Rogue was having trouble with her combat lesson. She could tell that Scott's heart simply wasn't in it, and was glad that Logan was going to be taking over soon. After scoring her third hit on her instructor, she stopped and told him she felt she didn't have his full attention.

"We could make this a powers-on combat lesson if you want. Think that would get your attention?" she teased.

He gave her a small smile. He hadn't been smiling very much in the past few weeks. "Think you could get close enough to touch me?"

"Wouldn't need to," Rogue said. "I've got a few new tricks, or haven't you heard?" With a smile, she waved her hand and some of the metal panels in the wall detached themselves and surrounded Scott before he could react.

Scott tapped lightly on one of the panels. "Uh, Rogue? These panels are kind of expensive. Would you mind putting them back so I don't have to blast my way out?"

Grinning, she flicked a finger and the panels flew back to their homes. Scott, revealed, was standing there motionless with his head bowed. Finally he lifted his head and fixed her with a longsuffering expression. "I think someone's been a bad influence on you."

"Look on the bright side. At least it isn't Logan this time," Rogue said.

"Yes, but I don't know as Magneto's such an improvement over him," Scott replied. He picked up his things and suggested they end the lesson. "Does Professor Xavier know you've been…channelling his nemesis?"

"Sure does. It's done wonders for my chess game," Rogue replied as they left the gym together. After a moment of thought, she asked, "So, Scott…which one is better – the polite, gentlemanly man who tried to kill me, or the asshole who's saved my life several times?"

"Don't make me answer that," was Scott's reply.

"Hey, Cyc," Logan greeted as they passed him leaving the med-lab. He looked amused, and Rogue had the feeling he had heard at least the last part of their conversation.

"Welcome back, Logan," Scott said politely. "Nice hair." He kept a straight face when he saw the Wolverine's singed sideburns. Scott felt just the tiniest bit awkward around him, since the last time they'd been together, they'd both been drunk and crying. He was fairly sure the manly thing to do was pretend it never happened, and go on acting as if they didn't like each other.

Luckily for Scott, that seemed to be Logan's modus operandi as well. He left the hair comment strictly alone, though. "Didn't think you'd be done messing up Rogue's combat training quite yet," he commented. "Must've gotten an early start."

"I'm efficient that way," Scott said sarcastically. "Apparently, no one can mess up quite as fast as I can." Rogue knew he was still very bitter about first having been captured, and then forced to shoot at his own fiancée. While her subsequent death had been her own choice, in order to save them all, he still felt as if he should have done more. He was the team leader after all, and all he had done was hinder the team.

Logan was sympathetic, but showed it in a manly way. "Shut up, Cyc," he said gruffly,clapping Scott on the shoulder briefly. He glanced at Rogue. "If Summers isn't up to it, want to have a go-round with me?"

"Sure, but it'll have to be after my flight lesson. Powers or no?"

"No powers. I want to keep what's left of my hair." Logan scowled as he remembered something. "Cyc, who's that ponce with the trenchcoat?"

"Oh, Gambit? He's new here; the professor invited him up here from New Orleans. He's sort of auditioning to join the team. We needed a couple of new members anyway, but Rogue hasn't joined yet, and Bobby (as you saw) needs a hell of a lot more training first. I take it you met him and made your usual charming first impression?" Scott could deadpan every bit as well as Logan when he wanted to.

Wolverine grunted. Rogue answered for him, "We both met him earlier, yes. He's kind of…" she couldn't think of exactly the right word, since she didn't usually like to swear.

Logan had no such compunctions. "...a dick?"

"Persistant," Rogue said.

"Let me know if he keeps buggin' ya, Rogue. He'll turn from dick to dick-less pretty quick."

"Lovely," Scott commented. "I can tell that with a protector like you, Rogue will be sure to die an embittered old maid." He couldn't resist baiting the Wolverine.

"Hey, he did protect Bobby, the night of the break-in," Rogue defended him. "'Course, then I dumped Bobby on his ass, but it wasn't Logan who scared him off."

"Heh. That's what you think," Logan said under his breath. He grinned slightly at the memory of brutally stabbing the intruder in front of Bobby, and then coolly asking the boy, "You okay?" He hadn't been able to tell if Bobby had nodded, or was just trembling with so much fear that it made his head bob. After Bobby's pitiful attempt to intimidate him by freezing his hand, the kid had definitely had it coming. It was one of several fond memories of that night.

Logan squinted at Rogue. "So are you done with this joker?" he indicated Scott.

Scott huffed. "More like I'm done with her! At least for the day," he amended. "I don't think even Xavier can afford her combat lessons when she really lets loose! I'll see you tomorrow." He gave Rogue a rueful grin and walked off.

"So…" Logan said, temporarily at a loss. He wanted to talk with Rogue, but didn't want to interrupt her day too much.

Rogue smiled. "So…" she teased. Shifting her weight uncertainly, she asked, "You, uh, wanna go get some dinner or something after my flying lesson?"

"What, with Storm?"

Rogue nodded.

"Wow, they're serious about making you an X-man, huh?"

"Don't laugh too loud, Wolvie. You're next, you know. You're lucky you're not gonna be in the simulator with me!"

Logan was just about to make another sarcastic comment, when they were interrupted by Storm and Kurt. "Actually, he will be," Storm said, having overheard Rogue's last comment. We've been looking for the two of you."

"Whattaya want me for?" Logan asked, suspicious.

"Flying lessons," Kurt said, amused. "We are all supposed to learn how to fly the Blackbird. It was good of you to return so soon, mein freund, otherwise Rogue and I would have had to start by ourselves."

Logan deliberately raised one eyebrow at Storm, then the other. She looked unimpressed. "You want me to learn to fly that thing?" he asked, incredulous.

Rogue grinned at his expression. "Yeah, c'mon, Logan. It'll be fun! What, do you think it might be too much for you?" She grinned wider at his cold glare. "Come on, now, if I can do it so can you. After all, I'm the one who actually fell out of the damn thing!"

Ororo explained calmly, "All of the X-men learn how to fly the jet. If the pilot is wounded on a mission, any of the rest of us can still fly everyone to safety. I know that none of you are X-men yet, but you've all expressed interest, or – " she looked pointedly at Wolverine, "—piqued the interest of Professor Xavier on behalf of the team. So yes, Logan, I want you to learn to fly that thing. And you, Rogue, and you, Kurt. Let's go." Ororo had experience being a goddess – one thing she knew how to do was lead people and make them follow her.

The flight simulator was enough like the Blackbird that Rogue started to shiver in fear as the door was shut. She still vividly remembered the yawning terror in the pit of her stomach when she'd been blown out of the plane. Logan came up behind her and clasped her shoulder briefly, and she calmed. He looked at her, nodded once, and they took their places.

Help slake my addiction; click on "Go" and tell me what you think. Remember it still doesn't have an ending yet.