Part III: The mansion, later that evening…
Wolverine was thrilled to have a weapon of revenge against Cyclops for hiding the motorcycle keys. Arriving back at the mansion, he couldn't wait to rub that little story in Cyke's face. And in the kitchen just after dinner, Scott provided him with a golden opportunity. "Where were you all afternoon?"
Keeping his face as blank as possible, Wolverine replied "Went out for a drink at Lily Page's Tavern."
There was a long pause, "Oh."
Logan raised his eyebrows at Cyclops and demanded, "What, no lecture? Weellll, I guess that would be a little hypocritical, wouldn't it?"
Until that point, Jean and Ororo had been cleaning up, but both of them froze at Logan's comment. As for Scott, he cleared his throat and muttered, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Logan leaned back in his seat and drawled, "It's just that the bar's namesake mentioned to me that a certain 'handsome young man with red sunglasses'" he mimicked Lily's faintly Southern accent, "once came into her saloon and got a bit tanked."
Scott turned as red as his glasses, Storm groaned, and Jean grinned sheepishly, "I guess we should've figured that you'd be the one to find out about that."
Gleefully, Wolverine pressed his advantage, "Lily told me you all knocked yourselves out. Whatsa matta, Cyclops, couldn't hold your beer?"
"I was a kid," Scott replied, aware that Logan finally had something to hold over him, and not liking it.
Jean seemed chagrined, but willing to grin and bear it, "It was Scott's idea, actually."
"What?!" Logan exclaimed, choking on a howl of laughter.
Scott glared at his fiancé as if to say, *Whose side are you on?* and Jean brushed his scowl aside with a wave of her hand, "Relax. You said yourself, we were kids. We were all entitled to a little youth rebellion."
"I should've known better," he answered stubbornly.
"What about me? I was older than you!" Jean retorted, grinning at the memory. "I didn't raise a single objection."
"Was he the first one down?" Logan asked eagerly.
Storm laughed and said, "Well, he didn't win, but he didn't lose either."
"Really? Who lost?" Logan was surprised.
Looking abashed, she admitted, "I did. Scott was down second and Jean won out. At least that's what they told me the next day." Glaring playfully at the snickering Jean, she added, "Hey now, I would have outlasted both of you if I hadn't been so ambitious!"
"What do you mean, 'ambitious?'" Wolverine just couldn't seem to form the image of a drunk Ororo in his mind.
She shrugged, blushing, "I tried drinking tequila. Those two were only drinking beer," she pointed out with a mocking gesture at Jean and Cyclops, "If I'd stuck to beer, I could have stayed conscious longer than Jean, and I'd definitely have outlasted the Virgin Liver over there."
"Hey!" Scott exclaimed, but for the first time, he began grinning too. "It's not necessary to go into that much detail."
Logan chortled behind his hand, but Jean replied, "Detail? At least she didn't tell him how plastered you were after only one beer!"
"I was NOT plastered!" Cyke blurted out as Logan roared with laughter. He kept trying to give both women dirty looks, but the conversation had triggered his previously-believed-nonexistent sense of humor, and a grin broke through. Then he admitted, "I was…just a little tipsy."
That set all of them laughing, "You see? You have to do something illegal, outrageous, and stupid at least once during your youth so you'll have something to laugh at when you're older," Jean declared, sitting down next to Scott.
Scott shook his head, still embarrassed, but he added, "I'll never forget the professor's face when we came home nursing the mother of all hangovers."
Wolverine snorted, and Jean buried her face in Scott's shoulder to smother her giggling, "D'you suppose he could hear our thoughts when we were drunk?" Storm mused.
"Good God, I hope not!"
"What thoughts? I don't remember having any!"
"I'm surprised you remember anything at all, Cyke," Logan snorted.
"Look, I wasn't that inexperienced."
"Had you ever had a drink before then? No? Got news, Bub, they don't come more inexperienced than that."
"I wasn't even twenty-one. You're supposed to be inexperienced at that age."
"Hah! Like having one party night makes you experienced. You'd still get plastered after one beer."
"That's ridiculous! I'm older, I'm more responsible—"
"—And it's been years since you've had a single drink! You've got no more tolerance than a thirteen-year-old!"
"Don't you love it when the testosterone starts flowing, Storm? Now they're arguing about their drinking prowess."
"At least they're not arguing about their sexual prowess."
"I may not be a seasoned drinker, but that doesn't mean I can't—WHAT did you say, Storm!?" Cyclops broke off and stared at the normally reserved Ororo in astonishment.
"Don't try and change the subject," Wolverine said gleefully. "I could drink bourbon while you were drinking beer, and I'd still last longer than you!"
They locked eyes and Storm glanced over at Jean, "Am I thinking what you're thinking?"
"'Fraid so."
"Oh no."
Wolverine was thrilled to have a weapon of revenge against Cyclops for hiding the motorcycle keys. Arriving back at the mansion, he couldn't wait to rub that little story in Cyke's face. And in the kitchen just after dinner, Scott provided him with a golden opportunity. "Where were you all afternoon?"
Keeping his face as blank as possible, Wolverine replied "Went out for a drink at Lily Page's Tavern."
There was a long pause, "Oh."
Logan raised his eyebrows at Cyclops and demanded, "What, no lecture? Weellll, I guess that would be a little hypocritical, wouldn't it?"
Until that point, Jean and Ororo had been cleaning up, but both of them froze at Logan's comment. As for Scott, he cleared his throat and muttered, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Logan leaned back in his seat and drawled, "It's just that the bar's namesake mentioned to me that a certain 'handsome young man with red sunglasses'" he mimicked Lily's faintly Southern accent, "once came into her saloon and got a bit tanked."
Scott turned as red as his glasses, Storm groaned, and Jean grinned sheepishly, "I guess we should've figured that you'd be the one to find out about that."
Gleefully, Wolverine pressed his advantage, "Lily told me you all knocked yourselves out. Whatsa matta, Cyclops, couldn't hold your beer?"
"I was a kid," Scott replied, aware that Logan finally had something to hold over him, and not liking it.
Jean seemed chagrined, but willing to grin and bear it, "It was Scott's idea, actually."
"What?!" Logan exclaimed, choking on a howl of laughter.
Scott glared at his fiancé as if to say, *Whose side are you on?* and Jean brushed his scowl aside with a wave of her hand, "Relax. You said yourself, we were kids. We were all entitled to a little youth rebellion."
"I should've known better," he answered stubbornly.
"What about me? I was older than you!" Jean retorted, grinning at the memory. "I didn't raise a single objection."
"Was he the first one down?" Logan asked eagerly.
Storm laughed and said, "Well, he didn't win, but he didn't lose either."
"Really? Who lost?" Logan was surprised.
Looking abashed, she admitted, "I did. Scott was down second and Jean won out. At least that's what they told me the next day." Glaring playfully at the snickering Jean, she added, "Hey now, I would have outlasted both of you if I hadn't been so ambitious!"
"What do you mean, 'ambitious?'" Wolverine just couldn't seem to form the image of a drunk Ororo in his mind.
She shrugged, blushing, "I tried drinking tequila. Those two were only drinking beer," she pointed out with a mocking gesture at Jean and Cyclops, "If I'd stuck to beer, I could have stayed conscious longer than Jean, and I'd definitely have outlasted the Virgin Liver over there."
"Hey!" Scott exclaimed, but for the first time, he began grinning too. "It's not necessary to go into that much detail."
Logan chortled behind his hand, but Jean replied, "Detail? At least she didn't tell him how plastered you were after only one beer!"
"I was NOT plastered!" Cyke blurted out as Logan roared with laughter. He kept trying to give both women dirty looks, but the conversation had triggered his previously-believed-nonexistent sense of humor, and a grin broke through. Then he admitted, "I was…just a little tipsy."
That set all of them laughing, "You see? You have to do something illegal, outrageous, and stupid at least once during your youth so you'll have something to laugh at when you're older," Jean declared, sitting down next to Scott.
Scott shook his head, still embarrassed, but he added, "I'll never forget the professor's face when we came home nursing the mother of all hangovers."
Wolverine snorted, and Jean buried her face in Scott's shoulder to smother her giggling, "D'you suppose he could hear our thoughts when we were drunk?" Storm mused.
"Good God, I hope not!"
"What thoughts? I don't remember having any!"
"I'm surprised you remember anything at all, Cyke," Logan snorted.
"Look, I wasn't that inexperienced."
"Had you ever had a drink before then? No? Got news, Bub, they don't come more inexperienced than that."
"I wasn't even twenty-one. You're supposed to be inexperienced at that age."
"Hah! Like having one party night makes you experienced. You'd still get plastered after one beer."
"That's ridiculous! I'm older, I'm more responsible—"
"—And it's been years since you've had a single drink! You've got no more tolerance than a thirteen-year-old!"
"Don't you love it when the testosterone starts flowing, Storm? Now they're arguing about their drinking prowess."
"At least they're not arguing about their sexual prowess."
"I may not be a seasoned drinker, but that doesn't mean I can't—WHAT did you say, Storm!?" Cyclops broke off and stared at the normally reserved Ororo in astonishment.
"Don't try and change the subject," Wolverine said gleefully. "I could drink bourbon while you were drinking beer, and I'd still last longer than you!"
They locked eyes and Storm glanced over at Jean, "Am I thinking what you're thinking?"
"'Fraid so."
"Oh no."