I do not own the X-men or Beauty and the Beast :-(

Chapter 1

Logan sat in the professor's office trying to stifle the yawn that was rising through his throat and tickling the back of his mouth as he attempted to pay attention – or look like it at least.

Just what was it with these people anyway?

Whoever heard of having a staff meeting at the ungodly time of 9am? And just to make it worse everyone in attendance had obviously had a really good night's sleep and were utterly bright eyed and bushy tailed. Jean and Scott were making eyes at each other and holding hands across the arms of their seats, Ororo was bright and attentive (as always) and the professor was his normal steady self.

Damn it.

Logan rubbed a hand across his face and blinked trying to clear his head of the slight fuzziness. He couldn't even remember his last nightmare free night and since the whole 'Stryker' incident the dreams had only gotten worse – not that he regretted leaving the guy to die, after all, if anyone deserved to die it was William Stryker.

To say that they were so advanced in the technology department the security in the building was lousy and he didn't trust them to look after Marie. What if the raid had happened before he had arrived back...? She could have been taken with the other kids and the part of his mind that was all soldier told him that Stryker would have loved experimenting on her with her skin – the very thought of anything being done to her was enough to bring a growl to his throat.

"...Beauty and the Beast,"

Logan's mind stopped wandering and jumped back to the conversation going in about him. How had things gone from the upcoming exams to 'Beauty and the Beast'? Could a subject change like that?

"Excuse me?" he grumbled, clearing his throat and shifting in his seat.

"Thank you for joining us Logan," The professor's voice drifted sarcastically through his mind.

He threw Xavier a scowl. He hated the whole mind-meld, telepathy thing and he knew that. Besides they were all used to his grouchiness in the morning anyway so why did the professor always find it necessary to make comment like that.

"We are putting on a show this year Logan," the professor clarified acting as though the mental comment had never been made.

A show? Seventh circle of hell here I come.

"Why?"

"In an attempt to show the community that there is nothing to fear from us and that the children are just like other children," the professor patiently explained.

"And a show is going to do this?" Logan asked slowly.

He knew that since the school had been all over the news a few months ago they had been at the centre of many stories.

"High schools all over the country do it all the time. It gives the parents and others a chance to see what their kids are capable of and a chance to raise funds through selling tickets," Scott decided to answer the question.

Yeah and I bet that mind reading and walking through walls isn't part of the capabilities.

"So the kids are goin' to be in a show?" he asked, just to get things straight.

"Yes,"

"Here?"

"Yes,"

"And it is goin' to be 'Beauty and the Beast'?"

"Yes,"

Logan shrugged at the answer to the final question and sat back to listen in silence to the rest of the conversation. 'Beauty and the Beast'? He thought back to a couple of months ago to when he had watched it with Marie. She had been feeling down and he had been more than willing to do anything to cheer her up so they had both ended up in front of the TV in the rec room watching a cartoon – not exactly rough and tough Wolverine viewing but if it cheered her up then whatever. He remembered her mouthing the words to the songs as she sat nestled against his side.

He had found out that night that it was her favourite story and it had worked in cheering her up. The reason for her depression had not vanished though. And that reason was one word. Bobby.

Damn kid.

He remembered waking up one morning to her battering on his bedroom door and he had been able to smell her tears before he had even opened it.

She had gone to Bobby's room before breakfast to find him and that Kitty girl snuggled up nice and cosy. It had broken her heart while Logan had been ready to rip the boy apart for making her feel unworthy because of her skin and limitation.

Didn't he know a good thing when he had it?

Logan wasn't blind because he definitely did. He had known from the minute he had seen her small and lost little figure walk into that sleazy bar. From the minute her scent had drifted to him through the mixture of sweat, stale smoke and cheep perfume.

His mate.

Now that one had been difficult to grasp. The instant recognition he had felt when he had seen her walk into the bar and he had looked through the wire wall of the cage to see her pale face had been so strong. The overwhelming protectiveness he had felt towards her when he had seen her curled up in his truck. It had been an instant spark, as though something in him just fell into place and it was no longer himself he was living for but for her...

But at the time it was wrong. She was too young. So he had tried to show her his feelings in the only way he could. He had promised to look after her and when it had came to it he was more than willing to give his life for hers and had felt joy when her mutation had sucked his own from his body allowing her to heal both on the occasion when he had stabbed her and when Magneto had put her in that machine.

He knew that everyone was under the impression that he had some kind of unrequited love for Jean Grey and at the minute it was better for them all to think that any way. Well...everyone but the professor who had pretty much told him to let her grow up and had all but thrown him out of the mansion more than a year ago to go and "search for his past".

So he had done it. He had left and then what happened. He came back o find her with some boy.

And then as if that wasn't enough for him to deal with Stryker invaded the school and they had all ended up at the boy's house – and man had his parent been annoying.

"Have you tried not being a mutant?" the mother had asked.

How stupid do questions get.

Then Marie had gone flying through the hole in the jet when it had been hit by a missile. His soul had nearly broken when he had heard her frightened scream as she had been sucked out of the plane. In the split second it had taken Kurt to teleport from the jet and back again he had thought he had lost her and there was nothing he could do. And then to top things of Mystique decided to play games with him when they had formed that uneasy alliance for a few days. First playing Jean and then when she didn't get the reaction she wanted trying Storm and finally Marie. Seeing Storm's white hair and darker complexion give way to Marie's brown and white streaked hair and pale face had been enough for him to lose it with the other mutant.

The professor had given him one long lecture about the 'boyfriend' upon arriving back at the mansion and the Wolverine within him was not happy about the idea. But he stayed. After what had happened with Stryker he had had no plans of leaving. They had grown close as he had tried to spend as much time with her as possible without making her feel crowded or interfering with her life as the last thing he wanted was Xavier throwing him out again for another year.

"I understand how you feel Logan and how difficult it is for you to watch the one that you view as yours be with someone else but she is young and she needs to live," the professor had told him – like he didn't know that already. He supposed it could be worse. The professor did understand how he felt and accepted it as long as he did not force her into anything. Like he would ever so that to her.

But now Bobby was out of the picture and Marie was starting to come out of her low spell and he was once again seeing the happy girl he had seen his first day back at the mansion when she had thrown her arms around him in welcome.

He brought his wondering mind back to the discussion just in time to hear the professor's closing words.

"Auditions will be started tomorrow after lunch and final parts will be decided at the end of the week,"

Marie rinsed the rest of the soap from her hair and body, enjoying the warmth against her skin. She hadn't slept very well the night before and was trying her best to clear her head and since the cup of coffee hadn't worked the shower had been idea number two.

She hummed to herself as she slid the door to the stall to the side and climbed out grabbing a towel and wrapping it about herself.

She was feeling happy today. Happy in a way that she hadn't felt since she had found Bobby and...

She shook her head stopping the train if thought before it got any further.

She cleared the mirror of steam and thought over what she had to do that day. Her classes didn't start for at least an hour and she had done all her work for them already the night before. She had Ororo for history first thing and then Scott for Maths and Jean for English. A joy filled day all round. No doubt Logan would spend some time with her and put her off her homework at the end of the day – not that she minded, she loved having him around so much but she knew he would leave eventually...

She turned from the mirror after examining her spot free complexion – it seemed that people weren't the only things that couldn't touch her skin bacteria and dirt couldn't settle either - and only had the time to register her foot catching on the bathroom mat before she let out a squeal and landed on her back.

Ooouuuch!

Before she could gather her sense and clamber to her feet the door of her and Jubilee's shared bathroom went flying open to reveal a battle ready Logan with his claws extended.

What's he doing here? Wait I am on my back in a towel and LOGAN is here.

Several things registered with her at that point.

One – lots of deadly skin was currently on display.

Two – the towel had ridden up and was exposing a far bit of her legs.

Three – the floor was very, very hard and she was going to have one mega big bruise on her hip in the morning.

Four – LOGAN was staring at her.

She squealed in embarrassment and was on her feet in one second flat clutching the almost knee length towel tightly to her body.

"Logan," she screeched mortified.

She would have been amused by the changing expression on his face that went from guarded and ready to kill, to bemused, to embarrassment within in a second if she wasn't so humiliated herself.

"Umm, I'll...Umm...I'll be in the hall," he turned rapidly and rushed away.

She groaned in embarrassment as she watched the door shut again and heard his steps move across the room and out the door.

Surely the day could only get better.

Hi everyone. So here I give you another Rogan.

I hit a bit of a block with 'Is This a Dream?' and in an attempt to un-bung my poor brain of the blockage I came up with this. So this is the story that will be getting added to when I hit snags in my other to try and get things moving. I don't really know where it will go since it kinda came out of nowhere. But as you can all tell it is set after X-Men 2 and Jean didn't die and Logan isn't in denial whoop whoop ;-)

Please let me know what you think.

Keep safe and have a great weekend.

:-)