Escaping the Past
Chapter 1
by
AnomalousGirl
This story contains characters that are the property of Marvel Comics and Fox Entertainment. This is in no way intended to be an infringement on their rights.
Hope faded from Jean's eyes as she watched the last stragglers make their way off the bus and into the terminal. This had been the last chance, though she had known that it was a faint one at best. All real hope had been gone hours ago, but they had decided to continue the search until 5pm, which was almost a full day since the girl had called the runaway hotline.
Jean had never met the young girl they were searching for; she didn't even have a clue what she might look like, but as the hours had passed, she had become as real to Jean as any of the kids at the school. Now as the empty bus backed away from the building, Jean felt fatigue and disappointment tumble over her in waves. She turned to the tall man at her side, laying her head on his chest as he gathered her in his arms.
She had taken the call shortly after dinner the evening before. The girl would only say that her name was Lisa, and that 'there was something scary happening inside her'. While Jean suspected that the name wasn't real, the fear that she had heard in the girl's voice certainly seemed to be. The only other information that "Lisa" had given on the phone was that she was somewhere in Pennsylvania, and that she was headed to New York City. She had found the hotline number on a ladies room wall. Jean had tried to convince Lisa to wait for them, or to let them meet her here in the city, but the girl had hung up abruptly, leaving Jean to talk to a dial tone.
They had opted to come anyway, with the hope of finding the girl and convincing her to come back to the school with them. Hank had cross-referenced every New York City bound bus that could have possibly been in Pennsylvania at the time of the girl's call. A construction delay had cost them precious time, and they had missed the first bus on Hank's list.
Jean had initially felt that the girl would be less wary of coming with them in one of the vans rather than dragging her off to Warren's helipad. But as the hours had ticked by, that decision had come to haunt her. She knew only too well how the city could swallow kids up, mutant or not. The stories that some of the students told of their experiences before they came to the school painted a fearful picture in Jean's mind. God only knew what the girl could be going through, even as she herself stood in the warm circle of Scott's arms. A shiver ran through her at the thought.
Scott pressed his lips to her forehead then leaned away from her a bit. "Logan and Genero should be back soon. Maybe they'll have some good news for us."
She gave him a sad little smile. "Thank you for trying, but you know as well as I do that if they had found anything they would have called."
"Yeah, I know," he replied then paused for a moment. "I know you don't want to hear this Jean, but...we don't even know for sure that it wasn't just another prank call." He pressed on quickly when she started to speak. "For every call that we get from a kid who wants our help, how many hundreds do we get from ones who think it is all a big joke? And worse yet are the ones from the anti-mutant groups."
"So what should we do Scott? Just get rid of the hotline to save ourselves the trouble?"
He placed his hand under her chin and gently tilted her face toward him. "Jean...you know that's not what I am saying," he said softly. "But I hate to see you tear yourself up over what could be somebody's idea of a joke. And even if she was on the level, she doesn't seem to want our help. We've done everything we can for now. If she changes her mind, she knows how to contact us."
"You didn't talk to her Scott. She sounded so frightened and alone." She shook her head slowly, looking out through the glass terminal doors into the early autumn evening. "Something has happened to her...I know it"
"You know it...or you just think it?
"All right," she said pulling away. Frustration and exhaustion making her voice sharp. "If I knew anything, I could do something instead of just standing here for the last however many hours. We've checked every kid on every bus that has pulled in here since last night and we've come up empty handed. If only we had brought the helicopter...."
"Damn it Jean, you can't keep blaming yourself," Scott replied, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her once gently. "We don't know that she was on that one bus...Hank even told you that it was very unlikely. Anything could have happened between there and here."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She asked incredulously, pushing his hands away.
"I didn't mean it like that..."
"What's this? Not trouble in paradise I hope?" They both turned toward the shorter man approaching them, their expressions reflecting tension and annoyance.
"Shut up Logan," Scott fired back.
Jean took a step forward. "Did you find anything?" She asked hopefully, then frowned. "Where's Genero?
"Parked the kid back there," Logan replied around his cigar, indicating the direction with a jerk of his head.
Jean looked past him and spotted the normally bubbly young man in the arrivals waiting area, his dark head cradled in his hands. Her gaze snapped back to Logan. "What did you do to him?"
He looked at her for a long moment, drawing on the cigar. Then, lifting an eyebrow, he removed the cigar and blew the smoke out over his shoulder towards their subject. "Nothin'," he replied as his gaze returned to her. "Kid's just tapped out. He's been workin' pretty hard. And all of us are a little short on sleep."
"You're right Logan, I'm sorry. It's been a long day for all of us." She held out a hand to Scott with an apologetic smile. He took it and with an answering smile gave it a small squeeze. Their hands still linked she took a deep breath and tried to push her worried thoughts away. "I'll go talk to Genero, and see if I can cheer him up. How about humoring me and giving Hank one more call? If he doesn't have anything for us, I guess we'll head back."
Both men turned to watch her appreciatively as she made her way across the terminal. She placed a comforting hand on Genero's shoulder as she sat down next to him.
"Hey, I'm just glad that you managed to keep from killing him," Scott said, turning to face Logan.
"Yeah, well, next time you get to take our motor mouthed mutant locator on patrol, and I'll stay behind to keep Red from gettin' lonely." Logan replied his gaze still trained on Jean. Beside her the kid was already talking a mile a minute.
"Over my dead body."
"Just say the word bub, just say the word." Logan said without heat as he finally turned back to Scott, a sardonic curve playing around his mouth. They'd had this exchange, or ones like it, uncountable times over the years. Jean had made her choice a long time ago and he would respect it. But it didn't lessen the attraction. And of course, baiting Scott was a pleasure all it's own.
As Genero continued his excruciatingly detailed account of the hours spent searching the city with Logan; Jean glanced across the terminal at her teammates. The difference between the two men was always striking. There was Scott, tall and athletic, with chiseled, clean cut good looks. His taste in clothing was stylish but conservative, and as he stood there with his ever-present sunglasses and aloof expression, he looked like he could have just stepped out of a magazine. Jean knew him so well. She knew the emotions that his cool expression hid and the awesome power he kept leashed inside him. Jean also knew that to many women, the words that described Scott, like earnest and dedicated, sounded dull. But how wrong they were. She had given him her heart long ago, and she had never had reason to regret it.
If looking at Scott made her think Ivy League, then looking at Logan made her think biker bar. He was denim and leather with a surly attitude, a naughty girl's fantasy come to life. Jean had to admit, if only to herself, that there was something extremely compelling about Logan, even though his looks were rather unconventional. He was relatively short by American standards and quite heavily muscled. He had a thick mane of dark hair that he kept unfashionably long and a prodigious set of sideburns to match. But none of this diminished his appeal. There was an air of sensuality about him that could be almost intoxicating and rare was the female student who wouldn't fall at his feet, if he'd only say the word.
Fortunately, despite his rather wild reputation where women were concerned, he was also one of the most honorable men that Jean had ever known. His conduct with the girls was always beyond reproach, even though there had been at least one attempt by a budding seductress to lure him away from his ethics. He never let on if he was tempted by the young women's very obvious availability or not. There were a couple of girls however that he took great pains to avoid being alone with, and Jean was never quite certain if it was for his protection...or theirs. There were many things that Jean was unsure of when it came to Logan. He was a man of mysteries and contradictions. Some of them unknown even to himself. She often felt that, even if she knew him for 20 years, she still wouldn't understand him.
Jean felt a flush creep up her neck as she realized that Scott had stepped away to make the phone call, and that she had been staring at Logan. The warmth of his expression made it clear that he was fully aware of her regard. She snapped her attention back to Genero and tried to pick up the thread of his monologue. She felt vaguely guilty when Scott came over a few minutes later looking discouraged, the cell phone still clutched in his hand.
"Hank hasn't heard anything. He said he'd call though, if anything comes up. Why don't we go and get something to eat? I think some decent food might make us all feel a little better."
"Please say yes Mrs. Summers." Genero implored "It's been hours since lunch and we ate that walking. I swear Logan never gets tired. I bet we walked 20 miles today. The only time we stopped was like in Grand Central Station. Then he had me doing scans all over the place. I swear..."
"Okay, Okay, Genero, I get the idea," she laughed, holding up a hand to stop the flow of words. "Dinner sounds like an excellent idea to me too. Um...where is the indefatigable Logan anyway?"
"He said something about it being warm in here and that he'd meet us out front. Why don't we go round him up and find a restaurant." Scott replied, offering his hand to Jean. She took it, trying not to think too much about what Scott had said.
******************************************************
"Okay, what's your secret?" Scott asked as he drew level with Logan. "I've only been walking with him for three blocks and already it makes the idea of keeping you company seem like a pleasant alternative"
"Why don't ya try droppin' back and bringin' up the rear?"
"I already tried that. They just keep dropping back to me."
Logan grunted in response, which Scott recognized as a sign of amusement.
As they continued down the street in blessed silence, Scott considered his teammate. It wasn't that Logan was humorless exactly, but it was rare to see a smile on his face that didn't have a cynical twist to it. It was even more rare to hear him laugh, despite the fact that at times he could be quite amusing. His sense of humor though, wasn't always to Scott's taste. It had a tendency to be rather dry and frequently had a dark, sarcastic edge to it. But considering his history, you couldn't really blame him for not being a barrel of laughs. It also wouldn't be totally accurate to call them friends, though they had come a long way since they had first met. Back then, they mixed like oil and water, or more precisely, oil and a match. Scott had been convinced that any involvement that Logan had with the team or school would end in disaster. Not to mention that Logan's obvious interest in Jean had enraged him in a way that he hadn't thought possible. Of course, the fact that Logan didn't exactly leave Jean cold hadn't helped. But that was all behind them now, well at least mostly behind them anyway, he thought with a shake of his head. Scott had tremendous trust and respect for Logan as a team member now, and he had proven to be surprisingly adept with the students at the school. Scott had seen kids ecstatic because Logan had pronounced their work to be 'not too shabby'. Praise from him was rare, but then so was criticism. Even after Logan had been at the school several months, Scott had still been waiting for him to screw up. What he had found instead, was a growing respect among the students. He had asked one student how it was that, this man, who had so little patience in other matters, never seemed to reprimand anyone, and yet got his students to work so hard. The boy had responded, 'he's pretty cool as long as you're really trying, but if you start slacking off or screwing around, Logan has this look that he gives you. And man, you try really hard not to have him look at you like that again.' Some of their most difficult kids gravitated to Logan. He always seemed so unimpressed with the worst they could throw at him, that eventually they just gave up. There was the time though, that he carried Jared up from one of the practice rooms and out of the house by his collar and belt, then threw him into the duck pond. Neither of the parties involved would ever say what had precipitated the incident, but the boy's attitude had improved dramatically afterwards. Professor Xavier had let it pass with very little discussion, and Scott suspected that the professor knew what had happened, and figured that it merited Logan's reaction.
"I take advantage of his lack of coordination."
"What?" Scott replied bemused. Logan had been silent for so long that Scott couldn't remember what question he had asked.
"The kid, he can barely chew gum and walk at the same time. The more he talks the slower he walks. Which is why we're going so damn slow now. I'd pick up the pace, but Jeannie seems pretty bushed."
Scott nodded in agreement, taking a quick glance over his shoulder at the couple behind them. "So...that's the answer...you just make him walk fast?" Scott asked skeptically.
"Ain't that simple. He also has trouble usin' his power and doin' just about anythin' else. Speakin' a which, I'll tell you right now, if Chuck decides to send him with us in a potential combat situation, I'm stayin' home."
"Don't worry that won't happen anytime soon.", Scott said with a smile. The kid had to be pretty bad for Logan to even joke about giving up a chance to fight.
"Anyway, while we were out on the street, I'd just keep him movin' along at a good clip, and make him do surface scans all over the place. Every time he'd start runnin' his mouth, I'd just point somebody out and have him start scannin'." Scott began to laugh at the mental picture.
They were coming up to the end of a block. The two of them would be able to make it across on the current signal, but Jean and Genero were almost a half a block back, so they stepped aside to allow the other pedestrians to flow past them.
"Other than him plowin' into people all day, it worked pretty well."
"Oh Geez," Scott said as he leaned against the building chuckling. "And indoors you kept him doing deep scans, right?"
"Whenever possible." Logan replied. "Course your gonna love what happened the coupla times we got a fix a possible lead."
"What?" Scott asked smiling in anticipation.
"Well the first time, I thought I'd do the askin'. So I go up to this frail, she takes one look at me, and starts screamin' and hittin' me with her backpack. I thought we were gonna get arrested." Scott found this hilarious, as Logan had figured he would. "After that, I sent the kid. Figured he looked a little less threatenin'. Course the first one he walks up to he starts off, 'Hey I know you're a mutant,' next thing I know he's on the ground and she's half way down the block."
"You've got to be kidding-" Scott managed to choke out.
"I never did find out exactly what she did to him."
The crossing signal began flashing red just as Genero and Jean caught up with them. Smiling at her husband's mirth Jean slid her arms around Scott's waist. "Care to let me in on it?" Scott began to scramble for an explanation, knowing that Jean was unlikely to share his amusement in the situation.
Logan turned away from the couple and stepped to the curb. Halfway down the next block he noticed a small cluster of people under the awning of a restaurant. It was a diverse little group. There were a couple of jeans and chinos, one granola girl in hippie clothes, and a younger guy in a jacket and tie. There was also a petite, classy looking woman with a short-skirted suit, high heels and awesome legs. It was a shame that her type was usually such a pain in the ass, because he had an inexplicable yen for women like that. But there were plenty of more accommodating women in New York City. That he knew for certain. Ones that didn't mind it if you messed their hair up, or perhaps got a little carried away in the heat of the moment. Too bad he was here on business he thought, and tried to get his mind on a different track. A man stuck his head out the door of the restaurant, and the little group gathered itself and went in side. He watched the little skirt disappear into the restaurant with a regretful smile tugging at his lips.
A moment later the signal changed and they were able to cross. As they were passing the restaurant, Logan was struck by a distinctive scent. It was somehow strange and familiar at the same time, and it made him pause. He inhaled deeply trying to place components of the scent.
"Mmmm...this place does smell good," Jean said as she came up behind him. "It looks like a nice place. Let's take a look at the menu." Logan didn't stop her as she crossed to read the menu posted by the door. The food smells coming from the restaurant were certainly good, but that wasn't what had caught his attention. He tried again to catch the scent but it was becoming difficult to separate it from the other smells on the street. Whatever the source had been, it was no longer nearby. The others were now gathered around the menu, reading with what sounded like approval.
Jean crossed back to him and laid a hand on his arm. "This place looks like it fits the bill. It even has a bar." She added with a smile.
"Good, I could use a coupla beers. Hell, after today, I could use a coupla six packs."
She gave a small laugh and squeezed his arm. "I know what you mean. I think I'll join you in a few. Scott will want to drive the van back anyway, and maybe a little sedation is just what the doctor ordered."
"Must be a very smart doctor, and probably beautiful too."
She shook her head smiling. "What am I going to do with you?"
"You really don't want me answer that."
She shoved him away lightly with a groan of mock exasperation. Then, shaking her head, she crossed to the door that Scott was holding open for her. They both went inside. After trying once more to catch the fading scent, Logan followed.
He paused for a moment to study the interior of the restaurant. The decor was what Logan thought of as up scale garage sale. The walls were covered with all sorts of interesting old junk. Wooden snowshoes, a radio flyer wagon, ancient car parts, a battered saxophone, you name it. An antique bicycle hung from the ceiling. There was also an abundance of polished brass and hanging plants. The seating areas were set at different levels, requiring the waitress to go up and down steps all evening. It also made it impossible to see around the entire restaurant, even though it wasn't very large. He didn't see any of the people who had been waiting outside, but he did spot his group at a small table in the bar area. He climbed the four steps to the bar level to join them.
"A couple months or a couple of years Genero, it doesn't matter. You are still a minor and can not be served." Jean was speaking in a tone of forced patience.
"Aww come on Ms. Summers, I'm a member of the team now, and I know that they won't card me if I'm with you guys."
"Genero, you are an adjunct member, and that isn't the point. The law is the law and I think Professor Xavier would be very disappointed to hear that you have such a lack of respect for it."
"This is so bogus..."
"Quit your whinin' kid," Logan said, cutting off the stream of words as he arrived at the table, "or I'll have Scott drop ya off back at Grand Central."
"Dude, that is cold," Genero replied sullenly, but he let the subject drop.
Logan opted to sit at the bar itself. He'd had about all the togetherness he could take for one day and there was still the trip back to Westchester. Draft pints were on special; it was the high point of his day.
"They said it was going to be about 20 minutes for a table." Scott said coming up beside him. "What was that about Grand Central Station anyway?"
The bartender sat down Logan's pint and took Scott's order. Logan waited for the man to move away before he answered. "I figure that at some point today we asked the wrong question to the right person. I went to use the john while we were at Grand Central and when I came out, I find Hennyboy lookin' like he's about to wet himself. The story changes a little every time he tells it, but the bottom line is that person or persons unknown made it pretty clear that they didn't like us sniffin' around. There was apparently somethin' said about 'takin' care of mutants who betray their own kind.' Which I find mighty interestin'."
"Do you think they might have something to do with the girl?"
Logan shook his head slightly. "Doubt it. To be honest, I don't think she made it this far. But I do think it could be an answer to some of our other mysteries. Unfortunately, by the time I could get him to make any sense, it was too late to try and go after 'em, least not with him along."
"Don't you think you should have mentioned this earlier?" Scott asked in what Logan thought of as his 'I'm the leader' voice.
"If I had, I woulda." Logan replied. "But there wasn't nothin' the four of us were gonna to do about it tonight. Besides, it ain't like this is news to us. You know as well as I do that we could have the whole crew sweepin' the city and still not find a damn thing. There are too many places to hide here, and the people we are looking for are too damn good at hidin'."
Scott blew out a long breath. "I suppose your right, but in the future..."
"Yeah I know, let you make the decision. You betcha, oh great and fearless leader." Logan sketched a salute and returned to his beer. He could feel Scott glaring at him, but then he picked up the drinks and moved back to the table without saying a word. Logan motioned for a refill. The evening was definitely improving.
He drained the pint as the bartender sat the new glass down. "Bring me another one." He said, tossing a couple of bills down on the bar. The bartender started to protest, but rapidly changed his mind when Logan raised an eyebrow.
"Sure, no problem sir." The man said hastily, scooping up the money as he moved away.
Behind him Logan could hear Genero talking. Jean had gone off to the ladies room and in her absence, the kid was having a field day scoping out the women in the restaurant. He'd been doing pretty much the same thing most of the day. Logan had to hand it to him though; he certainly had diverse taste, or more likely, he was just majorly horney. Walking around this city could do that to you. He had read some where that women outnumbered men in New York City, and if today was anything to go by, it was true. There were women everywhere, of every age, shape, style, and hue, and it was still warm enough that there was plenty of skin to be seen.
It had been a while since Logan had come into the city other than on business. Lately he had been contenting himself with the nightlife that Salem Center had to offer. Maybe it was time to revisit some old stomping grounds he thought, his mouth curving up one side. Almost immediately he pushed the thought away. Even if it weren't for the shit that he'd have to listen to from Scott if he stayed behind, he had a class to teach tomorrow afternoon and a couple of one-on-one lessons with some advanced students. Tomorrow night would be better anyway. Friday night, the beginning of the weekend, there would be more women out and they'd be looking for some fun. He'd also have a chance to catch up on some rest. A couple of hours on a bus station bench, wasn't enough, even for him. Besides, if he waited to come down tomorrow, he'd have the Nomad.
"I think it is time for a reality check Genero " Scott said. "These women are so far out of your league it's not even funny. They have jobs, money...college degrees, in short, a life."
"I know I know, but maybe one of them is looking for a boy toy. Someone ready and willing to obey their every command. Someone young enough to be easily trained."
"What could I possibly say in response to that?"
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Look at that one Scott. She is so hot!"
"Wow." It was one word, and he hadn't said it very loud, but it peaked Logan's curiosity. Scott hardly ever seemed to notice other women, and if he did, he was usually pretty detached about it. His tone this time though sounded almost like amazement.
"She's looking over at us." Excitement made Genero's voice squeak.
As Logan started to turn on the barstool, the scent caught him like an upper cut. It snapped his head up and brought him around to face the same direction as Scott and Genero. It was the scent that had caught him outside only stronger, and now he understood, at least in part, why it had grabbed him. It was a woman, and he would lay money on her being a mutant. His gaze locked with the woman standing on the lower level. He saw her head tilt back slightly, and he watch her inhale. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and when she opened them again, the raw desire in them made his blood hum. To his surprise, he recognized her as the woman he had seen waiting outside. Her scent made him fairly certain that her mutation was atavistic in nature, though she looked anything but. He was vaguely aware that Scott had turned around, but he brushed passed him and ignored his call as he jogged down the small set of steps. He stopped short as he came around the corner and crossed to her slowly. She had turned toward him, but as he drew closer, she averted her face slightly.
She was exquisite. She had a silky curtain of fawn colored hair that fell to just below her shoulders, and her skin was flawless. She reminded him of the fairie pictures one of the kids had hanging on her wall. Her face was a delicate oval with a slightly pointed chin and graceful cheekbones, and her eyes were a mixture of greens and golds, topped by perfectly arched eyebrows. She had an elegant little nose that suited her small face, and sensual mouth that made him want to forget where he was. But for all her refined looks and sophisticated clothes, there was still something primal about her. The scent of her and the dark desire he saw in her eyes called to the animal side of his nature, and he couldn't think of any good reason to resist.
******************************************************
"What do you mean he left with some woman?" Jean asked incredulously. "I wasn't gone that long. I didn't even see him talking to anybody."
"They didn't talk to each other at all." Scott replied. "They just...left together"
"Lets start from the beginning, and go slowly this time. I left for the ladies room and then what happened?"
"Well, me and Scott were checking out the babes..."
"You were checking out the babes." Scott interrupted.
"Okay, I was checking out the babes, and this really hot chick comes from around the back. I was just pointing her out to Scott, when she stops with this look on her face. Sort of a...'what's that sound?' kinda look. You know what I mean?" Jean nodded and Genero continued. "Well anyway, she starts kind of looking around, and she looks up here. First she looks at me, and then she looks at Scott. And let me tell you, when she looks at you it's kinda like 'Whoa baby'. Isn't it Scott?"
Jean looked at her husband in question, and had to fight back a smile as his face took on a reddish tone. "She was...very striking." He finally offered in response, scratching the back of his neck.
"Striking my ass, she was majorly hot. So then she isn't looking at either of us anymore, but staring at something behind us. So I turn around, and Logan had turned around from the bar, and it's him she's staring at. And he's staring right back at her. At first I thought he was mad or something, because he had this sort of weird look on his face, but then he goes down to her and that's when things get really wild."
"What do you mean by 'wild'?" Jean asked when Genero paused and looked Scott, grinning.
"Just get on with it Genero." Scott said in resignedly. "You know you're dying to tell her."
"Okay, okay, so he goes down to her and it's like being at the zoo. They were majorly checking each other out and I swear, at one point, I thought he was going to piss on her or something."
"Genero!" Jean exclaimed in disgust. Then she looked at her husband in surprise because he didn't seem to be disagreeing with this version of the tale.
"All right Genero, that was pretty revolting, but to be honest Jean, it was pretty strange. He went down to where she was and, at first they just stood there, really close, but not touching, just standing perfectly still. They were sort of watching each other out of the corner of their eyes, and...I think they were...sniffing each other." At his wife's doubtful look, he explained. "I don't mean like dogs." He said with a look at Genero. "But you've seen Logan...all right, what's a better word for it, scenting somebody. As a matter of fact, I've seen him do it to you." He added pointedly.
"I get the idea." She said with a small smile.
"So, she is doing the same thing, and after a couple of minutes they start circling each other."
"Yeah, like two guys getting ready to mix it up with knives." Genero threw in with relish. "I didn't know if he was gonna fight her or fu..."
"Don't say it!" Scott cut him off sharply
"All I know is, it was pretty hot, and I wasn't the only one to think so. They were only at it a minute or two, but people were starting to stare, and you could tell...well, I'll just leave it at that so nobody jumps down my throat."
Jean noticed that Scott was looking down toward the lower level distractedly. He must have felt her gaze because he turned his face to her, a small furrow between his eyebrows. "I have to admit. There was something very...sensual about the whole thing. Like it was some sort of...bizarre dance." He shook his head to clear it and took a deep breath. "Anyway, they stop the circle thing, and Logan jerks his head toward the door. After a couple of seconds, she kind of nods, and they left together, all without saying one word to each other at least as far as I could tell."
"He just left with her without saying anything to you? Just like that?" Jean asked, concern furrowing her brow.
"Not exactly like that no. He did come back up for his jacket, and said something along the lines of 'don't wait for me, I'll take the train back'."
"Didn't either of you try to talk to him?"
"Yeah, Scott was like, 'You can't just run off in the middle of an assignment with some bimbo you see in a bar. You don't know anything about her'."
"I did not call her a bimbo."
"And Logan was like; "I can take care of myself, Dad. If it'll make you feel better, I'll check in later'."
"And he didn't call me 'Dad'."
"But he did say he would call, right?" Jean asked, looking from one to the other.
"Yes," Scott answered. "He said he'd check in."
"Well, I guess we'll let the professor know he decided to say behind." Jean replied with a shrug.
Scott looked at her in puzzlement. "So that's it. He just disappears with some strange woman, without exchanging a word with her, in the middle of a mission no less, and that doesn't seem odd to you, even for Logan?"
Okay, it is a little odd, but you said yourself she was very attractive, and apparently she was attracted to him as well, and as far as this mission is concerned, well I think it is safe to say that it was concluded. He is a big boy Scott, and has been taking care of himself for a very long time. What more can we do?"
"Excuse me" the young woman from the hostess stand said a small stack of menus tucked under her arm. "Your table is ready now."
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