"So, what happened?" Storm asked softly, as she sat down on one of the classroom tables next to Logan.

Once Mallory had left her lecture, she had no option but to dismiss early, and almost instantly afterwards she was greeted by Charles and Logan looking exasperated. Peter and Blink re-entered soon after, looking partially guilty for their involvement in the situation.
"Nothing…" Logan eventually answered. "I opened the door and she just stood there, with this…look. Then she just walked away"

Her facial expression when she saw him resonated in his mind, where for a split second she looked overwhelmed with happiness, but then it immediately fell into a look of…heartbreak and betrayal. It caused his stomach to knot in a sense of regret which in his mind aggravated him, as he knew that he was not the father she had, it wasn't him.

"How did she find out?" asked Charles, already knowing the answer of course, but turned to Peter and Blink for their version.
"It was Callisto's group" Peter mumbled, scratching his fingers through his silver hair.
"They were trying to rile her, get her to react to something…they called her a psycho, accused her of killing her mother and she snapped-" Blink explained. "But as soon as they mentioned Logan, she bolted."
"They said that whilst she's here, none of us are safe. They think that we're in danger either by her or because of her" Storm continued.
Charles opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again in silence, rethinking what he was going to say, he did not want to lie to them, even he did not know what she was completely capable of.
"Charles?" Storm asked, noticing his double take. "What is it?"
"Nothing, we just need to make sure that any information on her is kept silent from now on. Mallory's only just beginning to venture out, she needs to feel that this is a safe place. Not a place to be attacked" he answered, attempting to divert the conversation to something else.
"So…what do we do now?" asked Peter, crossing his arms. "She knows about Logan…"
Charles looked to Logan who was looking down at the floor, his hands clasped together in a fist. He did not need to read Logan's mind to see that it was racing with thoughts.
"We do nothing-" Charles answered for him. "She's a grown woman, let her come to terms with it. For now she needs support, someone to befriend…someone to trust"
He turned to Peter and Blink, who exhaled nervously and nodded in agreement. They knew it was going to be harder than just a quick conversation.

As Logan walked out of the classroom and began to make his way down the empty hallway, he heard Charles call his name sternly from behind him. He reluctantly stopped and turned to face him, clenching his jaw together as he knew what Charles was about to say, and at the point, Logan did not need a lecture.
"Why didn't you tell them?" Charles asked calmly.
"Tell them what?-" he replied, rolling his eyes and glaring at him angrily.
"-You can't pretend that you didn't have a flash of your alternate past Logan, this is hugely significant to what I could give you." Charles maintained, aware that there was a sense of pleading in his voice.
"I can't Charles" Logan protested. "I've had too much happen in my life that made me who I am now…I can't lose that over-"
"Don't you think everyone here would have said the same if they had a choice Logan, they all had history, pain, strengths, loves…but their second chance has provided the world with a new hope." Charles' interrupted as he raised his voice.
"They're not me, I'm not prepared to throw away the person I am now-" Logan attempted to reason, feeling his blood begin to boil as Charles continuously attempted to interrupt him.
"I'M NOT TURNING MYSELF INTO THE MAN THAT TURNED HIS BACK ON HER!" Logan roared.
Charles quietened instantly and exhaled sadly as he was unable to answer, and with that, Logan stormed off down the hallway.

He ended up out the back of the mansion, he continued through the gardens until he halted at the eroded stone wall that enclosed the entire grounds. He placed his hands on the wall and attempted to calm his heart rate down as he could feel it pumping through his chest. He had finally admitted what had been chipping away in his mind. Everyone had regained a sense of belonging and a story to be proud of in their new timeline, but whilst Logan retained his, he was happy living in the belief that he would still be the same. But he wasn't, he had become a coward, someone capable of leaving his daughter behind and running away from his problems.
He turned around and leaned against the wall as he allowed himself to replay the flashback he had gotten when he saw Mallory. He was carrying a large hold-all over his shoulder whilst walking down an unlit driveway, all he could hear was a child hysterically crying and repetitively screaming 'daddy.' He turned around to see a small girl, no older than four standing at the doorway in a long nightdress that was clearly too big for her as it draped down at her feet. Tears staining her cheeks and her heartbroken face, and he just continued to walk away. That was the same facial expression Mallory used when she saw him in the doorway, causing him to have that memory and now made him feel this overwhelming sense of failure and regret. He rubbed his face violently with his hands, and as he looked back up at the mansion, he noticed a figure on the roof, sitting with their legs over the edge and he hated himself for knowing instantly who it was.

Apologies for this being a shorter chapter, but the next one is a lot longer and we will also be reintroduced to an old character!

I loved writing this little one as I wanted to delve into Logan's true emotions a tad, as he's keeping these barriers to the others characters, but deep down
he feels guilty for everything that happened although they were completely out of his hands. It's also the beginning of him beginning to be brought around to the idea of having someone like him.

Please R and R!

MH x