Old Friend

Chapter 10

The professor had been gone for over six days now. Scott, Ororo and most of the others at the Xavier-institute were convinced they would never see their mentor again.

First Jean, and now professor Xavier. It was all like one big nightmare. Their telepathic link to the professor was gone, and that alone was a strong reason to worry. It could mean Charles was either unconscious or…

Scott was the one who took it hardest. Only a few months earlier he had lost his fiancée and now he had lost the man who had been the only father he’d ever known. Charles was gone, and his absence from the mansion affected everything.

Scott and Ororo had gone far to find out what could have happened to their professor, but their traces ended abruptly. Charles had left his lecture at Washington DC like he should, but since that no one had seen him or his car.

The mood at the mansion was oppressed and gloomy. The students were afraid of asking questions about the professor because they’d noticed that the adults were unwilling to answer them. With only two teachers left, they could no longer teach as they were supposed, and Scott and Ororo often had neither the time nor the strength to attend any classes.

Logan had become restless and impatient again, and it was probably only a matter of time before he left again. He had no ties – neither emotional nor legal – to the Xavier-institute other than Rogue, now when both Jean and Xavier were gone, so he had few reasons to stay.

In the evening, six days after Xavier’s disappearance, Scott decided to summon everyone in the conference room and decide what had to be done. Even if they would never again see the professor it was time to do something, otherwise everything would crash.

Charles didn’t put me in charge for nothing, Scott thought. I mustn’t disappoint him.

The following people were present; Scott himself, Ororo, Logan, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Bobby Drake.

Scott had taken the seat where Xavier usually sat, and even thought it put him in the centre of everyone’s attention, it wasn’t anything he wanted to do. Serious and focused he regarded his fellow mutants and six pairs of eyes were looking back at him, questioningly. Scott cleared his throat.

“I have decided that we have to take steps,” he began.

“No shit, One-Eye?” Logan broke in sarcastically. “So soon?”

“Logan, keep quiet!” Scott countered angrily. “We didn’t come here to listen to your sarcasms. This is serious!”

Logan shrugged, but kept quiet. Obviously he realized it was time to quit.

“At first we have to see if there’s anything more we can do to find out what’s happened to the professor,” Scott continued. “I know it’s not much. Cerebro is worthless, since we don’t have anyone who can use it, so we’ll have to try other possibilities.”

“Could it be Stryker?” Rogue asked.

“Stryker died at Alkali Lake,” Ororo replied. “Like his son Jason. There is no chance they might have survived.”

“Then it’s Magneto,” said Logan.

The others looked at each other across the table. Magneto was certainly always a possibility, but neither Scott nor Ororo found it very likely. Erik Lehnsherr was no saint, but he was hardly the type who would hurt Charles. Or?

“They are old friends,” Ororo pointed out.

Logan snorted. “And that stopped him at Alkali Lake?”

“That was different. It was nothing that he planned. He wouldn’t hurt the professor without a very good reason.”

“Does that fucker need a reason?”

“Quiet!” roared Scott. “I know we can’t exclude Magneto, but he’s not our prime suspect. We have to consider other possibilities. It doesn’t have to be about revenge or anything political. It could have been a mugger… or a car jacker…anyone.”

Scott shrugged. “We can’t possibly know.”

“Do you think he’s still alive?” Rogue asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” Cyclops replied truthfully. “If the kidnapping was politically motivated we should have heard something from the kidnappers by now. The same goes for a ransom. Maybe we should start accepting that we won’t get professor Xavier back.”

There was silence around the large table. Scott didn’t know how to proceed. He wondered if he had sounded too pessimistic, but he realized he also had to be a realist. The professor’s future looked dark.

“Then what are you gonna do?” Logan asked critically. “Why did you even call us here? To tell us there’s nothing we can do?”

“I haven’t said we can’t do anything,” replied Scott, and tried hard not to be provoked by Logan’s snappish tone. “But we have to check what we *can* do.”

“It’s too late now!” Logan exclaimed. “Someone should have gone with him! Why didn’t you go with him, One-Eye? This probably wouldn’t have happened if you had!”

“Logan…”

“But it’s true! If Charles is dead, it’s your fault! How are you gonna tell that to the kids, Fearless Leader? Admit it; your leadership sucks, Cyke! I wish you would have died instead of Jean!”

Scott wanted to yell at Logan to shut up – shut up shut up shut up… But instead he buried his face in his hands and tried to fight back tears. At some extent Logan was right. It was he who blasted the dam, although it was Stryker who made him do it, and it was he who had failed to save Jean, and now he had failed Charles by not going with him to protect him.

Against his will he started to sob and didn’t try to hide it from the others.

“Logan… I didn’t mean to…”

“You’re worthless, Cyke – admit it!” Logan said mercilessly. “I’m outta here. I have no more business in this house. I don’t understand why I even came back here in the first place!”

With that Logan bounced to his feet and made the chair behind him tip over. Without casting another look over his shoulder, he then rushed out of the conference room.

Rogue got up too, in order to follow him, but B sto stopped her.

“Leave him alone, Marie,” he said. “You can’t do anything anyway.”

So much for this council. The younger mutants and Nightcrawler were sitting quiet and perplexed while Ororo slowly approached Scott and attempted to comfort him. He was crying openly now, and became more and more convinced that Logan was right.

“He’s right, Ororo…” Scott sobbed. “I failed Jean, and I’ve failed you all…”

“No Scott, that is not true,” Ororo remarked. “You have taken very good care of us. You haven’t failed anybody.”

“But Jean… and now Charles… Logan is right… If I’d gone with him nothing would have happened…”

“You don’t know that.”

“But it’s true. I miss her so much…”

“Don’t break now, Scott. We need you. Jean is dead, but Charles might still be alive. We can get him back.”

Scott shook his head. “No… He’s dead. I know it.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Logan went straight to his room and furiously started packing his bag. He wouldn’t stay here for another hour. Nothing here was his. His personal possessions easily fitted into his old worn duffel bag.

It was probably best to leave at once. If Charles didn’t come back – which he feared – Cyclops, who was the professor’s adopted son, would inherit the mansion. Logan didn’t want to experience that. They had never been able to come along, and it had become worse after Jean’s death. Probably Cyke would kick him out as soon as he was given the chance. Then he might as well leave now.

Logan packed his bag in less than fifteen minutes. His personal possessions were few; some change of clothing, a flashlight, one extra pair of shoes and a little cash. That was it, basically. He had not yet decided whether he’d take Scott’s bike again. Maybe he’d do it only to aggravate the brat.

He had nothing that kept him here. Only Rogue. She had made him come back the first time, together with Jeannie. Now Jeannie was gone, and although Logan cared about Rogue she was not a reason strong enough to stay. He wondered if he should say goodbye to her or someone else, but after a while of conferring he decided not to. It would be easier to leave if he didn’t.

Logan looked around in the room that had been assigned to him one last time. It was a nice room, like all other rooms at the Xavier-institute, but very impersonal.

Logan picked up his old bag, and was just about to leave, when someone suddenly knocked on his door. He didn’t have time to open it, or even ask who it was, before the person in question entered. It was Rogue. Damn. It seemed like he wouldn’t get away without confronting her, after all.

“Logan…” Rogue began, but her words stuck in her throat when she spotted his bag. Now she realized what Logan had in mind.

“You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” she exclaimed. “Logan! You can’t do that! You can’t leave us!”

“I have to, sweetheart,” Logan said seriously. “I can’t stay here. I’m sure you know why. Please go now, Marie.”

“I won’t let you do it!” Rogue said and stood between Logan and the door, determined to stop him from leaving the room.

“Marie…”

“Fuck, Logan, you can’t just leave your responsibility like that! We need you – *I* need you! Are you gonna let us all down?”

“When Cyclops inherits this place he won’t have me here. No matter how much you’d like it. I might as well go now. You’ll be alright, kid. You’ve got Bobby…”

“Screw Bobby!” Rogue cried out and put her gloved hand against Logan’s chest. “I’m not in love with him! I started being with him only because I didn’t want to feel alone and to make you jealous. You must have been blind not to see it, Logan… He… He’s handsome, and sweet, but uninteresting and boring. He knows I don’t love him for real.”

“Marie, why are you telling me this now?” Logan asked slowly.

“I’m trying to give you a reason to stay!”

“Marie…” Logan sighed, not sure how to proceed. “I’ve known about your schoolgirl-crush on me, but don’t you think it’s time to move on? You don’t want me, not really. It’s just something you’ve got in your head. You’re young and need someone your own age. Not me.”

But Rogue was firmly shaking her head. Nothing that Logan said could make her yield now. She wasn’t going to let him leave.

“Okay,” she said calmly. “If you won’t stay for me, then you should stay for the others. We’ve lost Dr. Grey, and it seems like we’ve lost our professor. Are we losing you too?”

“Marie, you know that…”

“The kids worship you, Logan. You know that. Are you just gonna let them down?”

Logan sighed, and leaned against the wall. Rogue wouldn’t budge, it seemed.

“You’re really trying to make it hard for me to leave, aren’t ya?” he sighed.

“I won’t let you leave, Logan. Deal with it.”

“I can’t stay now…” Logan murmured. “Cyke’s probably ballistic…”

“Apologize to him,” Rogue proposed. “You were mean and unfair, but he’ll understand. We’re all upset now when professor Xavier… Do you think he’s alive, Logan?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Logan replied truthfully. “I hope so. We need him. Very much.”

“You said “we”.”

“I did?”

“Yeah! You did!” Rogue called. “Don’t try to get away. We need you, Logan! Tell me you’ll stay!”

Rogue started to get tears in her eyes. She fought hard to hold them back, since she didn’t want to appear as a crying little kid before Logan.

That was more than Logan could handle. So what if Cyke was pissed at him – he always was. Rogue and the other kids were more important.

“Alright, kid, I’ll stay,” he said soothingly and pulled Rogue into his arms. “Don’t cry, baby. I’ll stay. That’s it…”

At least for another while, he thought.