Logan, after taking Jocelyn to Hanks office had gone in search of Scott, he found him working in the physics room stacking boxes of books outside the store cupboard. He noticed Logan lingering near the doorway, always reluctant to enter the used classrooms.

Scott straightened up looking wary as he always did when alone with Logan.

"Logan"

"Scott" Scott was surprised that Logan called him by his real name instead of Cyclops as he usually did in that slightly patronizing tone he hated so much.

"Can I help you? Are you looking for Joscelyn?" Logan entered the room and took the second of the two heavy boxes Scott was trying to hold without looking like he was struggling and placed it on the desk.

"No-oo, I left her with Hank a few minutes ago, only half an hour late." He smiled slightly, again Scott was surprised that Logan was being almost friendly but he didn't want to push it so he tried to reciprocate.

"Then what can I do for you? I assume this is about Joscelyn." Logan nodded, he looked uncomfortable.

"I wanted to ask you…" he paused, then started again, refusing to meet Scott's eyes, like a chastened child. "Joss had been told that she has to apologise to you, and she will but…" Scott listened, frowning.

"But?"

"But you know as well as I do that she probably won't mean it," Scott nodded.

"Yes, but I did rather expect that. What did you want to ask me?" Logan hesitated; he hated what he was about to ask.

"I wanted to ask you….as a favour to me" Scott raised his eyebrows and nodded for him to go on, he did, cringing he did so "to accept her apology and leave it at that…I know that you do care about the kids here, and she is just a kid despite everything." he finished looking at Scott almost pleadingly. Scott thought for a moment to check that he hadn't just imagined Logan asking him to do him a favour that would actually benefit someone else.

"Why are you asking me this, Logan? I would have accepted, I know she's just a kid, that's why I hate to see her drinking and smoking like…" he tailed off.

"…like me?" Logan finished for him, Scott nodded a little, smiling slightly. "I'm asking because I thought that you would make a big deal about it and I know that if you argue with her she will probably hit you again and I might not be here to stop her and… I don't want her to get into anymore trouble."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yes" Logan squared his shoulders daring Scott to take the piss but he didn't, just nodded.

"Okay, I'll accept her apology and leave it at that." Logan nodded and turned to leave, pausing in the doorway he turned back.

"Thanks." he said awkwardly and left before Scott could reply. He watched him go, smiling, Logan had just gone up a great deal in his estimations.

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Hank started a new page in the notebook devoted to Joss as she continued to confront all of his attempts to broach the topic of her changing her habits.

"If you are not dependant on alcohol," he continued "then surely you will have no problem in cutting it out of your nightly routine." She raised both hands in protest.

"You're being unfair!"

"How so?" he asked

"Well," she began "You want me learn to control my anger and stop smoking weed but half the time when I'm riled up the only thing that can steady me out is a joint. And you want me to keep to a normal sleep pattern and stop drinking when that'll just make my sleep worse!" He frowned, noting it all down

"Why?"

"Because drinking myself out is the only thing that keeps the nightmares away…" she stopped suddenly cursing under her breath but it was too late. He stopped writing.

"Nightmares?"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" Joss muttered avoiding his eyes, she had promised herself he wouldn't find out about that.

"Joscelyn?" he tried, she looked up.

"Well, I mean, everyone has nightmares don't they." She said casually, looking at the wall. He wasn't convinced but before he could press her anymore she had glanced at her watch and standing up, exclaimed. "Wow, what do you know it's seven o'clock. It was a pleasure talking with you. Bye." And before he could respond she was gone. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. This was going to be difficult.

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Logan found Joscelyn sitting, brooding on the roof of the mansion among the chimneystacks where she went to smoke. He sat down next to her without a word, took the joint from her hand and had a drag from it himself before offering it back she took it and between them they finished it quickly staring out at the woods surrounding the school grounds.

After a while she sighed at looked down at lawns where they could see Hank strolling across the lawn next to the Professor.

"Why is it," she asked thoughtfully "that everything's just fine until it's decided you've got 'issues' and then suddenly you do?" he laughed

"I don't know. But I do know they're trying to help you." She looked at him smiling and feigning paranoia

"They've gotten to you to haven't they!" he laughed again

"Well, Hank did speak to me after your meeting today, he wants me to stop you smoking and drinking. I said I'd see what I could do. I'm also supposed to ask you about your nightmares." he looked at her questioningly.

"I'm sure you'll see for yourself what they're like now I'm not allowed to employ my second defence." She replied grimly and he hoped she wasn't right, he had often heard her disturbed sleep and gone to wake her, scared and shivering but refusing to discuss them, he could understand this, not liking to discuss his dreams either so he would just stay with her until she went back to sleep then sneak back to his own room. His own nightmares.

"Second? What's the first?" she grinned, slyly.

"Company." Logan raised his eyebrows, knowing what kind of company she meant.

"Any specific company?"

"Male. But it doesn't have to be sex. Just someone there."

"But, of course, there's no objection to more?" He asked, she nodded, smiling.

"Hey!" he said suddenly. "You still need to apologise to Cyclops!" he held a hand over her mouth as she started to protest. "You promised!" Joss rolled her eyes, mute and sighed in resignation. He removed his hand and she followed him reluctantly back down the tiny stone staircase hidden behind a statue in the top levels of the mansion.

Scott was still in his classroom, now putting all of his boxes back into the cupboard, he noticed the two of them by the door but Logan knocked anyway then, planting a hand in Joss' back, shoved her into the room.

She walked over to Scott hands in pockets staring at her shoes and stopped a few feet from him.

He folded his arms and looked at her expectantly, she glanced back at Logan who looked on amused and scowling she turned back to Scott still not looking at him.

"I'm sorry." she muttered, "I shouldn't have hit you, it was the wrong thing to do and I…" she paused trying to remember exactly what the Professor had said "…I understand that you just want what's best for me so..." she grimaced "...I apologise."

He smiled at her and glanced at Logan.

"That's okay Joss. I know that if you wanted to you could probably have done much worse than this shiner." he indicated his cheek, which had now moved through to a mixture of deep purples and greens. She raised her eyes a little and smiled faintly, gratefully.

"Right, well…umm...thanks." she backed of little before turned and almost jogging to the door. Logan nodded briefly to him before disappearing after her and Scott was forced acknowledge that maybe he wasn't such a bad influence on her after all.