A few more near misses later (and after Ororo has been tied to her seat
with industrial strength tape), our team of heroes arrive at the bakery.
Kurt parks the van and they all climb out, Ororo angrily ripping at tape as she does so.
"It's Nightcrawler!" someone shrieks, and a woman nearby passes out. A mob of fans attack, waving autograph books, pens, and cameras.
"Always him, isn't it," Jean says jealously. "No one asks ME for my autograph."
"Can I have your autograph?" Ororo asks.
"No!" Jean replies sharply.
"Aww..." Ororo sulks. Jean knows instantly she'll end up with terrible sunburn or something later, and decides not to care.
While Nightcrawler deals with his fans, the X-Women deal with the donuts.
"We want donuts," Jean informs the baker.
"Girls!" The baker, George, knows them well. So many donuts he has sold them in the past. "It's-a great to see you." George is slightly Italian. "Which-a ones would you like?"
"All of them," Jean shrugs. "Charlie's hungry, and 'Crawler will be too, when he's finished with that lot."
" 'Crawler's always hungry," Ororo inputs.
George gets busy bagging up every donut in his store. "So-a how's the superhero business going?"
"Terrible," Katherine replies informatively. "The records show Spider- Man's fought twenty per cent more crime than the X-Men have, and the recent polls say even The Avengers are more popular than we are."
"That's-a the way it goes," George says sadly.
"We're twenty-ninth on that poll," Ororo adds, having heard Katherine's figures before.
"We've moved," Katherine interrupts. "We're now thirtieth out of thirty."
Ororo groans. "Everyone hates us."
"I don't-a hate you," George smiles. "You beautiful girls are my best-a customers."
"Thanks, George," Jean flicks her long hair flirtatiously.
"Come ALONG, Jeanie," Ororo says, clearly starting to get angry. "We've got Charlie's donuts, we have to leave now." She clutches her protectively by the arm and drags her out the store, leaving Katherine to pick up the donuts, and to pay.
"Don't worry about them," Katherine says. "They're just like big children, really."
Meanwhile, Kurt is still signing things and having his photo taken. A small child is trying to hitch a lift on his tail. "Mein Freunden," Kurt calls. "I am very sorry, but I have to leave now. I'm on an important mission."
"We love you, 'Crawler!" someone yells as Kurt opens the van doors for the women to climb in.
"I love you all!" Kurt yells back, winding down the window and leaning out. "To the police station!" he calls to his team mates, his head back inside the van.
Katherine glances nervously at her watch. "My schedule..."
"Stuff the schedule," Ororo says. "Let's have some fun."
"Fun," Katherine sniffs. "This is a very serious business, you know."
Ororo snorts.
The journey to the police station is a short one, but Kurt manages to have near accidents with a young couple, a businessman, and a whole line of school kids. Unfortunately, the squirrel isn't so much a near-accident as just squish. Ororo decides she isn't speaking to Kurt because of it, and then realises she isn't speaking to Katherine, or Jean either. Sulking again, she stares out of the window, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Hello," says Jean when they arrive at the station. "We think our friend might be here." She giggles and flicks her hair again. Ororo glares at her. "He's so naughty sometimes."
Ororo storms out the station doors and back to the van.
Kurt sighs. "We'd just like to know if you've arrested our friend Logan."
The woman behind the desk taps her computer with her immaculate long red nails. "Logan... Logan... and his last name?"
"He doesn't have one," Katherine says, in a business-like manner.
"All right then... is he hairy, got claws, doesn't like metal detectors?"
"Ja, that's him," Kurt says quickly.
"No, sorry then, haven't seen him in weeks."
Jean mutters something unrepeatable. "Well, have you had Spider-Man's carcass dragged in here, by any chance?"
The woman looks slightly shocked. "No, sorry. I mean, no. No, Spider-Man's still alive, as far as I know."
"Darn."
"We have to go now," Kurt informs the receptionist. He drags Jean out, Katherine following.
Back in the van, Ororo is ignoring everyone still. Jean tries to get her to speak to her again, but Ororo shoves her off her lap and turns away from everyone. "Go hug the squirrel murderer," she mumbles.
"Hey, I didn't mean to run it over! It just happened to be in the road at the wrong time..."
"Hmph." Ororo's still not impressed.
"'Ro, speak to me," Jean begs.
"She loves you, 'Ro," Kurt offers.
"Yes," agreed Jean. "I do. Really. Ororo, speak to me!"
Ororo responded with a small lightning bolt.
"Ororo, stop it! I love you!" Jean begs.
Kurt slams on the breaks quickly. "Keep going, this is getting interesting now."
Katherine folds her arms and stares out the window, slightly embarrassed. "Oh look, there's Logan!"
Logan rips the back doors open and climbs in. "Hello, ladies... something going on?"
"No," says Ororo firmly.
"Yes," says Kurt, grinning.
"No," says Katherine.
"Yes," says Jean.
BEEEEEEP! Says the horns of about twenty cars stuck behind them.
"Oops," says Kurt sheepishly. "Time to move, then." He whacks the accelerator for all it's worth and the van goes flying down the street. Logan ends up on Katherine's lap. He climbs off, and she tries to look dignified about it.
"Kurt Wagner, do you have to?" Ororo growls, forgetting she's not speaking to anyone except Logan.
"Ja, Charlie needs his donuts!" Kurt shoves his foot harder against the accelerator. "Move, darn you! Faster!"
"Uh oh, we're all gonna die," Jean mumbles.
"No, we're not! I'm a great driver!" Kurt protests. "Uh oh, traffic light!"
The breaks come on so fast Logan ends up in the front seat, on top of Kurt. "Oops, sorry Elf," he grins, and climbs back into the back.
"I need to get back to my paperwork," Katherine says, teeth gritted. "Please."
"Well, we can go a bit faster then," Kurt suggests.
"Noooo!" howls Jean and Ororo together.
"Crawler, you've broken the limit four times over!!! Please stop trying to kill us!" Logan says, trying not to sound scared.
"It's alright, this van can't possibly go any faster," Kurt says sadly. "Unless..."
* * * * *
Ororo has never been so relieved to get home as she was now. She can hear Jean throwing up in a flowerbed. Yes, Kurt always drives that way, but not THAT fast...
Kurt parks the van and they all climb out, Ororo angrily ripping at tape as she does so.
"It's Nightcrawler!" someone shrieks, and a woman nearby passes out. A mob of fans attack, waving autograph books, pens, and cameras.
"Always him, isn't it," Jean says jealously. "No one asks ME for my autograph."
"Can I have your autograph?" Ororo asks.
"No!" Jean replies sharply.
"Aww..." Ororo sulks. Jean knows instantly she'll end up with terrible sunburn or something later, and decides not to care.
While Nightcrawler deals with his fans, the X-Women deal with the donuts.
"We want donuts," Jean informs the baker.
"Girls!" The baker, George, knows them well. So many donuts he has sold them in the past. "It's-a great to see you." George is slightly Italian. "Which-a ones would you like?"
"All of them," Jean shrugs. "Charlie's hungry, and 'Crawler will be too, when he's finished with that lot."
" 'Crawler's always hungry," Ororo inputs.
George gets busy bagging up every donut in his store. "So-a how's the superhero business going?"
"Terrible," Katherine replies informatively. "The records show Spider- Man's fought twenty per cent more crime than the X-Men have, and the recent polls say even The Avengers are more popular than we are."
"That's-a the way it goes," George says sadly.
"We're twenty-ninth on that poll," Ororo adds, having heard Katherine's figures before.
"We've moved," Katherine interrupts. "We're now thirtieth out of thirty."
Ororo groans. "Everyone hates us."
"I don't-a hate you," George smiles. "You beautiful girls are my best-a customers."
"Thanks, George," Jean flicks her long hair flirtatiously.
"Come ALONG, Jeanie," Ororo says, clearly starting to get angry. "We've got Charlie's donuts, we have to leave now." She clutches her protectively by the arm and drags her out the store, leaving Katherine to pick up the donuts, and to pay.
"Don't worry about them," Katherine says. "They're just like big children, really."
Meanwhile, Kurt is still signing things and having his photo taken. A small child is trying to hitch a lift on his tail. "Mein Freunden," Kurt calls. "I am very sorry, but I have to leave now. I'm on an important mission."
"We love you, 'Crawler!" someone yells as Kurt opens the van doors for the women to climb in.
"I love you all!" Kurt yells back, winding down the window and leaning out. "To the police station!" he calls to his team mates, his head back inside the van.
Katherine glances nervously at her watch. "My schedule..."
"Stuff the schedule," Ororo says. "Let's have some fun."
"Fun," Katherine sniffs. "This is a very serious business, you know."
Ororo snorts.
The journey to the police station is a short one, but Kurt manages to have near accidents with a young couple, a businessman, and a whole line of school kids. Unfortunately, the squirrel isn't so much a near-accident as just squish. Ororo decides she isn't speaking to Kurt because of it, and then realises she isn't speaking to Katherine, or Jean either. Sulking again, she stares out of the window, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Hello," says Jean when they arrive at the station. "We think our friend might be here." She giggles and flicks her hair again. Ororo glares at her. "He's so naughty sometimes."
Ororo storms out the station doors and back to the van.
Kurt sighs. "We'd just like to know if you've arrested our friend Logan."
The woman behind the desk taps her computer with her immaculate long red nails. "Logan... Logan... and his last name?"
"He doesn't have one," Katherine says, in a business-like manner.
"All right then... is he hairy, got claws, doesn't like metal detectors?"
"Ja, that's him," Kurt says quickly.
"No, sorry then, haven't seen him in weeks."
Jean mutters something unrepeatable. "Well, have you had Spider-Man's carcass dragged in here, by any chance?"
The woman looks slightly shocked. "No, sorry. I mean, no. No, Spider-Man's still alive, as far as I know."
"Darn."
"We have to go now," Kurt informs the receptionist. He drags Jean out, Katherine following.
Back in the van, Ororo is ignoring everyone still. Jean tries to get her to speak to her again, but Ororo shoves her off her lap and turns away from everyone. "Go hug the squirrel murderer," she mumbles.
"Hey, I didn't mean to run it over! It just happened to be in the road at the wrong time..."
"Hmph." Ororo's still not impressed.
"'Ro, speak to me," Jean begs.
"She loves you, 'Ro," Kurt offers.
"Yes," agreed Jean. "I do. Really. Ororo, speak to me!"
Ororo responded with a small lightning bolt.
"Ororo, stop it! I love you!" Jean begs.
Kurt slams on the breaks quickly. "Keep going, this is getting interesting now."
Katherine folds her arms and stares out the window, slightly embarrassed. "Oh look, there's Logan!"
Logan rips the back doors open and climbs in. "Hello, ladies... something going on?"
"No," says Ororo firmly.
"Yes," says Kurt, grinning.
"No," says Katherine.
"Yes," says Jean.
BEEEEEEP! Says the horns of about twenty cars stuck behind them.
"Oops," says Kurt sheepishly. "Time to move, then." He whacks the accelerator for all it's worth and the van goes flying down the street. Logan ends up on Katherine's lap. He climbs off, and she tries to look dignified about it.
"Kurt Wagner, do you have to?" Ororo growls, forgetting she's not speaking to anyone except Logan.
"Ja, Charlie needs his donuts!" Kurt shoves his foot harder against the accelerator. "Move, darn you! Faster!"
"Uh oh, we're all gonna die," Jean mumbles.
"No, we're not! I'm a great driver!" Kurt protests. "Uh oh, traffic light!"
The breaks come on so fast Logan ends up in the front seat, on top of Kurt. "Oops, sorry Elf," he grins, and climbs back into the back.
"I need to get back to my paperwork," Katherine says, teeth gritted. "Please."
"Well, we can go a bit faster then," Kurt suggests.
"Noooo!" howls Jean and Ororo together.
"Crawler, you've broken the limit four times over!!! Please stop trying to kill us!" Logan says, trying not to sound scared.
"It's alright, this van can't possibly go any faster," Kurt says sadly. "Unless..."
* * * * *
Ororo has never been so relieved to get home as she was now. She can hear Jean throwing up in a flowerbed. Yes, Kurt always drives that way, but not THAT fast...