The Drifters
*****
Logan sat on the curb infront of the hospital, right outside the doors of the E.R. It was almost twelve, and he was meeting Hallie for lunch like he said he would. He found himself staring at the pavement idly when a young girl came out the E.R. doors, seemingly creeping away from the hospital. Logan watched with mild interest as the girl walked out infront of him, then glanced back at the hospital doors, her eyes growing wide as she bit her lip.
The girl abrubtly sat on the curb beside Logan and looked up at him with pleading eyes, whispering, "Please help me out here...just go along with whatever I say 'kay?" She practically begged Logan.
"Listen kid..." He didn't know what to do, or what the girl was going to do, so he just nodded and sat there.
"Hey kid! There you are." A man came out of the hospital dressed in scrubs, looking like some kind of doctor or surgeon or whatever. He was tall and bulky, almost looking like a wrestler, but clean shaven and he had short hair. The man stood over the girl, his arms crossed. "Look I told you that you can't leave unless a parent or guardian picks you up."
The girl looked up at him, smiling with sparkling amber colored eyes. She stood up and pointed to Logan. "This *is* my parent slash guardian."
Logan's jaw dropped for a second and he tried to wipe the shocked expression off his face as the man in the medical scrubs looked at him.
"You're the kid's father?"
Logan cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Yeh,...she's mine." he replied hesitantly.
The man sighed like he was relieved. "Sorry we couldn't get you here sooner, your kid wouldn't say anything about who her parents were or anything like that." He looked at the girl. "Why didn't you just tell me your name?"
She smiled innocently, playing her cute little kid act for the guy. "Dad always told me not to tell personal stuff to strangers."
"Mmm hmm." The guy looked back at Logan. "Well sir, you'll just have to fill out some papers and you both can go home."
Logan sighed, and as if the little girl could sense that he was not liking this, she latched onto his arm and mouthed, 'please' to him. It wasn't like Logan to get involved in anyone else's business, or really care...but he was kind of stuck now.
*****
After filling out phony information on the paperwork, Logan walked back outside, looking around for Hallie to see if she'd been waiting for him. She still wasn't there yet, so he plopped himself back down on the curb. He looked to the side as the little girl followed him and took a seat at his side. Logan raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Whaddaya want kid?", gruffly.
"Nothin'..." she trailed off, the smile fading from her face.
"What was that all about back there? You didn't want yer parents ta find out you were in the E.R. or somethin'?"
The girl shook her head. "No. I don't have parents." She paused for a second and smiled. "I just needed a few stitches...see?" she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing the stitchwork.
Logan nodded. "Sorry kid."
She shrugged. "It's okay...but I'm s'posed ta live at the orphanage...I kinda ran away..." the girl bit down on her lip and started to squirm a little. "Please don't take me back there! Don't tell! Please, I can't go back." she bowed down her head.
Logan looked over at her. He felt kind of bad for the kid, but really didn't know what he could do. "It's okay kid." he tried for changing the subject. "What's yer name?"
She smiled at him with a cocky grin. "What's *yours*?"
"Logan."
"Grace."
"Hallie."
They both turned around.
Hallie plopped down on the other side of Grace and smiled. "How ya doin'? Mind if I join? Hey Logan, you plan on eatin', 'cause I'm starved."
Logan straightened up, then got to his feet and looked at Hallie. "Guess you heard huh?"
"Yeh." Hallie pulled Logan over to her, smiling brightly at Grace who grinned and waved back. "So, can we keep her?!"
Logan smacked himself in the forhead and sighed. "She's not a puppy Hallie."
Hallie rolled her eyes, slumping to the side. "I *know* that." she shook her head. "Oh come on Logan, she doesn't have family, and we can't take her back to that orphanage. She's terrified of going back there, can't you tell?"
"We can't just keep a kid Hal, we'll be arrested for kidnapping." He told her realistically.
She just shook her head, looking back at Grace who still sat on the curb, now fiddling with her shoelaces. "Aw c'mon, she's cute. Plus *you* got connections! We can get a fake birth certificate, the works! What's your recent fake i.d. say your last name is anyway?" Hallie smirked.
Logan sighed. "Black, I think...why?"
Hallie laughed. "Very original..." she mumbled sarcastically. "Well, Grace is gonna need a last name ta put on her birth certificate *Dad*."
Logan waved his hands around in the air, shaking his head. "No way, this ain't gonna work, uh uh, I don't think so. I'm not goin' along with yer little plan this time Hallie."
She pouted. "Oh come on Logan! I'll get a new i.d. too, I can be Hallie Black!" she laughed.
Logan just cocked his head to the side, looking down at Grace. She looked so sad to him, so hopeful. Great. Now he couldn't turn the kid down. He turned back to Hallie with a half-hearted smile. "Fine...Mrs. Black." he smirked. Logan didn't think *anyone* would believe Grace was Hallie and his kid, though she could be adopted. "I'll get the paperwork done tonight. But I still don't like this idea...we live in hotels Hallie! Maybe we can find someone else who'll take her later." he grumbled the last part to himself.
Hallie just shrugged, running up to Grace and taking the kid's hands, jumping up and down. "We're gonna be a family! You don't hafta go back to that nastey orphage kid."
Grace's face lit up. "Really?!"
"Yep. But we gotta pretend me and Logan are your parents. He's gonna get everything set up, it'll be legit." Hallie smiled.
Grace arched an eyebrow, looking over at Logan. "He seems kinda...mad."
"Oh, don't worry about him." Hallie smiled, then walked over to Logan. "Hang tight for a sec kid."
Logan had his arms crossed and stared at the hospital building. "What about yer job Hal? We can't stick around here with the kid, we'll hafta move on again."
She just shrugged with a smile. "Oh that's okay...I got fired today."
His eyes widened. "What? What'd ya do?"
Hallie smiled innocently. "Well I was wheeling a gourney with some electrical thing-a-ma-jig down the hall, and when I touched it, uh..."
"Oh man..."
"I kinda zapped it by accident, shortin' out the thingy and it exploded..." she paused and smiled at Logan sheepishly. "They fired me 'cause they found out I'm a mutant...Anyway...no worries about loosin' my job now huh?" Hallie half grinned.
Logan's brows furrowed and he glanced at Grace. "What about us bein' mutants Hal...the kid..."
"Er..." she scratched the back of her head. "I'm sure she'll be fine with it. And it's not like we hafta tell her right away anyways..." Hallie grabbed Logan's arm. "C'mon, now let's go get somethin' to eat."
"Hey kid!" Logan called to Grace. "Wanna get somethin' ta eat?"
Grace smiled, walking back to Logan and Hallie. "Yeh, sure." She looked at them both. "So, where's your car?"
Logan and Hallie both looked at eachother. "Car?"
*****
Note: Ok, that was a long chapter. Hope somebody liked it. Do you think Hallie and Logan should keep Grace? It may cause them troubles later on...Right now they're both pretty young and not really thinking about consequenses, they just go on day by day, but now they've got a little kid to take care of. Where is she gonna sleep? Maybe when they move on Logan and Hallie will actually have to *share* a hotel room. haha. Yeh well...PLEASE REVIEW!
*****
Logan sat on the curb infront of the hospital, right outside the doors of the E.R. It was almost twelve, and he was meeting Hallie for lunch like he said he would. He found himself staring at the pavement idly when a young girl came out the E.R. doors, seemingly creeping away from the hospital. Logan watched with mild interest as the girl walked out infront of him, then glanced back at the hospital doors, her eyes growing wide as she bit her lip.
The girl abrubtly sat on the curb beside Logan and looked up at him with pleading eyes, whispering, "Please help me out here...just go along with whatever I say 'kay?" She practically begged Logan.
"Listen kid..." He didn't know what to do, or what the girl was going to do, so he just nodded and sat there.
"Hey kid! There you are." A man came out of the hospital dressed in scrubs, looking like some kind of doctor or surgeon or whatever. He was tall and bulky, almost looking like a wrestler, but clean shaven and he had short hair. The man stood over the girl, his arms crossed. "Look I told you that you can't leave unless a parent or guardian picks you up."
The girl looked up at him, smiling with sparkling amber colored eyes. She stood up and pointed to Logan. "This *is* my parent slash guardian."
Logan's jaw dropped for a second and he tried to wipe the shocked expression off his face as the man in the medical scrubs looked at him.
"You're the kid's father?"
Logan cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Yeh,...she's mine." he replied hesitantly.
The man sighed like he was relieved. "Sorry we couldn't get you here sooner, your kid wouldn't say anything about who her parents were or anything like that." He looked at the girl. "Why didn't you just tell me your name?"
She smiled innocently, playing her cute little kid act for the guy. "Dad always told me not to tell personal stuff to strangers."
"Mmm hmm." The guy looked back at Logan. "Well sir, you'll just have to fill out some papers and you both can go home."
Logan sighed, and as if the little girl could sense that he was not liking this, she latched onto his arm and mouthed, 'please' to him. It wasn't like Logan to get involved in anyone else's business, or really care...but he was kind of stuck now.
*****
After filling out phony information on the paperwork, Logan walked back outside, looking around for Hallie to see if she'd been waiting for him. She still wasn't there yet, so he plopped himself back down on the curb. He looked to the side as the little girl followed him and took a seat at his side. Logan raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Whaddaya want kid?", gruffly.
"Nothin'..." she trailed off, the smile fading from her face.
"What was that all about back there? You didn't want yer parents ta find out you were in the E.R. or somethin'?"
The girl shook her head. "No. I don't have parents." She paused for a second and smiled. "I just needed a few stitches...see?" she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing the stitchwork.
Logan nodded. "Sorry kid."
She shrugged. "It's okay...but I'm s'posed ta live at the orphanage...I kinda ran away..." the girl bit down on her lip and started to squirm a little. "Please don't take me back there! Don't tell! Please, I can't go back." she bowed down her head.
Logan looked over at her. He felt kind of bad for the kid, but really didn't know what he could do. "It's okay kid." he tried for changing the subject. "What's yer name?"
She smiled at him with a cocky grin. "What's *yours*?"
"Logan."
"Grace."
"Hallie."
They both turned around.
Hallie plopped down on the other side of Grace and smiled. "How ya doin'? Mind if I join? Hey Logan, you plan on eatin', 'cause I'm starved."
Logan straightened up, then got to his feet and looked at Hallie. "Guess you heard huh?"
"Yeh." Hallie pulled Logan over to her, smiling brightly at Grace who grinned and waved back. "So, can we keep her?!"
Logan smacked himself in the forhead and sighed. "She's not a puppy Hallie."
Hallie rolled her eyes, slumping to the side. "I *know* that." she shook her head. "Oh come on Logan, she doesn't have family, and we can't take her back to that orphanage. She's terrified of going back there, can't you tell?"
"We can't just keep a kid Hal, we'll be arrested for kidnapping." He told her realistically.
She just shook her head, looking back at Grace who still sat on the curb, now fiddling with her shoelaces. "Aw c'mon, she's cute. Plus *you* got connections! We can get a fake birth certificate, the works! What's your recent fake i.d. say your last name is anyway?" Hallie smirked.
Logan sighed. "Black, I think...why?"
Hallie laughed. "Very original..." she mumbled sarcastically. "Well, Grace is gonna need a last name ta put on her birth certificate *Dad*."
Logan waved his hands around in the air, shaking his head. "No way, this ain't gonna work, uh uh, I don't think so. I'm not goin' along with yer little plan this time Hallie."
She pouted. "Oh come on Logan! I'll get a new i.d. too, I can be Hallie Black!" she laughed.
Logan just cocked his head to the side, looking down at Grace. She looked so sad to him, so hopeful. Great. Now he couldn't turn the kid down. He turned back to Hallie with a half-hearted smile. "Fine...Mrs. Black." he smirked. Logan didn't think *anyone* would believe Grace was Hallie and his kid, though she could be adopted. "I'll get the paperwork done tonight. But I still don't like this idea...we live in hotels Hallie! Maybe we can find someone else who'll take her later." he grumbled the last part to himself.
Hallie just shrugged, running up to Grace and taking the kid's hands, jumping up and down. "We're gonna be a family! You don't hafta go back to that nastey orphage kid."
Grace's face lit up. "Really?!"
"Yep. But we gotta pretend me and Logan are your parents. He's gonna get everything set up, it'll be legit." Hallie smiled.
Grace arched an eyebrow, looking over at Logan. "He seems kinda...mad."
"Oh, don't worry about him." Hallie smiled, then walked over to Logan. "Hang tight for a sec kid."
Logan had his arms crossed and stared at the hospital building. "What about yer job Hal? We can't stick around here with the kid, we'll hafta move on again."
She just shrugged with a smile. "Oh that's okay...I got fired today."
His eyes widened. "What? What'd ya do?"
Hallie smiled innocently. "Well I was wheeling a gourney with some electrical thing-a-ma-jig down the hall, and when I touched it, uh..."
"Oh man..."
"I kinda zapped it by accident, shortin' out the thingy and it exploded..." she paused and smiled at Logan sheepishly. "They fired me 'cause they found out I'm a mutant...Anyway...no worries about loosin' my job now huh?" Hallie half grinned.
Logan's brows furrowed and he glanced at Grace. "What about us bein' mutants Hal...the kid..."
"Er..." she scratched the back of her head. "I'm sure she'll be fine with it. And it's not like we hafta tell her right away anyways..." Hallie grabbed Logan's arm. "C'mon, now let's go get somethin' to eat."
"Hey kid!" Logan called to Grace. "Wanna get somethin' ta eat?"
Grace smiled, walking back to Logan and Hallie. "Yeh, sure." She looked at them both. "So, where's your car?"
Logan and Hallie both looked at eachother. "Car?"
*****
Note: Ok, that was a long chapter. Hope somebody liked it. Do you think Hallie and Logan should keep Grace? It may cause them troubles later on...Right now they're both pretty young and not really thinking about consequenses, they just go on day by day, but now they've got a little kid to take care of. Where is she gonna sleep? Maybe when they move on Logan and Hallie will actually have to *share* a hotel room. haha. Yeh well...PLEASE REVIEW!