Logan paced around warily. Why was he here? Jean was gone, the Professor was gone, the kid was gone. Why had he felt the need to return to this place?
Other than to kick Bobby Drake's ass, that is.
He had called the mansion to check on Rogue a while back, just make sure she was still strong and to tell her that he was heading back for a more permanent visit.
"Logan?" Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm, the new headmistress of the Xavier Institute since the passing of Xavier, had answered.
"Hey," He smiled, leaning against the walls of the phone booth in Canada. "Put the kid on, I got news."
Storm hesitated.
"'Ro?" Logan's smile started to fade.
"Rogue's gone, Logan." Storm explained. "She caught Bobby and Kitty together and she took off. We haven't heard from her for three months." Bobby was Rogue's boyfriend, one of two people she trusted enough to let them touch her. The other was Logan.
Silence.
"Logan?"
"I'm gonna kill him."
He disconnected.
Storm had secretly been terrified that he would actually kill Bobby.
The day that Logan stomped back into the Institute, Bobby had just happened to be walking by. The boy went white.
"Your ass is mine, bub." Wolverine growled.
Bobby took off at a sprint.
Logan had searched for Rogue for days after that, calling upon his feral instincts to lead the way, but the trail went cold. He was three months too late.
Now he stayed at the Institute in the more permanent position of Danger Room Instructor in hopes that if he stayed around long enough she would came back and he'd have something that resembled a family again.
He was starting to lose hope that'd he would ever get his 'kid' back.
Then the phone rang.
"Uh… Mr. Logan…" Kitty said tentatively, being completely and utterly terrified of him since the whole 'You're lucky I'm above killing teenage girls' fiasco. "Phone for you."
He snatched the portable out of her hand in the hopes that she would disappear quickly and drew the cigar out of his mouth before putting the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Logan!" A southern accent choked back a sob of joy.
"Rogue?" Her voice affected him similarly to what he thought a sledge hammer to the temple might.
Remy glanced at the woman he had half dragged down to the bus station.
"Calm down." He snipped at her as she crossed her arms over her chest and blew a bit of white hair out of her eyes.
"I could have gone by myself; I don't need to be escorted by you." Rogue snarled.
"Chere," Remy smirked the knowing smirk of a man who knew he was about to win an argument. "You spent my stolen money on grossly overpriced soup. You owe me something." He winked and let her mind wander on what that somethingcould be.
"And," She harrumphed. "If you had let the money stay stolen, I could be making this trip myself." Obviously the conversation they were having was pretty damn interesting and Remy was aware of s good number of people listening in.
Not that he cared, he liked an audience.
"Oh please, you're a horrible thief. I'm doing society a favor by hunting you down and making sure you find yourself with respectable people." He scoffed, laughing on the inside at the irony of Remy LeBeau making sure anyone found a place among respectablepeople.
"What's your mutation?" Rogue asked abruptly. The eavesdroppers very quickly found other things to occupy their interests and made sure that they gave the two southern strangers their space.
Remy smirked at her, turning on the charm trying to make sure that she didn't catch on that he was only telling her the half truth, not disclosing allof his powers. "I make things go boom."
"That's hardly specific." She unconsciously leaned forward towards him.
Quick as lightning, he snatched a button off of her jacket. She flinched back slightly from his sudden closeness, but the panic faded as she watched with amazement as the button started to glow a light scarlet. He flicked it away and the button dissipated into nonexistence with a small crack.
"They get more deadly." He assured her. "What's yours?"
Through his empathy he felt the severe depression that settled itself on her.
Remy Etienne LeBeau!His conscience barked. You fix that RIGHT. NOW.
Were other people's consciences this mean?
"Is there anyone ya' need to call to tell you're coming?" He asked gently, intentionally changing the subject.
She looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I guess I should call Bobby an' 'Ro…"
"Who's Bobby?" He tried to ask nonchalantly as he forked over his phone.
"My goodness Mr. LeBeau," Rogue gave him a devilish grin paired with a spark in her green eyes and he felt her depression fade. "Is that a hint of jealousy I'm detecting?"
"Ridiculous," Remy grinned at her quip. "Jealousy is for men who know they don't stand a chance."
Rogue snatched the compact cell phone out of his hand with an eye roll, tapping in the number quickly so that she wouldn't loose her nerve in contacting them. Remy was not-so-subtly listening in.
"Hello, you've reached-." Someone on the other side of the line said lazily until Rogue interrupted them.
"Kitty." She growled.
Kitty screamed.
"OmigodRogueisthatyou?"
"Yes it's me." Rogue snarled. "Put on someone who cares."
"OH! Itotallyknowsomeonewhocares!" Kitty screeched, completely ignoring Rogue's terseness. Shuffling and a few unrecognizable words later, the phone connected to the one Rogue was holding switched ownership.
"Hello?" A new voice, distinctly male, asked.
Rogue's expression changed from one of mortification to something close to elation.
"Logan!" She jumped up and down with excitement and Remy had to cough to cover up his laugh.
"Rogue?" Logan sounded stunned.
"What are you doing there? When did you get back? I wouldn't have left if I'd known and Oh. My. God. Is Bobby still alive?" She said in a blur.
Logan chuckled. "I live here, I got here too late, and yes, unfortunately the little ice cube is still in the realm of the living."
"Oh good." Rogue sighed. "Logan, it wasn't his fault."
"Where are you, kid?" He asked, ignoring her statement.
"Uh…" Rogue hesitated.
"Rogue…" Logan's voice held a warning tone.
"I'm in Baltimore," She said and then quickly added. "But it's okay, I'm coming home."
"Baltimore?" Logan said distastefully.
"I know, right." Rogue chuckled, which quickly turned into a coughing fit.
"Y' okay, chere?"Remy asked.
"Who was that?" Logan snarled, quickly followed by, "Are you alright? You sound like you have something in your lungs. I could come get you-."
"No, I'm fine." She said sternly to both men.
"You didn't answer my other question-." Logan started.
"Oh, no *rsssshhhh*We're *rshhhhhhhhhhhh*up *rsssssh*go. Talk to ya' *rssssssssssshhhhhhhhh*" Rogue faked static and then quickly snapped the phone shut and tossing it back to Remy.
"That was odd." Remy said, hoping that Rogue would open up and tell him something about them, like why she had been so short with this Kitty person or why she was so concerned with this Bobby character.
Rogue only nodded.
"So…" Remy said smoothly. "Who's Logan?"
Logan stared down at the phone.
She did realize he could tell the difference between fake static and real static, right?
And who the hell was with her? Chere?She was with a man?
She didn't sound very good. And she was with a man?
She had expressly told him 'No' when he had told her he'd go get her…… And she was with a man?
The part of him that Logan assumed would have been a pretty kick-ass father did not like this.
"Uhm, Mr. Logan…" Kitty watched as Wolverine put on his jacket and snatched up the keys to his motorcycle. "Where are you going?"
"Field trip." Logan said shortly.