Scene 3

Hotel Room in Manhattan

"He can't stay here," Logan was protesting.

"He's hurt, he doesn't have tah stay for a while, just for tonight," Rogue looked over at the limp form on her hotel room bed.

She hadn't cleaned him up any; just thrown a few towels down on the bed before Logan, less than gently, put him on it.

Rogue was standing in the corner of the tiny room with Logan, who was mashing on a cigar. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and took a breath.

"I'm not sayin' he should…I mean, he should apologi…I mean, just," she stammered as Logan's eyes bore into her own, "Just maybe there was a reason he left."

It was a weak finish to an even weaker argument. She had tried before on Bobby, when he had come back with the one on one tale of fire and ice; ice coming out victorious. He had told her late one night, when the shadows had covered his face so Rogue couldn't see his eyes, how everything had suddenly turned for the worst. He told her how he was leaving Alcatraz, but couldn't bring himself to leave John, his voice had choked up, he had sighed after that, taking a break, and Rogue hadn't pushed him to continue.

Bobby explained how, "John was a friend, one of my oldest, I couldn't just leave him…" he'd paused again. "Jean she…she wasn't herself." Rogue just sat next to him, nodded, she squeezed his hand for support.

"Everything was just, vaporizing, it was just gone, I couldn't just leave him." Bobby finished. He had carried John out of the battle zone. But that was it, in Rogue's mind, maybe not to be vaporized, or as Storm had put it, dissolved, but he left him when they got over the bridge.

Bobby said he didn't look bad; he was just unconscious. Rogue had shrugged. She was biased about John since that day at Bobby's house in Boston; the day she put out fire. The fire he had started.

"Why are you defending him?" Logan sounded hurt and all she could do was shrug.

They were standing close to the door, but just far enough so that when Kitty came bounding in, she missed them, but just barely.

"Where have you been?" she shouted.

Logan raised an eyebrow; Rogue tried her hand at shushing the girl.

Kitty looked confused, "What? I have to tell you…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes discovered the body in the bed.

"That's not…"

"Oh," Logan said harshly, "It is."

"What is he doing here?" Kitty spat viciously.

"Ask Rogue," Logan responded, almost as fierce.

Rogue glared at Logan, than turned her attention to Kitty.

"Nevahmind him, what where you going to say?" She tried to save the moment, there was no point in saving someone just to have him permanently fazed halfway through a wall and than sliced into bits.

"But that's…"

"Yeah, we know," Rogue was getting impatient, "Kitty what's the mattah?'

"Oh," Kitty said, still edgy, "Other than that…" she motioned to the bed, "Thing being here?"

"Yeah Kitty," Logan said, "other than him."

"Ok well, it's kind of a story, so I'll just stick to the facts."

"We're all ears," Logan said, tossing the mangled cigar in the waste bin.

Ten minutes later Logan was leaning against the wall, Rogue was sitting next to Kitty nervously twisting one of the rings on her finger. Kitty had covered all the details, and then some. She had even given her opinion that it wouldn't be a big deal if they stayed, maybe.

"I mean, no one knows we're mutants." She said encouragingly.

Rogue sighed, leaning back on her arms, "I don't know, this is a pretty big thing, and you say none of the others know about this?"

"Nope," Kitty said, throwing her hands up, "except for the kid who showed it to me."

"I'm gonna have to go with going," Wolverine spoke up, "The kids are packed, there's no reason we can't leave early tomorrow, just to be on the safe side." He shrugged.

Rogue smiled jokingly, "The safe side?"

"I'm the driver, so what I say goes, got it." He finished defensively, pushing himself off the wall and moving towards the door.

"Fine," Rogue said, she threw up her hands than stood up.

"Kitty, could yah tell everyone we're leaving early tomorrow then?" Rogue asked, "I've gotta deal with," she motioned towards the bed, "This."

Kitty gave her a cautious look than shrugged, "Sure."

Logan held the door open and Kitty scooted out.

"Kid," he said, turning back to face Rogue, "Just be careful." He walked out.

The door clicked shut and Rogue walked over to the bed.

"That must happen a lot now huh," the voice coughed and continued, "people telling you to be careful, now that you're human and all."

Rogue frowned.