He arrived at the school at about 3 am. The gates slid open smoothly for him. He parked the trailer he'd managed to pick up along the way. He loved Cyke's bike, but sometimes a man needs a little more space. As he approached, the door opened and there was Jean Grey. She was still dressed, wearing her customary red, of course, so he figured they were expecting him.
"Hi, Jean," he said, as if he had been away for a weekend instead of a couple of years. "Still got a room for me?"
She smiled at him. "Welcome back," she said, embracing him. "You'll always have a room here."
He inhaled her scent and enjoyed the feel of her body against him, but she drew back quickly. He noticed the ring on her left hand. "So he finally had the balls to ask, eh?" he said roughly, thinking damn, but also good. He preferred to have the rules laid out, and the ring told him exactly where he stood. She laughed. "Congratulations," he grumbled, and she laughed again. "How's Marie?"
The abrupt change in subject obviously startled her. Good, he thought, she's not rooting around in my head.
She recovered quickly. "Rogue is fine. She's doing well in all her classes, and she even has a boyfriend." His whole body tensed at that, and he felt a sudden urge to extend his claws.
"A boyfriend?" he growled.
Jean nodded. "It's very cute. Of course, she never gave up hope that you'd come back, even after the rest of us did."
"She's not old enough to have a boyfriend," he said, trying to get his feelings under control. "I'm surprised ol' One-Eye allows it."
Jean looked askance at him. "She's seventeen, Logan. She'll be going to college next year."
Seventeen. He growled again. He knew what seventeen-year-old boys wanted from girls. This time the claws were out before he even thought to stop them. He grimaced. Jean raised an eyebrow, but made no comment. He retracted the claws and, after she'd led him to his room, thanked her for the hospitality.
"Oh, Professor Xavier knew you were on the way, so it was no trouble making sure the room was made up," she said. "Breakfast starts at seven. Will we see you there?"
He shrugged. Being surrounded by noisy teenagers first thing in the morning was not his idea of a good time. He hated teenagers, which only made his situation more ironic. Jean wished him good night and left.
She's seventeen, he thought, and she has a boyfriend. Both were unexpected developments, though he supposed he'd known, objectively, that she wouldn't stay fifteen forever. But he hadn't imagined she'd find a boyfriend, though she was a beautiful girl. He decided he would check the boy out, make sure he was keeping his hands to himself and that he treated Marie respectfully. If he didn't, the kid would get a quick and pointed lesson on how to treat a lady. Then he would head out on the road again, obligation fulfilled.
Telling himself he was satisfied with that, he went to bed.
End