She'd been curled up in the passenger's seat of the beat up truck for hours now, neither her nor her companion speaking.

She'd spotted him in a bar and started her usual routine: sidle up, smile, press close, lay on the thick Southern drawl, get a few drinks, steal his wallet, escape to the ladies' room never to be seen there again.

This time she found her wrist encased in an iron grip, cigar smoke being blown straight into her face. "Not tonight, darlin'," he said.

Rogue's eyes flashed. She needed the money. In a flash her free hand was wrapped around his and she stared at him, waiting for him to drop like so many of her previous marks had done.

Wolverine was different. With a burst of unusual strength she wrenched her arm free, already sorting through the information she'd taken. A moment later she huffed. "Accelerated healing. That would explain it."

If possible, his expression grew even more hostile. "How'd you know that?"

"You told me, sugah," she replied, unable to resist giving him some attitude. "You wanna know more than that? I need a ride." Normally she didn't ask strangers in bars to give her a lift, but it just so happened Wolverine knew exactly the place she wanted to go.

Logan's eyes flitted between the girl and the road. "Talk," he commanded finally, blowing out another puff of smoke.

Rogue sighed. She hated this conversation. "All I need is one touch to...absorb someone else. Their memories, their feelings, their life. If they happen to be a mutant, I take their powers, too. I can do what you can do. At least you didn't lose your money."

He snorted. "That why you're looking for Xavier?"

"I'm tired," she said, leaning her head against the window.

"You and me both, kid," he said, dropping the conversation. He understood that she didn't mean lacking sleep. Obviously she'd been living rough if she was relying on robbing chumps at bars to get by. It wasn't that far different from what he'd done not so long ago, living from cage fight to cage fight, never staying in one place for more than a night or two. It was an empty life. He'd thought being at Xavier's would change that—foolishly, as it turned out. He felt more alone now than he had before. A past full of nothing but pain and a future without her.