Logan's search for Professor Xavier ended at Cerebro. The Professor
was just entering when Logan caught up. He hesitated in the doorway.
"You may come in, Logan. But just as before, stand still." Logan nodded, knowing the Professor could "hear" his understanding telepathically, though that was odd to think about. He adjusted the cigar in his mouth, and remembered the Professor's warning last time.
-"Logan, my tolerance for your smoking in the mansion notwithstanding, continue smoking that in here and you'll spend the rest of your days under the belief that you're a six-year-old girl."
"You'd do that?"
"I'd have Jean braid your hair."-
And disregarded it as a joke. He took one last pull and then held it in his hand while he waited to see what the Professor was going to tell him. Last time he'd attempted to talk to Xavier while in Cerebro he hadn't gotten anywhere. It was best to wait. He let out the lungful of smock, and felt.a change.
A moment later he dropped the cigar with a very un-Wolverine-like squeal. In face, Wolverine had probably never squeak in his life. However Sarah felt it was the right thing to do. Why had she been holding that gross thing? Then the man in front of her turned his wheelchair and smiled up at her. She smiled back sweetly and then looked around with wide, interested eyes.
"Where are we?" She pronounced her "r"s with a child-like lisp, like "w"s almost.
"Cerebro," the man answered. She recognized who he was suddenly and smiled at him cheerfully, eyes lighting up.
"Oh, Professor!" She looked around again. "Why am I here?" The Professor smiled and a moment later Cerebro's door opened.
"Never mind, my dear. Why don't you go have Jean braid your hair?" Sarah's eyes lit up. Something about those words seemed familiar, but it wasn't important. Jean braided her hair all the time. She skipped out.
Professor Xavier watched Logan skip out of Cerebro and couldn't stop a good belly laugh from having its way with him. He sent Jean a warning mentally, laughed at her shock when Logan apparently came into view, doubtlessly still skipping, and turned back to Cerebro. The doors shut behind him.
A few minutes later "Sarah" sat on the floor of the common room, playing with a doll she'd borrowed from another girl (she couldn't remember where her own room was!). Jean sat on the couch, doing her best to "braid" Logan's not-so-long hair. Sarah glanced up at her reflection in the TV screen and smiled. She liked how Jean had arranged her long blonde hair into a crown of braids. It shone.
She'd been rather puzzled and a little hurt - she'd shed a tear in fact, but was proud to say no one saw it - when the other students had laughed when she'd shyly asked Jean to braid her hair. But Jean has spoken with them quietly and they'd quit.
"Thanks!" she exclaimed, jumping up. She skipped out, and was sure she'd heard Jean laugh lightly after she'd gone. That was all right. She knew Jean was her friend and would never laugh at her. Someone must have made a joke and Sarah had missed it was all.
After a moment's confusion Sarah found her room (finally!) and went in. She flopped down and pulled the pink comforter over her. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt so tired. And it wasn't even dinnertime.
Oh well, she thought. I'll just take a nap then. She dozed off.
Logan woke up a few hours later and threw off the (pink comforter) bedspread and. He froze, halfway to his feet. What the hell was that? He looked down at the sheets. Not a touch of pink in sight. Where had that thought come from? He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair as he stood the rest of the way up.
Again his froze, this time in midstep, and brought his other hand up. Then he hurried into the bathroom and gazed into the mirror at (long blonde hair) his reflection. He looked closer. Just him, his own unique hairstyle. But.some of the longer hairs were twisted and intertwined more than normal sleep would have done. His senses picked up something and he sniffed.Jean. Her scent was on him. What had happened? He searched his memory and, after a moment, it all fell open to him.
"Holy shit, Wheels was serious!" He hurried to shower and dress and then fairly (skipped) ran through the mansion to Professor Xavier's office. A few students he passed ducked their heads and giggled as he hurried by and he felt his face redden. Which didn't make him happy. Ah, finally! He'd reached the Professor's office! He opened the door, knowing full well the Professor had heard him coming. Even someone without telepathy could have heard his progress as he grew nearer to anger. And with the Professor's abilities, well.Logan hadn't been making much of an effort to conceal his thoughts.
But what Logan saw when he entered balked any words he might have said and cooled his temper as effectively as if he'd been doused with ice water.
"Good evening, Logan." Jean's eyes danced with amusement as she greeted him. "I see you are back to your normal.frame of mind." The laughter in her voice cut into him like a knife, though this wound would not heal so quickly. She saw this and her face softened. She glanced at Professor Xavier and smiled. "I should be getting back to the children now." She touched Logan's arm gently, reassuringly, as she passed. He sighed, head tilted back and eyes closed for a moment, before looking back to Xavier. He had to pause momentarily, keeping his often-difficult temper in check. Instead he raised one eyebrow carefully, and his voice was dry when he spoke.
"Sarah?" Xavier merely smiled.
"I did warn you, Logan." Logan nodded, but didn't back of quite yet.
"But you also said the rest of my days," he said. The Professor moved his wheelchair closer by a couple of feet.
"And I very well could have. But then," he sighed and leaned back, "I decided to let you off easy." He met Logan's eyes. "This time." His smile had not moved once during this, and it didn't now.
"Easy?" Logan asked incredulously. "The students giggling, Jean braiding my hair, skipping down the halls, a do-" He cut off, paling. Rogue.
"She didn't see you," the Professor said, answering his thoughts. Logan breathed a sigh of relief. "But she will undoubtedly hear of it soon, if she has not already." Logan was almost certain his eye twitched.
"Great," he said, cutting the word off sharply at the end. With a final look at Xavier, Logan left.
"You may come in, Logan. But just as before, stand still." Logan nodded, knowing the Professor could "hear" his understanding telepathically, though that was odd to think about. He adjusted the cigar in his mouth, and remembered the Professor's warning last time.
-"Logan, my tolerance for your smoking in the mansion notwithstanding, continue smoking that in here and you'll spend the rest of your days under the belief that you're a six-year-old girl."
"You'd do that?"
"I'd have Jean braid your hair."-
And disregarded it as a joke. He took one last pull and then held it in his hand while he waited to see what the Professor was going to tell him. Last time he'd attempted to talk to Xavier while in Cerebro he hadn't gotten anywhere. It was best to wait. He let out the lungful of smock, and felt.a change.
A moment later he dropped the cigar with a very un-Wolverine-like squeal. In face, Wolverine had probably never squeak in his life. However Sarah felt it was the right thing to do. Why had she been holding that gross thing? Then the man in front of her turned his wheelchair and smiled up at her. She smiled back sweetly and then looked around with wide, interested eyes.
"Where are we?" She pronounced her "r"s with a child-like lisp, like "w"s almost.
"Cerebro," the man answered. She recognized who he was suddenly and smiled at him cheerfully, eyes lighting up.
"Oh, Professor!" She looked around again. "Why am I here?" The Professor smiled and a moment later Cerebro's door opened.
"Never mind, my dear. Why don't you go have Jean braid your hair?" Sarah's eyes lit up. Something about those words seemed familiar, but it wasn't important. Jean braided her hair all the time. She skipped out.
Professor Xavier watched Logan skip out of Cerebro and couldn't stop a good belly laugh from having its way with him. He sent Jean a warning mentally, laughed at her shock when Logan apparently came into view, doubtlessly still skipping, and turned back to Cerebro. The doors shut behind him.
A few minutes later "Sarah" sat on the floor of the common room, playing with a doll she'd borrowed from another girl (she couldn't remember where her own room was!). Jean sat on the couch, doing her best to "braid" Logan's not-so-long hair. Sarah glanced up at her reflection in the TV screen and smiled. She liked how Jean had arranged her long blonde hair into a crown of braids. It shone.
She'd been rather puzzled and a little hurt - she'd shed a tear in fact, but was proud to say no one saw it - when the other students had laughed when she'd shyly asked Jean to braid her hair. But Jean has spoken with them quietly and they'd quit.
"Thanks!" she exclaimed, jumping up. She skipped out, and was sure she'd heard Jean laugh lightly after she'd gone. That was all right. She knew Jean was her friend and would never laugh at her. Someone must have made a joke and Sarah had missed it was all.
After a moment's confusion Sarah found her room (finally!) and went in. She flopped down and pulled the pink comforter over her. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt so tired. And it wasn't even dinnertime.
Oh well, she thought. I'll just take a nap then. She dozed off.
Logan woke up a few hours later and threw off the (pink comforter) bedspread and. He froze, halfway to his feet. What the hell was that? He looked down at the sheets. Not a touch of pink in sight. Where had that thought come from? He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair as he stood the rest of the way up.
Again his froze, this time in midstep, and brought his other hand up. Then he hurried into the bathroom and gazed into the mirror at (long blonde hair) his reflection. He looked closer. Just him, his own unique hairstyle. But.some of the longer hairs were twisted and intertwined more than normal sleep would have done. His senses picked up something and he sniffed.Jean. Her scent was on him. What had happened? He searched his memory and, after a moment, it all fell open to him.
"Holy shit, Wheels was serious!" He hurried to shower and dress and then fairly (skipped) ran through the mansion to Professor Xavier's office. A few students he passed ducked their heads and giggled as he hurried by and he felt his face redden. Which didn't make him happy. Ah, finally! He'd reached the Professor's office! He opened the door, knowing full well the Professor had heard him coming. Even someone without telepathy could have heard his progress as he grew nearer to anger. And with the Professor's abilities, well.Logan hadn't been making much of an effort to conceal his thoughts.
But what Logan saw when he entered balked any words he might have said and cooled his temper as effectively as if he'd been doused with ice water.
"Good evening, Logan." Jean's eyes danced with amusement as she greeted him. "I see you are back to your normal.frame of mind." The laughter in her voice cut into him like a knife, though this wound would not heal so quickly. She saw this and her face softened. She glanced at Professor Xavier and smiled. "I should be getting back to the children now." She touched Logan's arm gently, reassuringly, as she passed. He sighed, head tilted back and eyes closed for a moment, before looking back to Xavier. He had to pause momentarily, keeping his often-difficult temper in check. Instead he raised one eyebrow carefully, and his voice was dry when he spoke.
"Sarah?" Xavier merely smiled.
"I did warn you, Logan." Logan nodded, but didn't back of quite yet.
"But you also said the rest of my days," he said. The Professor moved his wheelchair closer by a couple of feet.
"And I very well could have. But then," he sighed and leaned back, "I decided to let you off easy." He met Logan's eyes. "This time." His smile had not moved once during this, and it didn't now.
"Easy?" Logan asked incredulously. "The students giggling, Jean braiding my hair, skipping down the halls, a do-" He cut off, paling. Rogue.
"She didn't see you," the Professor said, answering his thoughts. Logan breathed a sigh of relief. "But she will undoubtedly hear of it soon, if she has not already." Logan was almost certain his eye twitched.
"Great," he said, cutting the word off sharply at the end. With a final look at Xavier, Logan left.