'~*~'

It was another four hours before Rogue finally woke up. She felt… Hazy, but there was surprisingly no pain. However, upon closer inspection of her surroundings, she realized this was because she was hooked up to an IV which was dripping pain medication directly into her veins.

"Rogue," someone breathed with relief.

"Logan, what happened?" She asked, turning towards the concerned looking mutant beside her. Instead of answering he leaned down and placed his lips against hers. She immediately pulled away. "Logan!" Her brow furrowed with anger.

"It's okay," he whispered, as he tried to lean in again. Okay?

"I could have killed you last time and you want to try again? What's wrong with you?"

"Rogue, look," he held up one of her hands, which he had gently clasped in his own. His skin was bare, as was hers, and for a moment, all she could think about was how warm he was. However, reality hit her and she tried to pull away. Logan kept his hold firm, but not enough to hurt her, just enough to prove his point.

"Logan…"

"Rogue, I've been holding your hand for over an hour. You aren't hurting me,"

"Wh-" She tried to choke, but nothing would come out. Her eyes had widened to the point of bulging and her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. What the hell had happened? Why weren't her powers working?

"What's going on? Logan! What the hell is going on!" She started to panic.

"Calm down," a soothing voice interjected. She had not realized Liam was in the room until he stepped into her view. Immediately his presence calmed her, but only slightly. "You were in an accident and hit your head pretty badly. You have a concussion so I suggest you keep yourself under control before you hurt yourself," he smirked.

"Liam, why… Why am I… How did…"

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, really, but to make it short, you can touch again," his smirk grew into a genuine warm smile. She could see that he was being cheerful, but her veins went cold.

Rogue had taken the cure years ago, but never had she forgotten its effects. The feeling of absolutely loss. Granted, it was what she had wanted all along, but she would never forget how it felt to have an entire part of her identity, her being, stripped away from her. When she had regained her powers, it had been hard and disappointing, but at the same time, she had felt whole again. The fact that she had found a person willing to love her despite the restrictions had only made her feel more close to them. Marie had finally accepted herself, and now they were gone again. However, this time, it was not some cure and they would not come back eventually. This terrified her.

"They're gone?" She whispered, barely audible.

"No! I probably should have added that in there sooner. No, they aren't gone, you are still a mutant, that will never go away. No, what I was meaning to say was, you should be able to control yourself now. Your mutation is no longer permanently active," he amended.

"So wait, I can… I still have them?"

"Yes," Logan smiled.

"How? I don't understand?" The corners of her mouth were turned down with bewilderment.

Liam proceeded to explain the whole thing, using his sink and faucet analogy in order to help her understand. With each word, Rogue began to feel pleasantly light-headed. It was as if the world had fallen away. There was no way for anyone else to understand how monumental the moment truly was for her.

It was an indescribable sweetness. She could still feel them, the powers that she had so long despised. They were there, hidden in the depths of her mind, patiently waiting to be released at her command. With them no longer active, she was finally, truly, free.

Tears began to well in her eyes and Logan suddenly looked concerned.

"Marie, what's wrong?"

"No, I-I'm not sad," she laughed between soft cries, "I'm happy,"

She took Logan's hand and pressed it to her face, ignoring the dull ache from her bruises. His skin was so warm, rough, calloused, and perfect in every way. The world melted away and the only thing that remained was her and Logan. The only thing she could comprehend was the way he felt, the wonderful feeling of those hands she had yearned to touch since they met.

Logan couldn't help but to smile fondly at the sight of the girl. Her hot tears wetted his hand, but he did not mind. How long had he imagined what her skin would feel like? Her cheek was the softest thing he had ever touched, like satin or silk. His heart thudded almost painfully at this. His other hand reached up to cup her face, catching her attention. She met her teary eyes with his and smiled.

This time when he bent down, she did not push him away. True, she flinched out of learned apprehension, but she did not push him away. Instead, she allowed him to bring his lips down upon hers.

The kiss in the danger room paled in comparison to this kiss. There was no danger, no reason for her to pull away, and finally she was allowed to enjoy herself. His lips were still rough, sexy, and so amazingly warm. Her lips moved against his greedily, passionately, and desperately. He was surprised by the sudden enthusiasm but had no plans in protesting.

The only thing that would come to his mind when trying to describe the softness of her lips was a fresh flower petal. He deepened the kiss, pressing his lips more forcefully upon hers and she did not protest.

Liam half coughed half chuckled in attempt to get the two lovers attention. They both turned to him and both immediately blushed, having forgotten the student in the room.

"I hate to interrupt, I really do, but Nathan is going to want to check on her now that she is awake," he pointed out.

As if on cue Nathan came in the room, surprised to see the young girl awake, and crying.

"Is everything okay?" He wondered with slight alarm. That's when he noticed Logan's hand still resting tenderly on her cheek. Logan noticed this at the same time and quickly dropped it, embarrassed by the open display of affection. "Her powers are gone?"

"No," she shook her head, "They're just manageable,"

It took a second for him to process what she meant, but then he understood. Although he should have felt ecstatic, he realized there was a small part of him disappointed. Before the accident, he was the only one truly able to touch her, and now Logan and Rogue were free to be together. He knew his jealousy was unjustified and completely irrational, but it was there nonetheless.

"Good, just don't overwhelm yourself, you still have a fairly nasty concussion," he warned, quickly checking her vitals. The routine things were much easier now that he didn't have to worry about being killed. He left them alone shortly after, not really wanting to stick around. To his surprise, Liam followed after him.

"Nathan! Wait!" He called after the doctor, who was walking a bit too fast.

"What do you need Liam?" He called back politely, his pace never faltering.

"Wait, look, I'm sorry! I know none of them understand and that must be hard. I just want to let you know I'm here if you need to talk,"

"What are you talking about?"

"You like Rogue,"

"She is in love with Logan,"

"That's not really the point though," Liam said seriously, finally catching up.

"There isn't a point to be made, she isn't mine. Besides, I hardly know her, it is not a big deal,"

"You can't lie to me," he pointed out.

"Look, I'm tired…"

"I know, I just, I know how it feels okay? I may be some stupid teenager, but I know how it feels,"

"I really doubt that," Nathan honestly did not believe someone so young, or rather someone as collected as Liam could possibly understand the turmoil of emotions Nathan was feeling.

"I can prove it," Liam grabbed Nathan's shoulder and spun him around to face him. Without warning, Liam began to project images, experiences, feelings into Nathan's mind.

It was like Nathan was watching everything through Liam's eyes. At first, all he could think about was how tall the kid was! But then he realized what was happening in each vision. Involuntarily his heart began to flutter at the sight of a pretty young blond. Nathan recognized her, but only vaguely. She was short, blonde, and had quite beautiful blue eyes. She definitely was new and wondered if this was Heather, the girl Logan had been sent to get and ended up coming back with Rogue as well.

So Liam liked this Heather girl? The feelings in his chest and the heat that he felt rise to his face only confirmed this suspicion. However, as the vision changed, so did the feeling. He felt a terrible stab and his stomach was twisting uncomfortably. Heather was giggling lightly as one of the other male students, Nick, began to flirt with her. The pain was identical, if not worse, than the one Nathan was feeling.

The vision melted away and suddenly Nathan was himself again.

"I… Sorry I assumed…"

"Don't be sorry, it's life, the point is, it sucks. I just wanted to let you know that you can talk to me if you need to. I know you are mostly the suffer in silence type, but that can be lonely,"

"Jesus kid, how the hell are you a student? Thanks, Liam," Nathan smiled at the boy before giving him a polite nod and walking away.

Well… So it's been a while! Honestly, the only reason this chapter exists is because it's five in the morning (I have yet to sleep) and in my delusional tiredness I decided to write and this was what I was craving. Weird? Perhaps.

Anyway, please review and favorite and follow and just do everything any fanfiction writer would want. I love you guys, seriously, you peeps are so awesome!