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** ** indicates telepathic communication.
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

“How is she?” the telepath wheels himself next to the vigil keepers, one a young Chinese-American, the second a Jewish one, both looking lost at their inability to get near enough to hold their friend’s hands, let alone do something to help her.

They are doing all they can, they are keeping an eye on her.

Then there is their third, silent companion…..the regal Ororo.

They don’t talk to her, her meditative pose and closed eyes tell them no to. She hasn’t spoken a word during her entire time here. Until now.

“Still unconscious,” she turns to the Professor.

“How are you child?” He deliberately voices his voices, avoiding any telepathic intrusions.

“Still confused,” she answers with a rueful smile.

----

“How is she?” was the first question out of his mouth too, his thoracic muscles flexing after months of silence.

“Who?” the Cajun charmer was momentarily confused. Hadn’t he just finished explaining Rogue’s condition to their feral hope?

“Ororo,” the words felt like sandpaper on his pallet. “How’s she?”

Remy was silent for a few moments, unable to decide as what to say as an answer. He knew about Logan’s feelings towards Ororo. Had finally come to know about it from his showdown with Rogue, a couple of weeks ago. He also knew that on some level, she had held the same feelings.

But now, with the other man in the picture, he wasn’t so sure.

Although, their relationship hadn’t progressed to an intimate level….that he knew off, they were closer than just friends.

But as close or closer than she had been with Wolverine….and still might be.

“Fine,” was his final answer, the unconvinced snort from his co-passenger told him that his dawdling and the fact that he had just lied through his teeth, both had been caught.

-----

“Professor,” she follows him into the corridor, leaving the two girls on their cell-side vigil.

“Lets go to my office,” he silences any further public talk.

Minutes later, they enter through the solid wood doors, closing them behind them.

“Charles, what happened?” Her tone is even, yet demanding, as well as pleading.

She doesn’t know what happened. She had thought that she had reached a break through with the younger Rogue. The constant sniping had stopped, giving way to a silent truce of sorts. Things were looking up…..Until now.

The scene from the plane was still clear in her mind. How they had stopped the diamond bodied, invulnerable, untouchable, super strong, flight capable, super healing, berserker Rogue, was something she didn’t want to experience again any time soon, if ever.

She was just thankful that the girl turned to diamond, thus negating the possibility of her using telepathy to incapacitate them. If that had not been the case, all of them would surely be dead by now. All, but her.

And yet, now there she was, the only one under continuous medical supervision.

What had happened to cause this sudden turn of events.

------

They had found him deep in the Canadian wilderness.

Putting the Blackbird in hover mode, all five X-Men teleported or iced to the ground below.

“Jean, can you sense ‘im,” Gambit asked, digging his gloved hands deeper into his pockets.

The night air was a bitter cold, just like the inside of the mind and heart of the flame haired leader.

Focusing her thoughts, the Phoenix let her telepathic net spread out, frowning slightly as she encountered and then discharged quite a few feral minds, none of them human. The animals had thoughts; the only problem was that she couldn’t read them. It was not part of her mutation.

“Got him,” her exclamation was echoed in the form of a howl, just a few hundred feet from where they stood.

“That wasn’t him,” Bobby’s iced form turned around for confirmation. “Was it?”

“Nein,” Kurt answered with a shake of his head. He had heard Wolverine’s howl, and it wasn’t like the one they had just heard. It was scarier…..bone chilling would be the right word.

“Approach him with caution,” Jean commanded, keeping her voice to a whisper.

“Grrr….” The darkness seemed to growl at them, asking just one question.

“What happened?”

-----

“Ororo,” his voice is deep but gentle, like a father talking to his daughter, which given their age differences and time of acquaintanceship, they might as well be. “How are you feeling, truly?”

“I am fine Charles,” she stresses on the fine to show him that she is. “And cannot for my life understand why I have been asked to stand down. Moreover, not just me, but Scott and Emma too. Emma, I understand. Her weakness from her encounter with Rogue. But Scott?”

“And on all that, now Logan is being brought back,” Charles offers with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” inspite of herself, her jaw clenches down. “On all that Logan is being brought back.” ‘After more a year, he is had to be yanked back into my…our lives.”

“Ororo, do you know why I was so easily persuaded to get him….why I was ready to do it myself?” he corrects himself mid-sentence.

“Yes,” she offers her opinion. “Its Rogue. Logan is the best person to help her in her current state…well one of the best. And he would surely come with her being in danger, and being a danger, both to herself and to others around her.”

“Yes,” Xavier’s lips twitch just the barest bit. “But on my part, I did because calling him at this juncture was in accordance with his wishes.”

“His wishes?” Ororo’s face scrunches in confusion. “Has he been in contact with you?” she asks with hopeful trepidation.

“He hasn’t been with anything remotely human or mutant in the past thirteen months. He is somewhere deep in the Canadian Rockies.” Xavier answers gravely.

‘Thirteen months.’ Ororo calculates mentally. ‘Since the time he left the mansion.’

“I have been keeping track of him,” the telepath reveals further. “Something I am sure, he is aware of. As for my urgency in sending the others for him, it was in accordance with one of the two conditions that Logan himself had set. Rogue being in danger was one of them.”

“Two conditions,” Ororo remembers the time the Professor had informed them about Logan’s parting words to him. ‘You will know about them when and if the time comes.’
“Rogue’s injuries,” she finally speaks out, not knowing what term to use for the girl’s mental state.

“Yes,” Xavier’s answer has a worried tone to it. “Rogue’s mind is in great turmoil. The simultaneous absorption of both Emma and Sabertooth has caused her to loose control. All of her mental blocks have either ruptured or broken down completely, allowing some of her previously absorbed personalities to also get free from their mental….cages, as it were.”

“And you want to use Logan to help her regain control,” the conclusion is right there for the picking. “By giving her his own thoughts and personality.”

“Yes,” the answer is simple and succinct.

“Isn’t there a risk in that?” Her caution with the plan is obvious, expected and right. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if Rogue ends up with yet another personality to add to those already in possession of her mind.”

“I don’t think that will be the case,” his faith in the plan is just as concrete. “Rogue has always found a sense of security and strength with Logan, both the real one and the one within her. That was something I realized during the time she battled to bring Carol under control.”

That silences her. Not because she is completely convinced, but because she remembers the time the Professor is talking about and because she has learned over time and with first hand experience, to trust her mentor.

-----

“How are you Logan?” The expected discomfort wasn’t there. What was there, on Jean’s part at least, was a complete shut down of emotions, not because of the man she has settled down next to, but the man, she had loved, married and settled down with.

“’k,” He still wasn’t back to normal and was feeling cooped up in the closed space of the jet. “You?”

“Fine,” Logan’s face scrunched at her answer. It was the second time he had heard the same answer for two completely different questions. ‘What the fuck happened?’

“Scooter?” Jean flinched at the mention of her husband, her expression setting off a completely new set of alarms in Logan’s head. Something was seriously wrong.

“He’s Fine too.” ‘Same fuckin’ fine,’ Logan let out an involuntary growl.

“How much longer?” he grunted, crossing his arms at his chest.

“ETA, twenty three minutes,” Bobby informed over the intercom.

-----

“I should go check on Rogue,” Xavier nods at the suggestion, watching as the still perturbed Ororo starts towards the door.

“Ororo,” his hail stops her, causing her to turn and face him. “Don’t you want to know about your temporary removal from the team?”

“I do,” her answer is even and confident. “But seeing as I am not only one under suspension, I’ve deferred that question until all three of us are in one place at the same time.”

Xavier nods at her perceptiveness and maturity. Jean was right in saying that Ororo was the best among them to take care of the children.

--

Seeing her turn away, he starts again, giving one last bit of information.

“Don’t you want to know the second condition Logan set for warranting his voluntary return?”

At her reluctance in answering, he makes the choice his own.

“It was you,” he sees her back tense up instantly. “He said he would come back if and when you forgave him….

…and wanted him to come back.”

Note: So, where do I stand now? Do I get a respite from the ass whipping you guys have been giving me...not that I mind (not in the sick sense, ok....in the welcomes reviews sense).

Review and let me know how I fared!!





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