Sequel to: Everything Old is New Again
Jubilee was truly frightened, but she pushed that down, struggling to turn their bodies so that she was on top and Logan was on the bottom. The slick porceline of the full-sized bathtub helped, and soon she was up and gasping for air.
She quickly climbed out of the tub, but when she looked back down at Logan, she was shocked. He must've fallen badly. As she leaned over, she could see that his neck was at a distinctly odd angle.
Even as she watched, it started to pull itself back into position. Then Logan's eyes snapped open, filled with terror, and he began to scream. He didn't move, didn't even attempt to get out of the water, he just screamed, bubbles rising from his mouth. It was almost like he couldn't move.
Jubilee pulled the plug on the drain and ran for Jean.
She pounded on the thick, wooden door with all her strength, screaming for help. When they didn't answer quickly enough, she paffed at the lock, her aggravated powers melting the entire doorknob away.
Jean was at the door by then.
"Something's really wrong with Logan," Jubilee began, and then Logan's screaming reached their ears.
The water line must've fallen far enough that he could get a breath because now he was screaming at the top of his lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
-----
Logan could finally move again. Unsheathing his claws, he crawled out of the surgical tube. They were back. Hines, Dr. Cornelius, even the professor with his weird eyeglasses. They would pay for what they'd done.
"Logan..." Hines started.
"I am Logan."
"Yes, that's right."
"Not an animal."
"Logan, you need help. Let us help you."
"You will pay." Logan said, lunging forward to strike and falling into blackness.
-----
Jubilee backed into Jean and Scott. She'd been inches away from losing her leg to those lethal claws when Logan had just dropped to the ground As it was, she could feel the sting of the scratch along her calf.
Jean closed her eyes, and then nodded. "The professor stopped him. He's unconscious for now."
"Jubilee, what's going on?" Scott asked, taking in the sight of full and empty champagne bottles strewn around.
"He wouldn't want me to tell you."
"Logan needs help, Jubilee," Jean said, looking up from her patient.
"He'll get it. I just have to make a phone call."
-----
~You are safe. You are at the mansion. You are calm.~
~Get outta my head, Chuck.~
"He's waking up now." That was Jean's voice. Who was she talking to?
Khaki
**********
Logan opened his eyes to see the shrink, Jean, and a very wet Jubilee staring at him.
He directed his gaze to Jubilee. "What happened, kid?"
She looked at Jean, and then at Logan, "We'll, like, talk about it later ok?"
She stood up, grabbing Jean's arm, propelling her towards the door as she limped behind.
He looked at them suspiciously, and saw a line of blood seeping through Jubilee's torn pant leg, but he didn't have the energy to go after them yet.
-----
Jean turned towards Jubilee outside the door. "What was that all about?"
"Logan's business is Logan's business. He'll tell us what he wants us to know. Besides, I need you to stitch this up before he is finished." She pointed to her leg.
Jubilee was acting more mature than usual so Jean wasn't going to do anything to jinx it. Instead she knelt in front of her leg.
"What happened?"
"Logan sorta, like, accidentally cut me when he fell."
Jean frowned. "Well, let's get it stitched up."
2280
**********
Now alone in the room, Dr. Claire Richards and Logan started an unplanned session. His healing factor had easily overcome the excess alcohol in Logan's metabolism. He was now sober.
"All right, Logan. Now will you explain to me what you were trying to accomplish here today?" asked Claire Richards, although she knew exactly what had happened.
"Did just what you told me to do," he grumbled.
"Let's get it straight here and now, Logan. I never told you to get drunk and push yourself to do things you know you can't. I never told you to risk Jubilee's life or risk having a seizure. I only advised you to get SLOWLY used to water."
His only answer was to stare at the ceiling, an almost obvious reaction to guilt. How could he tell her that he was so sick of these nightmares and hallucinations that he was almost desperate to do anything to get rid of them as soon as possible, no matter what?
"Now, tell me why you decided to act like that?"
Silence.
Claire sighed and stood, barely looking at him. "All right, Logan. I cannot help you if you don't want to help yourself. It's okay with me, you know. It's your right if you prefer to go on suffering for the rest of your life." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Because that's what you are doing, Logan. Like it or not, you ARE suffering. Don't admit it if you want. Deny it. I wish you luck. But let me tell you something, Logan. Suffer all you want, but at least, try and make sure you don't hurt others, like Jubilee, when they try to help you. There are people here that care for you, even if YOU don't care for them."
"Get the hell out of here," he snarled. She was hiting a bit to close to home here.
"As you wish. But think about it, Logan. No one, not even YOU, can fix a 15 years of suffering in a week. Like it or not, it takes time and help to make it"
She turned and walked to the door. "You know where to find me if you need my help. I hope you will. You just need to stop being afraid to be scared."
On that, she left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Logan to his thoughts.
Loki
**********
"Thank you for coming so quickly, Claire."
"No problem, Charles. You know I'm always there for my patients, even after midnight."
"I was not aware that Logan was seeing you."
"I'm not surprised. He's a very private person."
"I have noticed some 'difficulties' he's been having. That incident last winter, the pool mishap, and now tonight."
"What incident last winter?"
"He was having a post-traumatic flashback. Ran off with one of the students as a hostage. I consulted with you on this, remember?"
"I remember. I just wasn't aware that was Logan. Which student did he... no, wait, it was Jubilee wasn't it?"
"Yes, she was a great help to us in bringing him back to reality... What can you tell me about Logan's problems?"
"Not much, doctor/patient privilege, you know."
"Should I be worried to have him at the school?"
Claire paused to consider that. "I wouldn't be nearly as worried if he wasn't so aggressively trying to fix himself. He's pushing himself way beyond where he's ready to go right now, and that worries me."
"I have no wish to force Logan to leave us. I can feel he's a good man, but I have children to worry about."
"Hmm, a little of your psychic students' abilities finally rubbing off on you, Charles?" Clarie teased, then becoming more serious. "I agree that deep down, Logan is a good person, but he's very disturbed."
"How often are you seeing him."
"Twice a week."
"Perhaps if you met with him more often?"
"Sorry, Charles, I'm completely booked. In order to see him more, I'd have to live here."
The professor's face lit up, and Claire felt apprehension flow through her. What was she getting herself into?
-----
Logan lay awake after the doctor had left. He dreaded sleep, feeling like he'd already faced enough nightmares already.
He could remember some of what had happened when Jubilee came to him in the bathroom, but not much through that champagne-induced haze.
'What was I thinking?' he berated himself. The champagne had just made the water worse, adding onto his fears. His neck was still sore where he'd twisted it in his fall. Jubilee had been soaking when he'd seen her last. She must've fallen with him. He could've killed her easily, either in the fall or later when he thought she was someone else.
He wanted to leave, sneak out that night, but he knew Marie and Jubilee wouldn't forgive him. He'd promised Jubes he'd stay and work this out, but every day was getting harder, not better.
He thought back on what the doctor had told him. He had to stop being afraid of being afraid. Is that what he was doing? If so, how was he supposed to stop?
A thought struck him then, and he groaned in self-pity. Dr. Richards had been here, at his bedside, when he woke. They would all know soon that he had been seeing a shrink, that the Wolverine was nuttier than a Snicker's bar. He could just see Cyke's face when he found out, the jibes and ribbing that he would have to face in the morning.
Then, a new thought came to him. What if they didn't tease him about it? What if instead of teasing, he was met with pity? 'Poor Wolvie,' Cyke would say. 'He used to be a good fighter, but now he's scared of his own shadow.'
Khaki
**********
About 15 minutes after Jean had begun the stitches, they were done, and Jubilee had returned, standing next to the offending tub, picking up the empty champagne bottles.
"It's definitely deeper than mine," she grumbled, wincing as the stitches in her leg pulled a little when she knelt down.
Suddenly she heard someone walk up behind her,
"What ya doin darlin?"
2280
**********
"You shouldn't be sneakin' in my room at night, y'know," he admonished her.
"Yeah right. Nor at any other time," she replied.
"What d'you think you're doin' here anyway?" he asked
"Taking the two remaining bottles away from you. You don't need them, and I sure don't need another show tonight," she snapped. He stared at the floor, unsure of what to say.
"At least, we know you got desenzitiz... desinsitize..." she continued in a lighter tone
"Desensitized," he provided.
"Yeah, whatever... to champagne. You don't need them anymore, so I'll put them back." She bent to grab the bottles, wincing as her leg reminded her of the stitches.
He took the bottles. "I'll carry 'em. Now get to bed," he didn't wait for her reply, walking out of his room and straight to her door. She followed him and took the bottles from him as he slowly opened the door.
"Night, Logan," she said as she entered her room.
"Uh... Jubes?"
"What?"
He pointed at her leg. "Sorry about that."
"Oh, right. You just, like forget it, 'kay? Besides, now I know how sharp they are," she answered, waving to his arms.
"I wouldn't have them if I had a choice," he stated, staring at his fists.
"C'mon, I'm sure they saved your life more than once."
"Yeah, kid. That they did. That's why I wish I never had 'em." He turned and walked away. "Night, kid."
-----
That night, no scream came from Logan's room and all the occupants of the surrounding rooms enjoyed a well deserved peaceful night's sleep. Little did they know that the only reason that Logan wasn't screaming in his sleep was because he didn't sleep at all.
He pondered all night long how he should deal with the situation. There were always two choices in Wolverine's life: fight or flight. Amazingly, going away now echoed running away, being afraid, giving up.
Logan wasn't totally ready for that. Deep down, he really wanted to move on from the past. Running away from it for years didn't really help. Nothing and no one had helped. But now, there seemed be a few people who really wanted to help him. Maybe he could try once again.
That shrink had told him to go slowly with the steps; Jubilee had told him that drinking wasn't the brightest of idea. Not listening to them, always on his own Wolverine mind, he had just been that close to losing it all again. What if it had been Marie, and not Jubilee, in the bathroom? He couldn't forgive himself if he had hurt Marie again. But there was nothing to really prevented it from happenning one day to her or anyone around him.
Facing people now was hard enough, but he had to do it. Since he had decided to not go away, he couldn't hide in his room forever.
-----
Only when he entered the cafeteria did he remember that this was Saturday and thus, a no-class day. Everyone seemed to be still there, the students at the surrounding tables and the staff around the larger table they usually shared.
He nodded towards Jubilee and smiled, although very briefly, to Marie. It seemed to made the girls relax instantly. They smiled back, and then he walked to the staff's table.
"I am glad you are staying with us for the weekend, Dr. Richards," commented Ororo Munroe.
Logan stopped short.
Loki
**********
"So what happened last night?" Marie whispered to Jubilee, casting a look at Logan.
"I don't know. He had a rough night, but he's getting better, I guess. He's desensitized to champagne and all, so we won't have to worry about charity events." She poked at her food. She hadn't told Marie about how she had gotten hurt last night; it just would have upset her. Instead she had just wrapped it up, and hoped the stitches didn't pop in training today.
She glanced at Logan out of the corner of her eye, he had frozen in place for a few seconds, but then he continued moving to sit at the table. She guessed everything was all right. It was weird, she had known the guy for, like, eight to nine months? And yet she felt responsible for him, like she needed to protect him. She knew more about him than anyone in the world but Marie, who of course had the advantage since he was still in her head.
She studied him as he ate. He had nice features; he scowled too much, but he had a nice mouth. She might consider pursuing him if it weren't for the whole raving I'm-gonna-snap-at-any-second psycho act. Well that, and he was totally hung up on Marie. With a sigh she stood up. She had a solo training session in the danger room, and after last night it was gonna take a lot out of her.
2280
**********
Logan grabbed his breakfast and sat down at the table at the only seat available, the one across from Dr. Richards. He glanced at her once, and then kept his head down, avoiding everyone's gaze.
He braced himself, waiting for Scooter to start in on him, but nothing happened. The people around the table discussed training schedules with the new graduates, travel details for those kids whose families wanted them home over the summer break, and activities for the kids left at the mansion between school years. His performance last night wasn't mentioned once.
He sneaked glances when he thought it was safe, but no one was looking at him. No one was cringing away from him. It was like last night had been any other night.
As he got up to leave after finishing breakfast, he noted Dr. Richards get up as well, following him out. Once they made it through the cafeteria doors, he turned to her.
"What did you tell them?"
She backed away, surprised by the question. "I am your doctor, Logan. I didn't tell them anything."
"Then why were they acting like nothing happened? Why didn't they say anything to me about your bein' here?"
"Logan," the doctor said with a wry smile, "do you think you're the only person on Xavier's faculty that I've treated?"
At his dawning realization, she laughed and nodded. "If you feel like talking, I'll be around."
Khaki
**********
Logan didn't feel like talking right now. What was she thinking, anyway? That he would follow her and hide out in a room, so every one in the whole mansion would know he was gettin' therapy? He sure wanted to get rid of the flashbacks, he didn't want to replace torturous memories with humiliating ones!
Naw, for now. Logan opted for a walk around ouside with the sole company of a cigar.
-----
Jubilee went to the danger room. This special room, designated for *special* training, was kept secret from the younger students. It had been one of the best days of her life when Scott Summers, leader of the X-Men, had introduced her to it.
It meant she wasn't a kid anymore. Well, she had thought that at the moment, at least. The school staff still acted as if she was a kid most of the time, but being allowed to use the special facilities, the Danger Room, was a priviledge she always cherished.
A few stiches on a leg would not stop her from exercising that priviledge.
She came in and checked the possible scenarios available for her training. Robots, aliens, anti-mutant mobs... Quite boring in fact. Jubilee pushed a few buttons, not really caring about the adversarial selections, but made sure to set the training session to the lowest level. That meant she would face a small number of non-lethal forces.
Tired of waiting for Scott to get to the observation room (besides, it was a level 1 session so nothing bad could happen), she went in and got prepared to meet her imaginary adversaries.
The room's features changed into a war zone. Debris everywhere, strewn around the ground, would make her moving around a bit hazardous given her already overtaxed leg.
She sighed. 'Next time, 'member to pay attention when you choose the scenario, Jubes,' she admonished herself.
She made her way to the side of the room, already exhausted by trying to spare her leg. That's when the enemies appeared: a mutant-hating mob wearing battlesuits.
Jubilee shook her head in disgust. 'Hope Wolverine doesn't see this program,' she thought. 'Naw. He wouldn't use the lowest settin'. Too dangerous for... his macho reputation!'
The enemies slowly spread out, circling her hiding place. She knew she had to fight them, but all of them, even if there were only 3 of them, were to much for her now. She opted on trying to take them one by one, instead. She had that before and knew she could.
She slowly retreated backwards, keeping her eyes on the guys all the time. Oops, they spotted her. Time to run!
She ran to hide behind a half-collapsed wall and catch her breath. Gee, she should not have come here while wounded, even slightly. She couldn't run as fast as usual.
Usually, the bad guys' weapons weren't a threat and everyone could avoid them easily if you could run. Which, for now, she was almost incapable of doing.
So when the rocket flew towards the wall, she couldn't run fast enough. She barely had time to notice it, screaming and jumping away, but not fast enough.
-----
He heard the scream.
They heard it as well.
Logan ran into Scott on his way to the Danger Room. Scott got the wind knocked out of him. Wolverine, not giving a s***, entered the Danger Room while the staggering Summers made his way up to the control room.
All that Logan had to do was to turn off the simulation. Simple enough. He could smell Jubilee somewhere at the far end of the room, but then some men caught his attention. Logan fidgeted.
Flashback
Soldiers. Weapons. SNIKT.
They turned to him and aimed.
GROWL They were going to pay for what they'd done to him.
As he prepared to jump and make carnage out of these bastards, he heard a whimper. They probably held someone else, besides him. Probably had tortured that person as well.
-----
"He isn't helping Jubilee. Ororo, get in there and get her out," ordered Scott. "I'll turn this thing off."
"No," cut in Claire, who had followed the X-Men.
"What is she doing in here?" yelled Scott, now worried that an outsider had witnessed some of the most secret installations of the mansion.
"Scott, we'll clarify that later. For now, no one intervene in that... that room," ordered Dr. Richards.
"You better have a good reason. Jubilee's in trouble down there. And that... that nutso won't even look at her!" yelled Scott as he pointed at Logan.
"All I ask you is to give him 2 minutes," said Claire, watching the events unfolding in the danger room.
"That's not a reason. I'm shutting it down now," cut in Scott.
~Scott. Do as Dr. Richards asks you.~ came Xavier's mind-voice.
-----
They were after him. He had just escaped, and they were chasing him like an animal. He had no weapon. He was naked. But he wasn't defeated yet. He would make them pay for all he had endured.
"Logan?"
He thrashed his head around for a split second to locate the voice. The soldiers still walked towards him.
"I think my leg's broken," continued Jubilee.
He didn't move, watching the soldiers closing on him. Oh, they were going to suffer!
"I'm bleedin'... I... Logan, help me?"
That voice. He'd heard it before. It reminded him of someone, someone who didn't hurt him, actually.
Slowly moving backwards to the now completly collapsed wall, not turning his back to the soldiers, he reached the place where the voice was coming from.
"Ok, Logan. It's me, Jubilee. I got... I know, should've waited for Cyclops... anyway... care to give me hand?"
He turned slightly, ever aware of the soldiers almost circling him now, and looked down at the girl struggling among the debris. He knew her, but who was she? Jubilee she said...
"Jubilee?" he asked, unsure.
"First prize, mister.... Huh... how about you get me out of here?"
-----
Up in the control room, many people watched as Logan carried Jubilee in his arms out of the room, not caring about the simulated anti-mutants.
Dr. Claire Richards smiled. It was a little victory to be sure, for everyone.
But now, it was way past time for a talk.
Loki
**********
When Logan exited the danger room, he was surrounded by people. Clutching the girl to his chest, he slowly backed away from them, growling low.
"Logan," the red-haired woman stepped forward, hands out and open, voice slow and calming. "It's ok. Let us help Jubilee."
Her voice was familiar, too. Studying her face, realization dawned on him and the hallucination melted away. He wasn't naked, outside the laboratory anymore. There weren't any soldiers trying to recapture him. He was in the basement of the mansion and they were his friends. Looking down at the person is his arms, he recognized Jubilee.
"Jubes?"
"Hey, Wolvie. Welcome back." Her voice was filled with pain, and he could smell the blood on her. She was injured. Please, God, don't let it be because of him.
"Did... did I... who hurt you, Jubes?"
Seeing the worry and guilt on his face, she quickly answered, "It's my own fault. I should've waited for Mr. Summers before I started in the danger room. You didn't do anything but help me out... Ya know, I think I'd really like to go to the Med Lab now."
"Oh... yeah." Logan said, turning to carry her to the med lab with Jean close behind.
Once he got Jubilee settled, he left again. He had to sort out what was happening to him, so he rode the elevator to the first floor and walked out towards the woods.
-----
Dr. Claire Richards was fascinated to finally witness one of her patient's flashbacks. He was really trapped in his past, unaware of the true identities of the people around him. It was an extremely dangerous situation for a man who could kill in seconds to not be able to identify friend or foe. Still, when encouraged and given time to think, he could snap himself back to reality.
"Dr. Richards, how did you get down here?" an annoyed and worried Scott Summers asked her as they stood in the hallway outside that amazing room. The "danger room" if she remembered correctly what Jubilee had called it.
"I followed Logan. He was running through the mansion like a freight train, and I figured it would be wise to see what he was up to."
"You shouldn't be down here."
Claire saw Logan exit the room down the hall, Jubilee-less now. He turned to the elevator and left.
"Could we talk about this later, Scott?"
"No, we'll talk about this now. This is a serious breach of the school's security and..."
"Scott, Charles asked me to stay here to help Logan, and I'm going to do my job. We'll discuss this later," she said in an authoritative tone and left Scott standing in the hallway.
-----
She caught sight of Logan through the windows when she made it to the first floor. He was heading out to the woods. Good, he might be more willing to talk in a less restraining environment. She followed.
Soon, she was deep in the thick of the woods, not knowing when Logan had gone, and not that sure she'd be able to find her way back either. Turning around, to try and get her bearings, she heard a voice above her.
"The mansion is back that way."
Logan was perched in the branches of a tree above her. Craning her head to look at him, she asked, "Are you ready to talk about what happened today and last night?"
"Nope."
"Too bad. I am," she replied.
Khaki
**********
Claire Richards looked around and found a patch of grass she could comfortably sit on. Logan seemed happy with his position in the tree, so maybe he would stay there. That was fine with her, as long as he was staying around, she had a chance to make him talk.
He didn't say another word, probably studying her from his higher position. Claire let him take time to relax and, hopefully, feel confident with her. It wasn't hard for her to understand that this environment was way more suitable for her patient than her own, professional office.
It wasn't hard for her to realize that this guy was stubborn and wouldn't open up willingly, either. Yes, he was stubborn, and so were she. Twenty minutes had passed in silence. That was enough.
"That is a very... interesting gym Charles has down there," she stated nonchalantly, looking at the forest around her, but not at him.
Silence.
"I know you're a mutant."
"How d'you know?" came the low voice. Logan never liked being recognized as a mutant. Not that he was ashamed about it, but being unnoticeable had often proved quite useful.
"Well, you flashed your claws in our first session. I thought they were a mutation, but they could've been knives or another kind of weapon. Today, I was in that room above the gym, and saw you again." she explained.
Silence again.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked.
"Try me."
"Were you born with these... uh..."
"Claws. No."
Silence. This time, she didn't reply. She had given him a few things to think about. Now, all she had to do was wait and listen. Something, she was sure, would come out of him.
But fifteen minutes later, the sun set and he hadn't spoken another word. Claire wondered if there was a word to describe a person being this ultra stubborn. She tighted her jacket around her, almost defeated. She hated that. She could make a photograph talk; she could make a rock cry. No patient had ever resisted her. They all finally opened up to her, sooner or later, but none had ever lasted this long.
She looked up at the sky, in the opposite direction from Logan, and watched the stars. She had no more choices now. She had to take the bull by the horns and live with the aftershocks.
"They grafted them into you. Having people abusing you.... That must have been horrible," she tried.
Logan had been patient... really patient. He felt quite proud of himself for not running away from that shrink, something he could have done easily. But now, she was invading territory he usually kept to himself, and she would not go further in. He had told her all the gory details in their first session, trying to scare her away, but he had never revealed the feelings that went along with the experience: the pain, the fear, the helplessness, and the hate.
In a split second, he was on her. Literally. Claws unsheathed slowly, although not menacingly. He, instead, held them up, making her see them quite closely. She wanted to know? Damnit, she would!
"Horrible?! Who d'you think you are to talk about it? No one knows!" he shouted to her face.
"So, tell me, Logan," she invited. She tried to stay calm, but she also knew that at any moment, he could experience one of these flashbacks. Which meant she wasn't quite safe right now. She tried her best to stay calm, even as he kept staring at her with those fierce eyes.
"No one knows how it was... how it is to..." Amazingly, he couldn't say the words. To him, they were emotions so strong, he never bothered to put a name to them. He just hated feeling them.
"To what, Logan? To feel helpless, hopeless, abused..." she added "violated?" in a quiet voice.
"You shrinks!" he pushed her against the ground, covering her so she couldn't move. "Ye're all the same. Ye think you understand everythin', but you don't! Ye're playin' with my head," he snarled.
"I understand what you're feeling, Logan," she whispered.
"How could you?!! You've never..." he started yelling at her face.
"Yes, Logan. I do. I know what being violated is like," she cut him off.
He stared at her, as realization dawned on him.
Loki
**********
"What? When?"
"This isn't a contest, Logan. I'm not going to share my problems with you so we can decide who's suffered more. This is about you. Until you face what they did to you, allow yourself to feel something other than hate and anger, you'll never recover. You have to allow yourself to mourn.
"They took control of your life. You think you escaped them when you ran away, but you didn't. Until you allow yourself to face what happened to you, to finally feel everything you've bottled up inside, you're still their prisoner. They stole your past, but unless you take action, they will steal your future as well."
Silence. Logan just stared at her, absorbing what she'd told him. Leaning back and retracting his claws, he sat down in front of her, staring at the tree roots before him.
They stayed there, Claire looking at Logan, Logan looking at the ground, for quite some time before he spoke.
"I don't know how."
"How to what, Logan?"
"How to stop feeling like I do. Do you think I like the nightmares, the rages, the fear I'll hurt someone I care about?"
"It's the way you've been coping with what happened to you for as long as you can remember. It will be difficult to change, but you have friends willing to help you."
"They think I'm nuts."
"No they don't, Logan. Everyone has problems, mutants more so. I think Xavier's school alone has financed my house, my car, my trip to the Bahamas, well, you get the point. They understand."
Logan nodded.
"Are you ready try?"
Logan nodded again.
They didn't return to the mansion until well into the next morning.
-----
One year later...
-----
"Cannonball!"
Marie and Jubilee were splashed by a massive wave as they sunbathed next to the pool.
"Logan!" "Wolvie!" they screamed in unison.
Logan climbed out of the pool with a cheeky grin, and leaned over the two girls, shaking his head like a dog to spray the water from his hair onto them.
"Jubilee, you should've never taught him how to swim."
"Hey, it's all Hank's fault. He invented those arm floaters that help him stay above water."
Logan just smiled and jumped back into the pool splashing them again before he started his laps.
-----
"I don't know how to thank you for what you've done for Logan, Claire."
"I did my job, Charles, like I do for all of my patients."
"You must admit that he was a more difficult case than you usually see."
"Everyone is unique, Charles, and I can't take credit for Logan's recovery. He did the work."
"Still, with all the help you've given us over the years, I can't help but think that our school needs a full-time psychiatrist. And since you already know all our secrets..."
"I'll think about it Charles, thank you." Claire said, and then turned to see Logan enjoying himself with his friends. Unshackled from his demons, his future was bright and limitless.
Khaki
