He could smell her tears if he concentrated, so he shut off his heightened senses and stared straight ahead, arms crossed tightly in front of him and daring anyone to come within a five foot radius of where he sat.
Storm and Scott were up front piloting, and Kurt was still back with Mystique. Storm had asked the teleporter to stay and make sure her status didn't change for the worse, but Kurt would have probably stayed by her side anyway.
He hadn't said a word since they'd discovered the two in the cabin. Logan supposed that, in the end, blood would always run thicker than water.
Jean was sitting behind Logan, and was out for the count. He had noticed her snoozing on his way to talk with Marie, and Storm had mentioned that the Professor's mental use of her body to help quarantine Mystique's thoughts had exhausted her.
That left Kitty with the unlucky option of taking the seat next to Logan. She seemed very aware of Logan's mood, and nervously glanced at him every minute or so. She fidgeted a bit through his peripheral vision, but never said a word.
"Logan?"
Well, until now.
He didn't give her eye contact, but grunted slightly in acknowledgment. He wasn't in the mood to converse, but he figured the alternative of scaring her into silence might cause the kid to accidentally phase through the damn jet.
"Uhm, is Rogue okay?"
Rogue. Marie. He didn't want to think about her, but it was all he was thinking about. He wasn't mad at her, but he was damn well ready to slap her upside the head. She didn't understand that he wasn't worried about her skin because throughout her whole godforsaken life she'd been told she was a threat to others.
Mystique, Destiny, every asshole that'd ever tried to use her deathly touch for their own gain; they'd all made her truly believe she was untouchable the way she was now.
She wasn't untouchable—not if she'd let anyone close enough to try.
"She's resting," he finally said.
Kitty looked away for a moment, registering his answer, and Logan thought he'd shut her up for the time being.
"But will she be okay?"
"Do I look like the Professor to you, half-pint?"
Kitty sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. Logan could sense her anxiety, however, which meant she knew she was walking on eggshells.
Damn kid was brave, he'd give her that.
"Look, I know it's not any of my business—"
"Yer right."
"—but if anyone's gonna know if she's gonna be okay, it's you."
This time Logan did look at her. She was hunched over her chair a bit, leaning near him to keep herself from talking too loudly for the others to hear. When he turned to look at her she quickly straightened up to remain out of arm's reach.
"Well, I don't know," he replied gruffly.
"She wanted Mystique's, like, control of her powers though, right?"
Oh, why didn't he take the option of scaring the shit out of her? Kurt could've teleported and grabbed her if she did phase out of the jet by accident.
"Something like that."
"It didn't work, though. And because she got her powers back way faster than the Professor thought, that meant it wasn't Leech's power making hers go away, right?"
Logan sighed and rubbed his face with one of his hands tiredly. "What's yer point, kid?"
"I heard Storm talking to Rogue earlier—she said it was possible this was just Rogue gaining control of her powers on her own, and that whatever triggered it musta happened during the whole Apocalypse thingy." This time Kitty did lean forward, even though Logan was glaring at her. "You think maybe it has to do with ... you know, you guys?" Kitty winked at him.
She freaking winked at him and smirked.
A growl escaped Logan's mouth, wiping the accompanied smirk off of Kitty's face real fast. She sat back down and crossed her arms, pouting. "I'm just saying, you know. It's not like it isn't obvious to everyone about you two."
Logan gave her a look that could've rotted fruit, successfully shutting her up completely. He didn't reply to her apparent jab at him, but the comment about Marie having done this on her own perplexed him.
He didn't think it was him that caused Marie to gain her control—the little dance they'd been doing together had been going on since she first lost her check on the personalities inside her head. If she was truly in control of her powers without realizing it, it would have to be something that had happened during the span of touching Leech and re-entombing Apocalypse.
She had faced Apocalypse before, and he imagined any thirst for vengeance she had for the guy would be similar to vengeful feelings she'd have toward others.
That left Leech. Little, shy boy Leech.
Logan's eyes widened at a thought—perhaps the answer—to where Marie's control lay.
And it quite possibly had been in her all along.
He watched as Storm and Kitty helped Marie off the medical bed in the jet. He glanced at her only momentarily, their eyes locking—but the hurt in them made him look away, quickly descending the ramp before Marie could say anything.
As he exited into the large underground garage he saw the Professor, waiting patiently. He went up to him, ignoring Hank's odd glance at his hurried demeanor.
"We need to talk," Logan said, half tempted to wheel the Professor out of the room without permission.
The Professor nodded at him. "Certainly, Logan. Let me check on Rogue—"
"No. Now." Logan glanced back up at the jet and saw Storm and Kitty holding Marie between them.
He glanced back at the Professor, who was giving him a perplexed look. "All right, then." He turned his wheelchair but stopped, looking to Hank. "Hank, after you treat Rogue let her go to her own room for recuperation."
Hank nodded to the Professor and walked towards the trio now descending the jet's ramp, albeit slowly.
Logan followed the Professor to the hallway. Once they were in the elevators leading up to the main floors, Logan spoke.
"I need you to ask Rogue something for me." He kept his eyes on the elevator doors.
"Why can't you ask her yourself?"
"'cause she listens to you, and I don't think she'll take it seriously coming from me." The doors to the elevator dinged, and the two made their way down the hall towards the Professor's office.
As Logan shut the door behind him, the Professor asked, "Is this about your relationship with her?"
Logan growled a bit but kept his temper in check. He crossed his arms and leaned against a large bookcase. "There is no 'us,' and if there were I wouldn't need your approval," he said a bit too defensively.
The Professor smiled. "I never said I disapproved."
Logan looked up from his studying of the ground, somewhat surprised. "Of all people, Chuck, I'd think you'd disapprove more than anyone." He shook his head, glancing at the wall in front of him. "It doesn't matter, anyway. She's not ready for something like that, and I was stupid to think otherwise."
His voice was void of emotion, but inside he felt the twinge of sadness in the reality of his words said aloud. He couldn't, and wouldn't, persuade her into something that she wasn't sure of.
"She thinks her skin makes her unlovable."
It was a statement, not a question. Logan raised an eyebrow at the remark, but didn't say anything. What could he say to that?
The Professor wheeled himself a bit closer to Logan. "You know, Rogue's always been a special kind of person. She has all these memories inside her head, of peoples' lives and emotions and thoughts. Even after I had erased them when she first lost control, she had told me she found herself in the classical section of the movie rental store. The movies she had rented without really meaning to were some of Erik's favorites.
"No matter how much I erased for Rogue, pieces of everyone she's touched have always remained a part of her."
Logan watched as the Professor moved next to the window overlooking the property. His hands came together to form a triangle, elbows on his chair's armrests and clasped fingers resting thoughtfully at the base of his chin. "She has lived a dozen lives inside her head, and is far more mature than her physical age. It is unlikely Rogue could ever find someone as young as her that could fully understand what she's going through." He looked at Logan meaningfully.
Logan sighed at the last remark. "I get your point, Prof. But I'm not ever gonna force Marie into something she's not ready for."
Professor Xavier nodded. "I'm not saying you should. I respect your decision to distance yourself—it may help her understand better." He smiled a bit, eyes distant as he looked out the window. "Sometimes patience really is the answer."
Logan cleared his throat after a brief silence, all too ready to change the subject. "If she was the one controlling her power, I think I may know what triggered it." He shifted his position, straightening up from his slouch and raking a hand through his hair. "You think you could suggest it to her, see what happens?"
"Rogue does not take lightly to suggestions, as you know, but I can certainly try." The Professor turned to looked at him, curiosity etched on his aged features. "What do you think it is?"