"So ya're also mutants?" Josh smiled at the two older girls, who sat next to him and his sister on the wooden bench. "What can ya do?"

Jubilee smirked at the boy and opened her palm. Blue flashes immediately skipped from one finger to the others and Josh grinned as he carefully placed his hand next to hers and suddenly the spark jumped from her finger to his resuming its dance. The Asian girl gapped at him. "You have the same ability as I!"

"Would you stop to show off your powers, before anyone'll notice?!" Wolverine hissed at the children and swiftly took in the surroundings. Good thing they were so far away from the bar entrance and there were so many trucks in the parking lot hiding them from curious views. He watched the two young mutants giggle at each other when Josh let the spark vanish in his palm. "Uhu great, Firecracker and Pikachu have found each other!" Logan's eyes went from one teen to the other and back, noting Jubilee's beloved yellow clothing. "Isn't that brute yellow?!" He didn't even wait for confirmation and Jubilee's eyes widened when she got his train of thought. "Think switchin' your nicknames is indicated. Jubes you're Pikachu from now on."

The girl jumped to her feet protesting. "C'mon, Wolvie! That's unfair! I was always the Firecracker! I can also live with 'mall rat'! But not Pikachu!" She saw Rogue, Molly and Josh laughing hard about her outburst.

"You're rather called rat than mouse?" Logan's eyebrow hitched.

Smirking the black haired crossed her arms before her chest staring back at the mutant. "I trade Wolvie for Pikachu."

Taking a draw from his cigar – how he needed nicotine to calm his nerves to handle Jubilee – the mutant smirked unimpressed. "Nah, you couldn't stop callin' me that if your life depends on it."

"I'll never play a prank on you again, LOGAN!"

"Who said I'd return to the mansion?"

Now it was Jubilee's turn to grin in victory. "Roguey said she'll come home eventually. It's an open secret that you'll return when Rogue's waiting for you."

His brow hitched Logan faced his Marie completely surprised of her sudden change of heart. "Mar- Rogue?"

"Ah had a little time to think about things…" Their eyes locked and the brunette's lips held a shy smile.

"Good to hear, darlin'." He knew that sooner or later he'd have had to break this issue to her. Despite all the despair and hurt that school had brought to him in the last years, he knew deep down that it had been the right decision to leave his little Rogue there to grow up under their kind without the need to hide what she was. Though he didn't agree with all their ideals or methods, it was the best place out there for young mutants to get a chance for a normal life.

His time teaching at the mansion had provided his sad and meaningless existence a purpose to use his Wolverine for the good cause – for once – and somehow some of the geeks had even grown on him. Nonetheless he could still live a good life without retuning there as long as a certain Southern Belle was with him, but for said young woman it was the best to lead a steady life that their road trips couldn't provide in the long run. Not to mention that one day she would regret not having finished school when she has to work hard in a lowly paid job due to her lack of education. She meant the world to him and she deserved so much more and if it meant he'd have to stay in that school and teach hormone driven teenagers, then he wouldn't argue.

Logan's grim gaze traveled over to Jubilee when he finally stated. "'K, Pikachu for no more pranks on me AND Ma- eer Rogue."

The girl was jumping up and down now. "Yay!!!"

Shaking his head about Jubilee's antics Logan resumed smoking his treasured cigar. "How did you end up here, anyway? There is no mall for the next 50 miles?", he remarked after a moment watching the raven haired girl sink down between Josh and his sister.

Rogue continued also curious, she knew her friend too well. "And that motel over there doesn't look like your standards, Jubes."

"Well, we opened a map on the floor and threw a pencil on it. Happened to mark a spot near the highway. When we googled the location we came upon this bar."

"You aren't serious, kid, are you?" Her expression told him this was how the girls had come upon this place. Grunting in annoyance Logan walked further away from the group; this had been a little too much Jubilee for his liking.

"How are things at home?" Rogue finally asked, though she wanted to know something else.

Her parents traded a view at the word 'home' their daughter used. There was no doubt that she referred to that mutant school as her home.

"As always, I think. Only that Pete, Kitty and Bobby are no longer students but started to teach classes under Ms. Monroe's guidance."

"Really?!"

Molly bent forward, so her gaze fell upon the other brunette throwing her two cents in. "Pete and Kitty are now officially a couple."

"Ya mean Bobby and Kitty?!" Rogue corrected startled, after all that jerk had left her for her friend.

"Bobby? No Colossus and Shadowcat." The younger mutant frowned in confusion. "Why do you think Kitty wanted Bobby?"

Rogue fiddled about her bracelet nervously. "Thought they had a thing going on, back when he… broke up." She whispered the last words and she could see Logan's muscles tense under his shirt and jacket.

"Iceman wanted something from Kitty, but after you had left and his intentions became obvious, Kitty told him in front of half the school that he was a stupid bastard to treat you like that. And that she would look down on him that he put her into the position of cheating on a good friend – she meant you, Rogue – without even knowing any of it. 'fore storming into her room she hit him hard in the face. Almost broke his nose." Jubilee was laughing at the memory. "Pete and she were already secretly dating at that time."

"Kitty and Bobby had never something going on?" Rogue had done Kitty a great wrong. She had hated the other girl all those past months.

Jubilee snickered with an evil glint in her eyes. "He might have imagined something but for Kitty he was just a friend and she was already involved with Pete."

Logan had listened to the whole conversation and approached the group curiously. "Colossus and Kitty?!" He moved his hand from over his head at speaking Pete's name to down in front of his chest. "The giant and the kitten?!" He was almost speechless. "Didn't see that coming."

"No one has." Molly nodded in understanding.

Logan grinned with satisfaction. "And Icicle got punched."

"Not only that." Jubilee locked eyes with Rogue. "After that incident, in the evening, that jackass had the guts to ask Steph during dinner, if she wanted to go with him to the lake the next day." A satisfied smile appeared on her features. "Steph yelled into his face in front of the whole student and teacher body that she would never date such a disloyal jerk like him."

Logan was grinning like stupid. "You didn't tape that by chance?!"

"Sadly, no." Molly laughed. "Bobby had higher chances of getting a kiss when he was together with you, Rogue, than now. Every girl shuns him." The teenager was rolling on her back laughing out loud and fell almost from the wooden bench she laid on top.

Jubilee smiled smug when she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You deserve better than that jerk, Roguey."

"My words, darlin'."

The brunette rolled her hazel eyes on her friend. "Ya wanna hear now ya were right to begin with, sugah?!"

"Your allowance to gut him a little would be enough, darlin'."

Wide eyed Rogue leaped up staring the Canadian straight in the eyes. "Logan! Ah think he suffers enough."

"You are too forgivin', darlin'." His predator glint was still twinkling in his eyes. "Not much. One claw would be more than enough. Just showing the punk his place. No one treats my Marie like that." Unwittingly by the pair, Jubilee and Molly traded gazes about Logan's slip of the tongue.

"No, Logan. Ah told ya Ah don't like it when ya threaten to gut, skin, stab or behead somebody 'cause they weren't nice to me. Usually ya're glaring and snarling frightens them enough."

Logan grimaced and the brunette thought she saw him pout for a moment. "You're exaggeratin', darlin'. That jerk in the bar wasn't nice to you yet I never threatened to kill him. Just broke some rips as I always do." He contemplated a second. "But if that bastard that made a pass at Molly had tried the same with you, then he could search for his head now."

Molly was laughing taking the conversation as a joke and earned a glare from Logan and Rogue only sighed in annoyance. "Molly, we are not jokin'!" The laughter stopped immediately and her eyes widened while she swallowed hard. "Logan Ah'm serious! Ya can't beat everybody to a gimp. Ah know your instincts tell ya to protect, but ya're exaggeratin' sometimes. It's a difference if ya beat somebody up in a cage fight or on the street."

Taking in the shocked faces of her family Rogue took a deep breath when she heard Logan growl in respond. "When we return home ya'll stay a way from Bobby."

Logan snickered and a sly grin plastered his lips. "That will be impossible since I'll teach him in the danger room, darlin'. Student or not, he's still a X-Men in training."

The brunette stared the Canadian straight in the dark eyes not backing down an inch by his intimidating gaze. "But ya'll not physically hurt him, Logan!" His answer was an annoyed grumble as he put his cigar back between his lips and Rogue smiled at that, knowing this was his way to concur.

X X X X X X X

A few minutes later, Logan was still cooling down with the help of his second cigar; Jubilee couldn't bear it any longer and approached her mentor. The girl saw his stern gaze settle down on her conscience-stricken features and took a deep breath before she could manage to get out what was nagging on her. "Are we cool again?"

His eyes rested on the firecracker for a tiny eternity, his sensitive nose picked up the sadness and insecurity in her scent and the fear she held to lose their friendship. The usual spiteful girl suffered like a beaten puppy under his silence and he sighed eventually. "Sure. Why shouldn't we, kid?"

A sigh of relief left Jubilee's lips and her confidence returned to her face together with a soft smile. "You just acted like a father scowlin' his disobedient daughter on me. Different than the other times I screwed up."

"Had to. This time you fuckin' crossed the line and went too far, kid. Had t' show you." He breathed out the smoke and his eyes got a sudden glint of seriousness. "Don't think it's all peachy now. I'll think of somethin' when I return to the mansion."

Jubilee almost swallowed her chewing gum in disbelief. "You gonna punish me?!"

Logan saw the rebellious spark in her eyes flicker to life and decided to extinguish it before she threw a tantrum at him. "Yep, as I said before you've gone too far with sneakin' away and let everyone believe you're save at Kitty's. And on top of it you got a younger student into danger. I know this was your plan, kid." The spark had vanished and was replaced by guilt and sadness. Shaking his head in defeat he lifted his arm and placed his large hand onto the girl's head ruffling her black mane. "Just try to stay out of trouble, Jubes."

The smile was back on her lips when she rushed forward and slung her arms around him pressing her face into his chest. Logan was surprised about the apparent importance of his role in the life of this young woman and her fear of being on bad terms with him. Slowly he brought his hand from her head down to her back while his free hand held his cigar a safe distance away from the girl's clothing. "I know it's kinda stupid this comes from me, but you have to think 'bout the consequences of your doings, Yellow." He felt her nod against his chest before she pushed away, a bright smile on her features when she saw the hint of a grin tug on his lips.

"You know, Wolvie, almost thought you would call me 'young lady'." Jubilee giggled and watched him take another drag of nicotine.

His smug smirk accompanied his raised eyebrow. "That thought would never cross my mind, kid. You're everything else than a lady."

A moment later, the atmosphere finally relaxed between those two, the Asian changed the topic. "Are you fine with Pete being with Kitty? Or do I have to warn him to stay away from you?"

Logan noticed the curious gaze of Rogue on this question. "Nah. Piotr is fine. He isn't a show-off. He's smart 'n has manners. As long as he doesn't make the Kitten cry, there's no reason for him t' fear me."

Rogue was almost gapping at her best friends. "They just got the fuckin' blessing from the Wolverine?! Can't believe this!"

"Me neither, Roguey!" Jubilee stared wide eyed at Logan.

With feign concern and blame the brunette approached the firecracker placing her gloved hands onto the other girl's shoulders facing her. "Ya broke Logan, Jubes! Ya just used up all his parenting and protectiveness!" There was panic in her voice.

Jubilee held the same distressed and worried gaze as Rogue did and grasped the older girl's arms in a pretended attempt to ground herself. "You're right, chica. That was too much for Papa Wolverine to handle!"

Logan interrupted their little game with a snort and a cloud of smoke he exhaled in their direction. "Funny, kids… Pete can protect Kitty and knows how to treat a girl. That's why Papa Wolverine is fine with the Kitten's choice."

The firecracker hooked her arm with Rogue's after both girls let go off each other and faced Logan with real seriousness. "You know, they already made out right under your nose, Wolvie."

"You have t' shove that into my face, Jubes, haven't you?!" The Canadian glared at her, one dark eyebrow hitched. "Always had known Kitty sneaked out at night. Couldn't figure out where her destination was though 'cuz the Half-Pint phased her way through half the boys and girls wings."

The black haired girl was baffled. "What? You let her slip under your radar?!"

Logan only shrugged. "She was clever enough to set me on the wrong track and always was in her bed when I checked your room."

"Thought the three of us were under special surveillance?"

"Yep." Having his cigar finished the mutant threw the remains on the ground and put it out with his boot.

Rogue was confused. "But ya had always let Bobby stay in mah room?"

"As long as he was gone by my second round, it was fine with me though I never liked it, but then again you were happy, darlin'." Logan observed the anxious faces of her parents. "Isn't like the kids could have done anything. If the Icicle had tried anything he'd have ended up in the infirmary anyway." He stated to the D'Ancantos.

Rogue narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to her friend. "Ya let mah skin do your job, Logan?!"

"Nah, my claws would have taught him a lesson after he'd have woken up from the coma."

Mr. D'Ancanto was completely stunned. "Ya were the chaperon?"

"The other teachers thought it a great idea. With my enhanced senses 'n all."

"Not to forget your bad temper." Rogue grinned and freed herself from Jubilee's grasp.

An evil smirk found its way onto the Asian's features. "Nobody dares to take on Wolvie."

"Yep, 'cept you and Rogue. Even Kitty tried."

Rogue closed the distance between Logan and her and felt immediately his arm wrap around her shoulders when she leaned into his side. "Special rules applied for us." She retorted with a smile happy to reminisce about their time together at the mansion.

"Rogue, Kitty and I were the bad ass Logan's angels." Jubilee finally explained to Rogue's family, who looked quite puzzled.

"Two angels and the devil's sidekick." Logan corrected ruffling Jubilee's hair again.

Josh laughed about the firecracker's annoyed face. "Why that?"

Logan simply shrugged. "Had to see that those two wouldn't corrupt my Rogue. Had promised to take care of her. Turned out I had to look after two additional runts." He slung his free arm around Jubilee's shoulder.

"You like us, Wolvie." The girl looked up with a smile to see his expression.

"My two angels yes, but you… depends on what you are schemin'." Logan's gaze wandered to the other runaway a hint of curiosity hidden in it. "Molly, how did you end up hanging out with Jubes?"

"I'm her roommate."

"What the fuck?!" The Canadian let go of Jubilee, his eyes seized her demanding further explanation.

"After Rogue had left and soon Kitty graduated and moved in her own room in the teacher's wing I was all alone."

"And they thought it wise to provide you with someone new to corrupt?" He then looked at Molly. "Maybe you should have an eye on her than to get caught in her stupid plans."

"We're roommates now?!" Rogue didn't know what to think about this new situation.

"Nah, forget that, darlin'. Molly is already a rotten apple. Two devils can taint the most innocent angel." Logan squeezed Marie signalling her and everybody else that he didn't like that idea and will find a solution.

"Thought I was the devil's sidekick." Jubilee complaint sinking down onto the bench next to Molly.

"You got a promotion, kid."