Eye of the Beholder

Author’s notes: Thank you Namipulla and blue_lioness for your reviews. Here’s the other half of that last chapter. I know I’ve portrayed Storm as a bit cranky, but keep in mind she’s under a great deal of stress running the school. As always, please leave a review.

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When Logan and Storm walk into the infirmary, they can hear Kurt telling one of his amazing stories with him ‘bamfing’ around the recovery room and Serena laughing at his antics. When they step through the giant hole in the wall, Kurt is giving a bow to his audience of one and she’s clapping enthusiastically. As soon as Serena spots the newcomers, she stops clapping and shrinks in upon herself.

“Good evening, Serena,” Storm greets pleasantly, trying to keep any anger out of her voice and mostly succeeding.

“Hi,” Serena replies in a small voice.

“I’m glad to see you ate your dinner,” Storm states, glancing at the empty plate on the nightstand. “I’d like to send you up to your new room, but first I want to talk to you about some things.”

“Ok,” Serena mutters, not meeting the headmistress’s eyes and pulling herself into a ball, trying not to hiss in pain when she rubs a blister across the bedding.

“What got you so angry that made you destroy your dresser?” Storm asks as she sits on the foot of Serena’s bed.

“I had a bad dream,” Serena answers. “Sometimes I lose control when the dream is bad enough.”

“Do you remember what you were dreaming of?” Storm inquires.

“That night in Central Park when those boys…,” Serena start, but can’t finish as she gasps for air and tries to blink back the tears that are threatening.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to explain,” Storm assures her. “Has this happened before?”

“It happened a few times in jail,” Serena replies as she sniffs and hastily wipes away the few tears that manage to escape. “I also ended up pushing Kitty’s bed into the wall and knocking a hole in it a couple nights before I blew up my dresser.”

“Great, something else for me to fix,” Logan grumbles and Storm casts him a withering glare.

“Kitty didn’t mention getting shoved across the room,” Storm states.

“Kitty was in Rogue’s room that night,” Serena responds bitterly. “Like she’s been every night since Rogue came back.”

“Well, that’s not going to be an issue any more,” Storm tells her. “You’re going to have a new roommate and I’d like you to try your best to get along with her since she’s had a rough time of it too. Do you think you can do that for me?”

“Ok,” Serena whispers. “I’m not going to get to live with my grandparents, am I?”

“Serena, your grandparents haven’t contacted us about wanting you to go live with them,” Storm answers. “And truth be told, do you think they would be able to help you control your powers? Do they have a place where you can practice without being a danger to others?”

“No,” Serena mutters, the pain very evident in that little word.

“Now, you’re going to need help getting around until your feet heal,” Storm says. “To that end, Mr. Logan will be your personal valet until you can get about on your own.”

“What!?” Serena and Kurt yell in unison, before they both turn and stare at the man in question.

“Don’t blame me,” Logan grumbles. “I’m about as thrilled with this as you are.”

“He will help you get to and from your classes and the dinning room,” Storm continues. “He’ll also help you get your food at meal times. Since you’ll need to take baths until you can stand on your own, you’ll need to get in the bathroom earlier than everyone else which means Mr. Logan will be at your room half an hour earlier than you would normally need to get up.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Serena asks, looking completely unhappy about the whole situation.

“I’m afraid not,” Storm answers rather sternly. “You two need to learn to work together. Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Serena meekly replies

“Ororo, may I speak vith you for a moment?” Kurt requests as he turns and heads for the door.

“Of course,” Storm replies and follows him out of the room.

“Do you think it vise to put them together like this?” he quietly asks once they’re in the hallway.

“Once she’s got control of her powers, she’ll make a good addition to the team,” she answers. “However, she’ll be useless if she can’t at least get along with Logan.”

“Relationships are bazed on trust,” he points out.

“I’m not asking them to become best friends,” she replies. “I just want them to be able to work together without wanting to ring each other’s necks.”

“Like Logan and Scott got along?” he questions.

“Scott was able to take care of himself,” she reminds him. “Serena is still learning. Besides, I’m sure Scott and Logan would have been fine if Logan hadn’t decided he had the hots for Jean. Serena and Logan will be fine. I may not be Charles, but I think there’s a scared little girl in there who’s just trying to protect herself and Logan always was the protective type.”

“Vell…if you’re sure,” he says hesitantly.

“Yes, Kurt, I’m sure,” she states with a smile as she touches his shoulder and he gets a little weak in the knees.

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Serena and Logan watch the other two leave and once the outer door closes, silence reigns supreme. Neither one of them wants to really look at the other but they both cast little glances at each other while shifting around nervously. He suddenly clears his throat and she all but jumps out of her skin when he does.

“Listen, about earlier,” he stammers, nervously shifting his feet. “Sorry I yelled at you.”

“Why’d you do it?” she asks, only slightly mollified that he did apologize.

“I spent over eight hours tracking you,” he tells her, a slight growl to his voice. “The others spent just as much time searching the grounds for you. I think Tweetie may have even broken a nail. The point is, kid, that we didn’t sit around waiting for you. We take care of our own and like or not, you’re one of us now.”

Before she can think of anything to say to that, the phone rings and they both jump. He scowls at the device as it rings a second time and then he goes to answer it.

“Xavier’s,” he states gruffly.

“Hi, this is Amanda Simon; may I speak to Serena please?” Amanda requests, sounding almost desperate.

“Yeah, sure, hang on,” he replies and takes the phone over to Serena. “It’s your lawyer.”

“Amanda?” Serena asks eagerly.

“Hey, girl, how’s it going?” Amanda responds, relief very evident in her voice.

“Where’ve you been all day?” Serena demands, sounding very hurt. “I’ve been calling and calling.”

“I know and I’m really sorry about that,” Amanda replies sincerely. “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had.”

“Try me,” Serena grumbles.

“Well, let’s see,” Amanda starts. “I got woken up before dawn by my sister and her husband trying to make me a new niece or nephew, then I got dragged to church where my mother absconded with my phone, and then I end up at a surprise birthday party. I didn’t get my phone back until I got to the train station and by then I had to run to catch my train. I only just got a chance to turn my phone on.”

“Your sister and her husband were having sex in the next room?” Serena inquires. “Eeww. What’s ‘absconded’?”

“Snagged, lifted, stolen,” Amanda answers. “You know, what Kitty did with Mr. Wagner’s underwear.”

“Oh, right,” Serena replies while she casts a quick glance at Logan who’s standing next to the bed and she blushes furiously as she quickly turns back around, not seeing one of his eyebrows quirking upwards. “So, whose birthday party was it?”

“Mine,” Amanda grudgingly tells her.

“Today’s your birthday?” Serena nearly shrieks excitedly causing Logan to grimace in pain. “Oh my god, happy birthday.”

“Unfortunately,” Amanda mutters. “And thanks.”

“How can you say that?” Serena asks in shock. “Birthdays are great! You get presents and cake and you get to have a party.”

“You get older,” Amanda grumbles.

“What’s wrong with that?” Serena questions. “You get to do more things when you get older. You can vote, drink, drive…though doing those last two things together isn’t a good idea. Getting older is great.”

“Sure, you can say that now, since you’re sixteen,” Amanda points out. “You won’t be saying that when you’re thirty.”

“You’re thirty?” Serena gasps. “Oh my god, that’s so old.”

“Thanks,” Amanda replies, sarcasm dripping from every letter.

“Oh god, that didn’t come out right,” Serena blabbers, not seeing Logan silently laughing behind her. “I didn’t mean to say that you’re old, it just that…well thirty is just…it’s just…”

“Ancient?”Amanda suggests. “Decrepit? Antiquated? Passé? Prehistoric? Geriatric? Senile? Help me out here, kid, I’m running out of synonyms.”

“I’m sorry, that just didn’t come out right,” Serena moans.

“It’s ok,” Amanda chuckles. “I used to think the same way when I was your age. So, how are you doing?”

“I’m ok, I guess,” she answers a bit more subdued. “I’ve been sitting around all day. I’ve got blisters on the bottom of my feet so I can’t walk very far without a lot of help. It’s been pretty boring really. Ambassador McCoy and Mr. Wagner have been keeping me company all day, but I haven’t been able to go anywhere yet. And I had to take a bath to get cleaned up.”

“What’s wrong with taking a bath?” Amanda asks. “I love taking baths.”

“My dad, well my step-dad really, used to say that only babies take baths and he always made fun of me until I stopped taking them,” Serena sadly answers. “I remember Mom used to love to take them too, but she stopped after she married him.”

“Sounds like he was a bit of a control freak,” Amanda states. “But that doesn’t matter now since chances are very slim you’ll ever see him again.”

“Or my mom or my brother or sister,” Serena states quietly as she lies down on the bed and curls into a fetal position.

“I’m sorry, Serena, I wish things were different,” Amanda tells her.

“I know,” Serena softly replies and there’s silence for nearly a minute before she gets up the courage to ask what’s on her mind. “Amanda, when I was in jail, did my grandparents ever call you?”

“No, but I did call them once,” Amanda answers.

“Why’d you call them?” Serena asks, not noticing Storm and Kurt’s return.

“I called them to see if they would be your legal guardians,” Amanda replies.

“What did they say?” Serena nervously questions as it becomes hard for her to breathe.

“They said, ‘no’,” Amanda responds.

“But why?” Serena whimpers, tears burning her eyes.

“The short version is that it’s because you’re a mutant,” Amanda reluctantly tells her.

“But they said they’d always love me,” she cries as the tears start to flow. “I’m their granddaughter. They’re supposed to love me.”

“I’m afraid that what people are supposed to do and what they actually do, are often two different things,” Amanda sadly replies.

“They’re supposed to love me,” she repeatedly sobs and she’s not even aware that someone is picking her up or taking away the phone. “They’re supposed to love me.”

Logan shifts her in his arms and hands the phone over to Storm.

“It’s that lawyer lady,” Logan states and heads for the exit. “I’m taking her up to her room. Elf-boy, think you can handle bringing her stuff up without popping into the middle of the girl’s wing?”

“I vould never teleport into the girl’s ving,” Kurt haughtily replies as he quickly collects Serena’s books.

“Oh, really,” Logan scoffs as he walks out the door. “Why’s that?”

“For one think, it vould be wrong to do such a think,” Kurt points out as he follows Logan. “For another, I can only teleport to places I know.”

“Ya tellin’ me that you’ve never been to the girl’s wing?” Logan asks, not believing his ears.

“Never,” Kurt confirms proudly. “I vould never dare enter their domain vithout good cause and I have never had a reason to in ze past.”

“Damn, elf-boy, you need to get out more,” Logan mutters.

“And vhere, Herr Logan, vould you suggest I go?” Kurt asks him sadly.

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Amanda can hear Serena crying on the other end of the line and it kills her to be the one responsible for it. But there was no helping it, the girl had asked and Amanda had answered with the truth. After the grandparents had hemmed and hawed about taking Serena in, they finally told her point blank that they weren’t interested in ‘that mutant freak’ living in their home, never mind ‘that mutant freak’ is their granddaughter.

A short time after Serena starts crying, Amanda can hear the phone moving away from the teen’s mouth. A second later, she can hear the voices of a couple men and Serena crying in the background. Figuring she’s simply dropped the phone down for a minute, she patiently waits for a bit before calling the girl’s name.

“Serena?” Amanda calls out. “Serena? Are you there?”

“Miss Simon, this is Ororo Munroe,” Storm states suddenly, startling the lawyer.

“Hello, Miss Munroe,” Amanda greets, a bit surprised. “Where’s Serena?”

“Logan is taking her up to her room,” Storm replies. “What did Serena’s grandparents tell you?”

“The short answer is that they refused to take her because she’s a mutant,” Amanda answers.

“I was afraid of that,” Storm sighs, sitting down on the edge of one of the beds in defeat. “She was insisting that they love her and want her and that we should just send her there.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine how much that must hurt,” Amanda softly states.

“Unfortunately, too many of our students do,” Storm says sadly.

“I’m sorry, I wish there was something I could do to help,” Amanda quietly replies.

“How about promising not to sue the next Serena has a fit?” Storm suggests.

“Deal and sorry about yesterday,” Amanda chuckles. “I should let you go. Tell Serena if she wants to talk, all she has to do is call.”

“I will,” Storm assures her. “Goodbye, Miss Simon.”

“Goodbye, Miss Munroe,” Amanda replies and then closes her phone with a sigh.

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“Ok, girls, men are coming up, so you better cover anything you don’t want us to see!” Logan shouts as they’re about half way up the stairs.

There’s the sound of yelling, running feet and doors slamming just as Logan and Kurt come up the last few steps. Logan casually strolls along, still carrying Serena who’s so lost in her own misery that she doesn’t even seem to notice what’s going on. Kurt walks along behind them keeping his eyes strictly on the floor to avoid seeing anything he shouldn’t.

A few moments later and Logan is pushing through a partially closed door with a nervous Nightcrawler right behind him. Kurt casts quick furtive glances around the room to be sure that they’re the only ones there and finally raises his head up. Logan sits down on one of the two beds and shifts Serena into his lap as Kurt puts her books down on the desk just before he disappears with his usual ‘bamf’.

“Ya ok, kid?” Logan quietly asks.

“Not really,” she sniffs. “But I guess I’ll live.”

“Good, cause I’d hate to explain to ‘Ro what the hell happened to ya,” he softly chuckles as he settles her on the bed next to him. “Ya need anything before I go?”

“No, I’m just really tired,” she replies as she lets out a yawn. “I’ll probably just crawl into bed and go to sleep. What do I do if I need to go to the bathroom or something?”

“Bang on the floor,” he tells her. “I’m in the room just below you.”

“Ok,” she sighs tiredly. “Thanks, Mr. Logan. For everything.”

“You’re welcome,” he replies as he stands up. “And just call me Logan. Feels weird when ya call me mister.”

“Ok,” she agrees, looking like she’s about to fall asleep sitting up. “Could you stop calling me ‘kid’? I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“Sure,” he agrees as he steps through the door. “Good night, Serena.”

“Night, Logan,” she yawns.

He shuts the door behind him and she crawls across the bed to her new dresser. After going through a couple of drawers, she finally finds her pajamas and gets ready for bed. She snuggles under the covers and reaches over to turn off the light just when the bedroom door opens, revealing her new roommate.

“You,” Serena hisses.