It had been two weeks since Gambit's arrival, and already Logan was fighting the urge to tear the new guy's arms off. He was hit with wave after wave of jealousy and unrelenting anger every time the swamp rat looked at his Marie.

Pull yourself together. She's not yours.

He knew his anger was inappropriate. Marie was free to do as she pleased. Still, the fact that those two were spending time together irked him. Luckily the Professor was giving Marie the go ahead to start physical training again. It was finally his turn to have time alone with her.

Logan waited in the Danger room, tapping his fingers impatiently against the control panel. It had been months since he and Rogue trained together, and his excitement threatened to break through his calm exterior.

"So, what will we be working on today, Mr. Logan?" He knew she was teasing, but the way she gave that coy little smile of hers as she addressed him as 'Mister' didn't aid Logan in his attempt to rid his mind of all the dirty thoughts he had of her.

"We need to work on controlling your strength," said Logan as he gathering something from underneath the control panel. "As long as you keep a check on that temper you should be able to control your new powers. We'll have you opening doors without tearing them off the hinges in no time."

"Very funny." Logan could feel her moving closer. His mutation gave him superior senses. He didn't need to look up as she came closer. He felt her lean closer before asking in a hushed voice, "are you ready for me?"

He fought back a shiver as he felt her breath fan across his neck. She was sexy and had an attitude, something that turned Logan on. "Well, if you came thinking you were going to be throwing punches you're out of luck."

"So what, may I ask, are we going to be doing?"

He stood back up holding the cartons of eggs he had stolen from the kitchen. "You need to practice control."

He almost laughed as he watched the smirk that had graced her features earlier slip from her lips. "You have got to be kidding. How am I going to learn control with a couple of eggs? This is a joke, right?"

"Sorry, kid." He couldn't help but grin at the look on her face. It was as if he had just told her Santa Clause didn't exist. "If you can handle eggs without breaking them, you'll do just fine with almost any everyday object. Once you've learned to control your strength, we'll move on to manipulating it."

Rogue sighed before throwing her gym bag to the side of the room, cringing as she saw the dent it left in the wall. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe I do need to practice being more…gentle."

Logan gave Rogue a smile before tossing an egg her way. It splattered as soon as it hit her hand, much to her chagrin. "You need to allow the egg to settle into your hand. We'll start with one egg. I have a feeling that will be hard enough."

Logan instructed her to stand at the other end of the danger room before throwing her another egg, which, not to his surprise, shattered on contact. The look of annoyance was quickly replaced by one of determination. "Okay Logan, how do I do this?"

"You need soft hands. Don't just stop the egg, accept it, cradle it. It's about concentration, not strength." He picked up another egg from the carton. "Try following the path of the egg with your hand."

"Okay, let's try again." She shifted her eyes down towards the hand holding the egg and crouched. Logan would never admit it, but he loved the way she looked right before a fight. The way she hunched over, ready to pounce on anyone that came near, was almost too much to bear. He imagined her in that position many times as he fantasized about her in his bedroom. Pulling himself from that thought, he turned his focus back on the task at hand and began coaching his favorite team mate.

One hour and three dozen eggs later, Rogue seemed to have gotten the hang of it. By the end of the practice session she was able to catch almost every egg tossed her way without a single crack. "I think this really helped."

"I'm glad," said Logan as he crossed the room. "You'll probably still have to concentrate for the next few weeks, just like you did here. But soon it'll become second nature. Just remember what you practiced today. Now hit the showers. You're covered in egg."

"Really," laughed Rogue. "I was thinking about going as is. Maybe starting a new fashion trend." Logan had to admit, even drenched in egg yoke, Rogue was still ravishing. If anyone could pull this look off, it was her.

"In fact, why don't you try the look out?" Before Logan could react Rogue was smearing the egg from her hands onto his shirt. "I think it looks great!" Logan tried to move away, but Rogue's new powers didn't let him go far. She trailed her hands up his neck and raked them through his hair, tugging lightly. He closed his eyes and grabbed her slim waist as a purr escaped his lips. He meant to only touch her for only a moment, enough to stop her tortuous attack, but his hands remained in place. He opened his eyes to find her tantalizingly close, and a growl erupted from deep within his chest. The wolverine he kept caged back was threatening to break free and take the girl before him. His grip on her narrow hips tightened as his breath became ragged. He expected Marie to shove him away, terrified of the animal that was quickly taking control. What he didn't expect was to pick up the sweet scent of arousal. Marie, his delicate Marie, was turned on. And it was all for him. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the scent to wash over him, imagining the things he'd like to do to her.

His tongue licking her wet core, lapping up her sweet juices.

His hands kneading the soft flesh of her thighs as they moved closer to her soaked center.

His Marie whimpering in pleasure.

Marie. This is Marie!

He quickly snapped back into reality and stepped away, removing himself from the fragrance that threatened to destroy the carefully constructed walls he put in place to keep the wolverine from escaping. One tug of his hair was almost his undoing. He had to get out of the room before he lost it completely.

"I have to go meet the professor." It was a complete lie, but he had to get out of there. "Go shower before you make a mess." It came out harsher than he meant and he could see the pained expression that quickly crossed her face before she replaced it with a dull stare. He knew that look. It was the one she wore when they first met. The one she had built to keep herself from getting hurt. It hurt him to know he had caused her to regress back to that state, but it was for the best. They could never be together.

He stalked out of the room, heading in no particular direction. He was furious that it had to be this way, but it was better. She was safe.

"Ah, there you are Logan. I was looking for…" Logan cut off Beast with a low growl, stomping past a few other wary members of his team, and made his way towards his room.

"Well, that seemed a little unnecessary," mumbled the Beast before heading back down to the labs.

Logan was walking the perimeter of the property, enjoying the evening air, when he spotted Marie in her garden. It had been two days since the incident in the danger room. He was attempting to distance himself from Marie, hoping it would help dilute his feelings. Unfortunately it only made him want her more. He stopped when he saw the woman plaguing his thoughts, and he instantly knew something was wrong. He couldn't ignore her any longer. If she needed someone, he would be there, no matter how hard it was for him.

"You okay," he asked as he approached her, settling himself down on the ground next to her. Logan was never good at comforting others. Caring didn't come easily to him. But when it came to Marie, he found himself fight the urge to gather her small frame into his arms to hold her. It was a feeling that he had never experienced before meeting her, and one he knew he could never act on.

"I'm fine." She stared intensely at one of her sunflowers, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You know, you can't keep anything from me." He placed his hand on her shoulder, silently begging her to let him in. "Spill it."

"Did I do something to make you mad?" The question came out quickly. "I can tell you're avoiding me."

The sadness in her voice was breaking his heart. He tried to go about it without hurting her. He would busy himself with other things and make bogus excuses in an attempt to stay away, but Marie was too observant for that.

"I've just been busy." Marie raised her eyes, searching his own for the truth, and his resolution to stay away was completely forgotten. He just wanted to see her smile again. "How about we catch up tonight. It's Friday right? We'll get out of the mansion for a while."

"Just you and me?"

"If that's what you want." He knew it was a bad idea the second he agreed to it. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for him to maintain his control around Marie. There was something about her that called to him. Every primal instinct told him to snatch her away and claim what should be rightfully his.

"I would like that a lot, Logan," sighed Rogue. She gently rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Logan couldn't help himself. He tilted his head towards Marie and inhaled her scent. It was intoxicating. He fought a shiver that threatened to rack his body.

"Want to go to your favorite place? What was the name of it? Buck's? Ben's?"

"Bill's," corrected Rogue, a smile forming on her lips. The same smile that threatened to send Logan over the edge every time he saw it. "I would love that. You remember when we would go every Friday? I haven't been since you left."

He didn't know why, but that comforted him. The fact that his sweet, sweet Marie had never taken anyone to the tiny diner they found shortly after coming to the mansion warmed his heart.

"Sounds good to me," said Logan softly as he wrapped his arm around Rogue. His head was demanding that he stop at once, but his body had committed mutiny and was now acting on it's own accord. "They cook a mean steak."

"You're such a carnivore."

"What, do you expect me to eat salads all day? I am the Wolverine." He chuckled to himself. "What to go now? I'm getting tired of this place."

"Sounds good." Marie popped up and turned towards Logan, offering him a hand. "Can we take the bike? Scott's still gone. I'm sure he won't mind."

Thoughts of Marie wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her chest close to his back flashed through Logan's mind. He knew tonight was going to be a challenge. He thought momentarily about making up some excuse to take one of the Professor's cars, but Marie's puppy dog eyes stopped him.

Damn those eyes.

"Sure, why not." Logan grabbed Marie's hand and lifted himself off the ground. Her hand lingered in his, and for a moment everything in Logan's life felt right. He wished he could stop time and relish in the feeling forever. But it was just that, a wish.

"I'll meet you in the garage. Go get ready." He watched as Marie walked towards the mansion. Her hips were hypnotizing. The animal inside him screamed for release, raging against the cage that held it at bay.

As he walked towards the garage his thoughts were overtaken by images of Marie. Every inch of her was perfection begging to be ravished. Those long legs that Logan imagined himself fitting so nicely between plagued his dreams. He wanted to claim her as his. Take her away so that no other man could touch her. Images of exactly what he wanted to do to her body ran rampant through his mind. He wanted to take her every way he could, but it was nothing more than a dream.

Rogue threw open the door to her room, impressed that she was able to kept it from going through the wall this time. Maybe the session in the danger room really did help. She scanned the room for Jubilee, not the least bit surprised when she spotted her best friend asleep on the floor, hidden under a pile of clothes. After a year of living together, she was use to the girl's strange ways.

"Okay Jubes, I need your help. Make me sexy." Rogue shook the girl roughly knowing full well how hard it was to wake up the sleeping mutant before heading towards her closet.

"I need a dollar to ride the octopus," mumbled Jubilee, still half asleep, before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Wait, what?"

"I need to look good." Rogue continued to throw clothes about the room in a desperate search for something to wear. "I'm going to dinner with Logan. This is an emergency, Jubilation Lee! Get up!"

"I'm up, I'm up." Jubilee stretched before standing. "Just chill out and let me get something together."

Rogue sat on her bed watching Jubilee looked through her wardrobe. She hated getting sentimental. She was Rogue after all, but if Jubes hadn't of been there after the attack, she didn't think she would have made it. Jubilee was her crutch for months. Initially she had retreated into herself. Almost everyone aside from the senior members of the X-men had given up on her, except for Jubilee. She would sit with Rogue for hours, doing nothing more than playing with her long, red hair in silence. It was soothing to have someone so positive around her, and Rogue would never forget that. She quickly wiped away the tear that threatened to break her thick exterior as Jubilee emerged from the closet.

"Okay, I got it," sang Jubilee triumphantly, throwing the clothes at Rogue. "Put that on."

Rogue hurried to the bathroom and changed in lightening speed. "Um, are you sure about this," she asked, poking her head out into the room. "I mean, it's a little…tight."

"That's what I was going for," said Jubilee, giving her an aggravated look. "You want to catch the wolverine, you got to make it impossible for him to keep his hands off of you. This outfit does just that." Jubilee dragged her in front of the mirror. "See? Beautiful."

Rogue looked at her reflection. The skinny jeans Jubilee had picked out for her hugged her legs like a second skin. A basic black tank top with a leather biker jacket gave her an edgy look. "What shoes to I wear?"

"These." Jubilee held up a pair of black high heel ankle boots. "Before you say anything, you'll be fine in these. I promise."

Rogue started to argue that her chuck taylors would be fine, but realized that Jubilee was right. Anyway, they looked great with the outfit. She had to hand it to Jubes, the girl had a great eye for fashion.

"Thanks so much, J. I really owe you," yelled Rogue as she ran out of the room. Her nerves went into overdrive as she walked down towards the garage. This wasn't the first time she and Logan had gone out to dinner alone. They had arrived at the Professor's mansion together, both loners looking for a warm place to rest. It was their time before the mansion or the X-men that drew them together. They were both rough from long, lonely lives. It was a similarity that separated them from the rest of the mutants at the school and brought them closer together. At least once a week before Logan left, they would steal away and visit Bill's, their favorite diner. It was small, but Rogue loved the relaxed atmosphere, and Logan liked the cold beer.

Those were Rogue's happiest days. She was an orphan at a young age, most likely due to her mutation. She couldn't blame her biological parents. Who would want a baby that could kill you? She was tossed from foster parent to foster parent before she ran away. Not that it took much planning. No one came looking for her once she was gone. So she began wandering. It was during a pit stop at a bar near the Canadian boarder when she met Logan. She could tell instantly that he was a mutant. She wanted to speak to him, ask for a ride out of the tiny town. Just to the next city. One with a decent hotel to stay at, but he was intimidating. He was a loner, like herself. So she opted to follow him to his car and hid in his trailer. After a few miles Logan pulled over and discovered her, and, for some reason unknown to Rogue, he let her ride with him. It was at that moment, during that first car ride, when they made a connection.

Rogue pulled herself from her memories when she reached the door leading to the garage. She ran her fingers through her fiery hair one last time before entering. Her eyes were fixed on the floor as she walked in, attempting to stay upright in the heels Jubilee had picked out for her, but she stopped in her tracks when she looked up. Logan had changed out of his sweatshirt and into a black shirt that showed off his taut muscles. It wasn't an exceptional piece of clothing, but it was enough for Rogue to feel that familiar tightening in the pit of her stomach. He was looking down at the bike, tinkering with something, and had not noticed her arrival. A smirk crossed her lips as she rose a few inches off the ground and began to move closer in an attempt to keep her entrance unknown. She hovered as close as she could and whispered into his ear, "I'm ready."

Logan had been focusing on the bike to keep his mind off of Rogue and the fact she was taking off her clothes somewhere in the mansion. He did not need to be turned on before dinner or the night would be unbearable. Unfortunately, he had not been paying attention to the door. When he heard her sweet voice whisper in his ear he almost knocked the bike over. A quick reflex was the only thing that saved him from having to pay for the bike's new paint job.

"Trying to give me a heart attack, kid," asked Logan as she ran his hands through his hair. "Good to see you didn't keep floating until you hit the ceiling like the last time you tried that. You're concentration is getting better."

"Yeah, yeah. You ready to go?" She placed herself lightly back on the ground and smiled up at Logan. "I'm hungry."

"I'm ready when you're ready," he said, throwing a leg over the bike. "Hop on."

Logan tried to focus on the handles of the bike, and not the way his body reacted to Marie settling in behind him. She reached around his waist, pressing herself flush against his back. He fought back the images of him tearing the thin layer of clothing that covered Rogues body off and taking her right there in the garage. He repressed his inner animal that demanded he do all the depraved and shameful things he dreamed about doing to her at night. He kick started the bike, concentrating on the roar of the engine.

Still, he couldn't ignore the way her legs squeezed his body tightly as she whispered into his ear, "let's get out of here."

This was going to be a long night.