Where We Started

Disclaimer: I don't own X-men.

Chapter 1

Logan sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, squeezing a stress ball, his claws extending a little every time he flexed his hand. Days at the mansion were becoming more and more difficult. There were so many people gone, it seemed so empty now.

Jean was definitely at the forefront of his mind. He thought about her every time he had a free moment. The way things happened… The way she died… It pained him to think about it. He had been so in love with her… and he'd been the one to kill her. The thought upset him so much that he accidentally squeezed the small inflatable ball until it popped.

He didn't have a choice at the time though, he understood that. If he hadn't done it, she could've killed countless numbers of people. It had to be done. But knowing that sure didn't make him feel any better about it.

Jean hadn't been herself at the end; he'd tried to reassure himself that. She wasn't the same woman that he'd fallen in love with; she was someone completely different, someone who had taken the life of Scott and of the professor.

One great man, and one incredible pain in the ass, had lost their lives in this foolish war Magneto had forced them into. A war that had caused many casualties, humans and mutants alike, a war that had torn everything apart.

The cure had been the thing to change everything, Logan had decided. It was nice to have something to blame. It had shaken the mutant world to its core, made some think that their powers were a curse, rather than a gift. It had even taken several students from the school.

Of course, he had been thinking of Rogue. She was the only student he'd known well enough to feel the affect of her absence. They'd been close to each other, very close.

She wouldn't answer his calls though. He'd tried for months, calling her cell phone, just to check in on her. He'd always gotten her voicemail. And then, eventually, her phone had been disconnected. He'd asked some of the students if they'd gotten a hold of her, but they hadn't been successful either. It was as if she was trying to leave the mansion behind her, and everyone with it.

Personally, he blamed Bobby. He had put too much pressure on her for a normal relationship. Logan didn't understand the point of that, considering the fact that they were not normal people. Not in the least. So what? Rogue couldn't kiss him, or do anything thing else that he may have wanted her to for that matter, but that was no reason to bail on her to go hang out with Kitty. Rogue would've done anything to make that boy happy, he just didn't realize it.

She had insisted that she was getting the cure for herself, not for Bobby, but Logan wasn't falling for it. He knew it was for the ice idiot, even if she didn't want to admit that it was. It sort of pissed him off just thinking about it.

Yet, despite that, he missed her. A lot. She had been one of the few students he could stand for long periods of time.

He missed training her. She had always shown great promise when it came to combat. Now, he was stuck with Bobby, Kitty, Warren, and Peter. Not that they were bad. Not by any stretch of the imagination. They were all pretty good. But seeing Kitty and Bobby together angered him, knowing that it was their unorthodoxly close "friendship" that made Rogue finally snap. It was their "friendship" that made her finally choose to be "cured."

Logan was torn from his thoughts with a quick knock on his door. He groaned, he really didn't want to deal with people right now. He just wanted to be left alone. But when the knock came again, he knew it was something important. "Coming!" he grumbled as he stood up, setting the remains of the stress ball on the nightstand.

He grabbed onto the doorknob and let out a grunt of pain as his skin stuck to the frozen metal. Dammit, Iceman… he thought as he pulled his hand free. Waiting a moment for it to warm up, he took hold of the knob and yanked open the door.

Bobby was on the other side of it, looking smug.

Logan narrowed his eyes at the young man. "You're pleased with yourself, aren't you?" he growled.

Bobby chuckled. "Yeah, just a little."

Logan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. "Keep in mind that I control one of your grades and I can fail you if you so choose," he threatened.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Logan was starting to get impatient. "So what is it?"

"Oh," the younger one said, remembering his purpose for disturbing his teacher's peace. "Right. Um, Storm wants to see everyone in her office. Says it's important."

AN: This is my first venture in the X-Men fandom. Please be truthful and review!