, am not surprised at that," Xavier observed. "But we should be talking about Rogue's idea to visit the genuine versions of the people in her mind."

At Logan's questioning look, Rogue explained, "The professor and I have been doing some exercises which, if they work, might allow me to push the energy out when I'm touched, instead of just sucking it in. Theoretically, it might be possible to simply touch each person and put back whatever I got from them. I would lose all their memories and powers if I did that, though. It's a hard decision to make, even if I could make my power work that way."

"Well, if you need a guinea pig, I volunteer –" Logan said.

"That might not be best," Xavier interrupted. "Presently, Rogue needs your mental presence to help, uh, keep the others in check. If she lost your presence first, it might cause serious damage to her through the others."

"Ya know, for a telepath, Chuck, you can make some pretty bad calls. I was gonna say 'I volunteer Iceman.'" Logan reached into his shirt pocket for a cigar, but out of respect for Rogue's inner Pyro, he merely fiddled with it, unlit.

Xavier was almost embarrassed to admit it, but Logan might have had a good idea. He knew the man had it for the wrong reasons – he simply didn't like Bobby Drake – but the fact remained that Bobby was the one who had the least effect on Rogue's psyche. She'd gone for days without even realizing he was there.

"Good idea. I'll ask him about it," Xavier said. Ignoring the twin expressions of shock before him, he smiled blandly and picked up his pen. "Meanwhile, Rogue, aren't you supposed to meet Scott for your lesson? And Logan, if you don't mind braving the med-lab again, Dr. McCoy has requested a blood sample from you if you're willing. He asked me to emphasize that it was strictly voluntary, but that it might help with some of his research. In any case, he thought it might interest you."

So Rogue went off to see Scott, and Logan headed down to the lower levels. He hadn't really met the new doctor yet, but Kurt seemed a decent guy and he was blue, too. "I hate to tell ya, Doc," he said, walking into the lab and seeing McCoy's huge, blue, furry form squeezed into a desk chair, "But the last doctor they had here was a helluva lot prettier than you."

Hank looked up with a sad smile. "I think 'helluva lot' is a helluva understatement, but otherwise I agree." He eased himself out of the chair and rose to offer his hand to Logan. "I'm Hank McCoy. It's nice to finally meet you. Do you prefer to be called Logan or Wolverine?" He smiled. "Or, having recently seen your x-rays from your last visit and being intensely intimidated, perhaps I'll simply call you 'sir.'"

Logan grunted. Maybe this doctor wasn't going to turn out to be so bad.

He wasn't really used to being asked about his preferences, other than the "How do you want it, baby?" that he used to hear on a regular basis, or the "What'll you have?" that he still did.

Logan ansered, "Either. No one ever called me Logan before I came here. Guess Charles musta lifted the name outta my head or somethin', 'cause Rogue told me she didn't tell him what it was."

"So which would you prefer?"

"Logan, I guess. Doesn't matter much. So what's this research you been doin'?"

Hank excitedly explained about his recent discovery of the slight differences in the X-gene in different mutants. "It's fascinating, because what I seem to be finding is that mutants whose powers are centred on themselves have a slightly different variation in their X-gene than mutants whose powers are focussed outwards."

"Great, Doc. What's all that when it's at home?"

"What I mean, Mr. Logan, is that mutants such as yourself, with your healing powers, and Rogue, with her draining skin, share one kind of X-gene, while the telepaths and the mutants who can manipulate their environments rather than themselves, have another kind. It's very exciting, and it could lead to some insight on how various sorts of powers could be suppressed."

"You mean, like Rogue could figure out how to control her skin?" Logan asked.

"Exactly. Or you, if you were interested in body art for example, might be able to suppress your healing ability in that one spot, so that you could grow a scar or get a tattoo."

Logan grunted. That's all he needed – an Achilles' heel! "No, I'm good," he said. "But it'd be nice for Rogue if she could control her skin somehow." He shed his jacket and started rolling up his sleeve. "Xavier said you wanted a blood sample from me."

Hank pushed his glasses up on his nose with a fuzzy finger, and beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Logan."

"Just Logan, Doc."

"Just Hank, then."

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