“Miss MacTaaaaaaaaaggert!”

“Yes, Scott?”

“Logan pushed meeeee.”

“Quit yer whinin’, One-Eye.”

Indignant, Scott slapped a hand over the patch covering his left eye, his chin trembling. “Miss Mac...,” his breath hitched. “Mac-Mac-MacTaggert!” Tears flowing down his cheeks, he hid his face in Miss MacTaggert’s skirt, shoulders shaking. Logan grinned.

Moira MacTaggert, however, was not pleased. Not in the slightest. “Logan, go outside in the hall and wait there. I want to talk to you.”

Logan made a face, kicked the ground stubbornly, then slinked away.

Moira crouched down next to Scott, hugging him. “There, there. Don’t cry, okay? Look, there’s Jean. Why don’t you go play with her?” Scott’s face lit up, and Moira pulled out her handkerchief to dry his tears and wipe his nose. As soon as she was done, Scott made a beeline for his friend, the small redhead smiling brightly as she spotted him.

Out in the hall, Logan sat on one of the long benches, arms crossed in front of his chest, pouting. His unruly black hair fell into his eyes, but he didn’t make an effort to remove it.

A small hand appeared in his view, delicate fingers plucking away the stray strand of hair and tucking it back behind his ear. He quirked a grin. “Hey.”

Marie smiled at him as she sat down beside him, linking arms with him. “Hey. Did she send you outside again?”

Logan nodded grimly. “One-Eye told on me.”

The small brunette, younger than him and in another class, cuddled up to him. “Scott’s so full of himself.”

Icy laughter filled the hall, and a small blonde sauntered into view, sing-songing. “Roguey and Logan sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g! First there’s love, then there’s marriage, then there’s Logan with a baby carriage!”

Marie just rolled her eyes, and Logan harrumphed at the blonde. “Get lost, Emma. You’re just jealous cos Scott likes Jean more.”

Emma’s face reddened, and she balled her little hands into fists. “Does not!”

“Does too!”

“Does not!!”

“Does too!!”

Marie had jumped up, and the two girls stomped towards each other until they were in each others faces, and just as Emma reached for Marie’s hair, the door opened and Miss MacTaggert stepped into the hall. Emma immediately took a step back, crossing her arms in front of her chest with a huff.

Moira raised an eyebrow. “Girls, please go back to your class. I’d like to speak with Logan,” Marie opened her mouth to protest but Moira cut her off. “Alone.”

Marie pouted, but then she patted Logan’s hand and followed Emma back into their classroom. Moira sat next to the dark haired boy, waiting till the door had closed behind the two girls.

“Did you really push Scott, Logan?”

Logan pushed out his chin and remained silent.

“If you did, was there a reason?”

He mumbled something.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“He didn’t let Rogue play in the sandbox. Said it was his and Jeannie’s.”

Moira fought hard not to roll her eyes. The two ‘couples’ were always fighting, and with Emma who had a crush on Scott thrown in the mix, things tended to get out of hand very fast. She smiled down at him. “I’m very proud of you for standing up for Ro... Marie. But you need to find another way. You won’t make a lot of friends with pushing them.”

Logan stared straight ahead, not answering.

Moira sighed. “Well, get back inside. And behave yourself, okay? If you keep needling Scott, I’ll have to ask your mother to keep you at home, and that would make Marie very sad, don’t you think?”

His eyes widened, and he nodded furiously. “I don’t want her to be sad. She has to be happy and laugh all the time.”

The teacher smiled. “Well, then get inside and make her laugh.” The boy bolted for the door as fast as he could, and Moira watched how he went over to where Marie was sitting by the window. As soon as the girl saw her friend, her face lit up. Moira leaned against the doorframe, watching them. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if those two wind up with a house and a bunch of kids.’

“Miss MacTaggert!”

“Yes, Hank?”

“Charlie won’t let me play with his science kit!”

“Well, come on. We’ll go and ask him together shall we?” She smiled at the boy and with a sigh thought of all the things to come, and what the future held for all her X kids.

The END