It took over an hour but they eventually managed to convince the sister school to take the boy in. He would be subject to strict rules however at the new school, both in regard to his use of his mutation and his conduct with female students. Moira agreed with Logan's suggestion that the boy could benefit from having a male teacher assigned as a “role model”, to hopefully pull him back onto the right path before he became more angry and bitter. It was arranged that Johnny would leave for Europe within the hour on the US schools’ private jet.
With that out of the way, Charles texted the parents of Marcus and Andy to let them know the meeting he had called them about earlier would begin in fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, Patrick was a runaway whose parents had refused to have contact once he had arrived at the school, so he didn't have parents to back up the school's disciplinary actions. While those who were attending the meeting in person were being corralled, Charles filled Ororo in on the plan for Johnny, she would be flying with Scott to deliver him to Moira.
The meeting with the four boys went well, the three apologised profusely for their actions. While Caleb didn't apologize, he did make sure the boys were okay and not permanently injured. They left the meeting as friends, even though the three troublemakers were grounded for two weeks and had been given a list of extracurricular chores to fill up an hour each evening after school through that period. The fact that one of the students set a fellow classmate on fire was conveniently omitted from mention to the other boys’ parents but once the phone calls were ended the boys did ask what was happening to Johnny.
"Mr Alerdyce has been transferred to our sister school in Europe, provided his behaviour improves he should be able to continue his education through graduation," the Professor assured them.
"If his behaviour doesn't improve?" Caleb asked.
"Then I'm afraid he will have to be expelled from our rolls but I assure you, none of us want that, I just hope Johnny realizes that," Charles told them.
"I feel bad he might get kicked out, Johnny's got nowhere else to go, maybe it would be easier if I..." Logan cut Caleb off.
"His issue wasn't with you Caleb, you going would still leave a half dozen people in danger, if Johnny can't fix his attitude he can't come back, you don't need to feel bad about that, it's him causing his own issue, you were just a convenient target," he said. Caleb grudgingly accepted the sense of his statement. Logan couldn't help but feel pride at his son's compassionate attitude, Sarah had done a good job raising him.
"Now that that is over, enjoy your lunch, you may all return to classes this afternoon," the Professor informed the boys, being met with a chorus of disgusted groans.
"Can't we be on dorm arrest for the rest of the day at least? I haven't finished my book," Andy complained.
"It's a comic book man, it's not that hard to read," Rick replied.
"It's anime dude we all know it's hard," Marcus jibbed, before remembering there were still adults in the room.
Logan sent them on their way, shaking his head in amusement, teenage boys, absolute idiots at times. He followed Sarah and Caleb to the cafeteria that was just starting to fill up as classes began to slowly empty out. They took a table tucked away in the corner, Rogue and the kids didn't appear to be back yet but there were enough seats at the table they had picked for them to join when they returned. They settled into polite conversation, catching up on non-fire related happenings in each other’s lives, before Logan got to the topic he had been aiming at.
"I thought you guys should hear it first, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, it seems only fair given Rogue's gonna be your stepmom," he told Caleb, the kids eyes got comically wide for a second before he swallowed his mouthful and replied.
"You finally had the balls to ask her eh old man?" he replied.
"Watch it boy," Logan threatened good naturedly, "But yeah... I know she’s young, worried she's too young, but she's handled everything else life's thrown at her so far, and I'm not as bad as some of that shit so, I think we can make it work, plus we've pretty much been living together since I got back anyway, makes sense... but you like her, right?" he asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, yeah I do, and she's good with the little ones too," Caleb replied, a happy grin on his face, he didn't seem the least bit concerned that his 'stepmom' was little more than a year older than him.
"What about you?" Logan asked Sarah, he wasn't sure where her thoughts lay on 'them', technically their relationship had never really been more than convenience but she was still the mother of his son.
"I'm happy for you, for both of you, glad you finally figured out how in love with her you've been," Sarah replied, with a genuine smile.
"Hell, I'm pretty sure I've been in love with that girl since before I laid eyes on her the first time, " Logan replied, uncharacteristically open, he wasn't usually one for sharing feelings.
"Where did you meet her?" Caleb asked curiously.
"Little bar in the middle of nowhere up in Canada, picked up her scent when she came in, took me a while to track down who it belonged to. She was hitchhiking clear across North America, started in Mississippi, was aiming for Alaska. I hit a spot of trouble with the locals - don't ask - had to light out, get about ten k’s down the road and realise I've picked up a stowaway, and there she is, tucked in my trailer, freezing her ass off; the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Logan said, finishing with a grin at something over Caleb's shoulder.
"Well that wasn't quite what he was thinking," Rogue commented, as she walked around the table to sit next to Logan, James in her arms as Ava climbed into the opposite seat and began to lay out her findings to show to her daddy.
"Ava, sweetie, that one's poop," Logan said, pointing to what looked like a rock, he heard Rogue sigh and offer up an amused 'I told you to leave that one behind', before Ava replied.
"I know daddy, but what's it from, it smells funny," the little girl informed him.
"It's from a lynx I'd say, that had been eating chipmunks, and it smells like it's been peed on by a raccoon," Logan replied amused, "Could you go and put it in the garden now, and wash your hands," he added, as the little girl reluctantly took her treasure outside, where nature intended it to be. "And what are you hiding?" Logan asked, turning to James.
The little boy grinned before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a tiny sleeping baby chipmunk.
Logan sighed. "I let you take them into the woods and they come back with poop and pets... let me guess, you want to keep it?" he said.
"The rest of the babies in the nest were dead, and this one’s half starved, I guess the lynx ate their mama," Rogue replied, "I said he had to ask you if he wanted to keep it."
"I'm not taking care of it," Logan said, "If you're happy to you can keep it."
James turned to his mama, big begging eyes that pleaded to be allowed to keep it. "Of course I'll help you look after it sweetie," she told him, watching as he smiled happily and tucked the pup back in his pocket.
Ava came running back into the room then from cleaning her hands. "What did he say?!" she demanded, having seen the chipmunk being shown as she was leaving the room.
"You can keep it," Logan replied, chuckling when she yelled out an excited 'yay', before hugging him and then climbing back into her seat to start eating her lunch, the rest of her treasures abandoned across the table.
--
He left Rogue and the kids after lunch, they were going to pay Jean a visit to see if she could give them something to feed the baby chipmunk with, he was off to run 'errands'. He had to pick up gym equipment for the Professor, and some gardening supplies for Ororo, so took the big old pick up. His own errands were the main reason he was going however, this was good cover for him though.
He had asked Ororo earlier that morning if she could babysit Ava and James this evening, he had told her, and Charles, that Rogue had been so busy with the kids lately she hadn't any time to herself so he was going to take her out for dinner, to say thanks. He carefully avoided making it sound like what he intended it to be, he was taking Rogue on a date, only he'd never really been on a date before, but neither had she, so he didn't think he would have too much trouble making this special for her without screwing up too badly.
He knew where he was taking her, and booked a table for the evening, then went on to the garden centre to collect Ororo's order. He grabbed flowers for Rogue from the conveniently located florist next door, he didn't know what she liked but a small bouquet of white and purple roses caught his eye. He felt like it held some meaning that he couldn't quite remember, though Rogue liked purple, so either way it would work.
The gym supplies were from a shop at the mall but he didn't want to leave a full pick up bed parked at the mall while he did his own shopping, so he ran his own errands first. When he got to the mall, he found the jewellery stores on the directory board and headed for the nearest one.
The first jewellery store he passed by, was all bright white and overly harsh lights which forced him away, in favour of a smaller shop with darker decor and lighting that was focused on the pieces, rather than burning your retinas out of your face. Behind the counter and through a window was a workshop where pieces were actually being made, it was an appealing thought that he was picking out something one of a kind, for a girl who was so herself.
A young woman, sitting quietly in a corner behind the counter reading, looked up as he stepped into the store, it had its own door separating it from the main thoroughfare, muting the general mall noise as he shut the door behind him. "Hello sir, are you after something specific today or just browsing?" the girl asked, looking hopeful.
"I'm after an engagement ring, what do you have?" he asked.
The girl brightened up immediately and went into saleswoman mode as she directed him toward a display holding a variety of rings, as she asked about births stones, and cuts, and settings; he didn't have a clue what most if it meant. As his eye passed over the options, some small and plain, others overly large and flashy, a setting caught his eye. "That one," he said, pointing out the ring in question. As the girl pulled the ring out of the display case so he could get a closer look at it, he picked up another person approaching from the workshop as she did.
"That's a very special ring, for a very special little lady," the wizened old man said as he approached, he was obviously the jeweller. Logan couldn't help the feeling that something was just a little off about the old man, the girls growing sense of unease as Logan regarded him, telling him he was onto something.
"You're blind!" Logan said suddenly, as it hit him.
The girl immediately tensed but the old man just smiled, tilting his head as he replied sagely, "To some things, yes, but not to the gems, and those ones have a very special person to go to, and a very, very, very, long time to be there."
"You're a mutant?" Logan asked curiously.
"Aye, I am, as is she," he said, indicating the girl behind the counter with him, before he replied with a grin, "As are you, and your little fhíorghrá."
"You can see all that in rocks?" Logan asked with a chuckle. "No wonder you can't see anything else," he added, leading the old man to burst into laughter.
"Yes, yes, he will do nicely, take care of the girl, and she will take care of you," he informed Logan, before he turned around and headed back to his workshop.
"She already does, she's definitely better at it than I am," Logan replied with a soft smile, suddenly this whole asking Marie to marry him thing didn't seem like such big a deal, or maybe the old guy was just crazy.
The saleswoman was back, beaming happily, her earlier apprehension gone. "I'm going to hazard a guess that this is the perfect size but I still have to ask what size ring does your girlfriend wear?"
Logan pulled a ring out of his pocket; he had swiped it from Marie's jewellery box earlier that morning. As the girl checked the sizes she smiled brightly as she confirmed the ring he was buying was indeed the correct size. "Does he do that often?" Logan asked, gesturing to the old man who was back at his workbench.
"Sometimes, it doesn't happen as often now as it used to, too many people giving up on fhíorghrá ... uh, love, true love, soulmates, that sort of thing. That's what he says at least and who am I to argue with what makes him happy," the girl replied.
"Is he your... grandfather?" Logan asked, as the girl rang up his purchase, he handed over plastic, ignoring the numbers on the till; it was for Marie, it was worth it.
"Great-grandfather, I've been working with him since I was young, it turns out I got the gift too, though with nowhere near as much practise as Athair Críonna; he says it will come with time. What about you, what do you do?" she asked.
"I'm a healer," Logan replied dismissively.
"Ah, a descendant of Dian Cécht!" the girl replied with a laugh.
"Who?" Logan asked confused, he had no idea what language it was these people were throwing around mixed in with their english.
"Dian Cécht was a god, from Irish mythology, the god of healing, he and some of his children could heal any wounds on themselves and on others, some even believed them to be immortal, Dian's own son, Miach, was said to have come back from the dead after his father killed him," the girl replied, trying to sound serious even as her eyes laughed.
"Why did his father kill him?" Logan asked, amused but confused.
"Because God's are jealous and he didn't like being one upped by his own son," the girl replied with a shrug, as she handed Logan a small paper bag containing the ring box.
"I thought the whole point of being a parent was to raise our children to be better than we are," he said, as he turned to leave.
"Maybe gods don't make the best parents, that would explain why there are more mortals than gods," the girl suggested, bidding him farewell as she returned to her book.
Logan chuckled to himself as he thought back over the conversation, as he made his way on to his next task. It wasn't the first time he'd been compared to a god, though a first for that particular reason. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe all these ancient 'gods' might just have been mutants; maybe the girl was right and he really was a descendant of some ancient 'god'. Just his luck to be born into a time where instead of being revered, and respected - hell, even feared would do - he was hated and tortured. Maybe he'd better stop thinking about that...
He was just heading into the gym store when his phone rang. After making sure he wasn't already on his way home, Rogue asked if he could stop by a vet clinic on his way back and pick up some milk powder they were holding for her, for the chipmunk of course. "That thing hasn't escaped yet?" he asked hopefully.
"His eyes aren't open daddy," Ava informed him from down the line, "He can't run away because he can't see where he's going, we need to build him a cage for when his eyes are open so he can't escape." The little girl seemed to be taking great delight in the idea of the keeping the poor creature a prisoner.
"Alright, alright, I'll get the milk, and we can build a cage later but if it chooses to leave once it's bigger you have to let it go okay? It's still a wild animal and some of them aren't happy being pets," he tried to reason with the child.
"I know, so we just have to try to make it really happy, give it a nice house and lots of food, and toys, and then it won't ever want to leave!" Ava replied, before she ran off to whatever else she had been doing, leaving him and Rogue to end the conversation.
With a fully loaded truck he pulled up outside the vet clinic Rogue had given him the address for. It was the most bizarre action he'd ever undertaken, to walk into a vet clinic and ask for milk powder for a chipmunk, though the receptionist seemed to think it was cute.