A/N: So, yay for happy feelings. I have internet again. This time for good. Hopefully. No one can take it away from me unless I don't pay the pay the bill. Here is your reward.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Jean glanced across the examination table a few days after the fire and looked at Logan. He hadn't left the medical wing since he'd brought Scarlet out. He remained in that seat next to her as long as he could, watching, waiting.

"The burns have healed," she commented, glancing at his arms as she picked up her tablet.

Logan shrugged, not speaking.

Jean sighed and looked down at Scarlet. They'd barely managed to get her down here. She was like living fire and it had taken some work to bring her to the medical wing. Plus she'd almost melted the table until they found an effective way to cool her body temperature down. The flames still moved under her skin, but she was becoming easier to examine properly.

"We should thank Forge for coming up with the cooling unit he created for this," Jean commented.

Again, Logan said nothing.

"I know you're worried about her, Logan," Jean said. "But you also need to take care of your own needs. When was the last time you slept? Or ate anything? Staying by her side like this…it's not completely healthy."

"I'm not leaving her side until I know she's all right," Logan told her, breaking his silence. "If I hadn't lost track of her in the mansion, she wouldn't be like this."

Jean's eyes softened. "Don't blame yourself. You know how stubborn headed Maria is. She would have gone off to fight a volcano if one decided to go off nearby. You can't control her."

Logan shook his head and looked back at Scarlet. Jean passed her hand over Scarlet's forehead and smiled slightly, a tint of color appearing in her cheeks.

"Well, that's new," she commented.

"It's not nice to look into people's heads, Red," Logan reminded her.

"Don't act like you haven't wanted to know what goes on in her head, Logan." Jean lowered her hand only to put it on her hip. "And by the way, she was thinking about you."

Logan's eyebrow lifted and he looked between Scarlet and Jean. Jean looked at him with a small smile on her face, willing to give him information if he asked. But Logan shook his head and settled back in his seat.

"It's not right," he said.

"Funny, that's the same thing that Scott says about the situation," Jean commented, shaking her head. "Apparently, he's not too thrilled about the relationship blooming between you and Scarlet." She held up her hand when Logan opened his mouth. "I know, you're not really dating her at the moment…but you want to be with her. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it. And if Scott has caught on, then it's been known by the school for a while."

"Great," Logan muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's to be done?"

"That's up to you," Jean told him. "But I'm sure whatever you do, you'll make the right decision."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Scarlet gasped as she opened her eyes and stared up at the bright light overhead. Her whole body was hot and she realized, aside from a covering on top of her, she was mostly naked. The fact made her skin warmer as she blushed, wondering who could have seen her without her clothes on and for how long.

She tried flexing her fingers on her right hand, but it hurt too much. When she lifted her head to look at it, she saw that there was a black glove on her hand, cooling it. Her other hand didn't hurt as much.

Scarlet glanced around her and saw Logan slumped in a chair near the table she was lying on. How long has he been there?

The teenager put her hand to her throat and tried to make a sound, but it wouldn't come. Annoyed, she slammed her hand down onto the table and it made a loud boom. Logan woke up immediately and Scarlet gripped her covering to hide her body from him.

"Maria?" he asked, rising to his feet.

Scarlet put her hand to her throat again and shook her head. Logan's brow furrowed.

"You can't speak?" he asked.

Scarlet shook her head again and made a ball with her fist before pantomiming flames. Logan nodded like he understood and touched her cheek. Scarlet flinched at the additional heat of his skin and then turned her face away.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Of course I remember what happened," Scarlet said telepathically. "Pyro tried to kill everyone, but especially me because I pissed him off." She looked at him again. "What happened to him anyway?"

Logan shook his head. "He was taken away to a place where he won't bother anyone again." He poked her on the nose. "You need to worry about yourself, Maria. You nearly died."

Scarlet shrugged and she knew that pissed him off. She rolled off the cold table and was in her clothes before her feet hit the floor. Logan glowered at her.

"Do you want me to be oh so thankful that I'm alive after running headfirst into a burning building?" Scarlet asked him. "Because I'm not. I got reckless. I could have just as easily saved the mansion by standing outside and absorbing the fire as I did inside. And it would have been safer to do it that way because I could redirect the heat into the air…but…"

"You rushed into action and saved a bunch of kids, Maria," Logan said, moving around the table to stand in front of her. "That's all that could have been asked of an X-Man."

Scarlet gave him a look. "I reject that title."

"Too fucking bad, darling. You earned that title."

The teenager tried to punch him, but Logan caught hold of her hand and steam came up from where his skin touched hers. Scarlet blinked in alarm and tried to pull her hand back.

"Are you crazy?" she demanded when he wouldn't let her go.

Logan snuck an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. "Maybe."

Scarlet mentally cursed herself for looking at his lips because she knew he caught her. Logan kissed her softly and then took the kiss deeper.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Logan packed what little possessions he had in the duffle bag that never let him down. He picked up his dog tags and looked towards the door, thinking. Deciding against what his mind told him to do, Logan slipped the dog tags around his neck and grabbed his bag.

He moved quietly from his room and headed down the hall. No one was in the halls. Scarlet hadn't been in his room because she'd gone back to her room to spend time with her roomies. Now was the perfect time to do what he needed to do.

Logan made it downstairs and into the garage before he became aware of someone following him. He turned and saw Scarlet leaning against the door to the garage. She looked slightly annoyed.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Maria, go back to your room," Logan ordered, moving towards his truck.

"Oh, so you can run off to Nowhere Land and I can't?" Scarlet demanded, taking a step into the garage. "Yeah, that's totally fair."

Logan ignored her sarcasm and threw his duffle bag in the truck cab. "Go, Maria."

"How about no?" Scarlet appeared next to him. "Now, tell me, what kind of man are you if you kiss and run?"

"Not good enough for you," Logan stated, glaring at her.

Scarlet crossed her arms over her chest. "And since when did you get to decide what or who was good enough for me?"

"Maria, I don't like hitting women, but if you don't move, I'm going to knock your lights out and then move you."

Just like he knew she would, Scarlet remained unmoved, unbothered. "Tell me where you're going."

"Away. I'm going away from you," Logan said, putting ice in his words. "I knew becoming close to you was an issue. Now I'm removing myself from the problem."

Scarlet blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm leaving," Logan told her. "And I don't want you to come."

The teenager's red eyes sparkled with tears that he hated causing. Scarlet shook her head.

"I don't want you to go…"

"Too fucking bad," Logan said, wrenching open the door to his truck. "You can't always get what you want."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Scarlet watched as he started the truck and opened the door to the outside world. She felt a single tear slide down her cheek and another. Her throat ached and a sort of groan came from within her chest.

Logan sped past her. Scarlet turned and walked out of the garage into the cool night air. Lightning flashed across the sky and the wind whipped her hair in her face. Scarlet watched Logan's truck speed through the gates to the mansion and then he was gone.

"Logan…" she whispered, finding her voice.

Her heart cracked as she felt him get farther and farther away from her. She fell to her knees and screamed, her scream blending in with the thunder.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Victor found Scarlet lying on the ground in the driveway of the school in the pouring rain. She wasn't moving, but he knew that she was alive. Victor scooped her off the ground and looked down at her face. He could see the lightning living under her eyelids.

"Poor kid," he muttered, turning and heading back towards the school.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: And tbere we have it. I'm leaving it here for now. Stayed tuned for the next update. -Scarlet