After showering and changing, Keye wandered into the TV room. A few of the younger students were there, watching the latest sci-fi DVD while they waited for dinner. Keye said hello briefly, not wanting to interrupt their movie, then continued on out to the patio. She heard girlish voices and found Katie, Rogue, Jubilee and Kitty sitting at the furthest table, having a tea party. Katie's dolls were in attendance. Somebody, probably Mrs. Stone, had provided cupcakes that were turned upside down and frosted to look like miniature cakes. Rogue was intently slicing into one with doll-sized silverware, making careful, neat, little wedges and placing them on tiny plates. Jubilee and Kitty were exclaiming over the utter cuteness of it all. Katie was making sure her dolls were behaving, explaining table manners to them in great detail.

Katie looked up and saw Keye. "Miss Keye! I mean, Dr. Alecky . . . oh, your last name is too hard. How come some people call you Kiki?"

Keye smiled and gave Katie a hug. "Miss Keye is just fine, Katie. Kiki is my nickname."

"Sometimes Logan calls you Barbie. I think it's because you're pretty like Barbie," Katie said matter-of-factly. Three hands immediately covered three grins as Katie made this pronouncement.

"Logan sure likes nicknames, doesn't he," Keye replied, still smiling. The older girls were still choking back laughs at that.

Rogue looked off to the side just then and drawled, "Well, speak of the devil and he appears," as Logan strolled up, hands in his pockets, and hair slightly damp from the shower.

"What are you girls plotting now? Or am I better off not knowin'?"

"Logan!" Katie piped. "We're having a tea party! You and Miss Keye can come, too!"

It was Keye's turn to cover her grin as she saw the look on Logan's face.

"Oh, no, Katie!" said Jubilee seriously, "we forgot to tell you one thing. Tea parties are a girl thing! Sometimes guys go and do guy things, and sometimes girls do girl things. This is just for girls." She winked at Logan. "Sorry, dude, but you understand how it is."

Katie looked like she might argue with this, so Logan said quickly, "She's right, darlin', it's a tradition."

"What's a turd dishin'?" Katie asked. The girls couldn't hold back their laughter, and Katie began look a little hurt.

Logan kept an admirably straight face, and picked Katie up out of her chair and hugged her. "A tradition means somethin' that's passed down year after year, generation to generation. And tea parties get passed from homely old girls to cute little girls like you." Rogue rolled her eyes, and Kitty stuck out her tongue, simultaneously. Katie smiled at that.

Keye watched in silence. He didn't even snicker. Maybe he does have more control than I give him credit for.

Katie put her palms on Logan's whiskery cheeks and said, "You won't get your feelings hurted?"

"No darlin', girl things are just part of life, just like guy things. Just like ice cream is a you-and-me thing, right?" He kissed her on the nose.

Katie whispered something in his ear, and Logan smiled. Katie leaned back in his arms and snagged a cupcake and gave it to Logan. "Don't tell anybody, okay?"

"Thanks, punkin, yer sweet." Logan gave her another hug and put her back in her chair. "I'll see ya later--have a nice party, darlin'." He gave Jubilee a look and mouthed a silent "I owe ya" as he strolled off with his cupcake.

Making a mental note to discuss gender segregation in her class, nevertheless Keye sat down and accepted a slice of cake and a tiny cup of tea, which turned out to be root beer. She made exaggeratedly polite tea party conversation with girls and dolls alike. Rogue turned on the southern belle charm and talked about tea parties she'd had a s a child. Jubilee fondly recalled her Barbie collection complete with a "totally bitchin'--um, I mean, rad Corvette and a pink RV." Kitty remarked that they ought to go on a picnic sometime soon. Katie immediately asked if Logan could go on the picnic and was reassured that picnics were coed.

Keye finally excused herself and went off in search of Newfie. She was surprised Newfie wasn't hanging out near the cupcakes. She tried to touch Newfie's mind, but the dog was out of range. Hunting, maybe. After cupcake slices and root beer, Keye suddenly got a craving for something spicy. Wonder if Joe's Big Dog is still in business. A chili dog would be good tonight. She com-linked Charles to check on Creed's whereabouts, and he reassured her that her target was still headed away from Westchester. She let him know where she'd be and grabbed her purse and keys and proceeded to the garage.

Logan was congratulating himself on keeping his cool around Keye. He planned to wait until after the Sabertooth thing was done, and then make his move. Just hope I can hold out 'til then, 'cause damn, she looked good in those shorts of hers. He headed to the garage to check the oil on his truck and maybe take it out for a drive. He wasn't on duty tonight and he'd asked Rogue to keep an eye on Katie. So he was as free as a bird. He'd checked with Xavier on Sabertooth's whereabouts, and figured he was clear to spend the evening out. He was getting hungry.

Logan picked up Keye's scent before he saw her. She was unlocking her car door as he entered the garage, He frowned. "Where ya headed, Keye? Not goin' out alone, are ya?"

Keye looked up warily at the note of disapproval in Logan's voice. What the hell is his problem? He was almost civil at the gym earlier--now what? "Just headed to town, Logan," she said calmly.

"Yeah? Got a date?" Why am I actin' like a jealous boyfriend? Shit.

"Yeah, with a guy named Joe, if he's still around," she said, her lips tightening.

"Chili dog, huh? I'm heading that way myself--mind if I ride along? Save on gas?"

"What's this about , Logan?"

Logan looked sheepish, then confessed, "Ya shouldn't go alone, Keye. Not with Sabertooth around."

"I checked, he's still headed away from here."

"Look, darlin', since Stryker attacked, nobody goes out alone at night."

"Um, weren't you just about to go out alone? At night?"

"Nah, I'm goin' with you." He gave her a half-smile.

Keye laughed at that. "Jerk. Get in. I'll drop you somewhere--maybe on your head."

"I'll drive."

"No. My car, my rules." Keye slid behind the wheel as Logan got in the passenger seat. "And don't touch anything."

Logan snorted. Keye pulled out of the garage, through the gate, and on to Graymalkin.

Logan looked more closely at the car's interior. Keye's car was a plain gray, mid-size, four-door sedan--at least from the outside. What the hell kind of setup is this? It ain't stock, when ya look at it up close. He reached for what should have been the radio controls, but turned out to be some kind of dummy panel.

"Hey, I said don't touch anything," Keye said. "Why can't men keep their hands to themselves?"

"You wish," Logan said absently as he traced the contours of the panel. Looks like it might open or somethin', he thought. "What is this, Keye?"

Keye sighed. "I don't suppose 'none of your business' would suffice?"

"Ya supposed right." He continued to run his fingertips around the edge of the panel.

Keye pulled over and stopped. "I suppose I'll have to give you the tour. Upper right corner of the panel, press in once." Logan complied, and the panel slid up and out of the way.

"What the hell? You buy this from James Bond or somethin'? This ain't a CD player. What're all these gizmos for?"

"Dirty tricks. Don't press any of them, okay? My cousin Leo does a little custom work and he did my car for me. Some of them are a little hokey, but they all work."

"Yeah? Whaddya got?"

"Left to right, that key-shaped thing? If you turn that, a tack strip drops out of the back bumper. Anybody following gets one or two flat tires."

"Yer shittin' me."

"Nope, it's pretty low-tech, but it works. Next button, press it and black gunk sprays out from under the brake light. Nasty stuff, gums up a windshield pretty well."

Logan laughed aloud. "I don't believe it. S'like somethin' out of a bad spy movie."

"Leo watched a lot of those when he was a kid--probably his inspiration."

"Next yer gonna tell me that little wings come out and the car flies."

"Nothing that fancy. The third one pulls out--Leo liked to mix it up so you don't get confused on the controls while you're driving."

"What's it do?" Logan was getting a kick out of this, dumb as it was.

"You know those mini spare tires they make nowadays?"

"Yeah, they're pretty much worthless."

"People just hate them, and he always ended up with a stack of them at his shop, so he figured why not use them as weapons. Pull that knob out, and the trunk opens and out a five-mile spare. I can load up to three of them. I usually only keep one, though, so if I'm not careful, I could shoot a bag of groceries out instead. If I need replacements, Leo's always has them on hand."

"Sheesh, Secret Agent Barbie, ya got any more tricks?"

Keye pulled out onto the deserted highway to town, and then lead-footed it.

"Holy shit." Logan was unprepared for how fast the car accelerated.

"Yeah." Keye grinned. She didn't get to show off her car very often, but she trusted Logan to keep quiet about it.

"How'd he get that kind of performance out of this heap?"

"You'd have to ask him, but I do know that it's all reinforced underneath, and there are heavy-duty brakes and shocks. It kind of weighs more than a car of this size should, but I can't complain about the power."

"Lemme drive it?"

"No."

"I'll be good, darlin', I promise."

Keye laughed at the sheer improbability of that. "Maybe, some day."

"I'm a good driver."

"Oh, yeah, i can tell by the dents on that truck of yours what a good driver you are." Piece-of-shit truck.

"Hey, can't help it if the previous owner got a little crazy. Never judge a book by its cover. Ya ever actually use any of yer dirty tricks?"

"A couple of times, that's all." She didn't elaborate, and he decided not to press her.

They arrived in town, and Keye said, "You can drive back, if you're sober."

"Darlin' it takes so much alcohol to get past my healing factor that it ain't hardly worth gettin' drunk."

"Where would you like me to drop you, Logan?"

"I'll just stick with you, darlin'. He paused and raised one eyebrow. "Unless I'd be cramping your style," he insinuated.

"Jerk. Is Joe's Big Dog still in the same place?"

"Yeah."

"Chili dogs it is, then." Keye couldn't resist adding, "Hope you like onions."

"Why darlin', are we gonna be kissin' later? I'd a brought my breath freshener, if only I'd known."

"You wish. Hey, there it is--hasn't changed a bit!" Keye was grinning like a little kid. She pulled into a parking space. "I'm starved, let's order at the walk-up window and eat outside."

"Fine with me."

Ten minutes later, Logan noted there was not a trace of prissiness to be seen as Keye practically attacked her chili dog. She closed her eyes and sighed on the first bite. The blissful look on her face was almost comical. "Got a little ketchup right there, darlin'. On your chin. Yeah, you got it." He resisted the urge to lean over the table and lick it off her. Oh, yeah, she's sexy when she forgets her manners and just enjoys herself. Wonder what she'd look like if I was to . . ."

"Logan? You're not eating. Your chili dog okay?"

"Yeah, it's great." Good thing they were at a picnic table, because he was afraid his condition would have obvious otherwise. "Yours, though, I don't know about." He shook his head. "Dunno what self-respectin' person would put relish on a chili dog . . ."

"I'll have you know that lots of people order the Fire Dog Special." Her favorite chili dog came with relish, onions and ketchup. "I can't help it if you're the type to play it safe," she teased.

"Darlin' some things just shouldn't be messed with. Chili dogs should never have relish OR ketchup on 'em, just like pizza shouldn't have fruit, fish or designer crap on it. Anybody with taste would know that." He gave her a half smile. "Please tell me yer not one of those women who drinks light beer."

Keye smiled. "No, I don't drink light beer" She sobered suddenly, reminding herself not to get too relaxed with this man. "That may be the only thing we have in common," she stressed.

Logan bit into his onion-and-cheese chili dog. He was suddenly angered at her last statement. Why'd she have to go and say that? I was just kiddin' around. He swallowed, took a drink of lemonade, and replied with a leer, "Well, darlin', they say opposites attract."

Keye could tell he was annoyed, and sighed. She said, "I didn't mean to offend you, Logan. I guess with this whole Creed thing, I just don't . . . I mean, I can't . . . I don't know . . . relax around people. I feel myself kind of pushing people away---keeping them at a distance. I'm sorry." She stared down at her food and suddenly didn't feel like eating.

"Hey," he said in a low tone, "Look at me, will ya? I understand. No offense taken. Truth be told, I'm glad ya take Creed seriously. I doubted ya at first, but I can see that ya mean business. I'm not expectin' anything from ya that ya aren't prepared to give." He reached over and snagged her last fry, as if to contradict himself. "Let's just relax and enjoy the evenin'. Eat up, Keye. You'll need yer strength if yer gonna play pool with me." At her questioning look, he grinned, "I thought we could go over to Harry's after. Get a beer or six. The only fittin' dessert after a chili dog. Maybe there'll even be a fight, who knows?" he said in a mock hopeful voice. He touched the back of her hand lightly with just a fingertip. "I'll try not to be such a moody asshole, all right? If I get outta line, you just whack this ol' canucklehead with a pool cue."

"I'd hate to break a perfectly good pool cue, but okay." She smiled and tried to finish her chili dog, but some of the enjoyment had gone out of it. She finally pushed it away and said, "Wow, I'd forgotten how big those things were."

Logan felt like a real shit. He decided to make sure she had a good time. He gathered up the trash and said, "So, Harry's okay with you? Or did ya have something else planned?" He tossed the trash into a can.

"Well, I do need to get some stuff at that candy shop. Could we do that first, before it closes? Then we can go to Harry's and I can take my time kicking your ass at pool." Keye would just as soon have gone home at that point, but she knew better that to let herself dwell on things. She needed a distraction.

Logan grinned--good thing about Keye was, she didn't brood about stuff, like he did. "Fine with me."

Logan hadn't been in the candy shop before, since he didn't really have a sweet tooth. He watched Keye as she smiled and chatted with the teenaged boy behind the counter, who called her Kiki. Evidently she used to babysit him at one time. He felt a stab of . . . jealousy? Am I jealous of a freakin' kid? Nah, I guess I'm jealous of their past. Even if the kid woulda been, what, four? Logan moved close her and asked, "What is it with women and chocolate, anyway?"

He snagged a piece of fudge off a sample tray and held it up to her lips, just as the boy blurted, "It's supposed to be an aphrodisiac."

Logan turned and stared at the now beet-red-faced boy. "Excuse me?" The boy began to look more intimidated than embarrassed.

Keye just ate the fudge and said calmly, "No, Andy, fudge is just a mood elevator. Now a guy washing dishes or cleaning a bathroom without being asked? That's an aphrodisiac." She winked at the teen, and he relaxed. "You remember that, Andy, it'll come in handy when you're an old married man."

"Thanks, Kiki--I forgot what a women's libber you are--you always made me and my sisters swap chores. I remember that now."

Logan listened with half an ear, but mostly thought about how good Keye's lips felt on his fingers. He shook his head. Time to think about somethin' else, bub. "Kid, got any small gift boxes? Need one for a little girl and one for an older lady." At Keye's surprised look, he shrugged and said, "What? Gotta keep Stoney happy."

Andy, picked out six gaudily-sprinkled pieces of fudge and candy and put them in a little box. "Little girls love this stuff, trust me." He picked out more gourmet pieces and packed them in another box. "The ladies like these better." He pulled a few princess stickers off a roll and put them in with the kid's selection. "My sisters were crazy about princesses." He wrapped the boxes and put a princess sticker on the outside of Katie's so Logan could tell them apart.

Logan was impressed. "Thanks, kid," he said and paid for the boxes.

Keye picked out some fudge for Storm, Scott, and Charles, and paid for hers. She picked up a sample piece and offered it to Logan. He put his hand over hers and guided it to his mouth. He ate the fudge and licked her fingers once. Keye blushed and Andy choked. Logan winked at Andy, and said, "Well, kid, she won't let me near her dishes, so what else could I do?"

Andy burst out laughing, then thanked them and wished them a good evening.

As they stepped out on the sidewalk, Keye said, "Shame on you, embarrassing poor Andy like that."

"Hey, somebody had to show the kid how it's done. Ya had your way, the poor kid'd be doin' dishes and scrubbin' toilets the rest of his life."

The sound of Keye's lighthearted laughter lifted Logan's spirits. I don't even like fudge, he thought with a half-smile.