I've heard it said that depending on the heart for consistency is a fool's past time.

I don't count myself a fool.

I stopped being surprised by the directions my passions would take me a long time ago. If I lined up all the women I ever fell for I'd be hard pressed to find the pattern. I guess I've never been the guy to fall for a specific type.

Even so, when I found myself looking at Rogue as less a friend and more a woman I was a little taken aback. I'm not even sure when it started but I guess it wasn't that important. Things that develop over time have a habit of coming into fruition before you really recognize what's going on.

So, while I'm sure it had been building up for quite some time it seemed pretty sudden the day I saw her in a completely different light.

How long had I known her? Years that seemed long even to me. I remember when I first saw her after she'd joined the team. She was standing in Mariko's doorway with a look of terrified anticipation on her face and all I wanted to do was grab her by the scruff of her neck and drag her the hell out of Japan. She hung in there, though, and she took it on the chin for M'iko and me when the chips were down. When Rogue decided to throw in with the X-men she threw in all the way. You could never fault the girl for doing something halfway. I guess I always admired that about her.

Maybe it's a good thing I never looked at her like this before. She's got danger stamped all over her, as clear as that stripe in her hair. And I'm about as addicted to danger as anything. Comes from the healing factor I guess. Since she's taken on the job of field leader she exudes danger like never before. A few years settling into the role has given her an aura that's sharp and focused and confident. I wish I could say that's all it is that makes my blood burn when I see her.

It's not.

I've known her too long and too well to not be able to appreciate every aspect to her personality. As hard as nails as she is on the outside she's got a heart as soft and vulnerable as anyone's. Maybe even more so. You put that heart together with that fire and you've got yourself a woman as irresistible as she is invulnerable. It damn near killed me to watch that fire of hers wasted in a tepid, if short-lived, romance with Petey.

I ain't saying Petey was all wrong for her. If nothing else she gained confidence in controlling her power which was something she never had the ability to do before. But her energy just isn't the same as Pete's. He was solid and comfortable and romantic, qualities I'm sure she appreciated, but Rogue's always been a woman with teeth. She's too eager to rip and scratch and tear to be completely satisfied with a man who can't match her passions.

Maybe that's when I started looking at her differently. Maybe I saw her wasting her fire on someone who couldn't keep up and started thinking I could.

And damn she sure was looking good to me.

The problem was how to go about it. Rogue hasn't had what you'd call a successful run in the romance department. The longest fling she ever had was with LeBeau and that ended, several times, on notes that were less than pleasant. But you had to give the guy credit for matching her spirit.

And even if she stuck with Pete for almost a year trying her damnedest to work it out you couldn't tell me that the relationship was anything but a swing from LeBeau. If you tried to tell me that you'd be lying through your teeth.

I wanted to take my time. Rogue was understandably spooky when it came to affairs of the heart. It comes from having so little experience with it. I almost felt like I had to out-maneuver her. What's she gotten out of love before? Unrequited love with Longshot. Passion and pain with LeBeau. Comfortable and unfulfilling with Peter. I felt like I had to show her she could have it all before she knew what it was she was looking at. Otherwise, she'd just talk herself right out of it.

But something's changed in her too. I ain't sure if she's recognized it yet but something *is* there. She's been casting glances my way. Our eyes hold just a little too long. I think that's another reason I don't want to rush into it with her. I'd rather her come to some realization on her own before I press her too hard. She's thinking… I can tell the way she looks at me sometimes, partly puzzled, partly intrigued.

I think the change came from her power. Once she got it under control she stopped carrying that tragic air about her. She became flesh and blood and lost that untouchable aura that made her so irresistible to those who were so attracted to what they couldn't have.

I admit I've been suckered into wanting what I can't have before but I've gotten past it. And there's little in this world more attractive than an available woman with a spark of interest in her eye.

That's Rogue all over. And I'm still surprised at the feelings that have surfaced for her. If someone had asked me to describe her a couple of months ago I would have called her a tough as nails scrapper with legs to her face.

Now…

Hell, do I even have the words? She's a woman with a spirit so bright it'll blind you if you're taken unaware. Eyes so green you'd think they were spring. A double-daring smile so full of sin you'd risk hell and more to know the secrets behind it. A friend so loyal she'll fly to the end of the universe if you so much as hinted you needed help. A heart so tender if you didn't handle it as gently as it deserved you'd find yourself on the wrong end of an angry set of claws.

I'm gettin' it bad.

Damn but she's worth it.