Disclaimer - I dont own any rights to any Marvel or X-men characters, yada yada yada ... All new characters and storylines are products of my over-active imagination, as such are mine :)

Summary - Set after the events of X3, with minor changes (mainly 'cause I didnt agree with them) As feared, the cure is not the permanent solution some had wished it to be... With recent events having held their attention, undiscovered an enemy has been waiting in the wings calmly plotting their revenge - but a mutant in need catches the eye of the professor, who it seems may just unknowingly hold the key to discovering the answers some have been seeking...

Author's note- my first foray into fanfic, please be kind... probably best rated for strong language &/or violence, considering the way its going so far!

CHAPTER 1 - Unbidden Changes.

The late afternoon sun cast a cold shadow over the otherwise peaceful garden, as Logan for the first time in eight months found himself facing the memorials of his fallen friends. His bag still over his shoulder, he stooped, placing a single rose devoid of thorns against the marble headstone, and sighed deeply.

"Hey, Red"

His voice was gruff and laced with sadness, as he ran his hand over the name inscribed there - Jean Grey - causing unwanted memories to surface. Logan shuddered, haunted; visions of those black eyes swam infront of him again, of her pleas, of what she begged of him to do ...with some effort, he pushed them out of his mind.

NO, he thought, that's enough. I wont make this about me anymore. It was hers; It was all for her ..." softly, under his breath he whispered, "Im here to make my peace ... I think its time... "

Lost in thought and the breeze in the opposite direction, he failed to notice the dark-headed figure approach him from the mansion, white stripes of hair framing her face as she looked unbelievingly at the man before her.

"Logan?"

A rueful smile creased his features, he should have known Chuck'd send her to find him first. Good. Tilting his head to the side, he stood, taking her in with a quick sweep of his eyes he answered "Hey, kid"

"Logan!" she squealed, swiftly closing the gap throwing her arms around him and crushing herself tight to his chest. He chuckled, enveloping her in a bear hug, dipping his head to lean against her hair and breathing in her scent. Marie. His Marie.

She leaned away from him, tilting her head up to look at him worriedly "You're ain't gonna run a'gain, are you?" When he shook his head, Rogue grinned, and curled up against him again contentedly.

"Ah've missed you, ya know"

Logan rubbed his hand along her back, before slowly deliberately trailing his fingers down the skin of her arms feeling Rogue catch her breath; all the while marvelling at the pale silky softness of her skin, at the fact he was touching her at all without having the very life sucked out of him.

"It still feels strange ... " the words were muffled by her closeness, but he caught them all the same. Taking her by the shoulders, he pulled her away from him, narrowed eyes looking deep into hers with a sharp frown

"You regret it?"

"No..." she answered honestly, "Ah dont. Ah wanted it. Ah'm still glad ah did it, but everything's changed here so much" she tailed off, her dark brown eyes searching "Its all just ... Ah dont know, its all just so diff'rent now" she looked at him as if the look alone could explain more than words ever could.

"Marie ..." he began, but just at that, he heard the familair voice interrupt inside his head

:Ah, Logan. Welcome back. Could you please come up to my office:

Looking down at Marie, he tapped the side of his head "hmffph. Duty calls ..."

"The professor?"

He typically raised his eyebrow, as if to say - who else? - and rogue just giggled, linking her bare arm with his. "C'mon, Ah'm goin' that way anyway"

Casting a final glance towards the stones, together they strolled away, leaving the peaceful quiet little spot behind.


Xavier came out of the meeting feeling physically raw.The usual occurance when dealing with Logan, but the effects always felt somewhat more preonounced when he hadnt put up with the man's ferocity for so long. His very presence resembled a caged beast, pacing up down just inside its enclosure, watching with unflinching merciless eyes for an opening to escape. Indeed, it was a fragile trust he built with the man, but worth it.

:Good evening, Ororo:

Xavier acknowledged the nubian beauty, just as she reached to open the door, before ducking her head inside

:Come in, my dear:

"How are you feeling?" she moved behind him, perching on the desk and placing her hand on his shoulder. Gently he covered it with his own and continued to stare out the window, idly spectating on the fading day outside "Hank says you werent to overdo it"

"And nor do I plan to, but I need to get back to some sense of normalacy... "

"Still, dont try to do too much too soon." she smiled, a strange feeling of their roles suddenly having been reversed. Hearing the thoughts, he chuckled softly.

: I feel fine:

" Still "

"I feel fine" he insisted "More than fine, in fact, better than I have in years. Lighter ... I percieve things so much more clearly now. How strange it is to think, that when One has lost all that they are, How greater the value they place on simple sensation and experience" he patted her hand, reassuringly "It feels good to be back"

"Well, its good to have you back ..." she laughed a little, nervously - probably unaware Xavier was fully hearing the thoughts of her previous fears running through her mind in his tired state. Hearing her anguished thoughts of when he'd gone in the first place, her fears being on her own to run the school without advice; how relieved she had been when Moira McTaggert contacted them to let them know where he was ... and above all the sheer weight of worry on her mind when Charles's borrowed body had suddenly stopped responding in the clinic,when his essence had vanished, and his own body rematerialised without warning in the middle of the still abandoned ruin that was formerly the Grey household. He experienced the fear she'd lost him again ...

Lying semi-concious on the floor, he'd felt rather than sensed the hell she had personally gone through, walking up those last few steps towards him, fearing it was nought but a trick but yet hoping beyond hope all the same. He grasped her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Ororo wont let go of me that easily, not again. None of them will.

He rubbed his fingers over his aching temple, quietly persevering with rebuilding his mental barries to halt the incessant barrage of others thoughts.

Stooping slightly, and placing a light kiss on his forehead, Storm straightened up "Come, let's go down to dinner, shall we?"

Xavier smiled benignly feeling better, casting a final glance out the window, and agreed warmly. However, he hid a slight frown as he accompanied her out of the office, deep in thought.

If everything is going so well, then why do I feel like this?


Logan skipped the meal, preferring instead to lie back on his old bed, staring at the ceiling, lazily blowing smoke rings and listening to Marie filling him in on all that he'd missed in his absence.

Can always do the food thing later ... he thought, enjoying the taste of the cigar, just catching Rogue wrinkling her nose out of the corner of his eye and he grinned.

"Ya know Ah think those things stink, Logan"

"And?"

The answer was infuriating, and she told him so in no uncertain terms, even though she couldnt keep the smile from tugging at her lips as she did so.

Logan laughed then, a deep growly laugh "Ahhh, I missed ya' kid."

Extinguishing the cigar on the palm of his hand, flicking the butt out of the open window, rolling onto his stomach and regarding her with piercing hazel eyes full of curiosity, he stared at her sitting cross-legged on his floor with her cheeks slowly turning a vivid red under the scruitiny. Suddenly squaring her shoulders she stared straight back at him defiantly

"Whatch'a starin' at, sugar?"

"Ya know" he spoke slowly, watching her reaction "I've heard plenty of whats been happening at the school, and life around here in general ... but not so much 'bout what's been happening with you. You trying to tell me that in eight months you havent done a godamn thing?" he snorted, " Yeah, right. 'Cause I know you, Marie. That ain't it. So what you not tellin me, huh? " eyebrow raised, picking up on her sudden discomfort.

Rogue opened her mouth to reply, and he cut in, making her squirm even more "An' there aint even been one mention of Ice-Prick either ... So." he spoke, with finality "Anything you wanna share? "

Logan stared at her expectantly, and the words were spoken bitterly even before she realised she said anything "Ah don' wanna talk about Him"

A single tear rolled down her cheek; she wiped it away furiously, all of a sudden feeling Logan's strong arms going around her. "Oh, Logan ..." she buried herself in his chest again, feeling safe, secure and loved again.

"You were right, he wasnt worth it ... oh god, he so wasn't worth it at all ..."

She felt the thudding of his heart quicken, hearing both the growl starting in his throat and the familiar snikt as he unleased a set of his claws "I'm gonna gut 'im " he growled darkly, holding her close.

"No, dont - he's not even worth it" she sighed, and he retracted his claws at her wish.

The tears had stopped, but Logan could still smell the saltiness of them on her skin and it drove the wolverine inside him insane

Fine - his sub-concious whispered - She didnt say it doesnt mean you cant still teach him a lesson ...

"Marie ..." he said the name softly, brushing her long hair back from her face and curling his finger beneath her chin and tilting her head up to look at him. Eyes studying hers, he asked the question she'd been dreading "What did he do to you ?"

"He, he ..." she gulped, throat suddenly dry "Please dont be mad ..." when he shook his head, being so close to him looking into his eyes Rogue found the words slipping out unbidden

"He cheated on meh. Bobby cheated on meh with Kitty...an Ah found them - Ah' found them in mah bed... Ah'd taken the cure, so Ah could touch; only to find two of the people Ah trusted most after you were too busy touching each other ... " fresh tears started to fall, and she started to shake slightly "Bobby ... he, he was so angry ... " her eyes closed, and she shuddered as the memory flashed infront of her eyes again.

"Marie! Marie!" he shook her slightly, her eyes snapping open "Whaddya mean he was angry?"

Contained within his arms, his glowering face just centimeters above her, Logan's furious confused eyes bored into hers, and she couldnt keep it from him anymore. Voice dropping to a whisper, Rogue spoke

"Bobby came after meh ... Kitty was crying, trying to pull her clothes back on an' say sorry, but Ah ran away ... an' he came after meh ... he, he came after meh ..."

Tears slid down her cheeks, and she didnt bother to try and wipe them away "Ah ran outside ... Ah ran outside, to get away from him, but he caught up with meh ... Ah, ah couldnt get away ... an' I was so scared ..." Rogue looked down, wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging them tight to her chest, and all Logan could feel was a growing horror in the pit of his stomach; thinking

Please, 'kid. Please dont say what I think you're gonna say ...

"He, he trapped meh ... Bobby froze the grass so ah slipped an fell, an he pinned meh down..."

Jesus

"He wouldny let meh up - an we jus kept shoutin' at each other ... ah kept shoutin out anythin to hurt him, to get away; an' he just suddenly lost it ... He hit meh ..." her breath caught in her throat, and she was suddenly crying all the harder "... Bobby jus' kept hittin Meh ... 'an ah couldny get up, ah' didny even have mah powers to protect mah'self ..."

I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him slow ...

...marie ... im sorry ...

The great shuddering sobs wrecked havoc on her little frame, and she hiccuped "If Piotr hadn't found us ..."

"Oh, GOD"

Logan crushed her to his chest, suddenly thankful for the russian's light sleeping efforts, thankful that he was in the right place at the right time. "Ohh, Marie ... "

Unburdened, she cried against him and he rocked her back an forth, holding her close until she eventually quietened, the cries dulling to faint deep sobbing breaths. He'd lost all notion of time passing as he sat there, comforting her, lost in thoughts of guilt and revenge.

After some time, realising she was being exceptionally quiet, her body relaxed, Logan lifted his chin off her head and gently peeked down through her parted hair to find her asleep against him fingers intertwined in his shirt. Sliding one arm around her waist, and another under her legs, he lifted her up off the floor; smiling when she curled closer into him with a contented sigh. "...logan..."

He was on the verge of shouldering open his door to take her back to her room when he suddenly realised he didnt know where to take her at all. Rogue'd shared a room with Kitty ... his insides knotted at that - he didnt imagine her staying in there anymore.

Well, guess that's that settled then

Logan turned back to the bed, teasing the covers back with his foot, and gently tucked her into his bed, pausing for a few moments to stroke the hair away from her face.

" I'll look after ya, 'kid. I promised. I'll be right back "

Placing a light kiss on her cheek, moving away he quietly shut the room door behind himself.

Casting an ominous figure, Logan swiftly stalked away down the corridor shoulders knotted and fists clenched in fury, a wild gleam in his eyes.

I'm comin, an it ain't gonna be pretty. Let's see Bobby Drake try and smack ME around ...


that's it ! first chapter up ... hopefully you liked it - if you didn't well, erm ... yeah ...

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