Chapter 61 - Thicker Than Water
The kids had started their trek to Westchester as a group - and they did, in fact, need to break into two cars to get everyone there. Kate and James both had cars to drive, and while Nate and Kate were holding a telepathic conversation between them, the Summers boys were all piled into the Jeep. Which left Rachel, Kate, and Billy to chat on the way there.
No one had expected James to relinquish the keys of the Jeep to Corsair, but … a pirate captain needed to be in control, as it turned out - and even his adopted grandson wasn't about to argue with him on the matter. They'd barely been in the driveway for thirty seconds before it happened, and both Kate and Billy had been highly entertained when Corsair turned to James with a raised eyebrow look and his hand out waiting for the keys. After maybe only a second or two of consideration longer than what Nate, Alex, or Scott would have done, James held his gaze before he caved just like any other Summers boy would do. He wordlessly handed the keys over before opening the door and climbing into the back with Nate - leaving Corsair and Alex in the front.
"So much testosterone in that poor little Jeep," Rachel said in a sigh as she stretched her legs out on the backseat of Kate's beetle. "Poor lambs. Just think of them all scrunched up … long legs everywhere. And a pirate at the wheel."
"I just can't believe your family defaults to 'follow Corsair'," Billy said. "James hasn't said more than a passing word or two about him."
"They … haven't really gotten along too well," Rachel said. "Corsair doesn't fully understand why Dad adopted him when he had his hands full with us. James thinks Corsair is all hot air. But he's also part of the family, so he does what we would do. For the most part."
"Do you default to follow the space pirate too?" Billy asked.
"No. I default to being female and related to him; therefore, I am a pure mystery that he cannot hope to comprehend."
"So … like every other boy in your family?" Kate giggled.
"More or less," Rachel said dryly. "They try so hard. All of them."
"No one is complaining," Billy said, though his voice was a little rough and he was clearly still exhausted from the last twenty-four hours. So much of it had gone by in a rush; so much of it was still foggy in his mind's eye. The details were muddled, and he needed to focus on the details, because he was on his way to talk to his twin - and he knew he needed to remember everything he could for Tommy's sake.
As if on cue, his phone chimed, and Billy grabbed his phone out of his pocket to check his texts. Naturally, it was Tommy - and naturally, he was bouncing off the walls wondering what was taking them so long.
"Is your brother okay?" Rachel asked.
"So far, yeah," Billy said. "He's irritated that I didn't bring him along, too. But … I don't know. Nothing about the past day has been okay. I'm glad he wasn't there. But if he had been? At least I wouldn't have to tell him about it secondhand."
Rachel considered him for a long moment, staring at the side of his head from the backseat.
"Someone has a solution," Kate half sang, then looked up at the rearview mirror to see Rachel staring back at her. "Your brother is just as bad about leaning on his telepathy as you are. I know what you're thinking, mkay?"
"It's just a thought," Rachel defended. "Everyone would have to okay it, and honestly, considering the source material? It might be best if Betsy did it - not me."
"What are you suggesting, exactly?" Billy asked, turning in his seat to face her better, but Kate answered before Rachel could.
"Telepathic mindshare. It would save you the words. He could see it all from your point of view - you know, unless your point of view involves too much of looking at your boyfriend's butt-"
"Not while - not during, anyhow," Billy managed to tease back, though for as worn out as he was, it wasn't an entirely normal level of teasing.
"It's not a bad idea," Kate said. "Even for non-flirting things, I guess."
"I just thought it might help when the emotion is so heavy," Rachel said. "It's not necessary, but I know how Tommy wants the fastest possible means. And honestly? That would be most private - but you both would have to agree to it."
Billy shrugged lightly, his focus more on things far away from where they were. "I'll do it if he will."
"Then I guess we'll just have to bring it up to him when we get there," Rachel said, then reached forward to rest a hand on Billy's shoulder before she leaned forward to wrap him up from behind in as good of a hug as she could manage from the backseat. "Hey. Team or not, we're all here for you. You know that, right?"
Billy covered her arms with one hand and tried to hide the smile. "Thanks," he said quietly, though words were failing him at the moment. He was busy thinking of how he'd begin to tell Tommy anything about what had happened when he was still having extreme trouble processing it himself. All of the kids that had been on the island and seen it happen were having trouble with that.
They'd all seen fights, and they'd heard about innocents killed, but none of them had crossed that line, and none of them had watched someone die - that they could remember, anyway.
In Westchester, at the school, Tommy was pacing a line as slowly as he was able, though that was still pretty fast for most people, and Mia was getting tired watching him.
"They'll be here any minute," Mia said, though she wasn't going to leave him for an instant if she could help it. "And until then … you know …"
Tommy paused just long enough to steal a kiss that did seem to slow him down a little. He was at a loss for words, mostly from nerves waiting to see his brother and make sure he was alright, but he still had to hear how Billy had been involved - in his own words.
He was worked up enough that even with Mia doing her best to distract him, Tommy was still bouncing on the balls of his feet until his brother finally showed up. Once he knew they were at the school, he zipped over to them, confused at first to see two cars - and an entirely wrong Summers at the steering wheel of the Jeep, too. But when he saw that Billy wasn't in the Jeep …
"Weird," Tommy said to himself before turning his attention to Kate's car. "What took so long?"
"I think I'm burnt out," Billy said as he held the door open for Rachel to climb out too. "Or I would have been here last night. I'm sorry. It was just …"
"You have to tell me everything," Tommy said sternly. "Everything." Even though he was obviously upset, he still sounded more worried than anything else, which had Kate and Rachel glancing at each other.
"We were talking about that," Rachel said. "It would be faster and more complete if you just saw it," she suggested. "I'm not sure I can do it myself right now, but …"
"Let's go see Psylocke then," Tommy said without looking away from Billy. "Are you okay?" he demanded of his brother.
Billy gestured openly. "Yeah, I mean … not entirely."
Tommy frowned, and crossed over to his brother, resting a hand on his shoulder before he picked him up and zipped off to find Betsy, leaving Mia with her tail twitching behind her with the Summerses. She waved her fingertips at Alex and Corsair. "Hi."
"Hi," Alex said, smiling more easily as he pulled her over into a bear hug that Mia adored. It had been far too long since she'd seen the blond elder Summers. "Are you going to take a turn coming to see me before I get old and gray? I'll bet you'd love surfing, too."
"Maybe someday," Mia agreed, glad to have Alex to snuggle with for a moment. At least until Corsair cleared his throat waiting for Alex to introduce him.
"You haven't met my dad, Mia," Alex said, steering her to face Corsair, but in a way that wouldn't force her to let go from the snuggle.
"Hi," Corsair said, though it was clear he was trying to decide what he thought of the young lady. But Mia made his mind up for him with her greeting .
"Hi, Grandpa Space Pirate," she said, which had Alex snickering and Corsair rolling his eyes, though since Nate was reunited with Kate already, Corsair went for the closest kid, who happened to be James.
"I suppose this is your doing?" he teased.
"Sure, why not?" James replied automatically, though Rachel was more than happy to step in.
"No, we all call you that. You know it, too," she said as she took his arm. "Come on. You have some time before your crew gets here. Why don't you give me a few minutes, huh?"
"That would be my pleasure," he said with a grin. "You're probably the one that will be watching over Scott anyhow, huh?"
"Pretty sure that'll be a group effort too," she said. Rachel peeked over her shoulder to Alex, who had snagged James under one arm and still had Mia curled up with the other as he directed them toward the greenhouse.
"You can come find me when you're ready to leave," Alex said to Corsair. "I'm going to take this one to see Storm. Try not to torture Rachel too much."
While Corsair monopolized Rachel's time, and the twins started their mental share through Betsy, Kate and Nate were left standing there together to catch up as well. "I'm so glad you didn't go with," Nate told her quietly. "The whole thing had gone to hell before we showed up, too."
Kate sighed and leaned into him, knowing for a fact that none of the Summerses had processed things and knowing from the tenor of the mental conversations they had how stressed he was. "You wouldn't let me go to Genosha, so it's not like there was much choice," she pointed out. "But I do wish I'd been there, because it sounds like you needed someone level-headed around."
"Wait. You mean you're admitting that I get to say you can't do some things? SInce when?"
"Since this one time when you and my parents and Storm and Cap all threatened to take away all team privileges if I risked my life provoking Magneto on his own turf?"
"When has that ever stopped you before?"
She shrugged. "Since I realized you get just as stressed as your dad if you think you're gonna lose someone," she said. "And with your dad going out there, it just… didn't feel like an option if I wanted to keep everyone from having a nervous breakdown."
"If you weren't so close to right, I'd argue that," Nate said, then pulled her a little closer to bear hug her properly. "So … let's find a quiet spot and not talk, huh?"
"Wait, you admit I'm right and then take words out of the equation so you don't have to do the full admission?" she teased. "Shameful!"
"I am traumatized, Kate." Nate grinned. "Clearly I don't know what I'm saying."
"Nope, no take-backs," Kate sang back to him. "I was right. And you admitted it. So there."
"Katie, I'm not trying to take it back," Nate promised, one hand over his heart. "I just want to recharge with my sweetheart before it's time to go back home and dive back into all the stress we left behind." He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "You are absolutely right. Okay?" And I said it out loud and everything.
Kate grinned steadily wider. You're perfect and wonderful and now - now - we can forget about words.
Tommy had walked a couple circles with his hands in his hair after he'd seen everything through Billy's point of view. Then, he'd sat on a few different surfaces, walked a circle again, and then finally dropped backwards onto the couch. "So, that sucked," he said at last. "All around."
"Yeah." Billy watched him, half holding his breath as he could see Tommy working through his thoughts. "I keep thinking how it could have gone differently…"
"Yeah, I mean, just coulda sent me in there and things would've been less dramatic, but hey, you need your fill of soap opera or you're not Billy," Tommy said, waving his hand, though when Billy glared his way, Tommy sighed and zipped over to drape his arm around Billy's shoulders. "No, but really, you know Grandfather was absolutely not going to stop until something like this happened anyway, right?"
"Yeah, I kinda figured that out."
"Easier to see when you're not the favorite heir," Tommy said - and didn't quite hide the bitterness in his voice. He shrugged. "But hey, that still sucked. So, like, I don't know. Slow down? That's what people keep telling me? Maybe it works for you?"
"I'm nearly stopped," Billy said. "How much slower do you want me to be?" He raised an eyebrow. "In case you missed it, I was pretty much just transportation. How is that dramatic?"
Tommy turned with his whole body to better face Billy. "Oh no! My boyfriend is a ball of nerves! Let me set up a spell for ultimate drama in case his dad is in trouble! Then I can get us there white knight style with his siblings and be the hero!"
Billy gave him an incredibly dry look. "That is not what I was trying to do."
"Uh-huh." Tommy leaned back again and put his hands behind his head. "Well, you're gonna need to figure out how to explain it in words, because technically, you're still Grandfather's pick for who he wanted to replace him, and all of Genosha knows it, so…"
"I'm pretty sure his pick doesn't really matter at this point," Billy said.
"Matters to more people than you'd think."
"I wasn't thinking about that," Billy admitted. "But Mom's handling it, I know. You and I are both too young to even think about that realistically. We're not even out of high school."
"Good point. I almost got caught up in your drama," Tommy said, grinning crookedly. "Wrong twin!"
Billy rolled his eyes and then grabbed Tommy's arm and yanked him into a hug - which finally got Tommy to stay still as he hugged Billy right back.
While the Summers kids and Billy were gone, the only people in the Summers house were the older Billy, Logan, and Scott - and since Scott was still sleeping hard with the pain medication Hank had given him, that meant only Billy and Logan knew it when America climbed in the back window, made her way down to the living room, and stopped to stare at Billy with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised for a good, long time.
"You look older than you do in the stars," she said at last, shaking her head with her arms still crossed. "Guess I missed a lot."
"The stars don't really do much for color or shading," Billy teased.
"True." America smirked and stepped forward to put her hand out. "America Chavez, by the way."
Billy grinned and took her hand long enough to pull her into a tight hug. "I know who you are. You're one of my best friends."
America looked caught off her guard for only a split second before she pulled him into a spinning hug and grinned to match him. "So I found you eventually, huh? Or is that another me? I've gotta know."
"You always do," Billy said. "One way or another."
"I'm just good like that," America said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. Then, with a glint in her eyes, she leaned forward. "You got a James in your dimension or am I trying to keep you from heartbreak over there?"
"You do that in every dimension no matter what," Billy told her. "But the James in my dimension is much younger and wasn't even born until I was already married." He grinned. "My husband and I are ridiculously happy together."
"Good." America hugged him again. "It's so good to see you."
"Love you too, Miss America."
America's grin was threatening to split her face. "Well. I'm impossible not to love, right?"
"This is entirely true," he agreed.
She laughed. "So, you staying long?"
"Not too long," Billy said. "We need to get past the trouble here, and it could still all fall apart. I want to see them get past it."
"I noticed," America said, her smile dropping - but only slightly.
"You can help, of course," he said. "Just be ready to talk this me out of the trees. Oh … all the time."
She smirked crookedly. "Yeah, already doing that."
"Of course you are. You're amazing."
America grinned and gestured for him to come sit with her on the couch. "I meant to find you, you know. But the you here… he needs me. And there are some hot girls too."
"The me here is going to need a lot of help for a long while," Billy said. "But you .. are totally going to be set for eye candy. Forever."
America leaned forward, her expression totally troublemaking. "Just tell me I get the one I'm eyeing."
"Don't you always?" He was teasing, but he did take a moment to concentrate, letting the galaxies spin as he looked through the possible outcomes, then grinned wider. "I guess that depends on which one you're leaning toward right now."
"Oh, is the dark-haired bird still an option?" America asked delightedly.
"Not really," Billy said, shrugging lightly. "She's … very hung up in most of the outcomes I've seen here."
America snapped her fingers. "Drat. But I totally get her in other dimensions, right? We worked."
"Oh, absolutely," he agreed, nodding his head. "She even gets you in a few."
"I'm suddenly very jealous of the other mes."
Billy's smile slipped into more troublemaking as well. "But … this one … I think you'll be pleased. You don't have any psychopaths on the horizon anywhere I can see - but that probably has more to do with excellent screening processes. And no idiot boy teammates that you were just bored enough to go there."
America pulled a face. "No way. I only go for pretty birds."
"Yes. Pretty birds." Billy was nodding slowly.
America laughed and then leaned back on the couch. "Okay. Tell me everything about it. The moment you got your powers. What was it like? I want to know it all."
Billy got comfortable as well, leaned back, and started up with a few stories he knew she'd appreciate.
When the kids came home later that afternoon, they brought Warren with them - and were greeted by Scott and Logan, who were joking around while dinner cooked.
Warren let out a breath of disbelief. "They said you were visiting from a different dimension, but it's still so wild."
"You alright, flyboy?" Logan said.
"Better than you are here," Warren shot back.
"You're awful scrawny," Logan said. "I asked the kids to get you to donate a pint, but looks like you could use a few yourself."
Warren waved a hand. "I'm fine," he said. "Just been inside for too long is all."
"What're you making?" Kate asked, hopping up on the counter.
"Venison with cherries," Logan said. "Pretty sure Slim needed a break for what passes for food according to teenagers."
"It smells amazing," Kate said, even as Warren was snorting at Logan's explanation.
"I didn't know you were a chef," Rachel said.
"I'm not," Logan said. "I just know how to cook."
"Well, add that to the list of things we're learning," Rachel said. "We didn't know Angel could heal either."
Warren shrugged with both palms outturned. "Not exactly common knowledge, and it's not like we've had reason to show it off."
"Where I'm from, he figured it out when a doctor contacted him after he'd donated," Logan said. "The patients they'd given the blood to were healing at an accelerated rate. The doc was a little excited, if I remember right."
"That's a nice change," Nate said dryly. "Last time we had a doctor that wasn't Hank get into our blood…"
Warren nodded as the kids gathered around the table, picking Logan's brain for more stories and tidbits about their X-Men family while Warren came over to where Scott was hanging back and staying off his feet. "Well, you look like crap."
"Thanks, Warren. You really know how to give a guy a pep talk," Scott said dryly.
"I heard you went a few rounds with Magneto?" Warren shook his head. "You seriously had to come back with a bang?"
"This was really just… a one-off thing," Scott defended.
"What's wrong, you think you could do better?" Logan said as he made a pass by the two of them.
"Probably could do it without requiring a visit from another dimension," Warren shot back.
"With the shape you're in?" Logan scoffed and turned back to the kitchen to get a drink. "Sure. Keep tellin' yourself that."
Warren rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and Scott looks so much better."
"Thanks, Warren. Really," Scott said dryly.
"I'd say you're about even right now," Logan replied before he tossed a beer at Warren.
Warren smirked as he caught it - and then Scott laughed outright. "You're trying to get me drunk intravenously through Warren!"
"Don't know what you're talkin' about," Logan said.
"Yeah, lighten up," Warren said as he snapped the beer open.
"Besides, we gotta heal you up so you can have one yourself," Logan added.
"Fair enough," Scott said, which had the other adults in the house smirking as Warren got settled in to donate.
"Seriously, you look terrible," Warren said once the blood was running.
"In my defense, I think we were pretty even," Scott said. "Magneto wasn't walking away from that fight; he just threw me off my game yanking my eyes."
"Wait, what?"
"Didn't have anything else metal for him to use, apparently."
"Scott."
Scott shrugged, obviously uncomfortable. "It's fine."
"Scott. You shouldn't have gone in alone," Warren said. "I'm not talking about having back up nearby, I'm talking about going in to him alone."
"I wanted his guard down," Scott said.
Warren gestured with the arm that wasn't hooked up at the moment. "And you couldn't think of anyone that might have convincingly wanted to go?"
"Warren…"
"I'm just saying, Scott, you didn't consider getting help."
"I had help," Scott defended. "Kitty and Bobby were backing me up, and so was Alex once we brought him in."
"I heard the plan. I'm just saying I would have liked to go in with you. In his face."
"I wasn't going to risk you," Scott said quietly.
"Did you think that maybe it could have stopped you from getting this bad? From losing your eyes again?"
"It's over now, anyway," Scott said, trying to shrug it off.
Warren narrowed his eyes. "Alright. Well. I'm not going to try and guilt trip you for not thinking of one of your oldest teammates."
"Uh-huh," Scott said, rolling his eyes at that. "Sure you aren't."
"It would be pointless," Warren continued.
"It would be," Scott said. "Because I already said I wasn't going to risk anyone else. Bobby's already been in and out of Genosha's prisons-"
"Even though none of us wanted to risk you and it would have been our decision if we wanted to take a risk."
"I haven't been part of things for a long time," Scott argued.
"Neither have I," Warren said. "Not really."
"So here we are," Scott said, leaning back with a sigh.
"Here we are," Warren agreed.
Scott was quiet for a long moment before he let out a breath. "Thanks for coming. The kids needed a way to help, and getting you..."
"Everyone needs a way to help, Scott."
"That why you're here?"
"Of course it is. What do you think I do - what I have been doing for the past … forever now?" Warren said. "I can't help the kids there - because all I could do before was to teach them to fly, and even I'm not allowed to do that anymore. So outside of writing checks … what have I got?"
"Yeah." Scott let out a breath. "We should have kept the team going. I'm sorry you've been trapped this long."
"I don't think anyone thought it'd go this far."
"I guess no one wanted to be the one to bring up the team again," Scott said in a sigh.
"Nothing we can do to stop it now."
"Don't I know it."
"They're doing great," Warren said, smiling at last at the mention of the new team. "Better than we did our first few times out."
"It helps that they have better backing than we did," Scott pointed out. "They grew up on stories of what not to do, they got Avengers training, and they have emergency backup we never had."
"True," Warren said. "But I'm just saying … they're good."
Scott smirked and looked toward the kids joking around in the kitchen. "They really are. Of course they are. They're the X-Men."
"Wow. Keep talking like that and you'll need to borrow Kate's pompoms," Warren laughed.
"Hey, I'm trying to be a supportive father here," Scott defended, though he was smiling all the same.
"So does that mean you need a bumper sticker? My kid saved your kid?"
"Like that wouldn't bring down every agency in the world," Scott said, shaking his head.
"If it wouldn't, you'd have your car wrapped with it."
"Sure," Scott said, though the fact that he wasn't denying it had Warren laughing that much more.
"Dinner delivery," Rachel said, bringing a couple plates over to the two of them, though she projected to Warren, Whatever you're doing, I haven't heard Dad laugh this much in a while, so… thanks.
I'm happy to do whatever I can, Warren said. I've missed this, too.
We told Kitty and Bobby they were welcome to join the team we're re-starting, Rachel said. Door's open for you too, you know.
We'll see how it goes, Warren replied. Much as I hate to admit it, Logan's right. I've been out of it for a long time.
Don't have to join us tomorrow, Rachel teased.
No, but I will have to get it past Betsy.
Oooh, good point, Rachel said. She paused. She misses it too, you know. And she hates seeing you trapped.
Then maybe I've got a shot.
Rachel smiled at him and then waved at the two of them. "I'm going to try to rescue Logan from Kate. She's trying to get him to teach her all his tricks."
That'd take a lot longer than she realizes.
Anything she can think of to get one up on Nate, Rachel teased.
"You'll know if she gets on his nerves," Scott said with a quiet smirk. "He won't be quiet about it."
"Pretty sure he doesn't know how to do that," Warren said. "When he's irritated."
"Oh, he definitely doesn't," Scott said, raising his voice slightly so he knew for sure that Logan heard it. "And he's always irritated."
Logan didn't even look Scott's way and instead took a moment to show Kate how to disarm an opponent in an entirely different way than Clint and Natasha had shown her, ending the demo by whipping the knife and making it stick in a cabinet across the kitchen.
Kate was laughing delightedly, though Scott was just shaking his head. "Showoff."
"Not yet," Logan replied with a smirk.
"Besides," Nate said, "she needs all the help she can get."
"Oh, shut up," Kate said, throwing her wadded-up napkin at him.
"There's better ways to get to him," Logan said quietly.
"Not in public," Kate said without missing a beat.
"That just lets him too," Logan said. "But if you like bein' second place …"
"Um, no," Kate said, sounding perfectly insulted.
"I dunno, you seem pretty happy there," Logan said.
"Let's get something straight," Kate said, pointing an accusing finger his way, "I never settle."
"If you say so," Logan replied with an easy shrug before he turned his head to flat ignore Kate and chat with James and Billy instead.
"Oh no you don't," Kate said, grabbing his arm. "You, me, and whatever tricks you've got. Let's go."
"Hey, pushy, that ain't how to get me to do what you want. No," Logan said. "You've got Nat to learn enough from. Ask her. I taught her when she was little."
"So you're the perfect source to learn more," Kate insisted.
"Sure. But I'm tryin' to talk to my son from this reality and his sweetheart. Take a number."
"James doesn't mind if I borrow you for just a little while, right, James?"
"My time is limited, Katherine," James said, catching on fast. "Sorry, not sorry."
"James!"
"Hey, I'd help you if I could, but we all know this isn't long term, and I really want to know my dad," James said as Billy started to crack up.
"Oh, for crying out loud, Logan," Scott said, though he was laughing too. "You're going to give her a complex."
"I'm already responsible for a few complexes here," Logan said. "What's one more?"
"Stop twisting her up and just show her, would you?" Scott laughed.
"I don't even know where to start," Logan said.
"Then take the team. They probably need the help too," Scott pointed out. "I'm fine here. I'm literally attached to Warren."
"Where the hell'm I supposed to take 'em?" Logan asked. "And do what with em?"
"I've got a key to the roof at my place," Kate said brightly. "Dad taught me his best tricks up there. We could do a little sparring; Tony has a hologram up so we'd be hidden."
"Did he teach you how to fall into a dumpster or aren't you advanced enough for that one?"
Nate snorted. "That was last week, right, Kate?"
"Oh, shut up. Not all of us can fly," Kate said, rolling her eyes his way.
"Those of us that don't fly just try to not do dumbass stuff like that," Logan said.
"So - roof?" Kate said.
Logan let out a breath and looked over to James and Billy. "Your call."
Billy shrugged. "I'm good either way," he said. "I'd kind of like to see what the original Wolverine could show us, to be honest…" As he spoke, Logan could see a lot of the kid he'd met in his own universe, trying not to geek out and to play it cool and not at all playing it as close to the vest as he thought he was doing. "... but James is right, too."
"Don't suppose you got a spare holo-program layin' around," Logan said. "I've been sittin' around here for a few days. Gettin' rusty."
"We've got something at the tower," Kate said, "but then that's a whole thing with you being dead here and everyone wanting to see you…"
"Same thing goes for just findin' an army that needs a spankin'," Logan said.
"Oh, well, that's easy," Nate said with a shrug. "There's a few all up in arms from Magneto stirring up the hornet's nest. The Avengers have been dealing with them too."
"How about you stay close," Scott said, one hand over his eyes. "God, Logan, I just got used to them running small missions. Don't do that."
"Small army equals small mission," Logan said with a frown.
"Not for my kids," Scott said. "Keep it small." He paused and smirked. "Think Avengers small."
Logan nodded slowly. "Ah. Beginner beginner level."
Warren was snickering as Scott nodded. "Yep."
"Okay," Logan said, looking like he was thinking hard. "So. Where's the playground?"
"Um, the roof," Kate said. "Were you not listening?"
"I think he meant actual playground," James said with a smirk.
"Oh come on."
"Which roof?" Logan asked. "Because if it's one over Tasha's head …"
"It is," Nate said, grinning madly.
Logan almost cringed. "Don't know if you'll get what you want, but … we can try it."
With that, the kids headed out with Logan - obviously thrilled - and Scott was laughing the whole time, since it had really been too long since he'd seen a bunch of X-Men carrying Logan off like that.
The little group of new X-Men weren't on the roof for more than fifteen minutes before their session was interrupted - by a string of Russian swear words when Natasha came barrelling toward Logan and nearly knocked him over.
And then promptly snuggled right into him.
"You gettin' soft, Tash?" Logan teased.
"Where did you - how did you come here?" she asked, not about to let him go.
"Different dimension's Billy," Logan said, wrapping her up - which really had her curling in better. "You alright, darlin'?"
"I missed you," she said.
Logan couldn't really return the sentiment very well, since he had plenty of chances to spend time with her back home, but he knew she needed something, so he took a second to kiss her temple. "Love you too, kiddo."
Natasha smiled and stayed positively curled up where she was, and Kate was just watching the whole thing and blinking slowly. Mom … has never… done that, she projected to Nate. Ever.
Um … obviously she has, because he doesn't look surprised at all.
Well, I have never seen that. Holy cow.
You know what the story is? Or is this a big question thing later?
She always talked about Logan as her 'little uncle' so… Kate shrugged. I guess I need to ask for more stories.
Alright, but can you ask her later? I was actually learning stuff.
Yeah, so was I, Kate said. But I'm also not getting in the middle of him and my mom so… I guess we let them hug it out.
"You gonna hog all the time we've got left?" James called out.
Natasha looked up at James and then let out a sigh. "Two more minutes," she said, completely unapologetic.
"One."
"Fine." Natasha snuggled Logan for a bit longer and then finally let out a sigh and stepped back - then kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you're here," she said. "Teach them like you taught me."
"I'll be goin' back soon," Logan said. "Won't have much time to teach."
"You didn't have much time with me either," Natasha said.
"Tash, I had you for two years - almost entirely just us."
"You can't stay that long?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with trouble.
"I got kids home to deal with, too," Logan told her.
"Multiple?" Natasha asked, her voice softening.
Logan nodded. "My daughter, Sadie, has been your best ballet student."
Natasha let out a noise. "Oh. That's perfect."
"We've got a few," Logan said, smirking at her.
"I'm glad. You were never happier than when you had your family."
"You too," he told her.
Natasha smiled and finally stepped back, letting the kids get Logan's attention again - though she couldn't stop smiling as she watched them work.