Rogue's lack of interest in the rumors quelled some of them, but there were still people in the mansion who keep the lies going. The intensity however had increased drastically. There were even those who said that she was pregnant, and that was the reason the Wolverine had left. In reality Logan had left in search of his past, but no one knew that. They all assumed he had left because of Marie. Usually this wouldn't have been bad; after all, Rogue had known why he was leaving. But missing him combined with the constant taunting from her classmates had become too much for the young mutant.
Her days now consisted of going to class before hiding out in Logan's room for the remainder of the day. During his absence she'd even taken to sleeping in there. Her roommates Jubilee and Kitty understood what she was going through, and said nothing about it to the teachers. After another hellish day Rogue collapsed onto Logan's bed, deliberating whether to finish up her homework or go ahead and go to sleep. One internal debate later and the young woman was headed for a long bath. That was another perk of borrowing Logan's room; teachers didn't have to share bathrooms. As soon as the tub was full she climbed in, sighing as the warm water soothed her tired body. Letting her mind drift, the young woman relaxed, finally able to let her guard down for a few moments.
All too soon it was over, the water having turned tepid during her daydreams. Groaning slightly at the movement Rogue climbed out, hurriedly drying off and dressing to keep the colder air at bay. The alarum clock on the nightstand only read 9:30, but Marie was ready for bed, fully relaxed by the warm bath. She couldn't even remember what had upset her in the first place. Turning off the lights she crawled into Logan's huge bed, curling into a ball in the middle, surrounded by pillows on all sides. To anyone entering the room it would seem as if only a mound of pillows occupied the bed, and nothing more.
The clock on the nightstand read 2:30 a.m. when another person entered the room. Logan had been out on the road for almost two months now and desperately wanted his own bed to sleep in. Not that he'd admit it to anyone, but he had actually missed this place. Missed having a room to come back to, and people who cared about him. Well, maybe Cyclops hadn't missed him, but he was sure Marie had. When the Professor had first told him about this lead, he didn't want to go. It had been right after their discussion in the sunroom, and Logan knew what everyone was saying about them. At the time she had acted like she didn't care, but he saw right through that lie. But, she told him to go, saying she would be okay without him.
Closing the door to his room, he now noticed that something was different about it. Between the moonlight shining in from the window and his own heightened senses, the feral could make out the shape of something in the middle of his bed. Quietly he placed his bag on the floor, not wanting to scare whoever it was…yet. Approaching the bed, his bed, he growled, figuring it would be enough to scare what ever couple had decided it was a good idea to use his room for their fun.
"Jubilee, ya got two minutes ta get the hell outta here 'fore Ah hurt ya." The mound returned, with a growl to match his for good measure. Logan chuckled, now realizing who had been brave enough to commandeer his bed. Nudging the heap again, he had to duck as one of the pillows detached its self from the rest and went flying by his head. "Jubilee, Ah'm warnin' ya." Rogue growled again, not wanting to get up and hoping the threat would work. There was no reason to get up, it was Saturday and they didn't have anything to do, not even their defense classes. Which sucked now that Scott had taken over while Logan was gone.
Once more her fort was disturbed and by now the young mutant was totally awake, and thoroughly pissed off. Throwing back the blankets, she sat up, ready to pound whoever had awoken her. "Jubilee, Ah warned ya…" Her rant stopped however upon seeing who was bothering her. "Logan!" Rogue cried, launching herself at her friend.
"Hey kid" he grinned, easily catching her and returning her embrace. "What are you doing in here?"
Rogue let go at his question, sinking back down onto the bed. "Uh, Jubilee and Kitty were discussing their shopping strategy for this afternoon, and I needed a place to study. It was just for tonight, I promise." She lied quickly, not meeting his eyes.
The feral mutant sighed, not believing her. "Really? Cause it smells like you've been here for more than tonight. In fact" he took a deep breath, fully investigating the room around them. "it smells like you've been living here for over two weeks. Now, you wanna tell me the truth?" He asked gently, watching her as he sat down.
"You remember the stories kids were tellin' about us after that night in the sunroom? Well, they've gotten worse."
The Wolverine growled softly, aching to know who had been messin' with his Marie. Noticing she'd gotten quiet, he asked "what kinda stuff are they sayin'?"
Again she tried to put on a brave face "oh, nothing really. Just some stuff about us and why you left and oneguyevensaidIwaspregnant." Rogue finished in a rush, hoping he hadn't caught the last part.
"WHAT?" Logan roared, claws unsheathing in his fury.
"Logan calm down!" Marie grabbed his wrists, now sitting in his lap so he would look at her. "It doesn't matter, he's a jerk and anyway nobody believes him."
"It does matter Marie, they shouldn't be sayin' shit like that about ya, 'specially when it ain't true." Having calmed down enough he sheathed his claws, though he was still angry. "Didn't Chuck do anything about it?"
"He talked to the guy, but really there's not much he can do." She shrugged, wanting to drop the subject.
"So that's why you've been staying in here?" A nod this time from the girl, though she didn't meet his eyes.
"Yeah, but since you're back I'll move back into my room." Standing she moved to gather her things, but a hand on her wrist stopped her.
"I know it ain't gonna do much about them stories, but you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want." Glancing at the clock he grinned slightly "'sides, I don't think that yellow one will like ya movin' back in at three in tha mornin'.
Rogue laughed, knowing he was right. "Thank you Logan." She said, once more sliding underneath the blankets. "No problem kid." He replied, heading towards the bathroom to change. Emerging in a pair of grey sweatpants and a white wife beater, he crawled in beside her. Shortly Marie was curled up against him, using his broad chest as a pillow. Looking down Logan smiled happy to be back were he belonged.