Chapter 21: Improvising Plan B

"Plan B is where the Professor and I wall off all of my mental tenants like he did to Pyro. That way, I'll be the one in control of them, instead of the other way around."

"It will take some time and preparation, though, on both our parts," Xavier said. He gazed at the door where Bobby had disappeared for a moment, and then said to Rogue, "I think you may have found the solution to your mental Logan problem, though. That is, if Wolverine's prior presence has not yet merged with his more recent one."

Rogue blinked. "They haven't. They've still been arguing and fighting all the timeand it's driving me nuts. Charles, that's a good idea." She glanced eagerly at Logan. "Would you mind?"

"Mind what?" he asked suspiciously. "I thought you wanted to keep me up there, you know, for protection?"

"Well, the old you can stay. I'm sort of used to you. The new you – well, he keeps arguing with the old you about… well, about stuff, and you're just not getting along with yourself. I want to put the new you back into your head. Would that be okay with you?"

Logan gave her a long, deliberate look before he spoke. "All right, but I'm going to want to know what I'm arguing with myself about."

Rogue gave an unladylike guffaw. "Oh, you will, Logan. Trust me."

Xavier's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Rogue, I must admit to some curiosity."

She grinned at him. "Oh, you can watch, Charles. The more, the merrier! Just as long as you don't decide to camp out there like the others do." She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, entering a meditative state almost immediately.

This time they appeared in Rogue's mental equivalent of the Danger Room, where Wolverine and the newcomer Logan were wrestling each other on the floor, yelling at each other as they fought.

"I'm tellin' ya, bub, the geeks have made you soft. A year ago you coulda kicked my ass!" Wolverine shouted to his double. He ducked a blow and lodged a kick in the gut to his opponent.

Logan doubled over with the blow, but then reacted lightning fast to grab the foot and get Wolverine off balance. "I ain't soft! Only thing 'round here that's soft is your brain!" He pulled Wolverine's foot and the older fellow went down.

Wolverine rolled quickly and was back on his feet in a flash. "At least I don't go 'round messin' with little kids!" he growled. He popped the claws and slashed through Logan's torso.

Logan roared in fury and flew at Wolverine, tackling him to the ground. Releasing his own claws, he slashed the other man's throat out. Then he stabbed him in the chest. Then he stood up, panting over his foe, and delivered a vicious kick to Wolverine's ribs.

Wolverine was down for the count. Still conscious, he could not speak until his torn throat knit itself back together, and he could not move until his stab wounds healed. All in all, Logan figured he had maybe three minutes before his enemy would be up fighting again. He backed away, starting to catch his breath. Glaring at Wolverine, he promised, "I'll do worse than that, next time you call Rogue a little kid. And I'll kick your ass like no one ever has, bub, if you ever say anything like that to me again."

Rogue's hand flew to her mouth in shock. Wolverine saw Rogue and Xavier standing nearby (it was still strange to see Xavier standing at all, but he needed no wheelchair in the mind) and tried to tell Logan. A few bubbles burst out of his torn throat, but that was all he could do yet.

Logan went on. "I only know a little more about my past than you did, but I know a helluva lot more about my future. And let me tell ya something: she's in it. I don't know how yet, but it's true. And even if it does turn out to be what you're thinking, she's an adult. She's all grown up now, and probably a helluva lot more mature than either of us. And I want to be with her, if she'll have me."

Wolverine's throat was better by the time Logan finished this noble speech, but he didn't get up. He stretched out his legs and folded his hands behind his head as he lay on his back. Winking at Rogue and Xavier, he told Logan, "Well, bub, now's your chance to find out."

Logan's head whipped around and he backed away slowly.

Rogue was astonished. She knew Logan was a flirt, but didn't know he had actual, genuine feelings for her other than friendship. Without hesitating, without even sparing a thought for what Xavier might think, she walked right up to Logan and took his face in her (bare!) hands. She sent up a brief prayer of thanksgiving that at least she could touch people in her own mind. Softly, she said, "Thank you, Logan," and kissed him full on the lips.

One stunned second later he was kissing her back, winding his hands in her hair and holding her tightly against him. Then she backed off.

"What does this mean?" Logan asked her in a strained voice.

"We'll figure that out later," Rogue promised. "Just one more thing I have to do first." She went over to Wolverine, still supine on the floor.

He smirked at her. "Nice show, kid. Do I get one?" He winked.

Rogue returned his smirk and offered a hand to help him up. He arched an eyebrow, but took it. She helped him stand. "As a matter of fact…" she said as she noted in passing that he seemed completely healed, "yes. You do." And she pressed her lips to his.

Wolverine tried to push her away, but the attempt was so half-hearted that Rogue had no trouble batting his hands away and continuing the kiss. After another long moment, he slowly slid his hands up to encircle her shoulders. One hand tangled in the back of her hair, holding her head still so he could have better access to her mouth.

When they came up for air, Wolverine looked stunned. Logan grinned at the expression on his alter-ego's face; it mirrored his own from a few minutes ago. Xavier's face was pleasantly expressionless, like he was watching television.

Wolverine's mouth hung open in shock. Rogue reached up one finger and gently closed it. "Now then, Wolvie," she said teasingly. "Do I look like a kid? Act like a kid?" She leaned in close. "Kiss like a kid?"

All he could do was shake his head, still wide-eyed.

"Good," she said. "Because you've just got to learn to move with the times, baby." She looked up at Logan, standing next to Xavier, and called him over. When he approached, she addressed both of them. "Wolvie, Logan, I know you better than anyone else on the planet, which certainly has its ups and downs. One of the things I know about you is that you have always fought with yourself. You are the single most conflicted man I know. If I leave you alone with yourself, you'll fight. If I send one of you back to your own head, the other of you is going to be smug and insufferable. I'm sorry, guys. You're both going to have to go back. You can sort this out in your own head, 'cause you're driving me crazy trying to do it in mine."

And with that, Rogue put one gentle hand on the face of each man. Her body, still sitting motionless in Xavier's office in a deep trance state, turned to face Logan who sat beside her on the couch. Gently she reached out both hands and, without ever opening her eyes, she cupped his face between her hands. In her mind, she sent each man an affectionate smile and, closing her eyes, she pushed like she had with Bobby.

Logan and Wolverine both disappeared. In Xavier's office, Logan jerked in surprise at the sensation of part of his mind returning, and Rogue's hands fell away from his face. She slumped.

(Author's note: I haven't forgotten about this one, I promise. I'm trying to get the ending written so there won't be another long lag before it gets posted. Bear with me; I'm doing the best I can with it. Oh, and reviews help me write faster:)