Author- slight AU, don't own anything…Rogue can control her powers a little...

Summary- she couldn't touch anyone, so he reached out and touched her. He wanted to protect her, so she stayed out of harms way. He needed to be taught to love, so she became his teacher.

Since first time she touched him, she couldn't get him out of her head. No matter how she tried, all attempts failed. She sighed heavily; this isn't how she wanted to feel on her twentieth birthday. Wishful daydreams took hold of her, as she sat by the window, her elbow propped against the frame, watching as Logan rode in on his motorcycle. She'd been waiting for him all day, although she secretly told herself otherwise. She turned away quickly, leaving her position by the window and dashed down the corridor to greet him, He's back! He's finally back!, she thought as she raced to the main door.

He'd known she was there of course; her scent intoxicated him more than anything he'd ever known, including drinking beer or any alcohol he could get his hands on. Her scent would always rouse him from his thoughts, making him appear dumbfounded or out of place. He could just see her now, beyond the door, running to greet him. Her beautiful hair trailing behind her, those two silver streaks pushed behind her ears, for they always fell to her face. He recollected himself then took a deep breath, he took hold of the doorknob and turned slightly, in one swift movement he opened the mahogany door and there she was.

"Happy birthday, Rogue." He said coolly, shaking his previous thought of the girl, "You're getting old, kid."

She smiled warmly then pulled him into a tight embrace, oh how she long to hold him as she was doing right now. The very smell of him drove her wild! "Thanks Logan," she pulled away then casually looked him up and down, he hadn't changed. He still wore that leather jacket, the same one he wore we they'd first met. His wild brown hair was still in its animal like nature, tangled, tousled, and untamed. The way she grew to love. "You through running?" she inquired, concern lingering in her voice.

His bushy eye brows cocked vaguely, "Yeah, I think so kid."

At this her smile grew, taking his hand in hers she led him to the kitchen where she had a sandwich and a soda prepared for him. If he was anything like she remembered food would be the only thing to keep him seated long enough for her to ask questions. "You didn't have-"

"I wanted to," she said shortly, as she got up and went to the refrigerator.

He watched her walk to the refrigerator and back to her seat with hungry eyes, he wanted to touch her so much he could barley stand it. He picked up the sandwich and took a bite; he almost melted when the morsel touched his tongue. She'd remembered his favorite sandwich? He glanced up at her again noticing that she was staring, in a sort of waiting manner. Her eyes sparkled quizzically; he nodded in his approval of it and thanked her again. "You've grown a lot." He began, creating small conversation, "You're a lot taller than I remember."

She took a sip of her soda, "that's what happens when you go away for two years, Logan. People change." Once she realized what she said she instantly wanted to take it back, she didn't mean for it to sound so harsh, but that's how she felt. That horrid day he'd disappeared into the night, without telling her when he come back, or even if he would return at all.

"Look, kid…I'm sorry that-,"

"Logan, don't worry about."

This wasn't how they wanted their reunion to go. An awkward stillness expanded throughout the room. He scratched his head, while she fidgeted with her now empty soda can. Say something, stupid! You wait two years for him to come home, and now you've got absolutely nothing to say?, she cursed her absent thinking. "Oh, yeah, I…uh brought you something." He said; finally break the silence, "it's not much. Just something to say…well…here just opens it." He handed her a small colorful box, the box itself was horribly wrapped and in terrible conditions. She looked down questioning the small present.

"Uh, thanks." She muttered, taking the gift from his rouged hands.

His eyes began to trace the smile that formed from her holding the gift before returning to her eyes. She opened it gradually, and with care: removing the wrapping paper and tossing it aside quickly, she removed the lid from the small cardboard box, and inside was a dogtag, that similar to Logan's. A small frown constricted her brow as she looked up, watching his face, no not his face his eyes.

Slipping it out of the box, her gloved hands carefully inspected the silver nametag. Her examination was brief, as she found more amusement in the inscription on the back of it. ROGUE was craved in big bold letters on the back, "Look on the other-side." He said, taking it from her leathery gloved hands. On the front in a beautiful manuscript was the name Marie.

She smiled gently, standing she walked over to his chair she stood before him. Grabbing her hair she moved it revealing her bare neck "Would you?" she asked simply, peering slightly over her turned shoulder.

Logan made a silent nod of his head in understanding, "You know kid," he said softly as he laced the dogtag around her neck, "I promised you that I would take care of you. Remember? And I haven't lived up to that promise."

"Logan, I'm fine. No ones chasing or hunting me down anymore, I have friends now and I no longer feel like such an outcast."

Logan pushed his soda aside, not really liking the taste in which this conversation was going. A stillness spread among the air again only this time they could feel themselves breathing it all in. "Kid, I talked to the professor, he told me you weren't doing so well, now I'm not your father, I'm your friend so tell me there isn't something wrong with."

"Oh, so now you're checking up on me?"

"No, I was worried about you, Marie."

"Yeah? Well now is a fine time to be worrying about me. Now that I'm old enough to take care of myself."

With that said she stood and disappeared down the corridor. She shook her head furiously; this is not how she wanted things to go. The conversation had taken a wrong turn and gone down a dark alley. She threw open her door and flung herself onto her bed. Time passed and she didn't know how long she'd caged herself within her four walls, but since the time she'd entered the room she'd been staring at the ceiling, constantly. She lay there, fully clothed atop her bedcovers not wanting anything to do with anyone outside her door.

However when she heard a knock at the door, her head shot instantly up, yet she remained silent. The knock continued a few more times, before the sounded through the door. "Rogue, look kid. We need to talk. Open the door."

Rogue promptly went to the door, remaining silent as she dragged her feet across the carpet floor. She opened it slightly about an inch from the door frame, "Logan?" she began, unable to find the right words. Opening it a little wider she allowed him to enter, he stepped forward turning and shutting the door behind him. She went back to her bed, automatically, sitting in a position in which she could drink in everything. Including him. "Logan, I'm so sorry about what I said earlier… I-I-I just-"she sighed, her southern accent fully lingering on her lips.

Logan sighed, and ran his hand through his messy hair. "Kid, I know that you don't need protection anymore. Now that you're twenty…" he couldn't complete his train of thought, there she sat before him. No longer a kid but a woman. Although he had always seen her in this light, just now, when he uttered her age. He felt compelled to wrap his arms around her.

And that's what he did.

He swiftly pulled her into a tight embrace, his hand gripping against her clothes protectively. "I know that I haven't been there for you, and I acted like such a bastard," he mumbled into her hair, "don't hate me for leaving."

She pulled back from him, her mind no longer controlling the will of her body, but her heart did. And right now, at this moment it was telling her how much she deeply cared for his man before her, "I don't Logan. I never could hate you."

"I missed you, I missed you a lot." She cried softly, tilting her head so she could meet his lips. She pressed against them freely, it was impossible to stop herself now; she was pouring her whole heart into this kiss. All those evenings of staying up late praying that he would return to her, those summer days daydreaming by the window imagining what their first kiss would taste like.

Logan eased into the kiss, feeling his lust and wanting overpowering him. He pulled away, gripping her shoulders tightly. "Your powers?"

A small smile crossed her lips, "the professor taught me how to control it."

He stared down at her in silence, apparently stunned by the revelation. It didn't take long for him to snap from his thoughts as he closed the gap between their lips once more. Their hands were roaming each other now; the kisses deepened and became more passionate, a frolic of lips and tongues.

"I love you," she panted between his lips.

He looked down at her and brushed the few loose strands of silver hair from her face. He kissed her forehead softly taking in the wonderful scent of it. "I love you too, Kid." He replied leaving trails of kisses along her neck.

She'd been granted the chance to touch someone, for he taught her how. He sought to keep her from harms ways, and so she did promptly to keep herself safe. He had a hole of loneliness that swelled inside him, one that he desperately wanted filled. She filled that hole for him, allowing him to learn to love, ending his searching, his suffering, and his despair: she had become his. A life without each other wasn't one that could function, they both knew that. And those two years apart meant nothing now that they were together, it would make no sense and have no meaning. Because together they became each others saviors.