Disclaimer: X-Men belongs to Marvel, I own nothing. Except for any new OCs that might come into the picture and the plot, which is entirely my own.
Never Forgotten
Chapter 1: Logan's Departure
"So you can touch now, Rogue." Bobby's voice was slightly husky, his eyes a darker shade of blue than normal. He took a hesitant step forward. "Does that mean you can kiss now too?"
Rogue smiled, her expression one of shyness mixed with excitement, and a little bit of playfulness. "I don't know. I haven't tried it yet."
Bobby grinned, one hand reaching out to stroke her cheek gently. "This might be a good time to start."
Rogue bit her lip, suppressing a smile. "It might be," she agreed, tilting her face up for Bobby's kiss.
The first touch was soft, gentle. A feather-light caress that sent warm shivers racing up her spine, just as she remembered feeling the day she and Bobby had shared their first real kiss, back in his parent's house in Boston.
There was one major difference. Then, she could hurt him if she held on too long; now, they had all the time they wanted.
Bobby's hands crept around her waist to the small of her back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. Rogue leaned into him, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She-they- had waited so long for this. Without conscious thought, her arms wound themselves around his neck, urging him on.
They were totally focused on each other; every touch, every taste was a new, incredible experience for both of them, but especially for Rogue. The world around them vanished, time evaporated. There was only each other…
"Well, I would tell you to get a room, but admittedly you've already got that part covered."
The sound of the intruder's voice had the same effect as a bucket of ice water being dumped over their heads. Rogue and Bobby sprang apart guiltily, Rogue's eyes widening in a sort of horrified shock as she recognized their visitor.
"Logan!" Her face reddening with embarrassment, she felt her temper spark. "Don't you knock?"
Logan merely looked amused. "I did. But…you were a little busy." His eyebrows lifted slightly, daring her to disagree.
She didn't. "What are you doing here?" she asked instead, turning the focus on him.
He didn't bat an eyelash. "Coming to say goodbye."
Rogue frowned. "You're leaving?"
Beside her, Bobby shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I think I'll go now."
He glanced at Logan. "You two probably want to talk."
Rogue suddenly realized that he had been completely left out of the conversation. "I'm sorry, Bobby," she apologized immediately. Whether for Logan's interruption or for forgetting to include him in the conversation she wasn't sure. Briefly, she thought about urging him to stay, but rejected the idea just as quickly. She'd rather talk to Logan alone. "I'll come see you later, okay?"
Bobby nodded, both in recognition of her statement and as a delayed greeting to Logan, and then he was gone. Rogue couldn't help the small twinge of relief she felt.
Logan remained silent for a moment, crossing the room to the window. His previous good humor had vanished with Bobby's departure. His face was hard in the sunlight, his shoulders tense as he answered her question. "Yes, I'm leaving."
Rogue sank onto her bed, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She gazed at him questioningly. "Why?"
Logan hesitated. "You know why," he said finally.
Rogue's voice was barely a whisper. "Dr. Grey…"
A brief nod confirmed her suspicions, and Rogue felt a surge of hurt, as though someone had slid a dagger into her. "Are you coming back?" she asked, managing to keep her voice calm, a little distant.
Logan's eyes were shadowed when he finally turned to look at her. "I don't know."
Rogue nodded, steeling herself. This shouldn't be that hard, she thought. I've always known this would happen, someday. She just hadn't expected that "someday" would be this soon. "Will you keep in touch?"
Logan ran a hand through his hair absently. "Will that make this easier, or harder?"
A small, as-of-yet unquenched spark of hope rose up inside her. "At least if you write, I'll know you're okay." She gave him a small smile. "I worry, you know."
He smiled back. "I know." Then the smile twisted, turned bitter. "Only, if I stay in contact with this place…"
"What?" Rogue wondered aloud, her eyes curious.
"I can't forget," Logan finished huskily, his eyes strangely dark.
"Forget what?" Rogue asked fearfully, already knowing the answer.
Logan met her eyes squarely. "Everything."
The pain Rogue had felt moment's ago upon hearing about Logan's imminent departure was nothing to the hurt she felt now. Before she could stop them, tears had filled her eyes. She refused to allow them to fall. Instead, she struggled to clamp down on her feelings, unwilling to cry in front of him again; not now. "That's not fair," she argued somewhat shakily, barely keeping her voice under control.
Logan looked over at her in surprise. "What's not fair?"
Rogue gathered her courage. "The road might help you forget me, but what have I got to forget you?"
Logan inhaled sharply. "You think…hell!" He shook his head violently. "I didn't mean you, kid. I could never forget you."
Rogue smiled, much of the pain she had been feeling evaporating. She looked up him trustingly, the way she had that day on the bus when he had told her he'd take care of her. "You promise?"
Logan ruffled her hair affectionately, and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead even as she hugged him tightly. "I promise."
A/N: Hey all, hope you're enjoying the story so far. I want to warn everyone that right now I have no idea exactly how long this fic will end up being, and it may take awhile to get to the Logan/Rogue stuff. It will come, however. I don't plan for this to be a sudden thing though; it's gonna take time. In the end, this will make it that much better, I promise. This is my first X-Men fic, and I've only seen the 3rd movie once, so my memory may be a little hazy. If anyone has any corrections to make or ideas/comments/suggestions, I'm very willing to hear them. Thanks for reading, and remember to review. It's what keeps us starving authors going!
