Homecoming (Open to X-Men)

[James "Logan" Howlett]

Location: Xavier Institute
Date: 6/18/12
Time of Day: Early Morning

The roar of a motorcycle disturbed the usually serene quiet of the Xavier Institute. A Monday morning, where all the students were tucked into their beds capturing their last few hours of rest before the day started and they were off to classes. However, today's alarm was the sound of the bike headed into the garage.

Logan had been gone for about a month now, off on a hunt for memories and old enemies. This was a common occurrence, the Wolverine was known for being somewhat of a loner. He'd take off and do whatever he pleased without asking permission from anyone. Really he was lucky that Professor Xavier put up with all that.

Dropping his nearly finished cigar and stamping it out on the garage floor, Logan walked in through the garage and to the left, where the kitchen lay ahead. He was in serious need of a drink. Water, soda, beer, whatever there was, and food too, Logan was going to take it. He hadn't had a sip or a bite of anything in at least three days.

He wondered if anyone was up early enough to be there as well.

[Jean Grey]

Jean didn't need to hear the roar of Logan's motorcycle to know that he had returned. Instead, she was able to 'feel' Logan's presence coming back home somewhere about the time he passed through the sleepy town of Salem Center. Her telepathy clued Jean in to the fact that Logan was in desperate need of refreshment, and so, since she was free, Jean was able to have a cold-cut sandwich and an icy-cold beer ready and waiting for the Wolverine when he set foot in the kitchen.

With a bit of a smirk, Jean said, "Hey - welcome back. Thought you'd want this..." She held out the goodies and placed them down on the kitchen table.

Jean was terribly curious about how everything had gone, but... She knew better than to pry into someone else's private business. She wouldn't even try to poke around in his head for an answer - that would be rude. Besides... diving into the depths of that man's mind was always a bit risky.

"Glad you're home, by the way..." Jean added. "I know I don't need to worry about you," she went on, shaking her head dismissively. "But, still..." and she shrugged.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

Once Logan looked around the room, he noticed Jean waiting for him with food and a beer. He chuckled a little, seeing Jean smirk at him because she knew exactly what he'd be after when he got into the room. There was always an unspoken understanding between them, Logan because of his instinicts, Jean because of her empathy.

"Always right there to greet me, aren't ya Red?" Logan used one of the many nicknames he had for her. Unless he was serious, Jean was rarely called by her name by Wolverine. He preferred his nicknames.

She announced how pleased she was that he'd returned. Logan smiled a bit and came back with a quip, "Well, every time I come back, there's this red head who gives me a sandwich and a beer, it's an easy choice to make."

As Logan picked up the beer and pulled the top off the bottle, he looked Jean over before saying, "She looks pretty good today too." There was no need for worry when it came to Logan, he couldn't die, so therefore, he'd always come home. Especially if Jean was there.

[Jean Grey]

As Logan picked up the beer and pulled the top off the bottle, he looked Jean over before saying, "She looks pretty good today too."

Jean smirked. When Logan wanted to, he sure knew just the right thing to say.

“Why, thank you – I do what I can,” Jean playfully replied as she took a seat across the kitchen table from him and telekinetically brought herself – and opened – a can of soda from the ‘fridge.

Honestly, she wasn’t showing off – it was just easier to do it this way, rather than walk to the refrigerator, open the door, pull out a can and open it herself. Besides, she was used to carrying out mundane tasks like that with her powers. It had become second-nature – something she did without thinking about, really.

“So – any plans for today?” Jean casually asked, doubting that Logan planned to take things easy just because he’d been gone for a while doing Logan-things.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

“Why, thank you – I do what I can,” Logan smirked, "Clearly." The man had always been a little bit attached to Jean, from the first day he'd joined the team, years ago. She'd been 22, and he'd been, who knows, older than he looked.

“So – any plans for today?”

He was mid-pull as Jean asked him about is plans. Logan hadn't thought that far. There weren't any mission, nothing was burning to the ground. For once, he didn't have a single thing to do. A small grin broke out as he gave Jean an honest answer, "Y'know Red, I'm not gonna do a damn thing." That had felt fantastic to say. If he could be sore, he would've been, after his showdowns with various villains and rivals when he'd set out, a normal person would want to sleep for a month.

Not Logan.

His healing factor kept him in top shape. He hadn't been anything but physical perfection for as long as he could remember. His body always returned to this state, hair, teeth, everything. Logan could barely get tired.

As he looked to Jean again, Logan smirked and made a correction to his statement, "Well, I might be open to suggestion."

[Jean Grey]

Ironically, the Telepath hadn't expected Logan to answer her the way he did. Logan always seemed to have something going on. Always. The man was usually constantly on the go.

"Wow..." Jean said, a bit stunned - but not at all disappointed. The corners of her mouth slowly developed into a delighted smile after she'd convinced herself that he wasn't yanking her chain - that he honestly had the afternoon open. "Not a damn thing, huh?" the striking redhead asked, seeking a little clarification.

"Well, I might be open to suggestion."

Jean grinned, pleased with Logan's answer.

"Hmm..." she mused, thinking of things that she might want to suggest that they could do together.

"Well, it is an awfully nice day... Maybe we could go hop in the lake for a swim - and then maybe later... if you're good," she teased with a smirk, "We could go back to the boat house and I can whip up something for dinner, if you'd like..." Jean proposed.

The boat house was sort of Logan's apartment. Yeah, there were boats and stuff in the lower portion, but the upstairs had been remodeled into a fully functional living space, complete with kitchen, and Logan had been living there ever since. Xavier had thought the older man would appreciate a place to call his own and where he could get some quiet time away from all of the hubbub at the mansion, where everyone else resided.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

"Well, it is an awfully nice day... Maybe we could go hop in the lake for a swim - and then maybe later... if you're good, we could go back to the boat house and I can whip up something for dinner, if you'd like..."

Logan's half grin let Jean know he liked that idea. Granted, he wasn't much of a swimmer. Given the extra weight his skeleton added to his frame, Logan was often more likely to get tired and sink before he could do any prolonged swimming. Adamantium wasn't particularly buoyant.

However, relaxing in the shallow end or in a raft with a couple of beers while, observing Jean and her swimsuit, that was something that Wolverine could get behind. His grin had turned into a small smirk, "Can't think of a better plan Jeannie."

As he munched on his early lunch, Logan liked the idea of some alone time with Jean before anyone knew he was back. It'd be nice to say hello to Rogue, he looked to her as something close to a daughter, but she probably wouldn't mind, more likely, she was busy keeping that pain in the ass Cajun off her case, good for her. Logan knew he wouldn't be missed for one more day, if everything went according to plan at least.

[Jean Grey]

"Can't think of a better plan Jeannie."

"Great," Jean said with a smile. "I'll go change into my suit while you finish up, then," she decided.

"Don't you go off and disappear on me, Logan - I'll be right back," Jean vowed before taking her leave and rushing upstairs as fast as her feet would take her, though she stopped just short of actually using her telekinesis to literally 'fly'.

A few minutes later, the svelte ginger returned to the kitchen with a beach towel in-hand, flip flops on her feet, a light pink bikini on and a sheer black sarong tied around her waist.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Jean reported, trying not to sound too eager.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

"Don't you go off and disappear on me, Logan - I'll be right back,"

He looked around the rooms around then and shrugged, "No where to go. I'll be here Red."

She took off as he finished off his meal, drinking down the morning beer and wiping his mouth with his arm once he was done.

Logan waited patiently, cleaning up after himself (because he knew Jean would if he didn't otherwise he'd just toss the plate in the sink and forget about it). When Jean returned, Logan grinned and said, "Looks like I made the right choice. Let's go then." He eyed her and smirked a bit, definitely the right way to go.

"I'll go and change once we get out there." The boathouse was closer to the pool than the mansion, so it was on the way.

[Jean Grey]

"Looks like I made the right choice. Let's go then." He eyed her and smirked a bit.

Sometimes, people were just super-easy to read – you didn’t need to be a telepath (nor an empath) to see what Logan might have been thinking, and he definitely wasn’t making an effort to mask his wandering thoughts.

Not that Jean minded. Not one bit. This was exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for.

With a little smirk on her own lips, as well, Jean replied, “You got it,” and then she thought for a moment and added a few seconds later, “but… where are you going to change? Or, are you planning on going au naturel”

"I'll go and change once we get out there." The boathouse was closer to the [lake] than the mansion, so it was on the way.

“Ahh… Gotcha. Sounds like a plan,” Jean said, looking forward to a nice, quiet, lazy day. Those seemed to be such a rarity these last several years, and Jean planned to savor every minute.

Though… She really wouldn’t have minded one itty-bitty bit if Logan decided to forego the swimsuit in favor of a little skinny-dipping. Of course, there was always the risk that someone else might wind up joining them – in that case, that wouldn’t be a very advisable idea…

::What a shame…:: Jean thought as she followed Logan to the back door and out towards the boat house.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

Logan held the door open for Jean, following her outside. It was nice and hot, a bit different from how it should be this time of year, but one good look at Jean in her bikini again, and he decided against complaining about it. Instead, Logan chose to play a bit.

There was a little bit of Jean's sarong that was easy to pull, and that's exactly what he did. Snatching a bit of the fabric between two fingers, Logan stayed in place as Jean kept moving, waiting until the little bit of cover up fell off the woman's waist.

"Whoops," Logan gave a half-hearted apology for pulling off her sarong, "Looks like you'll just have to walk without that Jeannie. My mistake."

Daring? A little bit, but Jean had always been in some sort of relationship up until this point, there was no time Logan had to waist to do anything but flirt.

[Jean Grey]

Before Jean realized what was going on, her sarong was already slipping slipping off her hips and down to the ground. She stopped walking and pivoted around to shoot Logan a 'look' that ought to read as, 'ooh, you're naughty', and then she smirked and rolled her eyes a bit.

Jean wasn't at all surprised by this move of his... and, she found that she was feeling a lot more tolerant towards Logan than she would have it it had been anyone else that had done it. Poor Scott would have gotten totally chewed out, but Logan... Logan got to see her being amused, and even a bit playful.

"Whoops," Logan gave a half-hearted apology for pulling off her sarong, "Looks like you'll just have to walk without that Jeannie. My mistake."

When he'd said 'Whoops', Jean raised an eyebrow. She'd replied,, "Uh, huh..." though, she was still smirking.

She glanced down at her sarong and thought she might use her TK powers to pick it up and tie it back in place around her waist, but then... she thought not, and instead Jean turned back the way they'd been walking, and with Logan a little bit behind her, she made a fine show of bending over to pick the darn thing up.

She didn't bother tying it back around her waist, either. Instead, Jean just sort of draped it over the arm that she was using to carry her towel, looked back at Logan for a moment and then continued on walking as if nothing had stopped her in the first palce - and without the sarong in the way of Logan's view.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

Logan was enjoying their game, and the thought that they might not even make it past the boathouse crossed his mind, but he decided to behave a little bit, it wasn't even noon yet. Besides, Jean looked damn good in her bikini, and he was going to enjoy the view while he could.

The walk was quiet, that was how Logan preferred it, not that Jean talking would really bother him, he just enjoyed silence. Clean air, warm weather, beautiful girl, it was hard to beat this kind of day. Reaching Logan's house, he nodded toward it and said, "Give me a second Red."

He slipped into the home and found a pair of swim shorts (probably some 'birthday' or Christmas gift Logan figured he'd never use). Dressed, Logan found a cooler and filled it with the beers that he wasn't allowed to keep at the mansion, luckily none of the kids dared to come in and try to steal them.

Prepared, Wolverine went out to join Jean.

Cooler resting on his shoulder (Logan wouldn't drag it around by it's wheels, he was tool cool for that), Logan came out and joined Jean again, "Hey Red, let's go then."

[Jean Grey]

"Give me a second Red."

"Sure," she replied, returning his nod.

~*~ But, if you take too long, I might have to put the sarong back on... ~*~ Jean 'pathed to Logan with a sly smirk on her face. ~*~ You know... Mosquitoes... ~*~ she jokingly gave as an excuse.

Of course, she was only kidding.

Logan didn't take long to change - most men didn't - and he soon emerged from the boat house, hauling his cooler (probably full of beer, and nothing else), and as he rejoined Jean on the trail thatl lead to the beach, he said, "Hey Red, let's go then.

Jean couldn't help but look him up and down appreciatively. His muscular build and hairy chest evoked a sort of je ne sais quoi within the redhead (and probably every other female on campus, whether or not they feared him, and regardless of their age), and she had to force her eyes forward on the path ahead so as to keep herself un-distracted.

They were, after all, on a path that was considered to be a public area of campus, and at any moment, anyone from Jubilee to Professor Xavier himself could show up - and Jean didn't want to wind up giving anyone a free show.

She felt her face flush a little and was thankful she was looking away from the hunky Canadian as they started up again for the beach.

[James "Logan" Howlett]

~*~ But, if you take too long, I might have to put the sarong back on... ~*~

Logan heard Jean in his head, causing him to chuckle and smirk, "Well, wouldn't want that then."

Logan didn't take long to change - most men didn't - and he soon emerged from the boat house, hauling his cooler (probably full of beer, and nothing else), and as he rejoined Jean on the trail thatl lead to the beach, he said, "Hey Red, let's go then."

Following along quietly, Logan took a moment to appreciate that he was finally getting what he wanted. She'd been with someone when he'd first met her, but Logan had always been attracted to Jean Grey, from the day he'd been invited to join the X-Men when the original team went missing. He'd helped find her, and then that's when it all started. The years passed and they flirted a bit, but it never got past that because of Scott Summer.s Then, when Scott and Jean finally broke up, he assumed that he might actually get his chance with the redheaded teacher.

Looks like the time had finally come.

The lake was in view, and Logan found a place for his beers, next to one of the lawn chairs that always were there. He chuckled a bit before moving up next to Jean.

"Sorry Red, but it's time to get in the water." He looped an arm around her waist, and hoisted Jean up over his shoulder, walking toward the clear lake just ahead of them.