THE UNEXPECTED GUEST

Piece 1: A Shoulder to Cry On

Rogue felt betrayed. Yes, she was already cured, but a month after she came home, she accidentally saw Bobby and Kitty sharing an innocent kiss at the fountain one fine Saturday morning.

She confronted him after that incident, and he rationalized that when she left, he was looking all over for her. But through all the troubles with Magneto's catastrophe at the Alcatraz, she wasn't there. They vowed to be together, he reasoned out. And so, in hot tears, Rogue took off the promise ring and flung it to his face.

"Are….are you breaking up with me?" Bobby asked as if demanding an explanation.

"Yes, I am, and tell you what, I am tired of being a scapegoat. I am tired that you have me as a girlfriend, but you are secretly flirting with—," she paused. "With that Kitty! I won't put up with it anymore!"

She turned her back in haste, and no matter how much he called her, she didn't listen.

That afternoon, as Rogue was standing in front of the graves of Jean, Scott, and the Professor, Logan approached her. As usual, he didn't get away with one of his favourite vices—smoking. Uhm, did he forget that he was in school property?

"Hey kid, you a'right?" Logan asked. He studied the face of the friend whom he loved so much that he can't help but wipe the tears from her face.

"I'm not," Rogue sobbed. As she related what happened, she looked at Logan. But at the mere mention of 'love', Logan looked away. He still couldn't get over the fact that he hesitantly killed the woman he loved for the sake of many. He shed a tear but due to his thick beard and due to his acting prowess, Rogue didn't notice that he was also crying.

"Love hurts," Rogue sobbed. Then, Logan placed his arm around her and tapped her shoulder.

"You need a timeout, kid," he suggested.

When Rogue looked at him again, it was only that time she noticed that he was in tears too.

"Ms. Grey, right?" she said to him as she also wiped the tears from his face.

"Yeah, I think I need a timeout too," he sighed.

Rogue smiled a bit.

"It feels relieving, knowing that someone shared my pain," Rogue told him, who responded with his usual smirk. "I think I gotta go somewhere to cool off."

Logan nodded and tapped her shoulder again. "Be back for dinner, Marie."

Rogue smiled. He was the only one whom she shared her real name. And with that bond that the two of them shared, Rogue knew that Logan was a real friend and would never, ever hurt her.