Chapter Two: Logan's Return

And here's Chapter Two, one of my longest chapters! Here, Rogue is shown to have already begun learning how to control her powers, but I just left it "off-screen", mainly because I'm not quite creative enough to really think of how it would go. The human (and mutant) mind is complicated on its own, but Rogue's mind... (cut to Anna from Frozen saying, "Yeesh!"). Besides, many others have their own versions of what Rogue's mind could actually look like, and I don't want to risk copying or "ripping off" other writers. If you have an idea, feel free to imagine it.

Bing-a-Ling27: Thank you so much! I don't believe you left a review for my first story, and I just want to make sure you read that one as well. Don't want anyone confused. :)

I also received an anonymous guest review for my first story, asking about the next chapter. Unfortunately, I can't reply, but if that person happens to stumble across this: that story is finished, and I am currently posting chapters for this one.

I feel like I need to address this. So far, I've gotten two requests through PM to participate in a story roleplay or co-write a story. I'd like to say, while I'm extremely flattered that y'all want my participation, I'm not interested. I'd like to put my full focus on my own stories for the time being.

Lastly, a random thought: I was really bugged by how Rogue's streaks often appeared more blonde than white in this movie. Anyone else?

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

Later that evening, Professor Xavier sat in his office with Scott, Jean, and Ororo, discussing the news report of the attack at the White House.

"My opinion?" said Scott. "Magneto's behind this."

"No, I don't think so, Scott," said Jean, who was sitting across from the professor at a chess table.

"While Erik is capable of organizing something like this from prison," said Professor Xavier, "for him it would be irrational. It would only hurt his goal of mutant prosperity."

"You mean superiority," said Scott dryly, sitting on the sofa.

Professor Xavier nodded. "You're right," he conceded. "If Erik had his way..." He trailed off.

"And of course, you know how the government will respond," said Ororo bitterly from her position by the window. "They'll reintroduce the Registration Act."

"Or worse," said the professor gravely. "The president could declare a state of emergency. Place every mutant in the country under arrest."

Ororo sat down beside Scott as they all let this sink in.

"Do you think the assassin was working alone?" Jean asked.

"Well, we'll only know that if we find him before the authorities do," said Professor Xavier. "I've been trying to track him using Cerebro, but his movements are inexplicably erratic. When I have more exact coordinates, Storm, Jean, I'll need you to take the Jet and try and pick him up. But right now, I have a quick session with Rogue."

As if on cue, there was knocking on his door. "Professor? It's me." Hearing his girlfriend's voice, Scott began smiling.

"Come in, Rogue," the professor called out.

After the incident on Liberty Island, Rogue, encouraged by Scott, had asked the professor to help her control her powers. Not only did she crave human contact, but she also didn't want to have to endure other peoples' voices and thoughts in her head for the rest of her life. Since then, they've been making slow, but sure progress. During their private sessions, they discovered that she could also potentially control the powers of other mutants she absorbed, something he deduced to being the second result of the conversion machine's radiation field, the first being her unique white hair streaks. She had Logan's healing abilities down, but was still trying to get Magneto's powers under control. Professor Xavier had also theorized that Rogue's potential control for her own powers was prevented by some mental block, likely because of her fear and insecurities. Soon enough, she was able to safely touch someone without draining them for about five seconds, but she kept pushing for longer. And she still wore her gloves; she refused to leave them off until she got full control.

Rogue slowly opened the door and entered. She saw that the professor wasn't alone. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, we've just wrapped up here," he said, smiling. He turned to the X-Men. "If you all don't mind...?"

Ororo and Jean took the hint and left. Jean smiled encouragingly at Rogue on her way out, and Scott got up and planted a kiss on the side of her head before leaving, the latter of which left her blushing. Professor Xavier just smiled warmly at her.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

They had another private session early the next day, since Professor Xavier had wanted to track down the mutant assassin as soon as possible.

"Well, Rogue," he began after the session ended, "I have to say, I'm very pleased with your progress. I have no doubt whatsoever that you'll gain full control in the near future."

Rogue beamed with pride. When she first got her powers, she feared she could never control them, and be doomed to live the rest of her life without being able to touch anyone again. But now that she found her place here in the mansion, and her hope for control realized, her spirits kept lifting up.

"Thank you," she said happily. Then she frowned. "I hope I didn't hurt you, though."

He gently waved her off. "I assure you, I will be fine. You drew your hand away at the right time." During this particular session, when he touched her bare hand, her powers didn't kick in until six seconds later this time. "And you're handling telepathy quite wonderfully."

Since Rogue had been taking more and more of his power during these sessions, she had also decided to occasionally join Jean's private sessions with him to help develop her newly acquired telepathy.

The door to his office opened, revealing Scott.

"Jean and Ororo are about to get the Jet ready," he said. "Did I interrupt – ?"

"Not at all, Scott," said Professor Xavier. "We've just finished up. Now, I'm on my way to Cerebro to find that mutant. Would you mind waiting for me here?"

"No, Professor," said Scott. He and Rogue watched as the professor wheeled out of his office. Then he turned to his girlfriend. "How did it go?"

She smiled. "He says I'm making progress. I could have control some time in the near future."

"I'm glad," he said, smiling back. "When I got to the door, I heard him say something about telepathy?"

"Oh, he was just saying that I'm handling it wonderfully now. At first, I was hearing people's thoughts nonstop before he taught me how to shut them out."

Scott nodded. "Jean had that problem, too."

"She's so understanding," Rogue practically gushed in appreciation. "I'm so glad we're friends."

"So am I," he agreed, still smiling. Then he looked curious. "Hey, have you tried to read anyone's mind yet?"

She blushed a little as she shook her head. "No. Didn't wanna invade people's privacy."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, you wanna try now, with me?"

Her eyes widened. "Are ya sure?"

"Of course," he said gently, stepping closer. "I trust you."

She took a deep breath. "Okay." She held up her gloved hands on either side of his head, like the professor and Jean had done many times, and closed her eyes. He watched her scrunch up her face a bit and groan, as if this was hurting her, but after a while, she pulled away.

"Oh, Scott," she murmured, her face bright red. "I love you, too."

Now his eyes widened behind his shades. Though they had been together for a few months, he hadn't told her that he loved her yet. He chuckled a bit nervously. "You mind if I say it out loud? I've been meaning to tell you for a while."

She nodded quickly, her face still red.

He placed one hand on her arm and lifted the other to stroke her hair. "I love you, Marie."

Her breath caught in her throat. She had, of course, told him her real name when they first became friends, but hearing the way he said it made her feel really, really good. He also like to call her his angel, which started during a lesson on a certain Shakespearean play about a king and his fair Kate.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she saw him slowly lean in, and she reluctantly leaned back.

"I – I don't wanna hurt you," she whispered. The memory of hurting David continued to haunt her to this day, and she was still in the process of gaining full control, but she was so desperate to feel Scott's touch.

He shook his head. "You won't," he whispered back.

They both slowly leaned in, their lips inches apart. Then they heard a motorcycle approaching. Rogue jerked her head away towards the sound. They recognized it as Scott's motorcycle, which meant he was home.

Rogue smiled almost giddily at Scott, who chuckled again, finding her reaction adorable.

"Go on, I'll catch up," he said.

She practically ran out of the professor's office and headed for the front doors, which opened to reveal...

"Logan!" She walked right up to him and pulled him in for a hug.

"You miss me, kid?" he asked as she stepped back.

She shrugged. "Not really," she teased.

He chuckled. "Mm. How you doing?"

"I'm okay, how are you?" Now he shrugged.

"Find what you were looking for, Logan?" They turned to see Scott walking towards them.

"More or less," Logan answered nonchalantly. He tossed the keys to him. "Your bike needs gas."

Scott caught the keys. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Rogue just giggled, taking his arm.

Logan took note of this. "So, you two hooked up, eh?" he asked, seeing that no one else was around.

"Well, not in the way you're thinking," she said, still smiling, "but yes, we're together."

"And how's that working out?" he asked.

"If you must know, really well," said Scott happily, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "But it's secret for now, only the professor, Ororo, and Jean know."

Logan nodded. "Ah." He was a little put off by just how happy Scott was acting, having mostly seen him scowling or indifferent last time he was here. If both he and Rogue were this happy, then obviously their relationship really was working.

"Look who's come back." They all turned to see Ororo descending the staircase. "Just in time."

"For what?" Logan asked.

"We need a babysitter."

He raised an eyebrow. "Babysitter?" he repeated, but she just smiled.

"Nice to see you again, Logan."

Then someone else came down the stairs. "Hi, Logan."

It was Jean. The others saw Logan's face light up, which was rare for him.

"Hi, Jean," he said back.

Ororo smirked a little. "Uh, I should go and get the Jet ready," she said before abruptly leaving.

"And we should head back to Xavier's office," said Scott, taking Rogue's gloved hand. "Welcome back, Logan."

As he led her away, she said, "Bye, Logan. I'll see you later."

"Okay," Logan called after her before turning to face Jean, who had walked up to him. He raised his eyebrows, as if to ask her a question.

"Storm and I are heading to Boston," she said. "We won't be gone long. The professor wants us to track down a mutant who attacked the president."

Logan frowned, having heard the news himself. "So it was a mutant?"

Jean smiled. "You'll be here when we get back, unless you plan on running off again?"

He shrugged. "Well, I can probably think of a few reasons to stick around."

She nodded, biting her lip. "I'll see you later, then." She planted a kiss on his cheek before leaving. Then she stopped and turned back around. "By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I...kept your bed warm while waiting for you."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Really, now? Well, I appreciate it." Truthfully, he didn't really know how to respond to that, but judging by her knowing smile, Jean probably sensed how he felt about it anyway.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

Rogue stood in Scott's room, watching him put his coat on over his uniform. He was about to leave with Professor Xavier to see Magneto in his prison cell. Rogue didn't trust the evil mutant to not try some way to attack them, and couldn't stop worrying.

"I can't guarantee it," he said honestly, "but I've trained for things like this nearly my whole life. It's nothing I'm not used to."

Rogue crossed her arms. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be an X-Man, then..." After the battle at Liberty Island, she had decided that she wanted to join the X-Men, but the professor told her that she was still too young, and would need much more training. She was starting to believe that she didn't have what it takes to be an X-Man, like Scott or Jean did.

Knowing what she was thinking, Scott walked up to her. "Hey, don't say that. I know you've got what it takes to be an X-Man. You just need more time." Seeing that she still looked upset, he pulled her into his arms. "Come here."

Knowing what he wanted, she froze in his arms.

"Marie," he said gently, sending chills and tingles down her body, "you won't hurt me."

She nodded slowly, then took a deep breath, trying to keep her powers under control. He leaned in, and she didn't stop him. After months of craving this kind of intimacy, their lips finally touched. And she couldn't get enough of it.

After about six seconds passed, she pulled away. "Wow..." Suddenly, she felt her eyes burn. It turned out that her powers kicked in just a little bit after her limit.

"Marie? You okay?" He stepped back when he saw her eyes glow bright red. They quickly realized that no optic blasts were coming.

"How can I control it?" she wondered aloud as the glow dimmed.

He sighed. "Because you don't have the brain damage." Some time after they first became friends, he had told her about an accident he had when he was a kid, an accident that caused some permanent damage to his brain. This was the true reason why he couldn't control his powers, something he didn't share with many people.

Rogue looked at him sadly and, without thinking, kissed him again. They kissed longer than before, and it grew more passionate. She forgot to count how many seconds she was touching him and soon, Scott began breathing heavily, and veins appeared all over his face. He pulled away, gasping.

"Oh God, Scott!" she cried, her eyes welling up in horror and shame. "I'm so sorry!"

He shook his head slightly, which began to ache. "It's okay. I'll be fine."

"But I hurt you!" Tears were streaming down her face now. If she weren't caught up in the moment, she could've recognized that rush of energy...

He pulled her into another hug. "Shh..." he soothed her as she began crying into his chest. "I'm fine, angel. You didn't do it on purpose."

"But –"

"No buts. You'll get full control someday, Marie. And I'm not giving up on you." He gave the top of her head a kiss.

Eventually, Rogue calmed down. For a while, she savored the feeling of being in his arms before they pulled apart.

"Look on the bright side," he said, smiling. "If someone attacks, you have my power to stop them."

She frowned. "Has anyone attacked the mansion?"

He shook his head. "I was just kidding. But for as long as I've been here, no. Don't worry, though, Logan will be here, and I'll be back soon."

She finally smiled back. "You promise?"

He kissed her head again. "I promise."

She walked him out to the garage and watched as he and the professor left the grounds. She couldn't fight the troubling feeling that his promise was going to be difficult to keep.

"I'm sending the coordinates of where the mutant seems to have settled for now," the professor's voice spoke through the speaker of the X-Jet. "As soon as you find him, bring him back to the mansion."

"Well, let's hope he cooperates," said Storm, looking at the coordinates Charles sent her.

"Yes, for his sake," he said. "Good luck."

Jean had been listening from her position in the pilot's seat. Wanting to exercise her powers, to make sure she was still in control of them, she let go of the handles and mentally commanded them to move accordingly. For a while, the Jet flew smoothly. Then the lights began flashing as if they were surging, and Storm quickly noticed.

"Jean!" she said sharply.

Snapping out of it, Jean turned to look at Storm, who looked pointedly at the handles. She quickly placed her hands back on them to manually fly the Jet, and the lights stopped flashing.

"What's wrong?" Storm asked in concern.

Jean shook her head. "Nothing. Really. I'm just feeling a little off."

Storm turned away, smirking knowingly. "Maybe it's just that Logan's back in town," she whispered playfully.

Hearing her, Jean turned back to her friend. "So what if it is?"

"Nothing, I'm just happy for you," Storm assured her, smiling. While she was happy for her, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. But for Jean's sake, she set aside her own feelings for Logan. "So, are you gonna ask him out?"

Blushing, Jean answered, "As soon as we bring this mutant back and get everything sorted out. Although, I'm not sure he's the type to go out on actual dates."

"We haven't even met him yet –"

"I meant Logan!" Jean said quickly, her face now matching her hair.

Chuckling, Storm said, "Jean, even I can tell he feels strongly for you. I'm sure he'd be happy to go on a date with you."

"Yeah, you're right, 'Ro," said Jean, turning her attention back to flying the Jet.

She was already imagining the delight on Rogue's face for when she asked the younger woman for fashion advice.

And there's Chapter Two! What do you think of Scott and Rogue's relationship? And am I right in thinking that Rogue should've had plenty of opportunities to learn how to control her powers throughout the trilogy? And yes, Rogue can control Scott's powers, like in Evolution. His inability to control it himself is due to brain damage, something that the original cartoon didn't quite get. And it looks like she's got some control over telepathy as well, like another character Anna Paquin's famous for portraying. ;)

Also, I believe that, in this version, Logan and Scott would be a little bit nicer to each other, seeing as there's no love triangle between them and Jean. And I know that there were students walking around as Logan came home, but I just felt lazy and didn't include it, XD.

And of course, I included that little deleted scene of Jean and Storm in the Jet. In the original, when Storm teased that she was off because Logan came back, Jean said, "Yeah, maybe it is. Not!" But things are different here, obviously, since I'm letting her be open about her feelings. Plus, it further foreshadows her growing powers.