I don't own the X-Men, blahblahblah etc etc...I also don't own the song at the end, but I've cited that one down there. I do own Morgan, Argus, Umbra, Psyche, Techno, and this general story line.
Steal and die.
Two weeks later…
Logan smile in spite of himself, taking a swig of beer as he watched the students splashing rambunctiously in the pool. Bobby and Rogue, tasked with keeping the younger children under control, sat at the edge of the pool, their feet dangling in the cool water. They sat apart, Rogue's short shorts and small shirt far too dangerous to provide adequate closeness. But they made due, laughing and talking to each other like normal teenagers. With the sun dangling just above the horizon, it was almost perfect. Still, he couldn't help feeling like something was missing. He gazed up at the pink-and-orange stained clouds and attempted to fathom what it could possibly be.
A dark figure flew just along the tree line, far too large to be a normal bird. It landed in the center of the hedge maze, the dying rays of the sun glinting off of its golden wings.
Ah.
He stood, brushing greasy crumbs of potato chip off of his t-shirt. "Goin' fer a walk," he muttered to Ororo and Scott, then sidled off into the dim garden. The other two teachers glanced at each other, but said nothing to him as they watched him disappear around the corner.
Logan quickened his pace as he left their sight, soon arriving at an unremarkable section of shrubbery. A large, scruffy gray dog pawed at it, whining. Switching his beer to his left hand, he reached into the bush with his right and turned the knob with a quiet click.
Argus dashed into the hidden garden, followed more slowly by Logan, who closed the gate gently behind him. He gazed around, his dark eyes coming to rest on a huddled figure in a ripped navy blue t-shirt.
"Morgan?" he said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. She flinched away from him, pulling her legs under her chin. "You all right?"
She was silent for a moment, watching the gleaming coy as they circled lazily in the pond. Argus curled up beneath the bench, sensing that now was not the time to be excited. Logan sighed and sat down next to her on the bench, sipping his drink. "You want some?" he blurted out, immediately wishing he hadn't.
She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes. Yes I would." She took it from him and took a short pull, then returned it. He watched her for some sign of revulsion, but she only shrugged. "It's not the best, but I've had worse." Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow; he chuckled.
"You're something else, kid, I'll tell ya," he said, shaking his head. She shrugged again, returning her gaze to the sunlight dancing on the surface of the waterfall. Silence lapsed again between them but it was no longer uncomfortable and strained. He watched her, noticing the small things about her. She was barefoot, picking absently at her toenails. The dark bruises from the night in Magneto's compound were all but gone, as was the wary air of one gone astray. She brushed a lock of smoky hair out of her face, tucking it behind a small, slightly pointed ear. Her hazel eyes had nearly lost their haunted, suspicious look. There were premature lines around them, as well as small dark bags from lack of sleep. He had heard her wake screaming in the night, tormented by dreams. She had lain comatose in the infirmary for almost three days, Rogue and Bobby sitting at her bedside until someone made them go to class. When she awoke, she demanded to know exactly what had happened once she lost consciousness, but evaded all questions about what had happened in the compound before the X-Men arrived. She had spoken to no one about it, but the other younglings whispered about her when they thought she wasn't listening. They had a right to wonder. She was, indeed, something else.
"Do you know what it is like to fly?" she asked, breaking the stillness. He shrugged; she smiled.
"Come on, I'll show you."
He spit his mouthful of beverage onto the ground. "Do WHAT now?" She stood and dragged him to his feet with incredible strength. Her powers had grown the short time she had resided at the Institute; surrounded by so many different mutations, she only had to observe. She closed her eyes and a pair of golden wings sprouted from her back, the small t-shirt straining against them. She stood up on the bench and grasped him beneath the arms. Without warning, she rose into the air, the empty beer can tumbling back to the garden floor.
Logan gasped as the ground receded beneath him, Argus's surprised barks shattering the calm. Pressed against her thin body, his eyes widened in terror as she leveled off and swooped out across the grounds. He grabbed her wrists unnecessarily, his feet dangling uselessly beneath him. Her chest shook with laughter against his back. "Where are you taking me?" he cried as the wind whistled through his ears.
"Where do you want to go?"
The ground was his first thought, but the feel of the air rushing past him quickly dismissed that thought. He felt the elation of flight melt into his bones as they glided effortlessly above the towers of the Institute, spiraling around the highest points of the many-faceted roof. He let out a wild whoop of triumph as they passed over the pool area, drawing surprised stares from the small people below. Laughing, she dropped into a dive. He was totally unprepared, his proud hoot degenerating into a cry of terror. At the last second, she leveled her altitude and landed gently back in the garden, Argus barking wildly.
Logan collapsed to the ground, swearing. She smiled, breathing heavily, and sat back on the bench.
"I heard them over here!"
"You sure? That's a dead end!"
"I know I heard Logan, I could recognize that swearing anywhere."
Both of the mutants jerked around to look at the entrance, then back at each other.
"We'll have to go to them, I suppose."
"Yeah," he replied, standing and brushing the leaf litter off of his front. She stood, her bare feet padding across the smooth stones to the gate. She pressed her ear to the door listening.
"They're gone," she said softly, opening the door. Argus rushed out, yipping. Logan and Morgan hurried out, shutting the door behind them just in time.
"See I told you I heard something!" said Rogue as she and Bobby turned the corner. "Where were y'all? We've been callin' for you!"
"Got lost," they muttered in unison, fighting back smiles. Rogue glared at them, but gave up.
"Whatever you say. Hey Morgan, you wanna go swimming with us? The younger ones have to go get ready for bed, but Ororo said we could we could stay out a little longer if we wanted."
"I...I don't have a suit," said Morgan, taken aback. The trio hadn't talked much since the disastrous assault on Magneto's fortress. Scott had only recently recovered from the shock of seeing his old love; if Logan had been affected in the same way, he had hidden it behind his iron will. This invitation had come as something of a surprise.
Rogue looked her up and down critically. "I think I've got one that will fit you," she said, grabbing the younger girl's hand. "Come on!" Morgan glanced over her shoulder as she was dragged away, a small smile playing across her face.
Logan watched them go, a feeling of loss scratching at the back of his mind. That girl was truly remarkable. They all were.
Argus nudged his hand, whimpering. The two had become grudging allies as they waited for their Girl to recover. Logan smiled down at him and rumpled his fur.
"Come on, kid. Let's go inside."
Don't you love the sound
Of the last laugh, my friend?
Don't you love the sound
Of the last laugh at the end?
Down in the gutter with a mad old soldier
Down in the scupper with a drunken sailor
Down in the gutter with a mad old soldier
But the last laugh, baby, is yours
And don't you love the sound
Of the last laugh going down?
Games you thought you'd learned
You neither lost nor won
Your dreams have crashed and burned
You still keep on keeping on
Out on the highway with the roadmen working
Up on the mountain with the cold wind blowing
Out on the highway with the roadmen working
But the last laugh baby is yours
And don't you love the sound
Of the last laugh going down?
They had you crying and you came up smiling
They had you crawling and you came up flying'
They had you crying and you came up smiling
And the last laugh, baby is yours
And don't you love the sound
Of the last laugh going down?
Well don't you love the sound
Of a last laugh going down?
"The Last Laugh"
From the album Sailing to Philadelphia
by Harvey Thompson/Jim Horn/Mark Knopfler/ Van Morrison/Wayne Jackson
FIN