A/N: It's prom season and you know what that means, don't you? That's right! Scarlet's going to prom…without Logan. See what ensues down in the words below, okay?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I stood there in the rec room by the pool table, watching Piotr scratch. The room was chattering with life and it bothered me. The teenage population of the Xavier mansion was caught in the hype of tonight's festivities and I wasn't. Tonight was prom and I wasn't looking forward to it.

"Scarlet!" Addison, my sister, called as she walked over with her boyfriend, Warren. "Why aren't you getting your hair done? Time is flying by and you're not getting ready for prom?"

I sighed and lined up my shot, taking out three striped balls at once much to Piotr's disappointment. "I'm not going to prom."

"Of course you are," Addison stated firmly, being the annoying big sister that she was. "You bought your ticket three weeks ago." She frowned. "You can't let the fact that Funny Hair is out a mission stop you from having fun. This is your senior prom. You can't miss it."

My eyes took on a sad light as I knocked two more balls out. "Addison -"

"Logan wanted you to have fun," Addison cut across me. "His specific words were: 'enjoy yourself while I'm gone darlin' and I'll be back to make up the time we spent away from each other.' I'm assuming he was talking about sex in that last part."

My next shot went wide and Piotr smirked, holding back his laughter.

"Addison!" I growled.

"What? You're old enough to have a sex life, so don't be ashamed about it." She smiled. "You're going to prom because Logan told me to make sure you went before he left in the event that he didn't come back in time. You are going and that's final."

"If I had control of my powers right now, I'd kill you and your birdbrain boyfriend too!" I hissed at her, smacking Warren upside the head with my pool stick.

"Well, the fact is that you don't so ha." She turned and started walking away. "I expect you to have your hair done and your makeup on before three."

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Piotr as he again scratched. "I'm assuming you're going with Kat."

Piotr nodded. "I'd take you too if you wanted me to."

"Sorry Pete, I don't do pity dates. Besides, I don't think Kat would be happy if she had to share you with me." I straightened as I knocked the rest of the striped balls into their holes, followed quickly by the eight ball.

"You shouldn't go alone," Piotr said, taking the pool stick from me when I offered it to him.

"I'm used to doing thing on my own." I offered him a wan smile. "At least this means I don't have a commitment of who I can dance with. So don't worry your head over little old me, Pete. I'll see you later."

As I turned away from him and started walking away, my smile faltered and fell. The energy it had taken to seem nonchalant, even happy, drained me more than hours of using my powers. I didn't see how anyone could do something like that daily, even hourly.

I need to contact Logan, I thought, walking past people who were chattering about prom. Maybe he's coming home tonight…Or maybe Addison was lying about him telling her to make me go to prom. Questions, questions…And somehow Logan always has the answers.

"Storm," I said, catching sight of the white haired woman. "I need your help."

"Up or down?" Storm asked, giving me a glance over.

"What?"

"Your hair… Do you want it up or down?"

"Oh…I don't need help with my hair," I quickly told her. "I need your help getting in contact with Logan."

Storm suddenly had that knowledgeable look on her face that people get when they think they know everything. It kind of bugged me, but Storm was the only adult in this mansion that didn't look at me like I was a freak of nature besides Chuck and Logan, so I wasn't going to say anything. I just waited patiently for her to tell me that Logan was on a very important mission and that he couldn't be contacted at this time.

"You still can't use your powers?" Storm guessed with a small smile on her face.

"All I can use are telekinesis and my father's powers," I informed her, crossing my arms. "They're none of the useful powers, which sucks." I frowned. "Can you please help me contact Logan?"

"Now Maria, you know that Logan is on a mission right now," Storm began. "He can't be bothered with teenage trifles like proving your sister wrong."

I glared at her. "Storm…"

She sighed and looked around. "Come with me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I situated myself at the console in a room beneath the mansion. Storm had told me to make sure that only Logan could hear me because Scott would get on all of us if he found out that I was interrupting a mission just to make a 'phone' call. I punched in the necessary code and frequency and sat back, sliding the wireless device over my right ear.

"Shit…I'm pickin' up somethin'," Logan's rough voice came over the communicator. "Who's buggin' me now?"

I stifled a giggle and got an accent together. "Hello. This is Apple Incorporated. I was wondering if you would like to upgrade to a new digital girlfriend. Top of the line and at an affordable price…"

"Christ! Maria, now you know that isn't funny," Logan said, his tone becoming lighter. "I wouldn't trade you for some digital piece of shit."

"Aw…but you were thinking about it," I pointed out. "If you hadn't been thinking about it, you would have interrupted me sooner."

"Curiosity got the best of me."

"Hon, I thought I got the best of you." I smiled and leaned back in my seat, knowing that I was distracting him and not really caring about it. It wasn't like he was doing something extremely important or he would have turned off his communicator.

"Always, princess." I heard him curse quietly at something on his side of the world. "Why are you callin'?"

"I miss you," I told him, playing with the hem of the half jacket he loved to see me in. "And it's not like I can materialize in front of you right now."

"Your powers still aren't workin'?"

"None of the fun ones are." I sighed. "Logan, I feel pathetic right now. I can't do anything I can normally do and here I am complaining to you about it. I miss you."

"I've only been gone for a week."

"Do you know how many things we could have done in a week?" I glowered at the control panel, wishing I had my powers. "We could have traveled to thirty countries by now."

Logan chuckled. "There are more important things to worry about than me, princess. You've got prom to look forward to."

"Oh, sure. Only you're wrong there, Funny Hair."

"How so?"

"Well, we had planned on going together…"

"Maria, I said I was goin' as a chaperone. You were goin' on your own."

"But we were going to meet up there." I smiled slightly. "You were going to see me in my dress and dance with me. Then when we tired of that…well…the dress would come off and -"

"Christ…Maria don't start talkin' dirty," Logan ordered sharply. "I'm nowhere where I can handle the situation properly."

"Aw…can I get you all hot and bothered over the communicator?" I teased as my smile started widening. "Maybe I can have some fun with you."

"I'm not playin' Maria. Don't do it."

I sighed and looked at my nails, wondering how they were in still pristine condition after everything I did to them. "Fine. I'll talk about the dress…I'm thinking about altering it. I know you like the split up to my hip because it has the cancan dress appearance, but I don't know if I want to wear it like that."

"The dress is perfect the way it is."

"You haven't even seen it on me."

"I saw it on a dummy that had the same proportions as you. Believe me, I know what's perfect for you."

Like you leaving me two years ago? I stopped myself from asking that question, knowing that it would have driven a wedge between me and possibly the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. "But Logan -"

"No Maria. Women would kill to have a dress like yours. Do not alter it at all."
"I don't see why you care so much. You're not going to be here to see it…"

Logan cursed quietly on his side of the communicator. "Maria…It took you weeks to create that dress and you told me that it was perfect when you showed it to me on the dummy. Don't change it just because I won't be there to enjoy it with you."

I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing that he was there with me. I opened my eyes and saw to my disappointment that he wasn't there like he'd normally be. I really hated when my powers failed me. Stupid phoenix!

"Maria, what are you thinkin'?" Logan asked when I didn't speak.

"I…I wish you were here," I admitted, losing my macho, tough girl attitude completely. "Scooter sent you on this mission only because he doesn't approve of you being with someone as young as me or as dangerous."

The lights flickered overhead and I glanced up, wondering if my powers were trying to come back to life, but I didn't feel any different. It must have just been a fluke.

"Don't let Scooter bother you," Logan ordered. "There will be time for payback later when we can seek revenge together. When I get back, I'll have a present to give to Scooter that'll make him think twice about separating the two of us again." He chuckled. "I think you'll enjoy the present when you see it."

"Maybe…" I turned in the seat when I heard the door behind me hiss open. Storm was standing there, watching me. "Logan, I've got to go."

"So do I," Logan commented. "I've got some bad guy ass to kick. I'll see you in a day or two, princess."
"I lo….I'll see you when you get here," I said before hanging up.

I placed the communicator back in its original space and stood up. Storm had that knowing expression on her face again.

"You should have told him that you loved him," she commented.

"Not until he says it first," I told her as I approached. "Storm, can you help me get into my dress?"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

I stood there in my room, putting makeup around my eyes. I traced designs with a black glitter pen next to my eyes, letting it flow naturally down to my cheeks. Storm stood in my room with me, dressed in her own stunning gown with her mask already in place. According to her, we were the only two left in the mansion who were going to the prom.

"I don't see why you colored your hair, Maria," Storm said, adjusting the top of her dress so that her bust was completely covered. "It was fine the way it was."

"I needed a change," I told her, curling a strand of my now completely black hair around my finger. "Besides, people will have a less likely chance of picking me out of the crowd. I want to go unnoticed for as long as possible and then leave on my own accord. I might not stay there long."

"You're going to stay there for the whole dance," Storm corrected me. "There's going to be a lockdown at the hotel. Once all the students are in, they're not coming out until midnight." She smiled slightly. "It keeps the students from sneaking off to hotel rooms and having sex when the adults are in charge of them."

"So you don't care what happens to the students after midnight?" I asked, looking at her as I carefully slid my mask into place.

"Maria, don't think that just because this is a Saturday and the rules are lax, that you can do whatever you want. There are still rules set in place for the students, but they're not as strict as they usually are. We want the students to have fun, but if a baby comes out of any of this the rules will have to be changed."

"You could always pass out condoms in sex education," I pointed out.

"I'm not going to mess with Scott's class with a suggestion like that. He'd bite my head off, chew it up, and spit it back out before I could form another word."

"That's Scooter for you."

Storm and I lapsed into silence as I turned back to the mirror. My dress was pretty. It had the ruffles and basic pattern of a cancan dancer's dress, but it was kind of different. Its corset style bodice and low sleeves left a great expanse of my shoulders bare. And the slit up the right leg that almost went to my hip was risqué enough for Scooter to throw a fit which I would ignore. It had taken me weeks to make this dress by hand because my powers would fade in and out of use as the phoenix inside me evolved and transformed, going through dormant stages as it tried to grow inside me.

I sighed and picked up my camera with my telekinetic power. It wobbled for a moment before floating lightly through air. I focused my thoughts on it and basically told it to take pictures throughout the night, deleting pictures that were blurry unless they could be saved later. The camera flashed in response, taking a quick picture of me and Storm.

"All right Storm," I said, turning to face her. "Let's get this over with."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The ballroom of the hotel was darkened with strobe lights flashing from the DJ station. Bodies moved on the dance floor, dancing close together to the pounding music that even in my normal hearing state, hurt my ears. I wanted to turn and run away, but assured that I was the last student that was going to attend the prom Scooter barred the doors behind me. I saw Hank standing near the doors across the dance floor and sighed. There would be no getting out of here until midnight came, leaving me with four hours of party time.

Well Logan, I hope you're having fun where you are, I thought, slipping onto the dance floor and seeking out my friends. I'd take life-or-death situations happily if I could get out here.

Dances had never really been my thing. I mean, I hadn't ever been to one before I came to Xavier's school for the 'gifted' because of the life on the run from my father and even before the running, Dad rarely let me or Addison do many afterschool activities with the 'scum of the earth' as he fondly called normal humans. Since coming to Xavier's school, I've been to five dances, not counting this one, but found nothing fun to it. You danced. You flirted. You were locked in a room for a few hours and then you left. Where was the fun in that? Flirting could only get you so far with the idiots who didn't already have girlfriends and I've never been good at flirting. Addison is super good at it, but she's already got herself the Bird Brain Warren, so there's no reason for her to flirt anymore.

I sighed and let the music surround me. I started dancing, picturing myself in my room where there would be no one to see me dancing. The rest of the world vanished around me and I continued dancing with the people, the camera taking random pictures of the prom party.

The dancing continued on and off for a couple of hours before I walked off and started seeking out my real friends. I needed pictures of them and their respective others to put in the scrapbook that I'd make of the night. Addison was practically making out with Warren when I found her and she didn't seem happy when I pulled her away to get a picture with her and the bird brain. I was taking another picture with another group of kids when Remy came up to me and grabbed my hand.

"Mon Cherie," he said, brushing his lips over the back of my hand before meeting my eyes. "Remy has never seen one so beautiful…Could this be the same Scarlet that has teased Remy for so long?"

I smirked at him as Addison gagged herself with her finger. "Hello Cajun."

"Please beautiful Maria, honor Remy with a dance," he requested, gesturing at the dance floor as a new song started playing.

"I don't know…" I trailed off as Addison growled and marched over to me, poking me in the chest.

"You will dance with him," she growled at me, her eyes taking on a neon blue glow. "He's possibly the second sexiest man here and you are not going anywhere without dancing with someone sexy. Forget your sadness over Logan and dance with someone who will make the night a little more interesting." She looked at Remy and smiled sweetly. "She's all yours Gambit."

I sighed and held my hand out to Remy, letting him guide me to the dance floor. Addison was right again. Remy did come in a close second to Logan when it came to ultimate sexiness and he was the only one I found attractive that was here tonight. Logan would just have to forgive me later.

I danced with Remy to the seductive music, pretending the whole time that he was Logan. We moved our bodies together, our hips grinding together, but his eyes barely stayed focused on me as we danced. It was like he was looking for something, but I didn't let that bother me. Then he turned me in his arms so that my back was pressed against his chest and his hand found a place on my stomach.

"Careful Cajun," I whispered, closing my eyes. "The goods are not yours to touch."

Remy sighed and pulled his hand away from my stomach. There was a moment that we weren't touching at all and then he was pressed tightly against me again. I felt myself melting against him, losing myself in the fantasy that he was really Logan. I even felt like I was really dancing with Logan, his body moving with mine as if we were one.

One of his hands reached around me and tilted my head to the side so that my hair fell away from my neck. I made a small sound of content as his lips touched my skin and let his hand run down from my neck down my chest and back to my stomach. I almost didn't care who this man was anymore, but I knew I had to draw a line somewhere. Unless…

"Christ…Maria, you haven't changed," came the rough voice that I had missed for over a week. "You can still drive a man crazy…"

I smiled slightly. "And you know what buttons to push…" I shot back. I turned to face him and saw the black demon mask that he was wearing. "Nice mask, Funny Hair."

"I see you didn't change the dress…"
"Well, you told me not to and sometimes I listen to you." I smirked at him as I ran my hand down his tux covered chest. "Don't get used to it. I'm still a rebel at heart."

Logan shivered under my touch and laughed lightly. "A rebel? Some might call you a pain in the ass."

I shrugged and continued dancing with him. "Everyone's a critic."

A loud shriek of a microphone silenced the music for a moment, making Logan and me wince. Professor Xavier sat near the DJ stand on a temporary stage. In his hand was a note card and beside him, Jean made two crowns float while she held the bouquet of flowers. Everyone fell silent as they waited for the professor to speak and I stopped dancing as a sign of respect for Chuck. Logan wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder, his beard tickling my skin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight has been a joy to behold," Xavier said with a smile as he looked at his students. "I've sensed a lot of joy in this room and the energy is positively intoxicating." His smile widened. "But now comes the time to make two people even happier than they are now. Normally, I wouldn't want to pick favorites out of such a wonderful bunch of students, but as Katherine would say had she the courage to speak in front of all of you: 'It's tradition'."

I glanced over at Kitty and saw her blushing as she held hands with Piotr. I had to smirk at her embarrassment.

"So, the King of this 2011 prom is…" He looked down at the note card. "Piotr."

A resounding cheer ripped through the crowd and Piotr made his way to the stage where Jean slipped the crown on his head. Piotr glanced around nervously and smiled.

"I'm going to win the title of Queen," Addison whispered to Jubilee, who looked away and made eye contact with me. "I asked everyone to vote for me. I'm so popular, you know."

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Chuck, expecting to hear Addison's name on his lips. He waited for the noise to settle down before opening his mouth once more.

"And the Queen of prom 2011 is…" He glanced at the note card and smiled. "Maria."

Everyone's eyes turned on me and I felt Addison's heated glare on my back as I made my way to the front of the room where Chuck waited with the crown. I stooped down a little to let him put the crown on and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"This is not a mistake Maria," he assured me as Jean handed me the bouquet of flowers. "You have more friends than you think."

I nodded and looked out at the crowd, wondering what to do next.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Logan and I danced slowly to the music as the third hour of prom came to a close. He was still amused that I had beaten my older sister at something that was so festive. But he claimed that he knew I had it in me.

"Logan, I…" I sighed and looked away for a moment as the camera flashed next to us. "I've been wanting to tell you something for awhile now…"

"What is it darlin'?" His eyebrow quirked up. "Are you pregnant?"

"No." I looked up at him. "Logan, I… well, I love you."

A slow smile crossed his face. "I love you too, princess."

I smiled into the kiss he pressed against my lips. I kissed him back, pulling myself closer to him. When we resurfaced for air, Logan's eyes were dark with lust. I was sure my eyes reflected the same thing because he grabbed my hand and started pulling me to the exit.

As we grew closer, Scooter materialized out of nowhere and glared at us through his dark shades. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, crossing his arms as if he was a big, macho man.

"Preferably upstairs," I told him with a forced sweet smile. "I want to do big girl things."

"You know the rules Maria," Scooter said, not budging from his spot in front of the doors. "No teenager is leaving this room until after midnight."
Logan glanced at me and a slow smirk crossed his face. "Hey Scott, I've got a present for you," he said.

"I don't want your presents."

"Too bad." Logan pulled his fist back and punched Scott in the face, knocking him to the ground. "There's no refund."

Scooter groaned and held his face. Logan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and escorted me out of the ballroom and into an elevator.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: And they went to do big people things that we will not mention unless you'd like to mention them in a review. I like reviewers and reviewers are rewarded with more stories, so please review. Thanks in advance! ~ Scarlet