A series by November

Chapter 23: Watching, Wanting

"Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
fearing you, loving you
I won't let you pull me down..."
--Evanescence

He had assimilated quietly into the mansion in a most un-Wolverinish way, teaching, reading, warring with sims in the danger room, working with Scott on their bikes. He had a quiet sense of focus that was new. He had a brand new black truck and he often went out for hours at a time.

She had felt the sweet weight of his stares for the last few months. Almost wherever she was in the common areas of the mansion, he was there, wanting, watching. But he hadn’t pushed her, he had respected her limits. The only thing he couldn’t control was the intensity of the want in his eyes.

It was interesting to hear the kids talk about him as a teacher. After an initial round of complaints that he was too tough they all developed a grudging respect for him. He was tough, but very professional, very dedicated. Xavier was extremely impressed.

He must enjoy it, too, or else why would he stay?

She was stretching in the workout room before their class when she felt his presence.

"Hey." She looked up. Logan wore ratty sweats cut off into shorts and a white tee shirt. She had never seen his bare legs before. Tight, muscled, a light dusting of hair, strong calves and thighs...

"Hey" she said, and pressed her face back to her outstretched knee.

"Marie. How are you?"

"Good." She switched to the other knee. "How're you?"

"Okay." He looked at her stretching and felt too many things at once. It felt as if his brain was too crowded with thoughts and feelings. He wondered if this was how she felt, after absorbing someone's mind.

Students started coming in and he stretched his hand out to her. She met his eyes and anger flared through her. But the kids were watching so she took his hand and let him help her up.

The touch of his strong hand made her thoughts race with the potentiality of touch... what would his hands feel like on her naked skin...

No. I’m not gonna have these thoughts. Who knows if anyone in this class is a budding telepath?

He was comfortable and completely in his element. Once all the students were there, sitting comfortably on the floor, he said "Mr. Summers is out sick. Ms. D’Ancato is gonna be taking his place for a while. I want you all to give her the same respect and attention you give me. Except Astrid. Don‘t be like Astrid."

All the kids laughed. They all watched him. Marie was stupefied at his easy humor. She had never seen this side of him before. They’re eating out of his freakin’ hand, she thought.

Rogue watched while the class went through stretching, calisthenics, the forms. She watched, circling the room. She had little need to correct them. They were good, possibly the next generation of X-men. He lead them with a minimum of physical effort, most of his attention on watching them.

She took the chance to cast several glances at Logan. She thought about the way he stood, comfortable and confident. He was wearing his cut-off sweats and ratty tennis shoes but he carried himself as if he wore Prada or Armani. Still he had a feral quality to him, like a thing that could smoothly pounce. And something about him conveyed a hint of vulnerability, a weight to his stance that attested to the torture he carried around with him. She tried to imagine him as little boy. He had to have been a little boy once, she thought.

"Okay," he called, and they paid attention. "Everyone partner up, two partners to a mat. We‘re gonna do kicks and blocks. Who here can show me a roundhouse kick? Kenya?"

The shy girl walked to the front and center of the room. She did the kick fairly well, not supporting her feet quite as well as she could.

"That was pretty good." Rogue said. "What could she have done to make it better?"

The kids glanced at her. It was the first time she had spoken. No one said anything. "Okay, Kenya, do it again."

The slight dark girl looked a little wary. "It’s okay, we’re here to learn." Marie cajoled. It was the same soothing tone they had heard her use with Maggie.

Kenya did the same thing as before. "Stop." Marie said. "Okay, see the way her ankle is? How many of you have taken Xavier’s physics class?"

A few hands went up. "A few of you. Anyone remember the concept of ‘center of gravity‘?"

"My weight wasn’t under me," Kenya said.

"Louder, so everyone can hear."

"My weight wasn’t under me."

"Exactly. Let’s try it again." She stood behind Kenya. "Now, turn your ankle. A little more. Great. Now kick."

Kenya did, with a much stronger kick than before. Logan watched the two quietly.

"Oh wow, I can tell the difference," Kenya said.

"Can you? What was different?" Rogue asked the class.

"She was more stable," Donna said.

"Exactly. For a roundhouse, or for any kick for that matter, you’re not gonna be able to get as much power in the kick if you’re not stable. All your weight goes on that one foot, and the way it’s positioned is crucial." She glanced at Logan. He nodded.

"Thank you, Kenya," Rogue patted the thin girl’s back. "You’re a quick study, good job."

Kenya walked back to her partner, a bit more confident than before.

After the class, she approached Logan. "Hope you don’t mind me jumping in like that."

"No. You’re good."

"Thanks."

"I think you cranked her ego up a notch."

"That was my intention."

A smiling, fearless kid named Jordan came up to them. He was able to breathe underwater and the knocks that being a mutant had not yet beat his cockiness down. "We wanna see you guys spar."

"That so, bub?"

"Yeah. We’ve never gotten to see the infamous Rogue kick ass."

"Maybe we should charge admission," Rogue glanced at Logan.

"Maybe. Or pay per view on the closed circuit." he played along, face utterly serious.

"Come on, it would be educational!" Jordan grinned.

"Maybe." Logan said tersely. "But definitely not if you whine again."

"Ok, ok." Jordan walked away, knowing better than to test his teacher on this point.

Logan shook his head. "You’re a legend around here."

"Only because I refuse to be on A team. And he does have a point."

"Yeah?"

"It would be educational."

Logan laughed to hide his anxiety. Sparring with Rogue was not a problem. She was almost as good as he was, and Jordan was right. It would be educational.

But Logan felt uncomfortable with it. Not because she was a woman, that had nothing to do with it. Not because he was afraid of hurting her. He had had many a sparring partner, he had more respect for her than that.

But he was falling in lust and god knows what else for her. It was that just being around her threw him and he didn’t think he’d have the focus to not embarrass himself.

"So, what’s on the agenda for Friday?"

He glanced at the syllabus. "More kicks and blocks, some sparring in pairs."

The door to the room opened and Maggie ran in. "Hi Momma!"

"Hey, sugar!" The softness she showed with Maggie contrasted sharply with the tough, tight lines of her body in her tight warm-up suit. She lifted the girl up as if she weighed an ounce.

Storm was in the doorway. "Thanks, Stormy."

"No problem."

Maggie curled her plump fingers in Marie’s ponytail and watched Logan. "Hi, Logan!" she said, with her usual absurdly cheerful way.

"Hi Kiddo. What’s up?"

Wrong question, Marie thought wryly. Sure enough, Maggie took that as license to babble on and on about her day, about what she had for lunch, what was on the last episode of Sponge Bob, what she wanted for her birthday. Luckily, they were all headed toward the elevators anyway.

"Now explain this Sponge Bob thing to me, because I just don’t get it."

"He’s a sponge and his pants are square. He lives under the sea and has some friends-"

Logan noted that Rogue was laughing quietly. Evil woman.

"I understand that part, kid. I just don’t get why he’s square. Have you ever seen a real sea sponge?"

"Yes."

"Well then you know they’re not square."

"It’s artistic license," Maggie said, in one of her sweet precocious moments. Sure, it was something she had frequently heard Rogue say while arguing with Jubilee over episodes of Buffy but she applied it correctly on her own. Rogue laughed proudly. Logan just laughed.

Storm was holding the elevator door open for them. "Four and five?" she asked quietly.

"Uh huh."

"Yeah," Rogue glared at Storm, irritated. Where else did she think they were going but to their rooms? Everyone had been watching them lately. And it got on her nerves.

Rogue went into the elevator and turned to face the doors. Logan was standing slightly in front of her. His hair was just a bit longer than collar length and it was slightly to the side so that she could see the skin of his neck. She could smell him, sweetness and light sweat and maybe soap, and the sudden compulsion to taste him filled her senses. If she dragged her teeth just so over his skin, would he shudder?

She bit her bottom lip and looked down at the elevator floor.

The elevator stopped on four and Rogue and Maggie stepped out. "Night guys," she said.

"Night Marie."

Marie rolled her eyes and walked down the hall with Maggie to their room.