A Party, A Swim & A Surprise

"Life will not break your heart. It'll crush it."

- Henry Rollins

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The next morning, I awoke at about eleven-thirty with the sound of pounding fists against my door.

"Rogue! Get up, you lazy ass!" Jubilee was yelling through the door.

I cracked open my eyes and squinted at the bright sunlight that was streaming through my windows. I groaned and sat up, scratching the back of my head.

"Rogue!" There was more pounding on my door.

"Calm down," I called out groggily. "I'm comin'." I yawned and stretched, climbing out of bed to find some fresh clothes. I pulled on a pair of acid-wash jeans and a red t-shirt, then my long brown nylon opera gloves. I ran a brush through my hair and opened the door.

"God, it took you long enough." Jubilee said, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, let's go. We're gonna have a water gun fight!" She grabbed my gloved arm and pulled me out of my room and we ran down the hallway to the stairs where everyone else was standing.

Jubilee let go of my arm and stood in front of everybody. "Kay, Roguey's finally up, so we can start. Everyone get into partners!"

I cheerfully glanced toward Bobby to make eye contact with him, but he was already making his way towards Kitty.

"Bobby!" I called out, jumping down the last few steps. "Come on, let's get a water gun and get a head start!"

He looked over his shoulder and gave me a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, Rogue, I'm already with Kitty." He shrugged and turned around and began to talk hurriedly to her. She was smiling and made no move to interfere with his decision.

"Oh… Okay. Whatever." I said sadly. I thought when it came to partner games, boyfriend and girlfriend were always supposed to be together. I sighed and glanced back to Jubilee and Colossus. "Can I join you guys?" I asked. I felt like a total loser in elementary school who never got picked for sports.

Jubilee looked over and smiled. "Sure thing, chica. I forgot we had an odd number." She grabbed a large Super Soaker gun and shoved it into my arms. "Okay, on my count, we go and hide! One! Two! THREE!" The girls let out little squeals of fake terror and we all split off in different directions.

Soon enough, I forgot my boyfriend mishap by soaking Bobby right in the face with quite a large blast of cold water. I even got Kitty a few times before she could phase. We were having a total blast.

I was probably the best at the whole water-tag game; having some of Logan's memories and skills of hiding and sneaking really helped out. After about an hour and a half, we were soaking wet and just pooped, so we all lay on the grass by the lake to rest. I sat down beside Bobby, but to Bobby's right was Kitty. I shook off the jealous feeling that began to sneak up on me and just concentrated on the lapping waves of the lake.

It was about mid-afternoon when we headed back inside. Our clothes had mostly dried, but we all went upstairs into our rooms to change once again. Instead of partying, as Jubilee wanted to do, we spent the rest of the day in the TV room watching movies. At about five o'clock, I heard the buses screeching up the driveway. A minute later, many tired and giddy children came bursting through the front door, all making their way towards their dorms.

After the surge of students ceased, Storm and the Professor walked in, talking quietly to themselves. The Professor told something to Ororo and she nodded, and he turned and rolled down the opposite hallway, most likely heading to his office. She came over to us, smiling.

"Hey. How was your day at the mansion?" She asked, resting her hands on the couch.

"Fine." Everybody answered.

"No troubles?"

"Nope."

"Good." She gave us another smile and glanced down at her watch. "Dinner will be in about forty-five minutes. I'm going to get some rest before then. Those little kids almost killed me today!" She chuckled softly and continued. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room." She turned to leave, but stopped and looked over her shoulder at us. "By the way, has anyone seen Logan today?"

I frowned. I hadn't even seen him since last night. "No, not since yesterday." I answered. Although, technically, it would be since this morning.

"Oh well, maybe he's just out." 'Ro waved and then left, turning and walking towards and then up the stairs.

I decided to go pay a visit to Logan, so I stood up from my squished position between Poitr and Bobby and said, "I have to go check something. I'll see you guys at dinner?"

"See ya later, chica." Jubilee said. The rest nodded.

I smiled and left, glancing over my shoulder just in time to see Bobby sliding closer towards Kitty. I blinked and shook my head, quickly jogging up the steps to the hallway where all the student dorms were. I kept telling myself that they were just friends and that Bobby and I were together. Friends can get close to each other, they can joke, talk, and have fun. So why was Kitty getting all the attention and I, the girlfriend, wasn't getting anything? Sure, being untouchable was one large point in the matter, but still.

I sighed heavily and rubbed my eyes, hurriedly walking to Logan's room. I stopped in front of the dark-wooded door and knocked several times. After no answer, I called out, "Hello? Logan? It's me, Rogue." Again, no answer. So I turned the knob, finding that it was unlocked. I poked my head in and did a quick scan. There was no sign of Logan anywhere.

I frowned and closed the door behind me, pausing for a moment at the end of the hallway to think. Where else would Logan be if he wasn't in his room? Maybe Ororo was right; maybe Logan was just out the whole day, doing whatever he liked best. I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering if maybe he was in the Danger Room. I shrugged to myself, thinking it would be no big deal if I just went to go check it out. So I headed back down the hallway and back down the stairs, turning down another corridor to find the hidden elevator that only the X-Men and Junior X-Men knew about.

As the elevator door opened, I was shocked to see Scott standing there, looking dreadful as ever. He was wearing dirty and very wrinkled jeans with a baggy white crinkled and messy t-shirt. He hadn't shaved in weeks, and he almost had a full beard. He had bags so large under his eyes you could see them from under his sunglasses.

"Scott? Oh my God, what are you doing down here?" I blurted out before I could think of anything else to say.

"Just in the Danger Room." He said softly, his voice sounding gruffer than before and holding no emotion to it. "With Logan."

Now I was really surprised. A depressed Cyclops fighting fake bad guys in the Danger Room… with his most rivaled enemy? What had happened to him?

"I… uh…" I stuttered, too shocked to say anything. "Well, that's… good?" I said, but it came out more like a question than a statement. He gave a slight nod and stepped out of the elevator, beginning to head towards his room. "Wait, Scott." I called out, reaching over to put my hand lightly on his shoulder. He looked behind him to me, still no life in his expression. "Is Logan still down there?" He nodded and turned again, but my grip tightened to stop him. He looked back again. "If you need anything… anyone. I'm here. You can always talk to me." He sighed and nodded, but turned and continued walking until he was out of sight, saying nothing.

He was a total wreck, and I couldn't help myself but feel guilty. I know that it wasn't my fault; I didn't make Jean go out of the jet and save all of our skins. That was her choice. But still… seeing Scott like that, who's usually so perky and empathetic...

I sighed to myself and stepped inside the elevator, watching it close behind me. It took me down to the lower areas, opening to the metal-tiled walls of the underground hallways. I turned left, and in no time was standing in front of the Danger Room doors.

But I didn't go in at first. I stood there, watching the door as if it would speak to me. Logan was still in there, probably fighting holograms of bad guys. If I just walked in there, he might think I'm part of the program, and well… Let's just say I'd rather not get another punctured lung again, thank you.

It was then when I remembered that there was a back door to the Danger Room that lead up into the Control Room. I turned down another hall and opened the back door, relieved that it was open instead of locked, and walked up the steep metal stairway. I entered the room, quickly glancing at all the complex looking buttons, switches, and screens. At the front of the room was tinted glass looking down onto the Danger Room. Carefully, I walked towards the glass, peering down to the floor below me.

The first thing I saw was what looked like a Canadian landscape; it was snowing heavily and there was already a thick layer of the white fluffy stuff on the ground. As I took in the surroundings, it seemed very familiar to me. I spotted a familiar looking truck with a thick tree crushing the hood of the vehicle, and I thought I spotted someone in the passenger of the car. But my attention was drawn back to movement from the corner of my eye.

I leaned on the glass to get a better view, and what I saw next shocked me slightly. The movement that I saw just a moment ago was Logan being thrown across the road and hitting a tall tree with a painful cracking sound. Another moment later, Sabretooth came stalking out of the cover of the snowy trees, an angry grimace clearly on his face. Logan laid still for a couple of seconds, slumped in the snow, his breathing ragged. I even spotted some dark red spots seeping into the snow bank. My breath was caught in my throat.

I knew that the Danger Room just produced these images, and that they were nothing but figments of a computer, but they were 3D and were solid with textures. I was freaked, disturbed almost, how these images could be so realistic, so lifelike. I bit my lip and continued to watch the battle below me.

Logan lifted his head just in time to see Sabretooth grab him by his leather jacket and throw him across the road, watching him smash into the windshield of the car. I thought I heard a scream, but it was muffled by the glass. Logan wasn't moving again; his healing couldn't work that fast. I watched, horrified, as Sabretooth came closer and closer to Logan, looking this time as if he was going to finish him off.

But at the last second, Logan jumped up and spun around, kicking the blonde brute square in the face, sending him sprawling into the snow. Logan spat blood into the snow beside him and unsheathed his claws, drawing back then stabbing them into Sabretooth's chest. There was a muted roar of pain as Logan's claws sank deeply in the man's chest, and then Logan shoved his other hand into the gut of Sabretooth.

After the brute stopped moving, Logan pulled out his bloody claws and sheathed them, panting heavily. He was soaked in blood, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes were ripped and shredded. He looked back to the truck and walked towards it, still limping. He opened the passenger door and said something to the person in there, then sliced off what looked like the seatbelt. He reached in and pulled out an unconscious girl with long dark brown hair.

As I looked closer, I saw, much to my shock, that Logan was indeed holding me. Of course, now it all made sense. This was so familiar because it had happened to me before. To the both of us. Back up in Canada when he picked me up in that seedy bar. It wasn't the exact same way it had happened (Scott and Ororo had saved me and Logan while he was lying unconscious in the snow), but it was still surprising to see that happen all over again. And to know that Logan would have had to enter some special code to have that exact sequence happen, it made me feel not only disbelief, but also a feeling of being special.

Then the image of me being unconscious in his arms dissipated, and the snowy landscape around him following shortly after with a flicker. Before I could see anything else, I turned and ran out of Control Room, down the rickety metal stairs, and out into the circular hallways of the underground area. I paused and pressed up against the wall, noticing that my heart was racing. Great. Me and my stupid crush.

Logan was probably just practicing his own fighting skills and I just happen to be a hologram in his session, but I think that he wants to practice saving me and shit. I can't believe myself. I groaned inwardly and lifted myself from the wall, making my way towards the elevator. I'm pathetic, I thought to myself as the doors closed behind me.

They opened again once I reached the main level and I hurried out, rushing straight to my room, closing the door behind me. I flopped down face first on my bed, letting myself moan for a couple of minutes before looking up to breathe. I was such a retard. I shouldn't have even gone to see him. When he goes to the Danger Room, that's his own time, and what he does in his own time is none of my business. It's like if I'm in my room with the door closed. He doesn't come to spy on me. Only if he really needs to tell me something, he'll knock on my door.

I sighed and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I needed rest. My mind was obviously very messed up at the moment. I slipped my shoes off and my gloves, then snuggled under the covers, closing my eyes and letting myself drift off into the comforting darkness of sleep.

I must have been dead tired, because when I woke up, all the light from the window had disappeared, and the time on my alarm clock said 11:30. My stomach rumbled as I sat up, and I remembered that I had missed dinner. I rubbed my eyes and glanced down at myself, noticing that I was still in my clothes from earlier that day. I flopped back down on my bed, not really seeing the point of getting changed now. It was almost 11:45, now, and –

Holy shit. My swim at the lake with Logan. I almost forgot! I almost fell off the bed in excitement as I rushed over to my dresser to pull out something suitable I could use as a bathing suit. I didn't want to go in just my underwear again – I couldn't take the embarrassment in front of Logan. So I decided upon a black sports bra and some short-like underwear, as well as an oversized white t-shirt that Logan had given me a few months ago when I was sick with the cold. He never asked for it back, so… I never gave it back to him. Can you blame me? I also grabbed some lightweight gloves for protection, and slipped those on.

I slipped on my large, baggy pajama pants just for some cover, and a sweatshirt incase I got cold. Or something like that. I guess I wasn't that used to going out in barely anything. It felt so foreign to me. I put on some sandals and cursed to myself when I saw that it was already 12:05. I quietly opened my door and stepped out into the hallway. Everyone was obviously asleep, so I had to be silent as I exited the mansion.

I walked out into the cool summer night, still amazed at the beauty of the obsidian sky. I nervously jogged my way to the lake, trying to be as fast as I could. I finally arrived, spotting a dim light coming from inside the tiny wooden cabin that served as our boathouse.

I knocked on the door and a moment later, it opened, revealing Logan in just jeans. I caught myself staring and swiftly put on a shy smile, averting my eyes.

"Sorry I'm late." I said.

Logan lifted his eyebrow but stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. He still said nothing as I followed him to the edge of the lake. When we got there, he stripped out of his jeans, revealing just some black boxers, and he threw his jeans behind him. They landed at the base of a skinny tree. He then waded into the lake, diving in with a splash when he got to about waist height.

"Logan!" I hissed as he resurfaced. "Don't be so loud! Someone could hear us!"

He furrowed his brow but smirked. "Why do you care if we're heard?"

"Because I'm breaking a major rule, even for a senior student. You even said it last night that I could be in trouble for swimming. Plus," I stuck out one of my fingers as if I was counting. "We're swimming in the lake, which we're probably not allowed to do, and I'm swimming with a teacher who's more than half naked. Put that all together and hear what it sounds like." I said defiantly. I can't believe I was saying this. I was the one who wanted to swim with him in the first place. Well, he invited me, but this was the type of thing I had only dreamed of. Ugh! Me and my big mouth.

He shrugged. "No one'll hear us. C'mon." He gestured for me to come in. I sighed but gave in, and began to take off my layers of clothing, until it was just my underwear, the shirt, and my gloves on. I waded into the cold water until it was at my knees, biting my lip. The pool was so much warmer than this.

"Why did you suggest the lake, may I ask? And why not the pool?" I said through clenched teeth.

Logan shrugged again. "It's nicer here. No chlorine." Ah, so it was the smell factor. Well then. "Take off your gloves." He stated softly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I said, take off your gloves. No one swims with gloves on."

"I swim with my gloves on, thank you very much." I said, holding my wrist and keeping my hands to my chest as if he was going to pry them off me himself. "I can't take them off, stupid. It's way too dangerous."

"I'll be careful. Now take them off." It sounded like an order.

"Logan, I can't, I don't want to hurt y—"

"Fine. I thought you wanted to go swimming." He swam back to the bank and was climbing out.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked.

"Back to the mansion. I thought you wanted to swim." Logan said.

"I do! Just with my gloves on, that's all."

Logan just looked at me, then turned and continued his way towards the boathouse.

"Fine!" I said loudly, stripping my gloves off and throwing them at him. They land about a foot in front of me. So much for emphasis. "There, they're off. Happy now?"

He turned back around with a smirk on his face and nodded. "It'll be fine," He said, commenting on the fact that the expression on my face was probably something between anger and nervousness. "You trust me, don't you?" He was wading back into the lake now, so I followed him slowly. The water was a bit more comfortable, now that I was used to it.

"I trust you. It's just me I don't trust." I said softly, watching Logan swim out quite far. It was getting deep, and I had to stand on my tippy-toes just to keep my neck above water. "Logan," I asked, letting myself float to the surface so that I was lying on my back.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'll ever be able to control it?" It just slipped out of my mouth. I wanted to take it back. What a stupid question to ask him. I hate how my brain works sometimes.

"Yeah." He simply replied. I sighed. "You just gotta believe in yourself. You have to trust yourself."

"What if I can't? I don't want to be untouchable forever, Logan. I need to be able to… to touch people. To hold someone. Anything." Why did I always seem to spill my most inner thoughts to him? I always embarrassed myself in front of him, yet he never really cared. I'm such a loser.

The splashing of his careless swimming stopped but I didn't open my eyes. I was too peaceful at the moment. His voice seemed closer too. "You can ask the Professor for help. He can find a way to—"

"But what if he doesn't?" Man, was I being pessimistic today. I sighed heavily. "Nevermind, just forget that I even mentioned this."

I think I laid there for another couple of minutes before getting cold, so I held my breath and submerged. I swam around for as long as I could until my lungs began to protest, then I burst through the crystal-like surface. I looked around for a moment, not seeing Logan anywhere. I was treading water, and I could tell that I was in a deep area.

"Logan?" I called out, searching around me. "Logan, stop, you're freaking me out." And he was. I loved swimming, but I hadn't been swimming in a while, so the more nervous I got, the worse my swimming got. "Logan!"

"Did you watch me in the Danger Room?"

I squealed like a little girl and spun around, almost sinking into the water. My limbs were beginning to tire, but I continued to hold myself up. Logan was treading right in front of me, water droplets dripping from his face. His hair, usually pointed and disheveled hair was sopping and plastered against his head. He looked different… Softer maybe? Cuter?

"W-what?" I wiped at my nose and mouth, bobbing up and down in the water.

"Did you watch me today in the Danger Room?" He repeated.

I was stuck. What if I said yes? Would he be angry? What if I said no? Would he know I was lying? I swallowed and broke eye contact.

"Y-yeah. Just in the control room. I didn't mean to, really, I just didn't know where you were and I wanted to see you 'cause I didn't see you in the morning or afternoon, and—" Great. I was rambling.

"Marie, it's fine."

"Oh." I said, snapping my mouth shut. It was quiet for another moment, when I just had to spring the question. "What… what were you doing? In the Danger Room, I mean. Because… I remembered it. But it was different… Y'know?"

I gave us a bit of room by swimming back slightly. I did not want to risk accidentally touching Logan out here. He could go unconscious, drown, and I couldn't help him, because if I touched him even more, he'd probably die. Not a good situation at all.

"You're right about the situation: It was when we were back in Laughlin City." He said, continuing to stare straight into my eyes.

"Yeah, but didn't… didn't Scott and Ororo come?" I blurted out, cocking my head slightly.

"Yeah, they did. But I programmed it so that it was just him, me, and you."

"But… why?" I asked, swallowing a small lump in my throat. "Scott and 'Ro saved our life, and without—"

"So if I was faced in the same situation again, I knew that I didn't have to rely on some pansy-ass with some red glasses to save us." He explained, letting a ghost of a smirk play across his lips.

"Oh." I said softly. I tried to smile, but it came out more like a weak grimace.

"I already lost Jean. I don't want to lose you." He said so sincerely, I almost choked. "You keep me grounded, kid." He added softly.

I swallowed and broke eye contact. I couldn't think of anything to say. I was totally speechless. I mean, sure, I was probably overreacting and putting false fantasies in my head, but still…

"I'm getting cold. Can we go inside?" It was all I could think of to get me out of this awkward conversation. I wished I could be normal around him and not so girly and embarrassed. I needed to get past this stupid schoolgirl crush I had. He liked Jean anyways, he just told me. I shivered and continued to stare at the water.

"Sure." He said in a husky voice, and turned and swam back towards the boathouse. I followed apprehensively. We climbed out and I hurriedly grabbed my clothes, wrapping myself up in the towel I brought. I was careful not to forget my gloves, and quickly slipped them on. As I gathered my clothing in my arms, I glanced up to see Logan slipping on one of his usual white wife beaters, and I couldn't stop myself from soaking up his muscular chest and arms.

As his head poked through the hole at the top of his shirt, I turned my head and walked up the slight hill, towards him and the boathouse. The light in the tiny wooden cabin was still on, so he opened the door and quickly flipped the light off, and we both made our way into the mansion silently.

We were just passing the kitchen when one of the greatest ideas ever came to me. Logan noticed that I had paused in the hallway and he stopped, looking over his shoulder. "You comin', kid?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah, just give me a sec…" I whispered, shoving my sweatshirt, pants, and towel into his arms and running into the dark kitchen. I searched the cupboards for a few moments before finding a large washing pail amidst the cleaning utensils, unaware that Logan was leaning up against the doorframe, watching me with fascination. I put the bucket in the sink and turned on the tap, beginning to fill it with very cold water.

"What the hell're you doin', Marie?" He asked me, eyebrow quirked.

"Remember yesterday when we first bumped into each other, and I was soaking wet?" I reminded him, watching the water quickly fill the large pail. Logan nodded slowly. "It was 'cause Bobby poured some water on me when I was fully dressed, and I was really pissed." The water was filled up to the brim of the bucket and I heaved it out, splashing a little bit onto the ground. "Well, now it's payback."

Logan just smiled simply, shaking his head but not objecting. I couldn't deny it; Logan hated Bobby with a passion, and would probably let me stab him if I wanted to. But I didn't. Logan might not like Bobby, but I still did. He was so sweet and cute, and he was one of the nicest guys I had ever met.

Waddling out of the kitchen with the very heavy bucket of water clutched in my hands, I began to walk towards the staircase, when Logan put his hand over my two gloved ones. I looked up and saw him smirking.

"Let me take it. You're gonna spill all of it before you even get up there, anyways."

"Fine." I said, obviously not objecting to him taking the heavy pail. I hurried up the stairs with Logan close behind me, looking like he was carrying a bucket of feathers (and not spilling a drop, I had to add), and stopped when we arrived at Bobby's door.

I made the 'shh' symbol with my finger and tried the doorknob, but found it was locked, which was unusual for him. It was usually unlocked, and I knew this, because sometimes I found that I couldn't sleep and I needed some comfort when I couldn't find Logan. I frowned, but gestured for Logan to 'open' it for me.

He handed the bucket to me and then snikt, out came his middle claw. I controlled the smirk that played across my face, but smiled openly as the door creaked open. Shuffling into his room with the bucket in my hands, my eyes trained on his calm, sleeping face, I readied to pour the water all over him.

But just as I neared his bed, I saw something else move beside him. Or, more like some one. I froze as I saw a face snuggle up at Bobby's side, now noticing that he had a bare chest, and gasped loudly as I recognized whose face it was.

Kitty Pryde. She was in bed with my boyfriend. And she was goddamn snuggling up to his side. At first there was anger, but it quickly dispersed into pain. It just felt like my heart had been ripped into two pieces and then stomped on by cleated feet. I hadn't noticed that the heavy bucket of water had slipped from my hands and crashed onto the ground, soaking my legs and the bottom half of my still-damp t-shirt I had worn swimming with Logan.

The loud crashing and splashing sound woke both of them up, and Bobby snapped upwards, widening his eyes when he saw me standing there. Tears came to my eyes and my chin quivered.

"Rogue! I-I can explain, this—" He sputtered, throwing off the covers and jumping up. He was wearing boxers, but nothing else covered his body. Before he could come a step closer, I turned on my heel and sprinted out, pushing past Logan as tears streamed down my face. I was crying silently, not wanting to wake everyone else up, and ran into my room, slamming it behind me and locking it.

I fell onto my bed limply, crying and yelling into my pillow, trying to ignore the pounding on my door and Bobby and Kitty's voice trying to coo me out.

"Rogue, listen, we didn't do anything, it's just—"

"Yeah, Rogue, c'mon out and let's talk about this…"

I continued to block them out, not moving from the spot where I had collapsed. I think an hour passed when finally their voices disappeared and all was silent again. I fell into a deep sleep, my dreams filled with flashes of Bobby and Kitty side by side, and Logan's soft, comforting smile.