Logan walked deliberately through the hallway. He had no idea what he was going to say, or do, but he knew he had to do something.

Reaching his desired destination, he knocked twice.

Not receiving an answer, and all too pent up in his deliberation, he tried to open the door. He was surprised to find it unlocked.

Upon inspection inside, however, he realized it was because the room was vacant.

"Damn it," he muttered, shutting the door behind him and walking back down the hallway.

Had she been in her room as he thought, he would have told her that ... that ... hell, he didn't know what he'd tell her.

Because he didn't know what to say, or do.

Growling at the ridiculousness of the situation, Logan made his way downstairs quickly, preparing to check all the rooms. He needed to talk to her.

He was the Wolverine. Big, bad, and impenetrable to silly emotional things like love.

His pace slowed. He didn't mean it like that. He didn't love her that way. He loved her, sure. He cared about her, like the rest of the students.

Bullshit. He cared more than that.

He didn't know whether it was right or not. Morals aside, he was a man who didn't age. He had no past. What he did remember of it, well—it didn't make him a standout of a man, either.

But he couldn't take advantage of some young woman, barely in her twenties, who's never experienced anything remotely resembling love.

Could he?

He was so damn confused. His body was telling him it was right, his mind telling him it wasn't. His body was in its early thirties; it didn't have a voice in the subject. His mind, however, contained more memories and years than perhaps the Professor's—did that mean he was supposed to be chasing around women with walkers?

The recreation room was full of kids, but not the person Logan needed to see. Damn it, where was she?

As he walked down the corridor, intent on checking the Danger Room, he heard the name of the person he wanted to see.

"... so this Rogue can control his powers?"

He stopped by the door to Professor Xavier's office, listening. The voice was vaguely familiar. Logan thought for a moment before realizing the voice belonged to Leech's mother.

"She seems to have some amateur control on the powers she absorbs, yes." Professor Xavier.

"So she can help Dorian control his own?"

"She may be able to help, yes. However, Dorian is still very young. It may take him years to learn to control his powers to the extent Rogue can."

"It doesn't make sense. Why would she be able to control powers that aren't her own?"

"Part of her control comes from absorbing the thoughts and memories of those she touches, as well. Their knowledge helps her understand the power, and then through them she can find control."

"But Dorian can't control his, so how did she learn?"

"I'm not sure. It's possible that mutant control may be very general. Rogue may have picked up similarities in the control of Dorian's power from someone else she absorbed, say Storm's. If control of his power is similar to how Storm controls hers, Rogue would then be able to control his through those memories."

"She's absorbed your powers, Storm?"

"Yes."

"How many people has she touched?"

Logan growled a bit at the hostility in the woman's voice. She didn't understand the situation.

"Rogue's power is extremely strong. In the past, we've had others try to use her for their own purposes."

"The Apocalypse guy, right? You said she woke him."

"By being hypnotized and used, yes."

"If this Rogue can control everyone else's powers, why can't she control her own? I mean, is she safe for students to be around?"

Logan snarled again. Just because this woman's son helped save the world didn't mean she had the right to question the X-Men, much less Rogue.

Logan opened the door, startling Storm and Leech's mother. Professor Xavier, however, seemed to have expected the surprise.

"Hello, Logan."

Logan did not respond to the Professor. "Lady, I don't think you have the right to lay suspicion on people who helped save you and your son's asses."

The lady gawked at Logan, but regained her look of indignation quickly. "I know she did what she had to do. But her not having control of her powers makes her a danger here for my son. I don't want him going to school somewhere where he won't be safe!"

"Her powers aren't like that; she'd never hurt anyone on purpose." Logan's voice was harsh, and many of his words were said through clenched teeth. "That boy would be safer here than any other public school you send him to."

Storm cut in, obviously trying to ease the tension. "He's right, Ms. Leech. Here, Dorian could be with other young students like himself. We keep very good care of the children here, and help them learn to control their powers."

"But what if a mutant who can't control their powers hurts Dorian? What if this Rogue person is used again and she sucks the life out of him? Don't you understand my concerns, here?"

"Ms. Leech, the students here are very conscious of their powers around each other. Many only use their powers in vicinity of a teacher when they're learning control. He'd be quite safe." Professor Xavier kept his voice calm, but gave Logan a warning look to back off. Logan rolled his eyes.

Ms. Leech, to her credit, sighed and sat down in a chair resignedly. "I understand you want to help him. He's just so fragile, and seeing him in a coma like that ... I fear what mutants as dangerous as Rogue could do to him if I'm not there to protect him."

Logan couldn't remember the last time he had growled so many times. "She's not dangerous—"

"Yes, Ah am."

Logan turned to see Marie standing in the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her. In his anger he had not heard her approach.

Marie took a hesitant step forward into the room, looking at Ms. Leech. "You have every right to be afraid of me."

The woman did not look at Marie with disdain like Logan expected. While there wasn't a hint of guilt, either, Ms. Leech's face held an expression of acknowledgment, laced with a hint of pity. It was better than hate, he supposed.

When the woman didn't respond, Marie turned to look at the Professor. "Dorian was wondering if he could sleep somewhere besides the medbay."

Logan heard a deep resignation in Marie's voice, and he didn't like it. Part of him knew it was because of him, and because of what had happened earlier in the day. He needed to fix things.

"Certainly. Ms. Leech, if you'd like you and your son are welcome to stay in one of our guest rooms—at least until you had time to consider our proposition?"

Ms. Leech paused, but finally nodded in agreement.

Marie turned to leave, stopped, and turned around. "Oh, we discussed his power. Ah told him what Ah could about control, an' he hopes to practice once he's feeling better." Before the older woman could say something, Marie added, "Kitty would be the best person to help him with it—it's similar to how she turns on and off her power."

Ms. Leech remained quiet then, and with a nod from the Professor Marie made her way out of the room, never giving Logan a glance.

Throwing aside subtlety, Logan left the others and quickly followed her.

"Rogue!" he yelled out, catching up with her in the hallway. He wanted to call her Marie, but knew her name was private from the other students nearby. She stopped, but did not turn around. Her arms remained tightly crossed in front of her.

Realizing the middle of a busy hallway was not a good place for a heart to heart talk, he caught up to her and turned toward her so he could lower his voice. "Can we talk somewhere?"

Marie looked up at him, her eyes unreadable. "About what?"

Logan took a deep breath. "About today. The combat room."

"Don't worry 'bout it," she said, brushing passed him deftly and continuing her way down the hall.

Logan realized this would be a hell of a lot easier if he knew what he wanted to say. Again, he followed her.

"Look, I know I left in a rush—"

"Ah said, don't worry 'bout it," Marie hissed, making her way upstairs.

His temper getting the better of him, Logan snarled and got in front of her on the stairs, grabbing her shoulders to halt her advancement. "Will you just wait a second?"

"Ah don't need reasons or excuses, Logan," Marie half-whispered, entirely unafraid of his aggressive behavior. "Ah don't want to hear them, and it doesn't matter, anyway."

"Look, I'm confused," Logan started. He grunted in surprise when Marie uncrossed her arms and shoved him before he could continue, causing him to land in a sitting position on the stairs. She quickly made her way around him.

"It doesn't matter, Logan! It'll be pointless in a couple days, anyway," she made her way to the top of the stairs and disappeared from sight.

Logan scrambled to follow again, but his pause in her statement made him too late. Marie's door slammed shut even before he made it to the top of the stairs.

Of course, a door wouldn't necessarily stop him, but he respected her privacy.

To a point.

He sighed, and instead of going anywhere, sat his sorry ass down on the top of the stairs. Perhaps now would be a good time to figure out what the hell he wanted to say, instead of stuttering like an idiot.

His hands came up to rake his hands through his hair, frustration evident in his demeanor.

He didn't care what other people thought. He knew what he felt, and he at least sensed that it was partially what Marie wanted.

He had let himself fall prey to his animal instincts today. The smell of her arousal, the look in her eyes, the feel of her skin with his own, and her subtle laugh at something he had said had torn down his carefully built walls.

Walls that he had built to protect her from him.

He had kissed her so gently, afraid to push her too far. He snorted—kissing her had gone too far, period.

But she had kissed back, and she had not been gentle. She wanted him, he could feel and smell and sense it, and it had drove him over the edge.

His arm had wrapped around her waist, hoisting her upper body up to him, closing the distance between them so they could feel each other's hearts thumping, their chests heaving in desire....

And then reality hit him. She was so young, and he was taking advantage of not only her, but of the situation.

He had pulled back, had stood up, and had grown cold at the look she gave him. Her eyes pleaded with him, and he had fucked up.

He had apologized to her, called her Rogue. He didn't want to call her Marie. He loved her name, loved to say it, and was the only who did, when they were alone. Since her first inner battle, when she had nearly died from the overload of memories and personalities, to after she had been used by Mesmero to awaken Apocalypse, he had been given full use of the name. Well, not full use, per say. She didn't like it—and berated him for it—but she had never been serious about it so it never stopped him.

But at the moment in the combat room, he had called her Rogue. He had needed to distance himself from her, and from the situation. He had been afraid, of all things.

Logan got up from his sitting position, glad that he wasn't interrupted by any of the students. He turned and walked to her door, placing his palm flat against it, gently.

His breath was a bit shaky at what he was about to say. Hell, it wasn't often he said much to begin with. Making sure no students were around, Logan cleared his throat. "Marie, I don't want to forget about what happened in the combat room today."

Silence answered him.

"I'm ... sorry I left the way I did. The situation—with your skin ... I felt like I was taking advantage."

A small thump was heard, but nothing else.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. His forehead came to rest on the cool oak, and he listened to the silence for a while. His hand left the door eventually and he stood up, wondering absently if sleeping at the foot of her door would weird out the students.

To his surprise and relief, however, the door slowly opened. She only opened it enough to allow the hallway light to dance across half her face. Her eyes were tired, face sullen.

"Go on a walk with me," Logan finally said. He had no idea where he had pulled that idea from, but he went with it anyway.

Marie seemed to come to the same conclusion, however, and her brow scrunched up in confusion. "A walk?"

Logan nodded, holding out his hand.

She looked down at his hand, contemplating, but finally pulled the rest of the door open, taking his hand in her own gloved one.