It was a strange sensation, riding on a motorcycle with her unconscious friend behind her, zipped into her jacket. Of course, Rogue was getting used to strange situations involving herself.

It was still odd, being back in her own head. She hadn't had a lot of time to think about it before, but a bike ride across mostly bare country was the perfect opportunity to make up for lost time.

The nice part about being back in control now was that she was in full control. Carol's last gift before she'd settled into the back of her mind had enabled her to touch if she wanted while still be deadly when she needed to be. It was what she'd sought during the years when she'd been herself at Professor Xavier's school. Now that she'd attained it, what else was there to do?

Rogue mentally reviewed her list of talents and came up sadly short. She could kill with a touch. She could draw minimally well. She could solve just about any personal problem her friends brought to her, but she didn't consider that so much a talent as a blessing, since it had meant that she could avoid those same problems.

Staring ahead at Logan, who was going well above what she knew was the speed limit, Rogue thought about the way he'd stood up for her against Carol. He'd been determined to get Marie back, no matter what. Some part of her, deep inside, compelled her to find out why.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get her answers for some time, Rogue settled herself more comfortably on the seat and tried to make her mind blank. The more questions she thought of, the more she confused herself, and there'd been more than enough of that lately, she thought.

Logan growled each time he hit a bump or a pothole in the road. His still-healing ribs weren't taking the beating very well.

For a minute, he considered slowing down, waiting for Rogue to catch up with him. But, as much as he'd wanted her back, he couldn't make himself talk to her at the moment.

The woman behind him wasn't his Marie. She wasn't the girl who'd cuddled against him on that train, who'd needed his comfort and his protection. Although he'd not been able to offer much of that once Magneto had shown up. She definitely also wasn't the girl who'd looked at him so desperately as her life was draining away, tied to the forces of Magneto's machine.

Rogue was someone altogether different, and Logan wasn't sure what to do with her. Deep down, though, he was sure that it'd be fun to find out.

'It's so quiet,' Rogue thought to herself after riding quietly for several minutes. Even with the roars of the motorcycles, everything was eerily calm to her. The voices were gone, absorbed into or pushed out of her mind. She was in total control of her own body for the first time since she'd kissed David. There were no inner comments on what she was thinking, no instructions or commands, no committee judging everything that she did. There was just her. Rogue. Not Marie. It was almost lonely.

Of course, there were advantages to being Rogue. Marie'd never been on a motorcycle in her life. Rogue could ride like a pro. Marie'd never had any combat training. Rogue could take on Sabretooth and win.

On the other hand, Logan hadn't sacrificed himself to save Rogue's life. That was for Marie. He'd comforted Marie. He'd promised to take care of Marie. What would he think of Rogue, who could take care of herself? Rogue, who had pieces of Marie, Carol, and Logan all mixed together into one person. Logan had fought against Carol because he wanted to get Marie back. Would he be satisfied with Rogue?

Rogue was interrupted from her contemplations when Jubilee grunted and shifted in the jacket.

"Jubes?" Rogue asked.

She was only answered with more shifting, and balance was starting to become an issue.

"Jubes, stop moving," Rogue shouted over the sound of the motor and the wind whipping past them.

Jubilee grunted more loudly, and the shifting turned into jerky spasms. The motorcycle tilted right and then left in response to Jubilee's awkward movements.

Rogue screamed as she tried to get the cycle under control and brake at the same time. She brought them to a stop and wrenched her and Jubilee out of the jacket that Logan had loaned her.

Jubilee almost fell off the bike, but Rogue was able to catch her in mid-air and slowly lower her to the ground. She was seizing spastically, strange grunting noises coming from her mouth as her body bucked and jerked.

Logan gunned his engine and looped around, stopping his bike next to Jubilee's.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She's having some sort of seizure," Rogue responded, not bothering to look up from her injured friend. Jubilee started pounding her head against the ground as she shook, and Rogue moved beneath her, putting Jubilee's head in her lap in an effort to keep her from further harm.

There wasn't anything they could do but wait.

After several minutes, Jubilee's seizure slowed, then stopped. Once Rogue made sure she was still breathing, she gently set her head down on the ground, and then stood up.

"Jubilee needs help now. Logan, stay with her. I'll be back soon."

Before Logan could say anything, Rogue took off, flying through the sky in a direction she hoped would lead to a town and a telephone.

Even though every inch of Logan's body ached, he was far more concerned about the young woman lying motionless on the ground before him. In the time Marie... no, Rogue, had been gone, Jubilee'd only gotten worse. She hadn't had another seizure, but her complexion had gotten really pale. He felt her forehead, expecting a fever, but instead he discovered that her skin was cool and clammy with sweat. In the stillness of their surroundings, he could hear her breathing becoming more shallow and her heart rate speeding up.

'She's in shock,' he realized, and then wondered how he knew that.

He'd never learned first aid that he could remember, but somehow, he knew what to do. He went to the bike he'd borrowed from Scooter and unstrapped his duffle bag. Pulling out a blanket, he wrapped it around Jubilee's body and then elevated her legs by moving the duffle underneath them.

There wasn't anything else he could think of to help her, but he couldn't just sit there and do nothing, so he talked to her. He told her to hold on, that Jeanie'd be there soon, and she'd heal her good as new. He wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but he hoped he was.

It'd taken weeks to track down Carol, and during that time, he'd gotten to know Jubilee. At first, he'd found her endless chatter annoying, but at least she wasn't asking him any questions about himself. It took a couple of days before he realized that even though she talked almost non-stop, she really didn't say much about herself, either.

One day, when a lead on Carol didn't pan out, he realized in a burst of insight that Jubes used her perky attitude like he used his gruff demeanor, as a way to keep others at arm's length. Somehow, Marie'd broken through both their shields, and they'd risked everything to get her back.

They'd succeeded, but they'd also failed. Carol was gone, but they didn't get Marie back. They'd gotten Rogue, and they'd both been hurt in the process. He knew he'd heal, but he wasn't so sure about Jubilee.

It was about then in his musings that he heard the distinct sound of the Blackbird's engines approaching, and he couldn't have been more relieved.

There was no place for the jet to land in the mountainous terrain so it stopped, hovering high above them. Logan watched as Ororo and Marie... no, Rogue, flew out of the jet and floated down to the ground.

"How is she?" Rogue asked as soon as she landed.

"Worse," Logan answered. "Is Jeanie up there?"

"Ready and waiting," Rogue said.

Ororo bent down and gingerly lifted Jubilee's petite body into her arms, keeping the blanket around her. Rogue watched her and then turned to Logan.

"Ready, sugah?" she asked as she put her arms around his chest, getting ready to carry him up to the plane.

Logan hissed involuntarily as she gripped his still tender ribs and she immediately stepped back.

"Sorry... um, how should we do this?"

"It's ok, darlin', just do it."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm healing. It's ok. Jubes can't wait."

Logan gritted his teeth and held his breath on the ride up to the plane. As soon as they were inside, Rogue released him and helped him back to the miniature Med Lab. Jeanie was so busy hooking Jubilee up to all sorts of tubes and monitor equipment, that she didn't notice them for about a minute.

When she did, she asked Rogue, "He's hurt, too?"

"I'm healin'," Logan answered. "Focus on Jubilee."

It didn't take Jean any convincing to turn her attention back to Jubilee. That seemed to make Rogue really worried.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked quietly.

"Her right pupil's blown," Jean said, and then, when she saw their confused expressions, explained. "It looks like a subdural hematoma." That still didn't help, so she continued, "The head wound caused bleeding in her brain. The blood clotted into a hematoma. It's putting pressure on her brain. She needs surgery to remove it."

"But she'll be ok?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know yet," Jean said, then turned all her attention back to her patient.

"Oh, Logan, this is all my fault."

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, despite the pain it caused him. She was wrong. "It's my fault. I never shoulda let her come along."

"But if I hadn't gone off with Magneto..."

"You didn't, babe. Carol did."

"I did. Carol's a part of me."

Logan shook his head. "She's not you, Mar... Rogue. Besides, it's my fault Carol flew off in the first place."

"It's both your faults," Jean shouted, exasperated. "It's everyone's fault. Now if you don't need treatment, will you get out? I need to concentrate."

Rogue helped Logan up and they moved forward in the jet, settling down again just outside the cockpit.

"Jubes must be really bad," she told him. "Jean doesn't usually get that upset."

Logan didn't know what to say to that, so he just pulled her close and held her throughout the rest of the flight.

When they landed, Rogue watched Ororo and Scott run past them into the back of the plane. They helped Jean get Jubilee to the Med Lab, and Rogue helped Logan. With every minute, he seemed to be getting better and better. In fact, he hardly leaned on her at all as they walked out of the hangar bay.

Rogue wanted to take him to the Med Lab so that Jean could check him out when she had time, but he insisted on going back to his room. He argued that by the time Jean got around to him, he'd be healed anyway. With the improvement he'd already made, Rogue couldn't help but agree.

They were almost to the elevator when the doors opened and St. John stepped out. Rogue felt her heart leap at the sight of him. Just as the part of her that was Marie loved Logan, the part of her that was Carol loved St. John. He'd always been there for her. After the car accident when everyone else avoided her, he'd gone out of his way to help. He'd been by her side throughout the physical therapy, and never doubted or judged her.

When he saw her, standing next to Logan, his face turned into a relieved smile and he stepped forward, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, Carol," he said, "I didn't know. You left before I could see you. I didn't want you to leave. I'm so glad you're back."