Author: Lucinda

rating: pg, pg 13

main characters: Joyce Summers, Logan

Eighth in the 'Such A Nice Girl' series.

Pairings: mention of budding Joyce/Logan

disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or X-Men the movie.

distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula - anyone else please ask first

note: post X-Men movie #1, Movie #2 did not happen. Start of season 3 for BtVS.



Joyce hadn't quite known what to expect when Logan had shown up at the gallery. Somehow, he hadn't given the impression that he was terribly interested in art. She still wasn't certain if that was why he'd really arrived or not, considering that while he had helped her get the new showing set up, he'd also spent the time asking her about Buffy, and about Willow and Xander.

He'd been curious about what sort of families they had, about their hobbies and dating histories. Logan had asked careful questions that she'd eventually realized were trying to figure out if any of the teens had been displaying prejudices. He seemed so much the overprotective parent just then...

"If you're going to keep quizzing me over the kids, then why don't we go sit down for coffee?" Her words had carried a mix of exasperation and invitation.

For a moment, he'd just blinked, his whole body tense and still. As the smile had slowly appeared, his body had relaxed. "Why not? There's a little place down the street."

She'd walked beside him down to the coffee shop, feeling oddly aware of his presence, although she couldn't quite explain why. She kept sneaking little glances at him, partly because she was still trying to understand how he had come to be Marie's almost father. Logan wasn't bad to look at either.

"Anything in particular that I should keep in mind about this place?" He'd had this little smile when he asked, as if there was something amusing.

"Hmmm… other than the fact that a number of the teenagers come here when they can… If the person making the syrup is a guy about your height with a pierced eyebrow and sort of thin hair dyed blond, he adds the flavor syrups a bit heavy." She'd smiled, finding the idea of coffee with Logan curiously comfortable.

"gleeehhh." Logan shuddered. "Not for me. I'll just take it black, no cream, no sugar. Less chance of them doing something strange to it that way."

"You haven't been around the whole coffee house thing very much, have you?" She just laughed, shaking her head at him. "I think we can manage some basic black coffee for you."

As it turned out, getting Logan some basic coffee was much easier than finding a good seat, but they managed both, settling at a tiny table with their steaming cups. The seating felt close, almost intimate, as if they were leaning close on a date. Oddly enough, the idea didn't bother her, although she wasn't certain if Logan would notice, or even think of things quite the same – he was a man, after all. A rather fascinating man, if occasionally baffling and frustrating.

"Sunnydale looks like a pretty nice town, on the surface." Logan's comment was soft, and he appeared to be gazing out the window. Joyce had the impression that he was looking into memory, or maybe the shadows of almost memory. "Most of the people don't seem to bad."

"I suppose the problems would get blurred away as unfriendly wildlife, or rampant gang conflicts…" Joyce sighed, lifting her cup. "Although I don't think I've actually seen any evidence of real gangs in the town."

"Probably anybody that tries to make one gets eaten." Logan's voice was low, sorrowful. "I don't know where, but this stuff… I think I knew about it before. It doesn't surprise me."

"It must be difficult, going through life without being quite certain what happened before. How do you… how can you learn from your past if you can't remember it?" She sipped her coffee, looking at Logan.

"I guess… the hard way. But there seem to be a few things that… it's sort of like an echo. Of course, I think I heard somewhere that the best thing to do for missing memories is to find something that doesn't feel so strange and stick with it." Logan sort of glanced at her, as if he was trying to figure out her reaction.

Was this some sort of subtle check to see if she'd want him to stay? Or was she reading thing into the situation that weren't there? She could feel her cheeks growing warm as she answered him. "I wouldn't call Sunnydale safe, but… You and Marie are welcome here, for as long as you'd like to stay."

"Maybe it isn't safe, but there's a certain appeal here." Logan was looking right at her, with this sexy smile that seemed to heat up the whole room. "If nothing else, it's good to be useful, and to know there's at least one person who isn't afraid of me… of us."

Joyce wasn't quite certain if he was talking about the mutant issue, or if he'd somehow slid into a discussion of relationships. She wanted it to be… well, that wasn't very realistic, was it? This was not one of those silly romance novels that Buffy enjoyed, and she secretly leafed through while Buffy was at school. She might not look bad for the mother of a teenage girl, but Logan wasn't going to be irresistibly and powerfully drawn to her. She didn't have unguessed at levels of sensuality and hidden vixen in her. This was the real world, not the Harlequin version. "You're good company. And Marie seems to be settling in pretty well, that might do her a lot of good."

"Things are looking better for me here. Much better than New York." He was still smiling at her, and sipped at his coffee, as if he knew something interesting, some delightful secret.

"Maybe it's the fresh ocean air?" Joyce smiled, letting one hand fall onto the table. It looked casual, almost accidental.

Logan's hand came to rest on the table, his fingertips resting on hers. "I think it's more the opportunity to start over than the ocean air."

Joyce only smiled, sipping at her coffee. Things were definitely looking up, as far as she was concerned. "Opportunity can be good."

There was no mistaking that he meant more than the fresh air or the lack of a strong anti-mutant presence as his fingers slid around hers. His eyes gazed into hers, filled with so much intensity that it sucked her in, almost making her forget to breath. "There's a lot of opportunities here. I'm hoping some of them go well."

Maybe her life as a desirable woman wasn't quite as over as she'd thought. Joyce smiled back at Logan, feeling far warmer than the coffee alone could explain. "Opportunity and hope… Those are always good."

End Nice Girl 8: Opportunity and Hope.