Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men or anything associated with them. They are the solely owned by Marvel, Sam Lee, and anyone whom have rights and ownership. I have not received or will received any compensation for this story.

Hey everyone! Long time, I know. I'm sorry, but there have been some issues with this story that are giving me a hard time. Plus after rereading the story there has been a part in it that reminded me of a part in another story I have read. I'm trying to get in touch with the author so I can ask for her permission to use her idea, of course giving her full credit. If I don't reach her, I will have to decide what to do next. Which will cause me to do some rewriting. Well enough drama. Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 7

Twenty minutes later the team stood in the Professor's office. "I'm sorry Scott, I know you, and the Professor wanted her to join the team, but I will not trust our lives to her. She could very well be lying. Plus she almost killed you. If Hank had not knocked you out of the way, you would have been crushed. She totally disregarded any concerns for our safety." Jean said heatedly.

"She wasn't lying about not being about to control the weather." Logan said gruffly. He hadn't smelt a lies on Rogue. Only anger and rage when Jean accused her of the possibility of killing one of the kids. Although Logan was upset himself at the turn of events, he was irrationally angered at Jean for her accusation of Rogue.

"Fine, she wasn't lying, but that still doesn't excuse the fact she could have seriously injured, or killed Scott, or anyone of us. Thank heavens we didn't let her do the simulation with the others. There's no telling what would have happened if she had done the same thing, with them there." Jean expressed with great relief and worry. "She's just to unreliable Professor. She's to dangerous. She's not team material." Jean huffed out fully expecting Charles to agree with her.

"I agree that Rogue is dangerous," Charles stated carefully seeing the triumphant expression come to Jean's face. Keeping his voice sooth, but serious, he continued. "However all of us could very well be considered dangerous, Jean."

Everyone saw the look of surprise on Jean's face at the Professor's words. "Charles, you can't be serious in still wanting Rogue to join. She totally disregarded any thoughts to our safety." Jean rushed out still in shock that the Professor wasn't backing her on this.

"That was the whole point of the simulation, Jeannie, to see what she could do. To see if she could take care of herself. She found and captured the flag right out from under our noses, and in less time than any of our own practices. Shoot, none of us even got a chance to lay a finger on her." Logan defended Rogue.

"And as for Scooter, he's only a little banged up, nothing that wouldn't have happened in a real battle. Just like with the kids, we're going to come up against mutants that we've never heard of. We're not always going to know what their powers are, and we can't just demand they tell us before we get into it with them." Logan reasoned. However knowing the beautiful red head enough to know when she was like this she wasn't about to see reason. She was a knock out, but she had the temper to go along with her red mane.

"What? Now all of a sudden you're for her joining up. This whole time you've agreed that she wasn't ready, that she wasn't team material yourself, Logan." Jean reminded him, her voice growing snapper, that only irritated him further.

"I still don't like the idea of her joining. She's just been through a lot. She isn't ready for the team, but that don't mean she's a danger to us, or any of the kids around here." Logan snapped back, his tone more gruffer than normal.

"For a while there she actually was loosing up with the kids. That's a lot more than she's done around any of us. Wonder why that is, huh?" Logan asked with a quirked brow, that only irritated Jean.

"Well I don't know Logan, but since you seem to know everything, why don't you enlighten us." Jean smarted as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Logan with a hard glare.

"I didn't say, I knew everything, Red. But I will tell you this much. We've done nothing, but either coddle her or distrust her. Myself included. The kids have been pretty much the only ones that treated her like everyone else around here. She could have hurt anyone of them while she's been here, but she hasn't. Not even during training."

"What about Pete. What about what she did to him? She was strangling him." Jean yelled.

"She followed the guidelines we set. Pin or incapacitate your opponent, without your powers. How else did you expect her to bring the kid down. He's almost twice her size, and three times as strong even without his powers." Logan growled back loudly.

"That is enough, both of you." Charles stated firmly. "I'm sorry Jean, that you do not agree, but Logan is correct. She did stay within the rules set. Peter himself does not hold what transpired against Rogue. Peter also himself was quite rough with Rogue as well. However, I do not believe Rogue would intentionally harm anyone here. As for the training simulation, it was perhaps a bit much, and unexpected, but so is real life most of the time. Rogue has not show any signs of intent to harm any of the children or us. And she has rights to her privacy, as we all do. Now I have asked Rogue to give us another chance, and I hope that she does. I expect all of us to try, and do a better job of showing her the same respect we show each other. Also, as Logan has pointed out, Rogue has just gone through a very traumatic experience, and is still recovering. I believe, I, myself have made an error in requesting Rogue try out for the team so soon. She needs time, and our support, not hostility. If Rogue does agree to return to us, I expect all of you, myself included, to treat her better, and be more considerate." Charles stated firmly, not willing to budge on the subject.

The team agreed, even Jean, although it was done unhappily.

"Jean, I know your not being able to read Rogue's intentions is difficult, but that does not mean that she is necessarily out to harm any of us. Give her time. Get to know her better." Charles tried to sooth Jean's ruffed feathers.

"I'll try." Jean said still with a small frown.

"Thank you. Now I believe the others are waiting in the Danger room as we speak to finish their try outs." Charles said, in a way ending their meeting about Rogue.

Rogue was sitting in the back of the bar, nursing her own bottle of Canadian whisky when annoyingly a rather large and gruff familiar looking man sat down uninvited at her table across from her. He took in the half empty bottle with a deep scowl.

"You're to young to be drinking this stuff." Logan growled out as he picked up the bottle, reading the label. 'She's got good taste though.' He thought to himself as he poured a shot into his own glass.

He had come in for a drink, needing to get away from the mansion for a while. Picking up the wildflower and winter wilderness scent, he quickly searched her out. Spotting her in the back corner away from everyone, with her own bottle, he downed his own shot, then grabbed his beer and now empty glass and head over to her.

"Hey! Get your own bottle. This one's mine." Rogue snapped as she grabbed the bottle back, and refilled her glass, placing the bottle back down closer to her. Then toss the shot of whisky back as if it was water.

Logan quirked a surprised brow at the way she tossed back her drink, like a seasoned pro. 'I think I've found a drinking partner.' Logan chuckled to himself. However he was still serious about her drinking. It would be different if she got drunk with him with her, so he could protect her from any fool who got it in his head to take advantage of her, but out here by herself, it was a stupid and dangerous thing. "You shouldn't be drinking this stuff, Kid. You could get into serious trouble. Plus some fool could get it in his head to take advantage of you."

"Listen, I don't need some lecture from you. Why don't you go back to your friends, and leave me alone." Rogue growled out still pissed. Plus how dare he act like he gave a care about her, he was just like everyone else.

"I'm just worried about you, kid." Logan said a bit more harsher than he intended. Knowing that she was still recovery, from who knows what. He just didn't want to see her get hurt again.

"Yeah right, the only people you care about is yourself, and your friends back at the school. I'm just some freak passing through. You made yourself perfectly clear of what you think of me, so why don't you just get lost and leave me alone. I'm quite use to being on my own, in fact I prefer it that way." Rogue snapped back angrily pouring herself another drink.

Logan clenched his fist upset at her attitude, when he was only trying to look out for her.

"You're a pain in the butt, you know that." Logan snarled however not moving from his seat. He grabbed her bottle, ignoring her protest, pouring himself another shot as well.

"Good, so maybe you'll leave now, since I'm worth the trouble." Rogue spat back, trying to hold on to her anger, but the pain was already settling in her heart. No one ever wanted her, just because of her. Everyone wanted her so they could either control her, or more like her mutation. Not caring the pain and torment it caused her.

Logan thought about doing just that, she was determined to get rid of him, but suddenly her pain and an overwhelming despair radiated off of her. He was almost drowned in the smell of it. Seeing the wetness in her eyes that she was battling to push back, he stayed rooted to his chair. The Wolverine whined inside him, at her pain and tears. Feeling his own overwhelming need to try and comfort her, he cleared his suddenly tight throat, and spoke.

"Sorry Kid, you're just going to have to put up with me. I'm not leaving you alone."

"Whatever, then I'll leave." Rogue spat. Having already paid for her bottle, she grabbed it as well as her jacket, but Logan was out of his set, blocking her path to the door before she could move.

"Why?" Logan snapped out hotly.

"Why what?" Rogue snapped out just as hotly.

"Why you leaving?"

Rogue frowned at him like he was dense. "To get away from you." She hissed, then went to side step him, but he moved with her keeping her from leaving.

"Is that what you really want? To be alone?" Logan asked his voice still gruff, but no longer hard or as harsh. He saw the slightest wince, then she recovered her face taking on a whole new look of detachment, that Logan hated. Her voice was just as detached and bland when she spoke. "It's better and safer that way. It's the way it should be." Rogue spoke confidently.

"That's bull Kid, it might be safer, but it sure isn't better. And it sure isn't the way you want it either." Logan stated confidently.

"What I want doesn't matter, there is no place for someone like me." Rogue said bitterly, but there was also acceptance mixed in with the bitterness.

"That isn't true, Kid. There is a place for you back at the mansion. What Jeannie said was wrong. She let her temper get the best of her, but she shouldn't have said what she did. She was only scared because One-eye almost lost his head." Logan tried to explain, but knew it didn't matter to Rogue. He could smell Rogue's anger just at the mentioning of Jeannie's name. He didn't really blame her either.

"Come on, sit back down, huh? Let's finish that bottle, then I'll take you back home." Logan said pulling out her chair for her and nudging her into it. She didn't fight him, but when he sat back down across from her, her eyes were haunted as she looked at him.

"I have no home." Rogue said matter of fact, then picked up the bottle, bring it to her lips, and downed at least half of what was left.

"Whoa there, take it easy, or you'll going to be past out or puking your guts up." Logan said worried as he took the bottle from her, sitting it away from her. This time she didn't complain, she only stared down at her gloved hands.

"I wish it was that easy." Rogue whispered wishing for a decent night's sleep for once. Not even large amounts of alcohol helped knock her out.

Just now realizing the fact that Rogue was still somber, stopped Logan cold. The way she was tossing back one drink after another, along with the her small size, she should be passed out by now, or at the very least wasted. He'd seen enough kids, and adults drink to be able to guess about how much they could drink before getting plastered.

"You heal, don't you?" Logan asked suspicious, keeping his voice low so not to be over heard.

Rogue chuckled humorlessly, "Among other things. So how did you guess?" Rogue asked coming out of her trance to stare at him again. Her eye watchful and guarded as she had been every since coming to Chuck's.

"You aren't face first on the floor passed out, like you should have been by the time I got here." Logan stated just as watchful now, and a bit guarded as well, with a good dose of curious. "So what exactly else can you do?" Logan asked frowning.

"I could tell you, but then you'd be like everybody else in my life. You'd only want me, so you could use me." Rogue shrugged tiredly. She needed to decided if she was going to go back to the mansion to crash, or if she was through with the place for good.

Logan frown confused, but more upset by her depressed sigh and smell. He could also smell her exhaustion, but it was the depressed knowing tone she had use that held his attention.

"Not everybody wants to use you, kid. I for one, don't want nothing from you. I'm only worried about you, and I don't even know why I should care, seeing how you haven't been nothing but a pain in my ass the entire time I've known yah, starting with knocking into me on the stairs." Logan said ending his words with a lighter tone and a teasing smirk.

"Why do you then? You don't know me, and I'm dangerous." Rogue asked seriously and honestly curious.

"I don't really know, but I do, and that's good enough for me. Now, I know you're pissed, but not all of us agree with Jeannie. In fact none of us agree with her." Logan assured Rogue.

"She doesn't like me." Rogue stated factually.

"It's because you make her nervous. She can't read you like she does everyone else, and it freaks her out. You just have to ignore her." Logan said then smiled at her. "Come on kid, give us another chance. You don't even have to be on the team. We just want you to come back to the mansion. Maybe instead of joining the team, you could always go back to school, finish high school." Logan suggested.

"What makes you think I haven't already finished?" Rogue quirked her brow at him, with a funny look on her face.

"You're young kid, and you've just been rescue from hell. I've seen enough in my life to know, there is a more than likely chance that you didn't finish." Logan said serious, but gently.

"You'd be wrong then. I've finished high school, even finished my online college courses. The only thing I haven't finished is my internship, so I can get my degree as a teacher. I got taken before I could start." Rogue sighed surprised that she had told Logan all of that.

"Just how old are you?" Logan frowned curious, but no longer suspicious or guarded, just truly curious about the girl sitting in front of him.

"I'm old enough to know better, and young enough not to care." Rogue smirked as she down another shot of whisky.

"Cute kid, now how about a actual number this time, huh?" Logan stated expectantly.

"How old are you?" Rogue threw back eyeing him critically.

Logan sighed with a deep frown, and tossed his drink back, almost growling for her to mind her own business, but something stopped him. Just like he didn't know why he cared about her, he didn't understand why he felt it was okay to open up to her about something that he didn't often shared with others. In fact he never shared his feelings of disappointment or anger when he always came back to the mansion empty handed. He always brushed off the sympathy and disappointed looks, as if it didn't matter, but deep down it was slowly killing what little hope he had of ever finding out who he really was. Meeting Rogue's gaze, he gave her a honest answer.

"Can't tell, don't know how old I am? Lost my memories going on eighteen years ago. Don't remember anything from before then, but small fragments of nightmares about some experiment being done on me. The one where I end up getting the claws, and a entire skeleton of metal." Logan growled tossing back another drink to cover his discomfort. Even if he felt is was okay to share with her, it was still a little discontenting to be opening up on such a personal topic.