Hi to all the lurkers reading this. Thanks for checking out the new chapter and please consider leaving a review. Every time I spot a reader's comment, I do a happy dance and write a new chapter. Please enjoy the latest adventures in the Logan family universe, and if you wish to, let me know which topics you would love to see tackled in the next chapters.
Jean pulled a book from the shelf and flicked through it. The bookstore was close to the college, and she liked to make a purchase each time she visited. On the outskirts of Bayville, it was her favorite store. Even the enticing smell of coffee from the small food court failed to shake her from her thoughts as she tried to remember every lie she had told in the last few days. It was growing more difficult to keep track and she wished there was an easier way to do this.
"Can we buy this one?" Anna asked, walking over with a large book in her hand. She held it up like it was her most prized possession. "Look what it comes with!"
Glancing her way, Jean frowned. "I can't believe anyone would sell a book with a free slingshot, it's really irresponsible. They're dangerous, Anna. Put it back and we can choose a book together." When Anna hugged the book instead, Jean took it from her and returned it to the shelf. "This is a really nice store, aren't you having fun?"
Anna shook her head and scowled. "Ah don't like it without that book," she complained, jumping onto a soft chair shaped like a large sack. "Ah want that book."
"You can't have it," Jean replied, taking out her phone. She opened the first page of the book and took a snapshot of the publisher's name. She considered sending them a complaint, but she knew Logan would tease her over it.
"Ah want that book," Anna whined again and scowled up at the ceiling with a huff.
Checking the time, Jean gasped. "Come on, we're running late," she said, rushing for the exit.
Anna scrambled to her feet and ran after her mama. "What about the book?"
"You still can't have it," she replied, holding Anna's hand when they left the store and crossed the busy parking lot.
#
The hall was crowded with balloons, gifts and dozens of Jean's colleagues who were attending the college president's retirement party with their families. Jean entered the hall with Anna and sighed. "We can have fun here," she told the girl. "But you really need to behave. This is important, Anna. These are my colleagues and I need to make a good impression."
"Why couldn't Daddy come?" Anna asked, looking around the room in boredom.
"He told me he's allergic to parties," Jean explained, sending a text to Scott, and putting her phone on silent. She spotted the Dean approaching and smiled. "Hi, how are you?"
"Jean," the Dean said, stopping to say hello. She smiled widely. "How are you feeling? I was worried when I learned you had asked for a sabbatical."
"It's nothing really, I just needed to spend time with my family after a sudden bereavement," Jean explained with another lie to keep track of.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't realize you had a family," the Dean said, surprised. "You never mentioned it during any of our discussions."
"I like to keep my private life, uh, private," she explained, apologizing again, and resting her hands on Anna's shoulders. "This is my daughter."
The Dean smiled and held her hand out for the girl to shake. "And what's your name, young lady?"
"Anna," she answered, shaking the lady's hand. "What's yours?"
"Linda," the Dean replied. "You're adorable. Is your father here too?"
"He hates parties 'cause he's allergic to them," Anna answered, walking away to look at the four-tiered chocolate cake at the other end of the room.
Jean gave a polite smile. "She's joking," she said. "Logan's busy this afternoon."
The dean looked confused for a moment. "I thought you said your fiancé's name was Scott?"
"It was," she responded and checked to see what Anna was doing. "I'm sorry, can you excuse me for a moment? I need to stop Anna from eating the chocolate frosting."
#
Jean continued to liaise with her colleagues and their families, making dozens of new connections after pausing to forbid Anna from touching the chocolate cake again. She stopped to talk to the Dean's husband who used a wheelchair, and they discussed the college and were soon talking about his experiences in several dozen war zones. "I have to be honest, Jean. This is the first public event I've attended since my retirement," he explained. "I've brought two former soldiers from my unit along with me. After the horrors we've suffered, I told them this party will be good for our souls."
"I'm sorry to hear you've had a difficult time," Jean replied with genuine concern. "I understand what it's like to live through traumatic experiences on a battlefield."
"I didn't realize you had served," he said with a smile. "Which unit?"
Jean sighed inwardly because she had to tell another small lie. "My husband served while our daughter was a baby," she said. "He's a complicated man. I'm just sorry he couldn't make it today; he would have loved meeting you."
Anna, meanwhile, had made friends with a few of the kids at the busiest table in the room. She had left the cake alone because one of the boys had let her hold a slingshot. "There's nothin' to put in it," she complained, searching around for something sharp.
"You're a dumbass," the boy told her, taking it back. "You don't use it inside, it's an outside toy."
"No, it ain't," Anna argued, snatching it back and checking all the tables. Finding nothing useful, she went outside to collect some stones and returned to the hall. After some further thought, she found the perfect spot to stand, and climbed on top of a chair. She armed the slingshot with the first stone and aimed it at the balloons.
Jean had continued to talk to the Dean's husband. Just as she was about to thank him for his service, there was a loud pop that sounded like a gunshot. The two men from the military, who were carrying deep psychological wounds from war, immediately panicked. The second, third, fourth and fifth balloons popped, and the soldiers dived for cover under their tables. They shook from fear as the sixth and largest balloon went bang! The Dean's husband looked completely flustered and wheeled away in search of his soldiers.
Jean swung around to search for Anna and her mouth dropped open when she saw the girl popping another balloon with a slingshot. "I'm sorry," she told her colleagues and marched across the hall, her heeled shoes the only sound that could be heard.
She pulled Anna down from the chair, took the slingshot off her and threw it on a nearby table. Taking a firm hold of the girl's hand, she furiously dragged her to the nearest exit. She had never felt this angry or embarrassed in her entire life. Why did this have to happen today? "What were you thinking, Anna Logan!" It wasn't a question; it was absolute anger.
"Ah was only playin'," Anna said, unsure what the big deal was. "It was boring in there waiting for the cake."
"I've got something to cure your boredom," Jean told her sternly, reaching the disabled restroom and swinging the door open. She pushed Anna inside, stepped in after her and locked the door with her powers. She slammed the toilet seat closed with a flick of her hand and sat down. She flipped Anna over her lap and started to rain spanks down on her upturned butt. Swat after swat landed and the girl started to howl in pain.
Anna kicked her feet in frustration. "Mama, this ain't fair!" she wailed.
"You're right, it isn't," Jean agreed, flipping the girl's skirt up and tugging her panties down. She resumed the spanking, her palm cracking down until she had reached twelve searing swats. She started to calm down when she heard Anna's sobbing. Stopping the spanking, shame flooded through her, and she wished she had never read that parenting blog. She pulled Anna's panties into place, helped her up and brushed her tears away. "I'm sorry," she said, hugging the girl tightly. Looking up at the ceiling, she silently cursed. This was the worst work function she had ever attended.
#
Logan sat on the edge of the bathtub and looked out the window. He watched the ocean waves striking the shore and waited for Jean to tell him the full story. He had noticed the frostiness between her and Anna when they arrived back at the hotel. Anna had run straight to her room and Jean had gone to sulk in the bathtub. "I can see for miles out there," he grunted.
Jean finished her glass of wine and watched the same window. "So can I," she said, reaching forward to turn the tap on because her bath water was currently lukewarm.
Growing impatient, Logan growled. "What happened?"
"I took Anna to a bookstore, and she hated it. She wanted a book that had a slingshot in, and I told her she couldn't have it," Jean explained, never breaking eye contact with the window. "Then I took her to that party I mentioned and while I talked to a veteran, she used a boy's slingshot to pop balloons." He grunted, still impatient and she continued. "There were three veterans there, Logan. One was the Dean's husband, and he was in a wheelchair. All of them have PTSD. Then Anna popped all those balloons and two of the soldiers were terrified. I mean, they actually dived for cover, and I was so angry at her."
"That's understandable," he grumbled, feeling the same way towards Anna's behavior.
"That's not the point, you don't understand," she told him. "I dragged her from that party all the way to a restroom and I spanked her. I really spanked her, Logan. She cried."
He shrugged and failed to see why Jean had needed her sulk. "It sounds like she deserved it, Darlin'."
Jean gazed at him and nodded slowly. "After I finished punishing her, I felt so guilty I told her I was sorry."
Logan heaved a sigh and took a cigar from his pocket. "Why'd you go and do a thing like that?"
"Because she cried," she replied, annoyed. "She was really crying and then there was a knock at the door. The Dean's husband was outside. I'm not disabled, but he is, and I made him wait until Anna had stopped crying. I mean, I didn't know it was him, but I still made him wait. I can never show my face at that college again."
Logan snorted at that and stood with his cigar ready to be lit. "Now who's being dramatic. They'll get over it, Jean."
"What if they don't and I lose my job? Anna hates me, Scott's going to dump me, and my job is the only thing I have left," she said, fearful again.
It wasn't the only thing she had left, he thought and left her alone in the bathroom to finish up.
#
After his long smoke on the balcony, Logan tossed his jacket on the couch and headed to Anna's room. He opened the door and tilted his head to the side when he looked at her bed. "You comfortable under there?"
Anna had laid on her back with her feet in the air. She used them to hold up her makeshift tent made from her sheets.
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Not talking, huh?" he said, walking over to her bed and sitting down beside her. He tickled her on the feet to see if that got a reaction. She soon squirmed, put her feet down and pulled the sheets off her face. "Good," he grunted. "Now we can talk. You mind filling me in on what happened with the slingshot?" She gave him a pout and he glared at her. "I could easily give you another spanking, Stripes. What you did today hurt a lot of people."
"It was an accident," she said sadly.
He raised an eyebrow at her answer. "Did you pick up the slingshot?"
She nodded.
He held out his hand to her. "Who went and fetched the stones?"
"Ah did," she admitted, holding his hand.
"Who came up with the plan and fired those little rocks at the balloons?" he asked her gruffly, pulling her to him.
"Meh," she said in a small voice, looking scared.
Logan sighed and sat her on his knee. "What made you do something that dumb?" he asked her with a hug. "Some of those guys there had come back from war, and you went and scared the crap out of them. Do you know why?" When Anna shook her head, he explained further. "I don't either but fighting in battles can leave scars you can't see with your eyes. They were hurting because of their past, you understand now?"
"Ah think so," she said, glancing at him. "Ah'm sorry, Daddy."
"Not sorry enough," he answered, turning her over his knee and swatting her twice. He stood her up and tilted her chin to look at her tearful eyes. "You made a mistake today, Stripes. Don't do it again. Now, go find Jean and tell her you're sorry." The girl started to sniffle, and he brushed her tears away. After a few minutes, he turned her in the direction of the door and swatted her again. "Do as you're told."
#
Jean dried herself off and slipped into her nightgown again. She drained the water from the bathtub and picked the empty wineglass up. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and felt disgusted. She was a failure as a mom. Just as she beat herself up again, the bathroom door flung open, and Anna ran into her arms. A surprised Jean carefully put the glass down beside the sink and hugged her.
Logan stood in the doorway and looked at them both. "We had a talk," he told Jean.
Jean frowned at him and continued to hug the girl. "What kind of talk?" she asked him.
"It was a few words followed by a few swats," he grunted, walking away, and leaving them to it.
She led Anna to the bedroom and towards the bed. Sitting down, she continued to hug her. "Do you want to talk?" she whispered to the girl. "You can trust me, I'm a great listener."
"Ah'm sorry, Mama," she sobbed, really meaning it this time.
"I know you are, and we forgive you," she said, kissing Anna's forehead and hugging her again. She rocked the girl back and forth on her knee, sighing sadly. "I'm sorry too, maybe you weren't ready to attend a party at my work. It doesn't mean you can't visit me though. Logan can bring you next time and we can go for lunch."
Anna nodded sleepily, snuggling against Jean, and closing her eyes. Jean continued to rock her and eventually smiled to herself when she realized Anna had fallen asleep without her having to use her powers.
#
Logan and Jean both watched the bedroom ceiling and were lost in their thoughts. "You didn't have to be the bad guy, Logan," she said quietly after a lifetime of thought.
He grunted and answered when he felt like it. "She deserved those swats, and I don't feel guilty for doing it."
She rolled her eyes and understood why he continued to be grouchy. "I'm sorry for apologizing to her twice, okay? I didn't know what else to say to her. I keep telling you I'm trying my best, but the parenting blog failed to mention what to do after the spanking. I guess I really did panic."
"You don't need to be reading blogs to help you with this. People have done it for centuries." He turned his head to look at her. "It's pretty simple, Jean. You yell at her, wallop her, wait until she says sorry, then you hug her."
She hushed him and checked on Anna. "You're going to wake her if you're not careful."
Logan looked at the kid lying between them in the bed. "She's dead to the world. I guess causing trouble helps her sleep." He sat up and reached for his jacket, grabbing his lighter and cigar. "If that kid doesn't kill me the smoking will," he muttered, leaving the room, and heading for the balcony.
Jean followed him, the hem of her nightgown twirling in the light breeze on the cool June night. She listened to the tide and thought she could get used to living here. "I didn't mean what I said earlier."
"Which part?" he asked her, having trouble keeping up with her mouth.
"In the bathtub, when I hurt your feelings," she reminded him. "Today's been a disaster, Logan. I've made a mess of everything."
"You've had worse days," he pointed out, taking a long drag of his cigar, and putting his arm around her when he noticed her shivering.
"Thanks for reminding me," she said with a smile, glancing up at the moon. "Do you think we're good parents?"
"It's been three days, but I think we're doing just fine," he told her, confused by her reluctance to agree with him. "She's still alive, ain't she?"
"She won't be for long if she only eats pancakes and chocolate frosting," Jean murmured, dreading tomorrow but enjoying his company.
He snorted at that and suddenly thought of something he had failed to share with her. "I caught Hargreaves' scent earlier," he said steadily. "Down there, by the pool and in the lobby."
Jean frowned, confused for a moment. "Why would his scent be here?"
Logan chomped on his cigar and looked at the poolside. "Why do you think? There's still an investigation running, and he's taken to sitting at one of those tables."
"What if he finds out about the fight at the last hotel?" she asked worriedly, glancing down at the pool area.
"He already knows, that's why he's here," Logan warned her, and tapped his ears to show he had overheard a conversation. He steered her inside and locked the balcony doors behind them. "We need to make this fake marriage work for Rogue's sake. Once the investigation is closed down, you'll get your annulled marriage, and we can head home."
Jean nodded, still worried but trusting him. "We've been through worse," she said.
Logan smirked at her, and she smiled at him. He snuffed his cigar out in an ashtray and sat on the couch, watching her walk over to him. "Have your legs always been that long?"
"Compliments are welcome, especially tonight," an amused Jean told him, settling beside him. They shared a silent look, and she brushed her hand across the strap of her nightdress, letting it slip down her shoulder. "After the day I've had, I would welcome anything."
"Anything, huh?" he grunted with a grin and snaked his arms around her waist.
#
"WAKE UP!" Anna yelled, standing a foot away from the couch. In her hands was a hastily made loudspeaker she had created from the breakfast menu. "WAKE UP, MAMA! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
A startled Jen woke on the couch, confused at first, then terrified. She struggled to her feet and pulled the straps of her nightdress into place. "What's wrong? Is there a fire?" she asked worriedly, rushing to Anna, and looking around the hotel suite.
Anna shook her head. "Ah just wanted to sit there," she said, pointing at the couch.
"Oh," Jean replied, frowning while she watched the girl sit down and turn the TV on. "There are more polite ways to wake someone up, Anna. Where's Logan?"
"He's gone to get breakfast 'cause he don't trust the folks on the phone to do the goddamn job right," she said, repeating what she had heard Logan say.
"Of course he doesn't," she replied, shaking her head and walking to the bedroom. She paused and decided maybe it was better to talk to Anna before she showered. Returning to the couch, she sat down and looked at the TV. "I want to talk about yesterday."
"Again?" Anna said with a scowl, changing the channels a dozen times because she hated everything.
"I think it's important to talk about this because the blog I read says communication is important," Jean explained, taking the remote from Anna and searching for a child-friendly show.
The girl looked at her, almost interested in what she had to say. "What's a blog?"
"It's where people share ideas and thoughts because most of the time, they think their way of doing things is better than yours," Jean explained, putting down the remote when she found a cartoon channel. "The problem is, people like me read them and when we decide to follow their advice, often we have no idea what we're doing and can make things worse."
"Ah don't get it," Anna said with a huff. "Are blogs good or not?"
"I haven't decided yet," she admitted, taking Anna's hand in hers. "When I spanked you yesterday, I was angry. I really should have waited until I calmed down and that's why I'm sorry. Does that make sense?" Anna shrugged, unsure if anything her mama said made any sense. Jean tried again. "I'm sorry I spanked in anger, but I'm not sorry I spanked you." She swept the hair from Anna's face, trying to detangle it. "You deserved the spanking because you were naughty and if you're naughty again I'm going to spank you."
"Ah don't like what ya doin' or sayin'," Anna complained, trying to pull away from Jean's hands when a difficult tangle was caught.
"I don't mind," Jean replied, levitating a hairbrush over to them and brushing Anna's hair while they sat there. "You don't have to agree with every decision I make, Anna. This isn't a dictatorship, but you have to listen to me and Logan. We love you and we want what's best for you."
"Ah still want that book, Ah need it," Anna said, trying to scoot away again when another tangle was caught in the brush.
Jean firmly pulled her back to sit in front of her. She doubted that book would remain on their shelves after she had sent a scathing review to the publishers. Brushing Anna's hair again and concentrating on a knot, she sighed. "If you ever use a slingshot again, I'm going to use this hairbrush on your butt."
A scowling Anna looked over her shoulder. "Ya can't do that."
"Yes, I can," Jean replied, gathering the girl's hair to one side so she could concentrate on another tangle. "When I was nine my mom had a special hairbrush."
Anna didn't understand and she still fought against the detangling of her hair. "What was special about it?"
Jean frowned, holding the brush up and giving Anna a stern look. "It stung," she said in a warning tone. "Sit still, I need to brush your hair. Where did all these tangles come from? It's like you're infested with them."
Scowling as the brushing continued, Anna reached for the remote. "Can Ah make this fly too?"
A sighing Jean ignored her for a moment. "We can talk about that later," she said, concentrating on another knot of tangled hair. While she thought of ways to explain mutations, her focus was pinned to one tangle that seemed to take forever to brush out.
Growing bored and restless, Anna picked up the remote and wanted to make it fly. She glanced to her left, then her right. Liking the left more, she aimed for the main door of the hotel suite and let it fly. Her way of flying a remote was to throw it as hard as she could.
The door opened and Logan carried a paper bag crammed full of breakfast items. Steadying the bag in one arm, he raised an eyebrow at the remote flying his way and caught it with his free hand. "You already heard the kitchen's out of pancakes, Stripes?" he said, walking in.
Jean winced when Logan caught the remote and then counted to ten to calm herself down. "One, two, three, four." She watched Logan carry the food to the small kitchenette and continued to count. "Five, six, seven, eight."
Logan stalked over to them and held the remote in front of Anna. When she tried to grab it, he snatched it from her reach. "This here's an object that shouldn't be thrown," he growled at her.
"Ah didn't throw it, it flew," Anna said, looking at Logan.
"Nine, ten, eleven, twelve," Jean continued to count because she hadn't calmed down.
"Oh yeah?" he said, hauling the girl to her feet and handing her the remote. "You show me how it flew."
Anna raised the remote in the air again, ready to let it fly. Logan caught her hand and took the remote from her. "Sit your ass down and stop throwing stuff around," he ordered, dropping the remote on the coffee table with a thud and heading back to the kitchenette.
"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Okay, I feel calmer now," Jean said, exhaling loudly and pulling Anna to her again. She searched for the last tangle on the girl's head and glanced at Logan. "Why are you always better at handling everything?"
"I don't overthink it," he grunted, taking the food out of the bag, and looking her way.
Jean finished brushing Anna's hair and walked over to Logan. She crossed her arms while she watched him portioning the food and adding most of it to his plate. "You've bought enough food to feed an army," she said.
"That's the way I like it," he answered, dishing up her breakfast next. "You got something else to say?"
"I would have spanked her for throwing the remote," she whispered to Logan, not wanting Anna to overhear their disagreement.
"Then why didn't you? When I came over to the couch you were busy doing math," he reminded her with a snort.
"It's a technique I read on the blog," she explained, annoyed. "I was calming down, so I didn't punish her when I was angry. I thought that's what we agreed? I told you last night I didn't want to spank her again when I was angry."
"You should have said something," he told her, leaving her plate on the side "After all, I'm not the one who can read minds, Jean."
Jean watched him hand a plate to Anna on the couch. She cringed slightly because she thought Anna should be eating at the table instead. When she thought about being a parent, she realized it was more stressful than juggling her job at the college with her role as an X-Man. She took her phone and deleted the parenting blog she had previously saved. Maybe with Logan's help, they would work better as a team if she stopped taking advice from blog posts.
"Logan," Jean said, watching him look her way. "I'll handle it next time."