Hanging By A Moment

Hanging By A Moment
Chapter 14: Holiday Planning

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Scott spent the night at Jean’s apartment that night after having helped her manage all her stress. His skilled hands worked wonders through his aptitude for giving a good massage and his knack for spicing it up a bit with a little sexuality only sweetened the sensations. And in the end, it was his warm, comforting presence that made Jean forget all about her stress induced fatigue as she went into the weekend feeling energized and relaxed in a way she had never felt before after a midterm.

She had come to accept the fact that Scott just had that effect on her. Spending time with him had actually helped her feel better when she was truly stressed. It was not something she had felt before with other men, mainly because they often had a way of causing stress instead of easing it. But Scott was different…They passed the time simply lounging in her apartment, eating leftovers, and watching TV and movies together. It was the most fun she had ever had after a midterm.

They stayed in their underwear throughout the night, kissing and tickling and having a good time as if to celebrate the completion of one half of the semester and relishing the time they had before things got hectic again. It was truly a great way to handle stress for Jean. His massages were so unique and so powerful that she wanted to commit each sensation to memory for future references whenever she had to deal with stress. Scott was also nice enough to teach her some of his many massage techniques, giving her some beginners advice so that one day she could massage him in the same way he had done for her. It was a very entertaining thought for Jean, knowing how heated such intimate actions could bring and how wonderfully enchanting it made each of them feel. Now both Scott and Jean would have to commit themselves to always having a special bottle of massage lotion on hand…Just in case.

In addition to spending a nice, enchanting, relaxing evening with Scott, Jean had also been invited to spend Thanksgiving with Scott and his family. It was quite a step since she and Scott had only been seeing each other for a little over two months now. However, from all the stories about his family that Scott had told her, they sure as hell seemed a lot nicer than her family to say the least and Thanksgiving for her this year would definitely be an interesting affair this time around.

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The next day, Jean met up with her girlfriends at the park on the campus after Scott left late in the morning. Being that she looked and felt more relaxed than she had been in some time, it quickly garnered attention from the others and Jean was definitely not ashamed to give them all the sexy details of what she and Scott had done yesterday as they walked along the sidewalks of the pristine parkland, enjoying the crisp fall weather.

“Wow, sounds like you had quite a night Jean,” grinned Wanda as she, walked beside her, Betsy, Rogue, and Kitty down the sunny trials with the shadow of the city buildings passing close.

“No argument here Wanda…” smiled Jean as she gleefully stretched her arms and walked with a posture that seemed more relaxed than she had ever had this whole year, “But what can I say? Scott and I just knew how to melt the stress away like a popsicle on a hot summer day.”

“No kidding,” said Betsy with a grin as she looked at the ever relaxed redhead, who couldn’t seem to stop smiling on this day, “But please…Tell me more about these…Massages as you call them.”

“Oh yes Jean, do tell!” chirped Kitty, causing Rogue to simply roll her eyes at the young valley girl’s tone.

Jean just laughed at her friends’ eagerness to know. But no matter how many times she told them about it, she knew she would never find the proper way to describe it. It was just beyond words and there was no way anybody could understand it without experiencing themselves. And for that reason, Jean felt lucky that she had been blessed with the opportunity to relish in such a wonderful act with a guy she was finding herself increasingly entranced with.

“Well, as I’ve told you all before…Scott has very strong, yet very soft hands,” said Jean as her girlfriends listened in on the enchanting, soothing effects this experience had left on her, “But he also knows how to use those hands with great skill. Put some lotion in his hands and they’ll take you to paradise.”

“Ah yes…A place I haven’t been in quite a while,” said Betsy with a sigh, feeling like the only one not getting any lately, which was somewhat of a rarity for her.

“But no matter what the wait…It’s worth it,” said Jean as she smiled back over at her purple haired friend, “At first I wasn’t sure about it since nothing had ever cured my headaches before…But after he asked me to remove my clothes, laid me on the bed, and ran his soft, sexy hands over my tense body…Oh there’s just no way to describe it!”

“Nice to know that a guy can use his hands for something else other than fighting and jerking off,” quipped Wanda, causing all of them to break out into laughter.

“Well Scott’s really one of a kind,” said Jean somewhat dreamily as her thoughts drifted back to the wondrous feelings he had given her yesterday, causing Betsy to roll her eyes like she always did when she made that look, “It’s like there’s no end to his allure. The more time I spend with him…The more things I find about him that I like. I’ve never met a guy where I can just be myself and yet still be so…In sync with him. It’s just such a wonderful feeling. Not just physically…But mentally and emotionally as well.”

“You wanna stop there Jean? I kinda wanna keep my lunch,” said Rogue, rolling her eyes at the feelings Jean described since they triggered a certain level of ‘unpleasantness’ for her.

“Yeesh, what’s with you today Rogue?” commented Jean, finding her friend’s demeanor to be quite a bit more reserved than usual.

Rogue simply shot her friend a dirty look, hinting that she was definitely not in the mood today for reasons she wanted to keep to herself. The stress of midterms and the stress of other more personal issues was having an effect on her the likes of which she had not felt before. Her constant tardiness and her flaky nature hadn’t gotten any better, but it was only now that it was truly starting to show.

“I’m sorry y’all…” said Rogue with a sigh as she rubbed the temples of her head, “I’m just not feelin’ too good today. I’ve kinda been on edge lately.”

“Hey, no biggie,” said Jean in response, hoping to cheer her friend up from the heavy look of gloom on her face, “I know midterms can be stressful. But look at it this way, it’s over now!”

“Nah…Midterms ain’t the problem,” said Rogue, still not making eye contact with her friends, still somewhat stuck in her own thoughts.

“Then is it Thanksgiving or something? Is it, like, your mom?” asked Kitty as all eyes now shifted towards Rogue.

“No, it ain’t that either,” said Rogue, “Mamma already set us up for a nice Thanksgiving dinner back home in Mississippi with Kurt.”

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad luv,” said Betsy, “I thought you loved Thanksgiving with Kurt and your mom.”

“I never said that I didn’t,” said Rogue in response.

“Then what is it?” asked Wanda, “Are you still sore about me going out with Kurt or something? Because if it is, then…”

However, Rogue didn’t let her finish, not wanting to have this guessing game go on any longer. It was bad enough she was on edge, but it was even worse keeping it from her friends because she honestly needed help at this point making sense out of everything. But being that she was very reserved when it came to her problems, it was difficult to even bring it up as she let out a deep sigh.

“Wanda…It ain’t about you and my brother,” she said in a reassuring tone, “I know I was a little harsh after I found out about you two…But I’ve just been out of it lately. I’m happy for you both…Really. Better a gal like you get involved with my brother than some other creepy bitch I don’t know a thing about. Besides, it ain’t like I have a right to say who my brother dates and all.”

“Then what the hell is bothering you so much Rogue?” exclaimed Betsy with an exasperated tone, “You’ve been acting really fucked up for some time now and we’re your friends, believe it or not. If something’s bothering you, why not ask us for help? Have we ever given you bad advice?”

Everybody then turned towards Betsy and gave her a rather humored look.

“Do you really want me to answer that Bets?” said Rogue, recalling a handful of instances where such advice only compounded problems rather than solving them.

Betsy just rolled her eyes, knowing that Rogue’s legendary stubbornness was just not going to be broken no matter how hard she or the others pushed. When she had something that she didn’t want to talk about, she was adamant about keeping it to herself and only talked about it when she chose to. No persuasion or incessant pestering would get her to reveal what it was that was troubling her and her four friends knew that all too well. This instance was certainly no exception…Although Rogue found it to be a real challenge for her no matter how she tried to go about it.

“Fine…If you don’t want our help, be that way,” said Betsy, not in the mood to talk about anything stressful so soon after midterms.

“But just remember Rogue…” said Jean, not wanting such a conversation to end on Betsy’s sour tone, “If something’s bothering you, we’re all here to help. Now we may not be experts when it comes to dishing out advice, but it doesn’t mean you have to deal with your problems on your own.”

With a tired sigh, Rogue just focused on her current situation. While she wouldn’t bring herself to admit it to them or even herself, it all centered around a certain sexy Cajun that just wouldn’t leave her mind. They both kept playing their games, seeing each other in secret and having fun as if it were a forbidden act, but that only made it feel more exciting and enticing…Like a drug that left her weak in the knees while inebriating her mind and body to the point of paralysis. But unlike other games in life, this one kept growing deeper and brought forth only more meaning to their connection, as uncertain as it may be. Yet Rogue didn’t feel like she was ready to confront this just yet…But the longer it went on, the harder it was going to get.

“Thanks Jean…I’ll remember that,” said Rogue, “Just know that I’m sorry about bein’ so flaky for the past few weeks. Things have been a little more…Complicated for me this year.”

“Say no more Rogue, I understand completely,” assured Kitty in her usual, chipper tone that once again make the southern woman roll her eyes in amusement, “Besides, we shouldn’t focus on the negative at this point…I mean come on! Midterms are over! Thanksgiving and the holidays are fast approaching!”

“You certainly seem to be excited about it this year Kit. Hell, if you were any more chipper we’d have to sedate you,” said Betsy with a grin.

“Well I have good reason to be excited this year!” said Kitty, choosing to ignore Betsy’s comment about her giddiness, “For the first time in three years, my uncle can’t make it and my grandparents will actually be in town for a change! It’s been so long since there’s been so much possibility for a decent Pryde Thanksgiving that I can’t help but feel hopeful about it!”

“Ah yes, I know the stories about good old Uncle Pryde,” grinned Wanda mischievously, “Isn’t he the one who loves to mock and argue with you about all the men you’ve slept with and criticize your every action in life from the moment you were born?”

“The one and only I’m afraid…” said Kitty with a rather annoyed tone as she recalled some of the unpleasant memories she had with her notoriously critical uncle, “But he’s not coming this year! So I think it’s going to be a good Thanksgiving for a change! What about you Wanda? What’s your father making you and Pietro do this year?”

“Nothing too elaborate,” shrugged Wanda, “Just hanging around and having a nice dinner together…Probably with Xavier.”

“Ah, so you’re going to be dining with the head of the Academy,” commented Betsy with a slight laugh, “Maybe if you and Pietro could finesse him enough, he could get you both some ‘special’ treatment here on campus!”

“Keep talking Betsy, I don’t want to keep you from having a wet dream over your petty imagination about my father’s friendship with the Dean of this school,” quipped Wanda in response, earning a round of laughs from the others…Except Betsy of course.

“Very funny Wanda,” scoffed Betsy, choosing not to say anything else about such an issue less she put herself in another vulnerable position, “What about you Jean? Is your mom making you dine with them this year? You know you can’t eat with me and my folks this year because we’re all going to spend the holidays in England with my brother.”

“Oh don’t worry about that Bets,” said Jean, having already known Betsy’s plans, “Thankfully, my folks are spending their holiday in Italy with my sister and her husband and I can’t make it because they don’t want me to come if I don’t at least try to be some mindless fucking drone of theirs.”

“So then what are ya gonna to do this year?” asked Rogue, knowing just as well as the others how Jean felt about family matters.

“Well…” began Jean, a smile similar to the one she had earlier forming on her face, “Luckily, right after my mom called with the details and after the argument that ensued…Scott was right there to offer me a chance to spent Thanksgiving with his family back in Buffalo. And of course…I accepted.”

“Wow, wait a minute here…” said Betsy, not letting Jean go any further as she and the others stared at their redheaded friend with a great deal of intrigue, “You’re going to spend Thanksgiving meeting the parents of a boy who you can’t even come to admit what kind of a relationship you have with yet? Am I the only one who finds that a little odd?”

“You’re not alone Betsy…For once,” said Wanda as she looked back at Jean with a surprised look, “Jean…You’ve been seeing this guy for over two months now. You still won’t define what the hell it is that you both have even though you call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Now you actually want to meet his parents?”

Jean felt a little awkward at the collective looks she was getting from her friends. When they put it in that context, it did seem a little strange. Jean hadn’t truly looked at it in such a way before mainly because it hadn’t crossed her mind. Scott had told her many stories about his family and she had been somewhat eager to meet them after all the truly wonderful descriptions Scott had about them, but at the same time she couldn’t help but ask herself…Was she truly ready for this? Her relationship with Scott was still as confusing as ever. Neither of them wanted to truly define it as anything in terms of friendship or romance out of fear of ruining the wonderful thing they had already. She had been in enough bad relationships before and Scott was just so…Different. He made her feel so many strange, yet wonderful things that nobody else had made her feel before and part of that did scare her to some extent….But she truly wanted to hang onto it, she truly wanted to hold onto the deep connection she had made with him. Would meeting his parents only prove just how serious she was with this man? How would it affect them? There were no easy answers for Jean Grey as she thought about it and now she was beginning to worry.

“Well…When you say it like that…Yeah, I guess it is odd,” admitted Jean even though she was not usually one to give in to such insinuations, “But I am going. I’ve already made that decision.”

“And we wouldn’t want you to unmake it, Jean. But come on…Meeting the guy’s parents after only knowing him for a few months? And for Thanksgiving?” said Kitty, still finding such actions to be unusual on Jean’s part.

“Guys! Knock it off!” exclaimed Jean, growing frustrated by her friends’ attitudes towards this seemingly simple choice, “You make it sound as though I’m going to marry the guy! Why can’t you just accept the fact that there are still things we’re both working out together? I’m just spending Thanksgiving with him and his family! That’s it! End of story!”

Jean’s tone left no room for argument, since her friends knew how temperamental she could get. Yet they knew as well as Jean did that this was a pretty big deal. The last Thanksgiving dinner Jean had spent with a boyfriend had been Warren and they had been together many times longer before that point than she was with Scott now. In addition, Jean hadn’t actually made the choice to spend it with him in the first place, being that it was more of her parents’ decision. Now she was taking this very serious step with her relationship with Scott and her friends were making it seem as though it meant more than she thought…Which only added to her anxiety.

“Fine…Whatever you say luv. Just don’t have a fucking aneurism on us, jeez!” said Betsy, having not expected Jean’s reaction.

“Yeah Jean, we’re just, like, concerned, that’s all,” said Kitty in her defense.

Jean let out an exasperated sigh as she forced herself to calm down from her heightened mood. Her friends had seriously pushed her buttons more than any of them could have expected, but Jean didn’t want to make a big deal of this. She was determined to stay optimistic, but now thanks to her friends she had serious concerns with it.

“You shouldn’t be concerned, okay?” said Jean in a calmer tone, “I’m spending Thanksgiving with Scott and his family…That’s all. Besides, it’s better than hanging around here all alone for a week.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that,” admitted Wanda, “And Thanksgiving is a family holiday last I checked…Better to spend it with someone rather and spend it with no one.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Jean, feeling as though she had affirmed and justified her decision to her friends, “And as long as it’s not with my own family, then I don’t see how it can be all that bad.”

“True…But what if you meet the guy’s parents and find out they have some freaky, bizarre ritual for meeting their son’s girlfriends? You did say he was adopted after all,” made Betsy, still not laying it to rest much to Jean’s dismay.

“Let me worry about one thing at a time, okay Betsy?” replied Jean in an exasperated tone, “But I don’t think his parents should be all that bad…I mean, if Scott’s personality is any indication, then they should be okay. And he has told me a lot about them since we first met and so far he’s said nothing that sounds too eccentric.”

“But still…Expect the unexpected my friend,” said Rogue, never one to believe that anybody should go into anything completely optimistic, “Ya never know when somethin’ will come up that just changes everything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind Rogue…Thanks,” said Jean, managing a smile for her friend, for that was probably the best advice anybody had given her thus far in her situation.

“My pleasure sugah,” said Rogue, knowing she was only speaking from personal experience.

“Yeah, I don’t think you have too much to worry about Jean,” said Kitty in agreement, “I’ve seen the way you and Scott are around each other. As long as you play it cool, then I think it should go just fine.”

“And while you’re there…Try and keep your panties on and make sure he keeps those talented hands of his to himself,” added Betsy with a sultry grin, “No sense in adding to the awkwardness of meeting his parents and learning how often you two go at it.”

“Thanks Betsy…” said Jean with a humored grin despite the annoyance of her attitude towards her situation with Scott, “I’ll remember that. And who knows…Maybe this will put a bunch of things we’re both trying to work out into perspective. And maybe…It will finally give me some answers.”

“Answers to what?” asked Wanda curiously as she saw the somewhat distant look on Jean’s face as she said those words.

“Nothing…” replied Jean quickly, “Nothing at all.”

“Right…” said Betsy in an unconvinced tone, but chose not to say any more, having had enough of this conversation at this point.

As the five women continued to walk and talk about holiday plans, men, and school, the crisp fall wind picked up as more clouds filled the sky. Yet this did not stop them from enjoying each others company. But because of her friends’ words, Jean was now feeling a bit more anxiety about meeting Scott’s parents for Thanksgiving. Up until now, she hadn’t thought about it this seriously. Her relationship with Scott was growing, there was no denying that. It was growing into something she didn’t understand or didn’t allow herself to accept just yet. It was unlike any relationship she had ever had before and she wasn’t sure just what it truly was at the moment. Was it romance? Was it friendship with a powerful sexual aspect to it? What on Earth was it about this boy that was making her feel all these confusing things? She didn’t know, but she hoped to find out.

The others didn’t comment any further on Jean’s inner conflict since there was no way any of them could truly know the full details. Instead, they talked about much safer subjects…Ones that didn’t evoke arguments or anger. And Jean seemed to ease into this kind of talking fairly easily as she put some of her anxieties to rest for the time being…Rogue, however, was another story.

The southern born woman remained relatively quiet as they kept walking through the campus. While she had quite a bit on her mind, she gave it her all to make sure it didn’t show. Whatever she was going through, she wanted to handle it herself…But no matter how she looked at it, there just didn’t seem to be any real way out of it. Talking to her friends was a good distraction, but she still didn’t feel comfortable turning to her friends for advice…Especially when it involved her personal life and a very mysterious, husky Cajun that just wouldn’t leave her mind. Finally, she decided that she needed some serious time to think.

“Well gals…This has been fun like always, but I think I’d better go now,” said Rogue as the reached the crosswalk that led back down towards her apartment.

“Oh, so soon?” said Betsy, finding her departure a little abrupt even for Rogue’s standards, “We were all just about to get a little snack at Subway.”

“That’s okay, I ain’t all that hungry,” she said.

“Are you sure?” asked Jean, sounding a little concerned, “You’re not sick or anything, are you?”

“Honestly Jean, when have y’all ever known me to sick anyways?” quipped Rogue, lightening her tone somewhat, “I’m just tired today and maybe it would be best if I just went home and took a little nap.”

“Hey, whatever floats your boat, Rogue,” said Kitty, “So I guess that means we’ll, like, see you later?”

“Yeah…Later y’all,” she said with one last wave as she headed off down the street back towards her apartment where she needed to do some serious thinking.

The rest of her friends looked back at her with mild concern, knowing there was probably more to Rogue’s more solemn attitude than she was willing to let on. But Rogue had a way of keeping things to herself that she didn’t want to share and there were very few forces that could get her to reveal them. And because of that reserved nature, they could only speculate what was on her mind.

“I hope she gets over whatever rut she’s in soon,” said Betsy with an exasperated sigh as she watched her friend walk off, “It’s starting to get a little irritating.”

“Yeah…You don’t think it’s still about me and Kurt, do you?” said Wanda in a slightly concerned tone.

“Oh come on Wanda,” scoffed Kitty, “You know Rogue better than that. If she was against it, she’d still be hounding you and she hasn’t done that at all lately.”

“Yeah Wanda, Kitty’s right,” assured Jean, “I don’t know what’s on Rogue’s mind, but I can safely say that it isn’t you and Kurt. She seems genuinely happy for the both of you and if she says it doesn’t bother her…Then you should believe it.”

“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it…” said Wanda, still sounding uncertain, “But if it isn’t me and Kurt…What do you think it us?”

“Knowing Rogue…That’s anybody’s guess,” said Jean, choosing not to speculate and only to say what she knew about her southern friend, “But whatever it is, she just needs time to think about it. Rogue’s a very strong woman…I’m sure she’ll work things out with whatever it is that’s making her act so strange.”

“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see with that for now,” said Betsy as she and the other turned another corner down a busy road, “But enough of this anxiety shit, who’s up for a little afternoon snack?”

“You read my mind Betsy! Let’s go!” chirped Kitty as the four girls made their way down the street towards the Subway, once again falling into their familiar, comfortable setting around one another.

While the others were setting their concerns aside for now, Rogue was still lost in her thoughts as she neared her apartment building in a slight daze at her current predicament. Her mind had been in a state of confusion for some time now and it had only grown with time. She kept thinking back to all the passionate encounters she had with Remy and how they had grown from simple sexual flings to something almost like a drug in many ways. Whenever she thought about him…Whenever she was with him…It was as if she was sent into another world…One which she didn’t want to leave and one where nothing else seemed to matter. Remy Lebeau was so much more to her than just some fuck buddy…He actually had an aura of gentleness that showed through his gruff, sexy appearance. They way they talked to each other, the way they communicated through both words and gestures…It was just on a whole other level.

But no matter how much their connection meant to her…It just wasn’t clear if it meant the same to him. Part of Rogue wanted to believe that what they had was deeper, but then would just hear that same old nagging voice in her head that told her Remy just wanted her for sex and nothing more. It was a sad thought that brought tears to the young woman’s eyes as she walked through the door into her apartment, eager to get to her room and collapse on her bed…But unknown to her, a pair of longing eyes had watched her from afar with an equally saddened and distraught look. It was Remy Lebeau…And part of him was yearning to follow her up to her apartment and speak to her seriously about the many difficult things that had also been plaguing his mind as well as hers. Yet for both Rogue and Remy, neither of them had the strength to go through with it…Still feeling too scared to confront something that seemed so complicated for both the mind and the heart.

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After Scott left Jean’s place early in the morning feeling better than he had in weeks, he returned to his apartment. He had gone to Jean’s the other day and helped relieve her stress, yet in addition she helped do the same for him after having successfully worked through his first semester at the Xavier Academy. It had started out innocently enough, but it got very hot very fast. All the skills he had learned over the years thanks to what his foster mother taught him and the experience he gained performing it on other women had truly culminated. He may have been the one to start the massage, but it was far from one sided and Scott’s mind was swimming ever since. Jean may have been stressed, but she learned quickly and she knew how to reciprocate. She was so many things…Strong, passionate, fun, kind…Sometimes it was hard for him to keep up. But that just made the beautiful redhead more exciting to be around and the more time he spent with her, the more alluring she became to him.

Now, she was going to spend Thanksgiving with him and his family. Now, he was going to introduce to his family the girl who had turned his life upside down in the same way he had done to her since that fateful night they met at Club Xtreme. It wasn’t like he hadn’t introduced girls to his family before and he had never been ashamed to do so, but for some reason…He felt a little nervous this time around. There was just so much about Jean that went beyond his other relationships with women and he was still struggling to put it into perspective…But despite this, he was knew that he had something with her and he was determined to hold onto it.

Not long after returning to his apartment, fixing himself a snack, and changing out of his clothes that he had gotten so messy with sweat and oil from their exhaustive activities, he decided to let his folks know his plans. Since arriving at the Academy, his folks had held him to a promise to call them at least once a week and now was as good as time as any to set up what he felt would surly be an interesting Thanksgiving as he picked up his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart. Luckily, it only took a few rings before a familiar, gruff voice answered.

“Yeah? Logan here!” answered a burly Canadian from the other side.

“Hey dad, do you ever answer the phone normally?” grinned Scott as he heard the all too familiar tone of his foster dad.

“Scottie!” replied Logan with his usual gruff enthusiasm that Scott had come to expect from him after so many years, “Yer late this week callin’. So how the hell are ya?”

“Much better now that midterms are over,” answered Scott as he took a seat on his couch and relaxed as the afternoon sun shined into his apartment, “Sorry I couldn’t call sooner, but classes here are pretty tough.”

“Nah, if you can handle a gunshot to the gut, you can handle any dumb test,” scoffed Logan.

“You say that about everything dad,” laughed Scott.

“Hey, you know the saying bub…What doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger,” quipped the burly Canadian.

“Right…” said Scott as he shook his head in amusement, “Is mom there?”

“On a day like this? Fat chance,” replied Logan, “You know your mother…When the weather’s nice, it takes a fucking army to get her out of that garden of hers.”

“Yeah, I had a feeling,” said Scott, not at all surprised, “Well, I don’t want to disturb her. I just called to check in like always and to let you know on my plans for Thanksgiving.”

“Good idea Scottie. You’re mom’s been fussin’ about that a lot lately since this will be the first dinner with us in two years. It ain’t for three weeks and she’s already makin’ up the menu.”

“Yeah, that sounds like mom. But when you get a chance, tell her that there’s going to be a slight change.”

“Change?” said Logan suspiciously, “Yer gonna make it aren’t ya?”

“Of course I am dad, you know it would take another war to keep me from spending Thanksgiving with you guys,” assured Scott, “It’s just that…My girlfriend, you know Jean Grey…”

“Oh, she wouldn’t happen to be the same girl you haven’t been able to shut up about since you got there now would she?” quipped Logan in an amused tone.

“Yes dad…The very same,” admitted Scott, rolling his eyes at his foster dad’s teasing.

“You’ve been with her quite a while kid,” commented Logan, knowing his foster son’s relationship history all too well, “This is the longest time you’ve been with the same woman since that rather unusual breakup with that Frost girl.”

“Well…As I’ve said before, I think we’ve really established a good connection,” said Scott, stammering slightly as he always did when he got to talking about his relationship with Jean, “Things have been going really well with her…Better than I could have hoped for. She’s been a truly amazing friend since I got here.”

“Right…Friend,” quipped his foster dad in an unconvinced tone, “You do realize you sound like a lovesick puppy when you talk about her, don’t ya?”

“I do not!” argued Scott almost immediately, even though both he and Logan knew that such a reaction was more of a reflex at this point and it was getting rather redundant at this point.

“Sure kid…You sound really convincing,” grinned Logan, enjoying this conversation way too much in Scott’s opinion.

“Okay…Maybe it’s a bit more complicated than that…But that’s not what I wanted to talk about,” he said, hoping to shift his foster dad’s attention away from this always awkward topic for him, “I just wanted to let you know that Jean’s not going to be able to make it in time to spend Thanksgiving with her family, so I offered her the chance to spend it with us. Is that alright?”

“Her own family ditched her on Thanksgiving?!” exclaimed Logan, “What in the hell kind of people do that?”

“Don’t start dad…” said Scott, knowing all to well his foster dad’s tendency to react in overly dramatic ways, “It’s a complicated issue and it’s not my business to say. But is it alright if she comes? She doesn’t have anywhere else to go for the break.”

“Oh why the hell not? Of course she can!” grunted Logan in response, not really having to think too hard about Scott’s request, “After all the stuff you’ve been sayin’ about this girl, your mom and I have been eager to meet her anyways.”

“Well, I think you’ll really like her…She’s quite a girl,” said Scott in his far off tone.

“Sounds like it…Ya satisfying her?” grinned Logan, knowing such a comment always had a way of making Scott blush.

“Yes dad…You know me,” grinned Scott, rolling his eyes at his father’s incessant need to put him on the spot.

“That’s my boy!” proclaimed Logan proudly, “Just remember to thank the one who taught ya how to please a woman like no one else!”

“You’re right…Tell mom I said thanks when you get a chance, will you?” quipped Scott with a grin.

“Very funny bub,” said Logan in a sarcastic tone.

“So you’re sure it’s okay?” asked Scott, once again choosing to return to more serious subjects of discussion.

“Don’t worry about it Scottie!” said Logan to his ever worrisome foster son, “You know your mother, she can work miracles in the kitchen so I think she can handle one more guest. And she can bunk up with Sarah while she’s here, just as long as she doesn’t mind sharin’ a room.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” said Scott, having already had enough on his mind with Jean to concern himself with the little things at this point, “Just let mom know and tell Sarah if you can get a hold of her.”

“Yeah, fat chance with that,” replied Logan, “She’s been as busy as the fucking president with that new job of hers.”

“So says a man who can comfortably spend days on end in an auto garage,” quipped Scott with a grin, knowing Sarah definitely picked up quite a bit of her father’s love of mechanics.

“Like father like daughter I guess,” said Logan proudly, “But she’ll be here. You know your sister.”

“That I do…” grinned Scott, “If you talk to her, tell her to call me when she gets a chance.”

“Will do Scottie!” said Logan affirmatively, “You take it easy, ya hear? And remember to keep satisfying that girl of yours!”

“Will do dad…I’ll see you in a few weeks,” replied Scott, “Give mom a big kiss for me.”

“You know I will!” laughed Logan in response, “Later Scott.”

“Later dad…”

And with that, the two men hung up and Logan went to do what his foster son had asked him…And probably more. But as Scott continued to lay back in his couch, he began thinking about some of the things his foster dad had said. Ever since he had told him and Ororo about Jean, they had somewhat teased him about the way he sounded when he talked about her. While this was all taken with good humor on his part…It still made him wonder if he was really that obvious in his growing feelings for her. He thought he had given up on love after his last relationship with Emma Frost…But now he wasn’t so sure anymore. Jean made him feel many things that he had never felt with anybody else before…Things that were so wonderful, yet confusing at the same time. He didn’t know what to make of them, but no matter what he was determined to hang onto it. But maybe…Just maybe…Spending some time with her and his family on Thanksgiving would help put some things in perspective and shed some light on just how deep his feelings were for Jean Grey.

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AN: Well, that’s it for now. I know this chapter didn’t have any sex like the last few chapters, but I need to move the plot along at some point! And don’t worry, more will come soon enough as Logan and Ororo make their appearance as well as Sarah (X23) later on! Stay tuned as more things continue to develop! In the meantime, be sure to review! Send your comments to me via email at slickboy444@aol.com or post it on the fanfiction website! Thank you all very much for reading and I wish everybody the best!