** Disclaimer in part One **
Westchester New York
Present Day……
Logan had left the mansion seven months ago, and he was startled to find how much seemed familiar and welcoming to him as he entered the complex. The iron gates, with the sin proclaiming 'Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Students.' He spun down the driveway and the mansion loomed in the view. Parking the motorcycle he had borrowed from Scott, Logan entered the mansion and walked down the richly decorated hallway. Thoughts on his first visit here haunted him.
He'd been terrified he was back at the laboratory initially. He'd attacked Jean before realization kicked in and the car crash, with the two strangers reminded him of what happened. He'd taken a tour with Charles and saw with his own two eyes that Rogue was okay. He'd never taken a protective instinct with anybody before, but with her it had come so naturally.
It was the same reason he'd jumped on his bike and rushed back as soon as Charles had called him. Not that he would admit it of course. He was the Wolverine, a single entity; he needed nobody and cared only for himself. It was survival. *Keep telling yourself that * his conscious told him. Logan snorted and knocked on the door of Charles' office.
"Come in" an elegant English voice said.
"Hey Wheels" Logan said, in an affectionate way as he took a seat in front of the Professor's desk.
" It's good to see you Logan. I'll get right to the point. There's been a mishap with the Blackbird. Jean, Scott and Ororo took the junior team out to give them some experience on the ship. For reasons, that neither Hank nor I can figure out, the ship disappeared somewhere over Point Place, Wisconsin."
"And you want me to go track them down right?"
"Yes. I would like you and Hank to track down the team and bring them back here."
"Who's Hank?"
"The new doctor and scientist. He's a genius and a very kind fellow. I believe the two of you will get along." Charles finished with a glint in his eye that raised Logan's hackles.
Logan and Charles left the office and began the decent to the laboratory where Hank was undoubtedly working on his latest scientific experiments.
Meanwhile in 1978……..
The Point Place Mall
Donna, Jackie, Jubilee, Kitty and Marie were packed into Jackie's car. The three young mutants had been 'rescued from the biggest fashion faux pause ever' by Jackie. Donna had gone along for the laughs.
"We are going to get you girls all dressed up! Now, I know you won't be as adorable as me, but face it, who really can be?" Jackie asked.
Donna looked back at the three girls, and just rolled her eyes, mouthing 'ignore her'. The five young women left the car and strolled to the mall. Jackie led the way through the modern maze of buildings until she reached 'Groovy Fashions' Kitty and Marie exchanged a look at the window display, leisure suits on one side, and frilly dresses on the other.
"Okay, so we don't know how long you're going to be here, so let's just get a little bit of everything. Donna, you take those two, they seem to be dressed fine, so your lumberjack tendencies won't influence them. I'll take the ray of sunshine here," she said pointing at Jubilee.
"Excuse me?" Jubes said, crossing her arms and smacking her gum.
"What, did I stutter?" Jackie shot back.
"I do not need fashion advice from you chica."
Jackie gave her an appraising look "sweetie, didn't anybody ever tell you that yellow isn't you color?"
"And what exactly is so bad about what I'm wearing?" Jubilee asked in a poisonous voice.
"Well, it makes you look all blotchy, and, and foreign. It's not a good color for you." Jackie said, with her usual tact.
"Well come on!" she shrieked, ignoring the scathing look from Jubilee.
"I am NOT going anywhere with someone who wears books that went out years ago." Jubes shot out.
"These boots were in this month's Vogue. I don't know if it means anything to you, but Vogue is the Bible of fashion here!" Jackie said impatiently.
"I know what Vogue is!" Jubilee said in a deceptively quiet tone.
"Oh really. Then what's with that hair, and those boots, and that shirt!?" Jackie stepped up to the taller girl, daring her to question her keen fashion sense.
Jubilee had had enough, and launched herself at Jackie. The two girls punched, kicked and bit each other, knocking over several mannequins in the process. Donna, Kitty and Marie rushed over to the two and pulled the girls apart.
"Fashion victim!" a bloody-lipped Jackie said.
"Bitch!" Jubilee answered back.
"Let's never let them alone together" Marie said in an amused tone of voice to Kitty and Donna.
The lumberjack, the bitch, the fashion victim, Kitty and Rogue once again packed into Jackie's car and headed back to the Forman basement.
Meanwhile……..
Bobby, St. John, Hyde, Fez, Kelso and Eric were sitting in the basement. The two foreign strangers were staring at the four Wisconsin teens. Nobody said anything for about 15 minutes.
"Okay, so what do you do for fun here?" Bobby asked to break the tension.
The boys looked at each other. 30 seconds later they were all seated around the table, a suspicious looking smoke wafting up.
"So, are you really from space?" Hyde asked, mellow as always.
"This room, if from space. It's like, oh wow, look at this table!" Bobby began.
"He's from space. The rest of us live on earth." St. John said.
"That girl is from space, I must get to know her. I would share my candy with her." Fez began seriously.
"Wow. Fez, that's pretty serious. I wish I had Jackie so share my candy with. Or something else. Ow Hyde!" Kelso said as Hyde decked him,
"Space, the final frontier. To boldly go where no man has gone before. That is good! That is going to be a classic someday." Eric exclaimed.
"Shut up Forman, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. If anything it will be, space, cooler than earth. Go there." Hyde said.
"Oh wow! You're psychic, that was like, what's the word? Hey, look at this table!" Bobby went on.
"No more for the iceman. Hey what is this stuff anyway?" St. John asked.
"You don't know? It is the thing that we dare not speak of. It is beautiful." Fez told him.
"Yeah, what is it called? I know you told me, but my memory just isn't what it used to be. Must be from this stuff." Kelso said wisely.
"Kelso, your memory was never good. Don't blame the, stuff of which we do not speak!"
Eric told him.
"What are you, a bunch of pansies? It's pot man. What did you think it was, incense?" Hyde asked.
Bobby and St. John suddenly bolted from the table.
"First timers. Well, least they have something to write home about." Hyde said.
On the road…….
"It's a pleasure meeting you Logan. I've heard much about you. Mostly from a most delightful young woman." Hank informed Logan.
"Yeah? Good." Logan said, smiling inwardly, but not wanting Hank to see it. He had a good vibe about the guy, but still, you never knew who was really on your side at first.
"So, according to this map, we should arrive at our location in just about an hour. It will be quite interesting to see what happened. I am eager to test the blackbird, see if there has been any unusual electrical patterns." Hank said, ever the scientist.
"Yeah, well we'll get there soon." Logan said before the two-lapsed back into silence. His mind drifted back to Marie. He wondered how surprised she would be to see him. He was a little more nervous than he would care to admit. He knew she was only 17, and he didn't even know how she felt about him, but to him, she was the one. The thought scared him, but it was a pleasant fear.
He was an hour away from Marie, life could defiantly be worse.