Dreamweaver: Part Twenty
Logan took a sip of his coffee and gave the fidgeting Bishop a reproving glance. "Patience is a virtue, kid," he pointed out. "He'll be here."
Glancing away from the clock on the wall, Bishop gave him a dark look. Then, suddenly, he began to laugh. "Is it just me, or have we had this conversation before?"
Logan thought about it, and then chuckled. "I guess we have, haven't we?" He glanced around at the little restaurant. With its cheerful decor and stunning view of the mountains, 'Ned's Place' was far more pleasant than the diner in Alberta had been. Out front, a small Cessna like the one they had flown in on was coming into land. "Different circumstances, though. For one thing, we're in Alaska, not Alberta."
"Obviously," Bishop said dryly. "But I do take your point." He gave their surroundings the same once-over as Logan. "This is actually quite nice," he said, sounding surprised. "The scenery is beautiful, the people seem very friendly--"
"And the food is delicious," said the very attractive waitress as she set their plates down in front of them. She winked at Bishop, who reddened. "Trust me. Ned's cooking makes pilots go out of their way to land at our little airstrip. Meals like this are hard to come by out here in the back of nowhere." Setting down the other three plates she carried on her tray, she frowned mildly at the empty chairs. "What happened to your friends?"
"They'll be back," Logan said amiably, his mouth watering as he looked down at his plate. Back bacon--real, Canadian back bacon. "And if they aren't, they might just find their food's 'mysteriously disappeared'."
"Well, you just holler if you need anything," the waitress said, shooting a coy look at Bishop as she flounced away. He muttered something under his breath.
"I didn't quite catch that, bub," Logan said with a grin.
"Nothing," Bishop grumbled. "What is it with women? Especially waitresses?" His expression darkened even further. Obviously, he was remembering 'Pam', the pretty waitress who had turned out to be an assassin working for the Dark Beast.
"That's your fault, kid," Logan said, trying to lighten the conversation. Bishop looked over at him indignantly, and Logan chuckled. "You've got that lost-puppy look that most women find utterly irresistable."
"Rubbish," Bishop growled. "I have no time for this." He cast an exasperated look at the door. "Where is he? I promised Gina I would call as soon as I spoke to him. She will be sitting by the phone, worrying--"
"Don't worry. If I know Dana, she'll keep the kid too occupied to worry." He gave his friend a curious look. "What is it with the two of you, anyways? Your paternal instinct kicking in or somethin'?"
Bishop was saved from answering when Scott came into the restaurant, his face red with cold. He came over and sat down at the table, immediately digging into his breakfast. "I can't believe those two," he growled. "'Girl talk', they said. 'Nothing you would understand'." He gave a martyred sigh. "They're out there giggling about something, but as soon as I came over they gave me this look."
Logan grinned. As far as he was concerned, the best thing to come out of this whole mess was this new closeness between Dom and Jean. "They're probably just blowin' off some steam, Cyke. Things were a little stressful there yesterday." He took a sip of his coffee. "Besides, I think it's best for us not to know what women talk about sometimes."
Scott considered that for a moment. "You're probably right," he agreed wryly. The door opened again, and he sighed as Jean and Domino came over to the table. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, ladies?" he asked sourly.
Jean gave him a prim look, but Logan could see the mischief dancing in her green eyes. "It was getting cold out there."
"And there were two burly mechanics staring at us," Domino added, getting into the spirit.
"Staring at us and drooling," Jean put in helpfully.
"I really liked the way you telekinetically tipped over the oil can just as the two of them started over," Domino said. "But it was too bad you acted so quickly, actually. I had thought of the BEST place to shove his crescent wrench." Both women laughed at the expression on Scott's face.
Logan raised an eyebrow. Too bad it's too early for a beer, he thought. Scott looks like he could use one right now. He nearly started laughing himself at the thought of Scott having Dom as a daughter-in-law.
"Nathan did know what time our plane was arriving, didn't he?" Scott asked, clearly hoping to distract the two women.
"Of course he did," Jean said, wiping her eyes. "He's only about fifteen minutes late. You can be so impatient at times, Scott." She exchanged a look of amused tolerance with Domino.
"Family trait," they said in unison, grinning.
Logan shook his head, chuckling. It was so good to see them both smiling again, even if it was at Scott's expense. Stressful was a pale way to describe the atmosphere that had reigned in the mansion yesterday until Deborah had called to tell them that Nate had showed up on her doorstep. At that point, Ororo had wisely left. A good thing, too; even after finding out that Nate was all right, Domino had been ready to kill her. And as much respect as he had for Ororo's mutant powers, he wasn't too sure who'd win that fight. They were both dangerous, dangerous women, and Logan could almost feel a little sorry for Cable, caught in the middle.
Logan sighed. Ororo was going to be a problem. He was fairly sure now that nothing had actually happened between her and Nate. As far as he could tell, 'Ro had misjudged what had merely been an attempt by Nate to become better friends. Of course, he's a Summers. That just about guarantees that he's going t'be more than a little ham-handed when it comes to dealing with women. But laying blame was pointless at this stage. They could only try and cope with the situation.
"Logan?" Dom asked mildly. "You looked kind of far away for a minute there. Everything all right?"
"Just fine, Neena," he said. "I was just thinking it's probably a good idea you and Nate are going to stay with Deborah and Phillip for a while. It'll give certain tempers a chance to calm down--yours included, darlin'."
She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Across the table, Jean sighed.
"I could kick myself for not thinking of this earlier," she said mournfully. "He could have come up here weeks ago, and rebuilt his shields in peace and quiet, rather than trying to do it in one of the most heavily populated places in the country." She sighed, playing with her food. "Not to mention that all the other--unpleasantness could have been avoided."
"True," Bishop said suddenly. "But in that case, he wouldn't have rediscovered the ability to teleport." Everyone looked at him, and he shrugged, almost embarassed. "That might be significant, someday."
Logan frowned. Bishop was right. He could think of three situations in particular where Nathan's ability to teleport would have come in handy--the three alternate futures they'd seen in Alberta. Nathan would have likely teleported into Magneto's citadel alone, rather than taking a team--and Bishop. He never would have been captured by Sinister, let alone taken to the lab. And most importantly, he could have teleported himself and Sam to safety, rather than making the sacrifice that had brought him face-to-face with Apocalypse, alone. Everything could have been so different.
So that could mean the incident with Ororo had been meant to happen, to add this new variable to the mix. Therefore, they couldn't or shouldn't have tried to prevent it. Logan shook his head.
No wonder Nate and Bishop are always so foul-tempered. I've been thinking about this for what, half a minute? And it's already giving me a headache. I think I'll leave temporal physics to the time travelers.
"I'm going to the ladies' room," Domino announced to no one in particular as she got up. Logan watched her go, a little troubled by the sudden tension he saw on her face.
"It's all right, Logan," Jean said dryly. "She's just trying to decide what she's going to do when Nathan gets here." He looked over at her, puzzled, and she grinned cheerfully. "She's debating whether to kiss him or murder him."
"We Summers men tend to be attracted to women with quick tempers," Scott said dryly. Jean gave him a sweet look and elbowed him in the ribs just as he took a sip of coffee. Logan hid a wince.
It was only a couple of minutes later when Jean rose from her chair, grinning. "He's here," she announced.
The door opened and Nathan walked into the restaurant, smiling uncertainly as he saw them waiting for him. "Sorry," he said. "The Jeep wouldn't start."
Jean went over and hugged him. "Are you all right?" she said then, looking intently into his eyes. He shrugged, but Logan thought that he looked a great deal calmer than he had since--well, since before Tyler had died. Maybe Jean was right, and this was the best place for him to be right now.
"I'm fine," he said as Jean pulled him towards the table. "The quiet up here helps a lot." She sat down again, but he noticed the extra breakfast plate and looked around the restaurant furtively. "I have to admit, I was surprised to find myself in Alaska. I didn't intend to teleport at all, but--"
"We know what happened, Nathan," Scott said quietly. "You can hardly be blamed."
"I should have walked away as soon as I saw how angry she was. Especially after the same thing happened between me and Marrow." He winced. "I still can't believe I attacked Dana and Sam--"
"They're fine, Nate," Logan assured him. "No lasting harm done, not even to the mansion. Besides, they both should've known better. After all the time Sam spent with you, he should have been able to think of a better plan than puttin' himself right in your path like that. And Dana--well, I know her intentions were good, but a fist to the jaw's not usually the best way to deal with an out-of-control psi."
"Oh, really?" Nathan asked, almost amused, and Logan grinned as he remembered the diner.
"Okay, so it works once in a while," he admitted. "Bishop, didn't you have a phone call to make?" Bishop grunted and rose from his chair to go out to their luggage and use one of the cellular phones. Nathan looked at Logan inquiringly. "Gina made him promise to call as soon as he saw you and knew you were all right," Logan explained.
"Gina?"
"Dana's idea," Scott said. "A symbol of her fresh start."
Nathan grinned happily. The expression looked wrong on him, Logan thought with sly amusement. Downright unnatural. "Has she gone to the Academy, then?"
"No, not until tommorow," Jean said, giving him a fond look. "You know, you scared the hell out of us. I was half-afraid you'd time-jumped."
"I could have, I think," he said thoughtfully, the look in his eyes going distant. "I wouldn't have had to do much differently. I think it depends on what you've got in mind when you make the jump--"
Scott shuddered. "PLEASE don't start experimenting."
Nathan laughed. "Don't worry, I won't. I've had quite enough excitement for the next year--or so," he finished in a very different voice.
Logan looked quickly in the direction he was staring. Domino was standing in front of the ladies' room door. Logan was fascinated by the conflicted look on her face as she met Nathan's eyes. As long as he'd known her, she'd been decisive, determined, and forthright. At the moment, though, she looked like a nervous schoolgirl on Sadie Hawkins' night, unsure of whether or not she wanted to ask the boy she was sweet on for a dance.
Then she ran across the room, threw herself into Nathan's arms, and kissed him soundly. He seemed startled at first, but soon returned the kiss with enthusiasm. A few of the restaurant's patrons began to snicker, but most just watched with friendly amusement.
Scott turned as red as his glasses, while Jean smiled triumphantly. Logan turned his attention back to his breakfast, puzzled by the strange click he'd heard at the moment Dom had started to move. Like a key, opening a locked door.
He heard a sigh in his head. #Finally!# said a familiar voice. He naturally assumed it was Jean. It wasn't until they were on the road, well on their way to Scott's grandparents, that he realized it had been Rachel.
fin
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