Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

This was a scene I was never planning on writing. I knew it 'happened', but for me, it was unimportant, seeing as it's not a part of Remy's journey, which will pick up in "The Dance We Do" (coming soon) about three months after the end of "Normal". But silly me, I forgot that some (read: a LOT) of my readers don't consider Rogue and Logan unimportant supporting characters, and wanted to see this resolution. So… here we have it. Yeah, I felt guilty for leaving you all wanting more.

Rogue was happy, damn it.

They were married. Remy asked her to marry him, she said yes, and they ran off and did it. It was done. That was less than a week ago, and she still couldn't quite believe it. She was actually tied down with Remy LeBeau, le diable blanc, for life. As much as she loved him and as much as she had always wanted to spend her life with him, she never really thought she would be able to keep him forever. He was special, just so damn special, and he had no idea. He was rare, untouchable, and he made her feel more alive and more loved than she ever really thought possible. Deep down, she had always thought that he was a gift she was lucky to have, for as long she had him for. But not forever. That was like trying to bottle lightning. But the strange and unbelievable truth had been that he wanted to be with her, too. They were just caught up in each other in the exact same moment, and she'd had no idea.

Okay, so maybe she was still a little wrapped up in post-spontaneous-wedding/honeymoon bliss. She was self-aware enough to realize this. But damn it, it was understandable. Or so one would think.

Apparently, certain residents of Mutant Manor were less than thrilled with the Southerners' surprise elopement. Kurt's disappointment had been unexpected, but it really shouldn't have been, if she had thought about it. But she hadn't. That was the thing, she and Kurt, they looked at the whole 'sibling' relationship completely differently. He was hurt that she had left him out of such a major life event. That was Kurt. He wanted them to be close, and 'close' for him meant sharing everything. He talked with her about his relationship with Amanda, his faith, his schoolwork. But that wasn't Rogue. 'Close' for Rogue didn't mean sharing everything. It meant… Well, she wasn't really sure what it meant. 'Close" was something that was still somewhat foreign and uncomfortable for her. But at the very least, it meant knowing that her brother was there for her should the rare occasion that she decided to share happened to come up. And in those terms, they were close. So yeah, his feelings had been hurt, but he was getting over it.

Now Logan… Logan, she expected. And quite frankly, she didn't really care if he was pissed about the fact that they ran off to the city without permission. It was about damn time she did something like that. For someone who went by the name "Rogue", she was terribly well behaved. She graduated top of her class, followed the Institute rules, did her chores, excelled in the Danger Room… Really, as of late, the only thing badass about her was her temper, and even that could hardly be qualified as "unorthodox and unpredictable". It was about time that she did something that got Logan's panties in a bunch.

So when he threw a hissy fit the second they returned to the Mansion after their whirlwind elopement, she wasn't exactly surprised. She was riled up and ready for him with all the self-righteous indignation she could muster. What did surprise her, however, was how long he was holding the grudge.

She had figured on two, maybe three days of hellish Danger Room sessions for herself and Remy; that was the standard punishment for taking off without permission and ignoring Logan's self-appointed authority over all major life decisions. But oddly enough, he hadn't hauled their asses in for a major breaking, not even once. In fact, he was pretty much ignoring the two of them, but most especially her.

Now, normally, Logan was not one for the 'silent treatment'-- it was far too indirect for his liking -- but for the past week, that was just what he was giving Rogue. He didn't speak to her, didn't look in her direction, and when she entered a room, he generally left as quickly as possible.

By Sunday, she was beginning to think that Remy, in all his nagging, was right: she needed to talk to him. Not that she felt she had anything to apologize for, but Logan's behavior was really putting a damper on her wedded bliss. And it wasn't like they could just go on ignoring each other. She had always looked to him as somewhat of a father figure, and she didn't really feel like losing out on that because she decided to marry the love of her life.

In the quiet of the afternoon (most of the students having left for home for the holiday break the day before), she found the feral mutant out on the back porch enjoying a cigar, despite the freezing temperatures and the light snowfall that had finally begun three days before.

He leaned back against the porch rail, blowing out his smoke without acknowledging her presence. Rogue huffed as she closed the back door behind her. She crossed her arms tightly, gathering as much warmth into her core as possible. It was clearly too cold to be outside in only a sweatshirt, as she was, but this crap had to stop.

"So," she began, trying not to glare too hard at the man standing across from her, "are ya gonna keep givin' me the silent treatment for the rest of my life? 'Cuz I think that's gonna start gettin' awkward, seeing as we live together…"

For a second, she thought he might just continue his ridiculous farce. Finally, after a long, awkward pause, he slowly turned, taking the cigar from his lips as he brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Where's the groom?" He paused, a look of distain gracing his features as his voice dripped with sarcasm. "I mean, ain't ya supposed ta be on your honeymoon or something?"

Rogue took a deep breath, trying to stay calm as she shifted her weight. It would do no good to get pissed off at him from the start. "He's in the den, watchin' the Saint's game." She explained calmly. "Told me ta quit buggin' him an' go make up with you."

Logan scoffed. "Huh. Never took you for one of those girls that lets their man tell 'em what ta do."

Now they were getting somewhere.

"Is that the problem? Remy?" she questioned curtly. "'Cuz I thought you'd moved past judgin' him." She shook her head. "I know he's not perfect, Logan, but he's good fer me. An' there's a lot more ta him than what ya see or what he's done. I'd think you, of all people--"

He cut her off before she could continue, rolling his eyes. "Oh, spare me the gushy tirade. Believe it or not, Stripes, I don't got a problem with Gumbo." He turned from her, stubbing out his cigar on the porch rail. "Deep down, I think he's actually a good kid." He turned back to face her. "The fact that he doesn't believe it himself is what gets him in trouble."

She dared to take a small step towards him. "So, what? Are ya just mad ya didn't get an invite? Because, really, ya didn't miss much." She chuckled mirthlessly. "It's not like there was an aisle for ya ta walk me down or anythin'."

Surprisingly, he didn't laugh with her. Instead, his demeanor turned more serious as his tone got grave. "I ain't yer dad, Stripes, so don't go pawnin' it off on that."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, that one actually hurt. She bit her lip, taken aback. Yeah, it was true, but despite their lack of genetic connection, she really had felt a parental connection to him. The sting in her chest started to grow, and she got defensive.

"So then… what?!" she spat out, her hands jumping to her hips. "I mean, what the hell, Logan!"

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed back, startling her with his fierceness. She took an instinctual step back as he leaned forward, a deep fire suddenly in his eyes. "You're kids, damn it! Both of you are too young to be runnin' off and gettin' married, but especially you!" His eyes bore into hers, and she fought the urge to shrink away. "This whole thing? It's just a big, stupid, youthful mistake, and now you stand to get hurt, and there's nothin' I can do about it!"

An awkward pause hung in the air. Rogue crossed her arms again as Logan stood stiffly in front of her, his breath coming out in heavy puffs through his nose. Looking away, she responded in the only way she knew how.

"It's not a mistake."

Logan shook his head, his gaze still level with hers. "Yeah, it is. And I can't believe you can't see that." He scoffed. "Gumbo? This is the kind of thing he does. He's self-destructive, he digs his own graves, and hell if I or anyone can do anything about that. But you?" He took another step closer. "This isn't like you. You're not flighty, you're not impulsive! I'd expect this whole eloping business out of Kitty, or maybe one of the younger girls, thinkin' it was romantic or some shit like that, but not you. You're grounded, you're logical… you're smarter than this."

She swallowed, finding it harder to keep looking him in the eyes. "I'm also in love."

"Being in love doesn't make it the right choice." He sighed, taking a step back from her as he turned, looking away and out at the expanse of the manor's lawn. "You two… you had a good thing goin' for you. It was working." He turned his head, looking back at her. "Why the hell couldn't you have just stuck with that?"

"What's changing here, Logan, I mean really?" She stepped closer. "We're still together, like we were before. We're not moving away, we're not quitin' the team. It's the same--"

"It's not the same!" He cut in, rounding on her, getting in her face. "Getting married changes everything!"

"Why?!" she shouted back, holding her ground.

"It just does! And the fact that you can't see that just proves that you're not ready." He paused, taking a breath as he straightened. "Bein' married puts a shit-load of pressure on a relationship that already had a lot goin' against it. You're gonna get hurt." He sighed, his body relaxing as his gaze softened. He looked her straight in the eyes. "You're gonna get hurt, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I don't like it."

A silence settled upon them. She looked away, unable to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. She didn't want Logan to see her cry, but what he had said… it hurt. In a matter of minutes, Logan had taken what was possibly the best thing that had ever happened in her life and turned into something stupid, something childish and silly. And she hated that, as much as she didn't want it to, his opinion mattered. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, willing her voice to come out stronger than she knew it would.

"I hate that you feel like this." she whispered.

He softened visibly. She knew he couldn't stand to see her in tears. His voice was gentle. "I know."

She dared to look at him, her voice growing stronger. "An' ya don't know for sure that I'm gonna get hurt. We could be fine."

Logan nodded. "You're right. You two could be one of the lucky ones that make it through, despite the odds." He sighed. "I'm just worried it won't work out that way."

She sniffled, looking down. "I don't want ta have ta feel bad about this." She brought her eyes back up to his. "This makes me happy."

"And that's all I want, darlin'." His face was sincere, and his voice was quiet. "I want you to be happy."

An awkward pause filled the air between them as they both looked away.

"So," Rogue began quietly, "what the hell are we supposed ta do now?"

Logan sighed. "I don't know. There ain't a whole we can do, right? Seein' as you've made your decision and ya ain't backin' down."

"I'm not."

He nodded. "Then I guess I'm just gonna have to get used to it." She watched as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "You're independent, Stripes, and you've always made your own decisions, whether I liked it or not." He looked away thoughtfully as he continued. "I always knew that when you got older, those decisions I might not agree with were gonna get bigger, I just didn't know it was gonna start happening so soon." He looked back at her. "And I certainly didn't expect you two to just run off and then come back and throw it in my face."

That one hit Rogue hard, and a pang of guilt swept through her. Yeah, that might not have been her finest moment. She was mature enough to realize that sometimes that famous temper of hers ended up causing more harm than she really intended. She looked down at her shoes sheepishly. "Yeah… I'm sorry about that."

Logan paused, running a hand over his face before he spoke. "Just give me time, Stripes."

She nodded. "Okay."

He sighed, stepping closer to her. "Come here." He opened his arms, and she let him pull her to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she awkwardly laced hers around his waist. It was an uneasy hug -- neither one of them were prone to physical shows of affection -- but she knew it was necessary. It felt right. She settled her chin on his shoulder as he leaned in, speaking softly into her ear.

"Just because I don't like this," he began, "doesn't mean I don't like him, or that I don't want you two to be happy together. And just because I think this is a mistake, doesn't mean I want it to be one. You understand that?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay then."

He pulled away and she stepped back. They both looked at their shoes, somewhat uncomfortably.

After a moment, Logan cleared his throat. "So," he started, "that Saints game, how far into it was it when ya left?"

She looked up at him, a smile forming on her lips. "First quarter."

"Hmmm." He nodded. "Might go check it out."

Rogue chuckled. "Really?" She folded her arms, a sly smile on her face. "And I'm sure the fact that Remy's in there has nothing ta do with that."

"Course not," Logan huffed, a slight twinkle in his eye. "Maybe I just like the Saints."

She raised an eyebrow. "Since when do ya like the Saints?"

"Since when do I have to be a fan to watch a football game?" he countered lightly.

"So," she began, the smile on her face growing, "yer just gonna go watch a game. Not have a 'you better take good care of Stripes or I'll make a pincushion out of you' talk with Remy?"

Logan smirked. "I don't know, we gotta talk about something during halftime…"

"Logan…" Rogue began threateningly, though the grin on her face took any malice out of it.

"…and time outs, and commercials breaks…" he teased.

"Logan!"

"What?" He greeted her a look of mock innocence. Well, as innocent as Logan could really ever look. "Look, kid, without alcohol involved, there ain't a whole lot for me and Gumbo to talk about."

She chuckled, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just as long as ya don't bug him when the game is on. His team's doin' good this season."

Logan nodded, patting her on the shoulder as he passed her on the way to the door. She stayed still, letting him take his leave as she gazed thoughtfully out across the lawn. Logan paused, however, as he opened the door, stopping in the threshold. He turned his head back to her.

"Yeah," he began, his voice catching her attention. She turned to face him. "I would've wanted to be there." He paused. "I don't know about no damn aisle, but… I would've wanted to be there."

She swallowed, looking him in the eyes and seeing the raw honesty there. She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

He paused, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, me too."

With that, he walked inside, leaving her as the cold began seeping in through the thick cotton of her sweatshirt. They would be fine. She and Logan, she and Remy, they'd all be fine.

And she was happy.

Wow. I actually wrote a story withOUT Remy. Yeah, I'm shocked as hell.

As always, I'd love to hear your reviews, and look forward to "The Dance We Do"!