Multiversed

A/N: Welcome to my plot bunny/completely self-indulgent crossover of the X-Men with the Avengers, heavier on the Avengers than the X-Men, set approximately after the first Avenger's movie but without any Pepper/Tony-ness. Pairing is Rogue/Tony Stark because I can!

Disclaimer: Not my characters or multiverse unfortunately…but I like to play in this sandbox to an unholy degree.

One

Avenger's Headquarters, Stark Tower, NYC

Tony Stark cracked one bleary eye open as JARVIS initiated the automatic controls on the blackout blinds in his personal rooms. Located on the top three floors of Stark Tower, he doesn't share his private rooms and labs with anyone let alone the fellow members of the quasi-government sanctioned group of superheroes he joined out of some sense of misplaced duty to…well…the world. While most geniuses happily bank the profits of their skills and collect Nobel-prizes he decided to use his to actually save the damn world instead of talking about saving it.

Which according to his bestfriend/PA Pepper Potts is just one more way for him to one-up the assholes at MIT.

Tomato/to-mato as far as Tony's concerned.

Today's hangover is courtesy of a drinking contest between him, the newly returned Thor, and the newest member of their band of misfits, Wolverine. A mutant and general dick who somehow manages to out-snarl Fury any given day of the week. Tony's not sure but he's thinking latent daddy-issues of some kind. Of course that goes for most of the team.

Himself, Thor, Banner, now Wolverine, all definite daddy-issues.

"Jarvis," he groaned out as he rubs one hand across his face. "Note to me: never enter another drinking contest against Wolvie. Ever. Clear?"

"Yes, sir." The mechanical butler/AI spoke from the speakers hidden in every room. "A wise decision, I must say, sir."

"Yeah," he grunted sitting up. "Healing factor mutation. I didn't realize at the time that that would mean a hyperfunctioning liver. Although maybe I could figure out a practical application, some kind of genetic therapy for alcoholics…" He muttered to himself as he moved into the shower, ignoring the disapproving silence from his robotic nanny.

After showering and dressing in casual wear – nothing but a day of tinkering downstairs and fielding conference calls for his company in sight – Tony made his way into the kitchen, enjoying the smell of fresh brewed coffee that heralds his lovely but prickly assistant.

"Good morning, Pepper." He greets her semi-cheerfully as the shower has taken the edge off of the little tin soldiers pounding away at his brain.

"Morning," she said in turn, handing him a perfectly made cup of his favorite life-giving beverage. "Nothing heavy on the slate today." She said briskly, handing him his tablet. "I need some signatures to approve company projects, expenditures, etc. Then you're free until noon when you have a conference call with our L.A. office that should last around an hour. After that you're free and clear for the rest of the day."

Quickly scanning the e-files on the tablet he signs one after another as she updates him then hands it back as she finishes her morning update spiel.

"Excellent." He said with a rakish grin. "What about the other side of things?"

Phil strides into the room greeting Pepper. "Nothing on our end." Agent Coulson said, nodding as Pepper leaves for the offices several floors below them. "Hawkeye and Black Widow are still out on assignment, other than that you're all clear."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the alarms begin blaring out an intruder-alert on the Avenger's level.

Giving Phil a pissed look Tony moved over to the wall which slid back to reveal his Iron Man suit.

"You had to say it, didn't you Coulson." He grumped at the Agent as they sped downstairs to the site of the breach according to JARVIS. "You had to give an all-clear. Jinxing bastard."

*x*x*x*x*x*

As one the Avengers poured into the main conference room in their headquarters just below Tony's private labs. Thor, Wolverine, and Captain America came rushing from the gym while Iron Man and Agent Coulson pounded in from the stairwell. Dr. Banner, not yet Hulked out, entered with much less fan-fare from his own lab on that level.

The men all came to a staggering halt at what was waiting for them in the center of the room.

Seated on top of the large oval conference table was the figure of a small woman with her legs kicked out in front of her and crossed at the ankles and her arms propping herself up as she watched them all storm into the room out of wary chocolate-brown eyes. She was wearing a worn leather uniform of some kind with its insignia ripped off and ground down into a rough, comfortable gray-black instead of shiny boot-black that covered her from neck to wrist to ankle where her well-fitted boots took over. The uniform was obviously old, not only from the amount of wear but also from the fit: the barely could contain her across her chest and hips. Perhaps the most startling of all and the feature that had one of the Avengers moving cautiously towards the table wasn't her clothes, her figure, or her flat-out gorgeously seductive looks: it was her hair.

Deep chestnut brown except for two identical white stripes pouring down from her widow's peak and framing her face.

Retracting his claws with a snickt Wolverine paced over to the table, his head cocked to one side.

"Rogue?" He asked incredulously. "What the fuck are you doin' here, kid?"

Bitter laughter poured out from between her dusty-rose lips as she moved into a crouch, ignoring their rapt audience.

"Really, Logan?" Her voice was pure honey and sin, her sweet Southern accent pouring over Tony's skin like a caress. "After all this time that's what ya got? No, hi, how're ya doin'? No, how've ya been since I abandoned you? Not even a hey, how's tricks? Just, 'what the fuck are ya doin' here'? Nice, Logan." She frowned snickering as she adjusted her weight, she's only going to get one shot at this. "Real nice."

Coming to a stop before the table he just grunts at her words as he studied her. Something was off, something besides the changes and the bitterness he would expect from her. Something just…off. Maybe it was her skin, with its yellow-green tinge barely noticeable to his superior eyesight. Or how she seemed to favor one leg, like there's an ache that won't go away. Her hair seemed more brittle than he remembered and her eyes had the slightest glaze…

He shook his head. And maybe he's just makin' shit up to make himself feel better about her rightful anger towards him.

Shooting a look at their audience, all of whom refused to take a hint and go the fuck away, Logan moved closer, stopping at the edge of the table facing her.

"Ok, kid." He said with a shrug. "How's tricks?"

Giving him a wicked grin she pounced, wrapping her long-for-her-height legs around his waist and clenching her arms around his barrel chest as she looks right into his startled gaze.

"Great, got a couple new ones for ya." With that she presses her lips to the shoulder bared by his wife beater tank top and bit down, holding on despite the rest of the Avengers rushing to pry her off. She held on until he passed out, collapsing onto the ground, then she held on a little longer. Until she felt the rabid strength and senses kick in long after his healing factor took her over and a new-and-more-damaged version of Logan and Wolverine took up residence in her mind. She held on until he healed her and saved her life.

After all, as many times as she's saved his ass and his sanity before he went on permanent AWOL she figured he owned her cute Southern ass. As one of his newest teammates moved over with a syringe she sighed to herself.

She just hopes he wakes up soon.

The Rogue doesn't do well in a cell.

*x*x*x*x*x*

Logan came awake to a sight that nightmares are made of: Director Nick Fury lurking over his bedside, staring at him.

"Back the fuck off, bub." He growled, sitting up. Fuck. He thought as the events leading to his unconsciousness all came rushing back. He hasn't felt that way in a long ass time. Since Liberty Island, actually.

"Ah, Wolverine." Fury gave a stiff nod. "You are aware of how you got here, correct?"

"Yeah," he grunted, swinging his legs over the side of the med bay cot. "The Rogue laid my ass out."

"Ah, yes." Satisfaction gleamed in the Director's eye. "We thought you might be familiar with the young lady we currently have in holding. As least that's what we assumed from your little dialogue before she put you down so quickly. You wouldn't happen to know just how she managed that little trick now would you?"

Logan just laughed mirthlessly as he got to his feet. At least this time he wasn't here long enough to wear a stupid-ass hospital gown.

"How long was I out?"

"Approximately six hours and," the Director looked at his watch. "…thirty-seven minutes. Quite impressive from one little bite…wouldn't you say?"

Logan grunts. Not nearly as bad as the last time when she laid him out for a week. Her mutation must be getting better or the him inside of her has gotten stronger. Ignoring the Director who proceeded to follow him regardless, Logan made his way from the med bay to the holding cells, picking up stray members of his team and a few curious agents along the way. Coming to a stop before the part of the building containing the holding cells he spun to face his new entourage.

Every-fuckin'-body wants to know how to drop the Wolverine.

"Look," he said at last scrubbing one hand through his bearded jaw. "She's not gonna talk to me with all-a you hangin' around. Go find yerselves a nice spot on the other side-a the pretty mirror so I can talk to 'er."

"Fine." Fury said with a nod. "Stark and Banner are already in there trying to get her to talk to them about how she knocked you out."

Of course the geniuses are. Logan rolls his eyes. Probably trying to figure out what loophole around his mutation they missed in their research or some bullshit.

"I'll send 'em out." He said. "I know 'er. She's not gonna wanna talk to me in the mood she's in right now, especially after bein' locked in a cell, let alone the science-squad. But I already know how she dropped me. What you need to know is how she got in here. And that's what I'll get from 'er…in exchange for her walkin' papers."

"What?!" Agent Coulson burst out. "You can't expect a criminal like…"

"Like what?" Logan interrupted with a growl. "Only crime I see is knockin' my ass out when none-a ya geeks and freaks could figure out how."

"She broke into a secured facility." Fury stated calmly.

"That's owned by a private party." Tony said smoothly joining the fray as he investigated the argument JARVIS alerted him to. "So unless myself or the Wolverine, here, press charges there's been no crime. And I think that's a fair deal to make to find out where our security weaknesses are…don't you?" He asked the Director with a sarcastically arched brow, once more attired in a comfortable pair of designer jeans and a Black Sabbath t-shirt.

Grumbling the Director agreed, with a caveat:

"She tells us everything. What the weaknesses are, how she exploited them, what she came here for. Everything. Otherwise she can make herself comfortable in that cell because she'll be there a long, long time."

Exchanging a look, Logan and Stark said in stereo:

"Agreed."