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06. Charging Up

Summary: They meet again and sparks fly.

A couple of days later,

“Dad.”

Logan looked up from under the hood of the car he was working on to see his younger daughter skip into the workshop area looking for him.

“Here,” he lifted his hand to let her know of his position.
“What happened?” he asked her as she came closer. “And what are ya doing here? What about yer tuition class?”
“Finished,” Amiko came and stood next to the fender.
“So, why ain’t you at home?”

“I had to talk to you. Its very important.”
‘Important?’ Logan straightened up at the word. What had happened now? “What’s so important kid that it couldn’t wait till I got home?”
“Its about the tuition.”
“What about it? The teacher not good?”

“No, no,” Amiko shook her head. “Its nothing to worry about. Its just that Ms. Monroe, my teacher, she wants to meet.”
“Meet me?” Logan asked slowly, getting a nod in return. “What about?”

After his recent visit to the girls’ school, Logan wasn’t in any hurry to do a repeat performance. As far as he was concerned, both of his daughters did just fine in school, although he sometimes thought, Jubilee didn’t try hard enough to fulfill to her potential….but until she was happy, and got a good life, it was fine with him.
.
He already knew that she did not have any plans of going in for higher studies, maybe just college, even though he wanted her to. She had decided to join him in his work. She had already started testing the ropes, by working in the summers. It helped her to learn about the business and at the same time make some money. Her working here also worked out in Logan’s favor as he didn’t have to worry her working at one of those fast food places or worse at some other shady place. Never having a chance to live and enjoy his childhood, Logan wanted his girls to live his childhood years along with their own.

---

“Why does she wanna meet me?” He asked again, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Something about my weekly progress,” Amiko recalled what Ms. Monroe had told her. “Its kinda like Parents-Teachers meeting. All the parents do that.”
“We never did that before, either with ya or with Jubes,” countered Logan.

“Yes, but we never had tuition before. Did we?” came the reply. From the changed expression on her father’s face, Amiko realized that even though she had hit the nail on the head, he wasn’t quite sold on the idea. “….and as she is only teaching me there, so you are the only one that has to meet her.”
“Uh…” Logan started, still not quite comfortable with the idea. “When does she wanna…when is this meeting? An’ who are gonna be there?” The last question was more for Scott than for anyone else. The last he met him, Logan was ready to punch the living daylights out of the smug asshole. He wasn’t sure he would be able to contain himself if it happened a second time.

“Just you, me and Ms. Monroe,” Amiko prattled off the names. “And its either Friday evening at the school or Saturday at her house.”

“Friday, at the school.”

‘Its just one meeting, would’nta change ‘nything.’

----

Friday evening,

Ororo had finished with her hourly tuition class with Amiko and was talking to the girl while she waited for her father to pick her up. Although, supposed to meet him today, and liking that the father was taking interest in the girl’s studies, she had regrettably postponed the meeting until tomorrow.

Although she trusted Scott’s opinion of people, it looked like that this time he had it wrong. She had been teaching Jubilee for a couple of years and although the fiery girl could be handful sometimes, she had never been disrespectful towards her or any of the other teachers, nor had she lagged behind in her studies. She had seen the same qualities in Amiko, even if she like a light breeze compared to hurricane Jubilee.

“Amiko, tell me about your family,” she asked the young girl, trying to pass the time until Mr. Howlett got there.
“Hmmm…” Amiko mused for a second, trying to gather the correct words. “There is me, my older sister – Jubilee and our Dad. Then there is Marie, she is also like a sister. She is older than Jubilee. Then there are Remy, Kurt and Petey. Kurt is Marie’s twin brother, but he is from Germany. Petey’s full name is Piotr Rasputin. He is from Russia, and Remy is Remy Lebeau. He is from New Orleans, and talks in a funny way. He and Marie like each other.”

Ororo smiled at the animated introduction Amiko had given of her family members, but also noted that she did not say anything about her mother.
“And your mother….” she asked hesitantly, regretting it as soon as the words left her mouth. The light in the young girl’s eyes seemed to lose some of its brightness.
“She…died,” Amiko’s answer was soft, her head lowered down to her chest. “Three years ago.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Ororo apologized for the child’s loss. Having lost her own parents as a child; she understood and empathized with the young girl’s situation.

After a moment’s silence, she tried again, speaking in a light voice to try to lift the girl’s spirits. “Tell me about your dad.”
“My dad is the best dad ever.” The brightness came back. “He is from Canada, from Alberta. He and mommy met there. He saved her people from trying to harm her and then gave her a place to stay. He took special care of her, as she was pregnant with me. They married two months before I was born. When I was eight months old, we came here, to New York and have been staying here since then.”
Ororo was taken aback by what Amiko had told about her father. “Amiko….how old is your father?”
“Hmm…..thirty two or thirty three, I think.”
“You think?” Ororo smirked at her.
“I remember,” Amiko said enthusiastically, before quieting down. “But he is not sure. He lost his mommy-daddy when he was a small baby.”
“Oh,” Ororo felt like smacking herself. She had yet again managed to put her foot in her mouth. Opening her mouth to speak, she couldn’t form words.

“What about your sister, Jubilation? Tell me about her.”
“Oh Jubilee,” Amiko began. “She….”

A knock on the door interrupted them.
“Yes, come in.”
“Uhn….Ms. Monroe,” a security guard entered the room. “There is a man outside the school. He says he is here to meet you and pick up a student named Amiko Yashida.”
“Oh, ok,” Ororo nodded her head, thanked the man and gestured towards Amiko. “Come Amiko, let us go.”

----

Minutes later, both teacher and student stepped outside the school doors.

“Dad,” Amiko called out, causing the man, whom Ororo now recognized as Mr. Howlett to turn around from his stair side seating.

‘Goddess,’ Ororo gasped internally at the sight before her. This man, though the same Mr. Howlett as the one who had been in Scott’s office, was very different from what he had been earlier that week. Gone was the cotton pants and plain white shirt. In its place, was, the tightest jeans that Ororo had ever seen anyone wear and a jet black t-shirt covering and outlining an impressive upper body and arms.

This Mr. Howlett truly didn’t look like he was the father of a twelve year old girl, let alone a sixteen year old one. He looked like the kind of man, parents warned their children to stay away from.

“Hey kid,” his naturally gruff voice completely suited to his denim clad, mutton chopped biker look.

It was his eyes that caught and held Ororo’s attention….something she hadn’t paid attention the first time around. He had deep hazel eyes and while they had been hard and unemotional when he first turned back, they changed the moment Amiko came in their line of sight. They lit up, the gold in them shining like the setting sun.

---

Standing up from his seat, Logan cracked his neck, stretching his body while waiting for Amiko, to come down the stairs. Reaching him, she handed him her bag, which he casually slung over one shoulder, his smoldering cigar still held between the first two fingers of his other hand.

Snapping out of her stunned state, Ororo stepped towards the father-daughter duo, seemingly busy conversing with each other.
“Dad, this is my teacher, Ms. Monroe,” Amiko piped up.
Ororo gave a small smile but was shocked to find a large hand thrust towards her. Neither of them mentioned their first meeting, something which both of them wanted to forget.

“Nice ta meet ya,” was the gruff but earnest greeting.
Maintaining her smile, Ororo raised her own slender hand for a perfunctory shake.

The moment their hands touched, both Ororo and Logan’s eyes widened as a feeling of electricity passed through them. Both pulled their hands back, Ororo placing hers’ behind her back, while Logan stared at his own, turning it both ways to check for the reason of the intense and unusual sensation.
“Dad…..daaaddd,” Amiko’s insistent voice, brought them back from their reverie. “Lets go,” she said, walking away towards Logan’s jeep.
“Uhn…yeah,” Logan looked momentarily lost as he tried to gather himself. “G’night Ms. Monroe,” he looked at Ororo, his heated gaze burning through her.

“Ororo,” he looked at her, his brow crossed with confusion. “My name is Ororo.”
“Oh,” his temple relaxed, an easy smile coming over his weather beaten face. “Logan,” he said, starting to offer his hand again, but stopped before it could rise all the way.
“Nice to meet you Logan,” this time Ororo was the one to make the overture by offering her hand for a second hand shake.
The moment their hands touched, they same electric charge seemed to pass through them again, connecting them to each other. This time however, they did not pull back. Instead, their grips subconsciously tightened against each other, both of them enjoying the pleasurable sensation.

----

“Daaaaddd,” Amiko’s cry caused them to withdraw once again.
“Good night….” Logan wished once again. “….’Roro,” he ended with a smile.
“Good night Logan,” Ororo wished back.

Walking towards the jeep, he stopped outside it and gave Ororo one last lingering look, before opening the door and getting inside the vehicle.

Watching the jeep drive away, Ororo let out the breath she had been holding and ran a hand through her long tresses.

“Oh Goddess….what was that?”

----

That night,

Ororo had been turning about in her bed, trying to get a few hours of peace. However, the goddess for some reason seemed to be annoyed with her and wasn’t letting her get that small luxury. Whenever she closed her eyes, she found herself dreaming the same dream.

‘In the dream she was a princess, captured and closed in a glass prison, able to see everything around her but not able to touch it, not even for the slightest touch.

Then one day, her very own prince charming came and broke her glass prison with a single touch of his hand. However, unlike the princes of fairy tales, her prince didn’t come on a white stallion. Her prince….he came riding on a black metal steed, its mechanical thumping echoing in the air. Her prince had unruly hair, peaked at the edges like a crown, or more like ears of a wolf.

Breaking free from her prison, she took his offered hand, an electric jolt running through both of them, exciting them…..joining them.

Grabbing hold of his hand, she got on his stead….and together they rode away into the setting sun. Together…to live happily ever after.’

-----

“Good morning Ms. Monroe,” the diminutive Japanese-American girl wished her as she opened the door for her.
“Good morning Amiko,” Ororo wished back, her eyes subconsciously scanning the driveway…as if looking for someone,. “How did you reach here? Wasn’t your father going to come today to discuss about your progress?” she asked calmly, just managing to reign in her curiosity and impatience.

“Petey left me,” she answered as she looked around at the exquisitely appointed house.
“And your father?” Ororo broke her wonderment.
“Today is Saturday, he sleeps in late,” Ororo answered as she gazed at the small crystal sculptures inside the showcase. “He will come to pick me up.”
“That will be better,” Ororo answered a little relieved, but unable to keep the regret out from her voice. She wanted to see him again….in spite of knowing that she musn’t feel like this. The relief was because she would be able to conduct her two-hour class without her heart doing the cha-cha.

“Come on,” she laid a hand on the young girl’s back. “Lets get you something to eat.”
“I already had breakfast,” the young girl gave a toothy smile. “Jubes’ day for breakfast today. So it was sugar-rich cereal. Six different kinds; all mixed together. She had hers with chocolate milk, while I had with plain milk.”

Ororo felt her stomach knot at the mere thought of the sugar high that the ‘breakfast’ would give. ‘No wonder she is always so…..energetic,’ she smirked at the thought. ‘All that sugar has to come out some where.’

“Well, I still have to have mine. We’ll start with a revision of what we covered yesterday and once I finish, move onto the next lesson. Are you sure I cannot get you anything? Milk? Some Fruit? Juice?”
“No thank you,” Amiko shook her head.
“Ok, maybe later then,” she smiled at the reaction of the girl at her words.
“Sure,” Amiko nodded her head. “Later….once my dad comes over.”

‘Sure,’ Ororo thought as she gulped consciously. ‘One he comes over.’

------

“Where’s ‘kiko?”

Logan growled as he trudged into the kitchen, his usually unruly hair, sticking in each and every direction. “Ain’t she gotta go fer her class?”
“She already left,” Jubilee answered from in front of the television.
“What?” Logan’s eyes snapped wide open. “I was going ta go with her. I had ta meet her teacher Ms….Ms…..Ororo.”

“Ororo,” Jubilee looked back at him. “How did you know Ms. Monroe’s name?”

“She told me,” Logan yanked the kitchen door open and selected the juice to drink. How things had changed? It used to be that his breakfast used to be a nice cold beer and whatever what left lying around. That was years ago…almost like a different lifetime, a different man, if you could call him that.

Looking at his older daughter, he smirked. What a difference a family makes? Now he lived his life for them, his girls….and had to set an example for them. That meant no drinks at home…well, almost no drinks at home, except for game nights….and Saturday nights.
After closing the workshop for the day, he, Remy, Kurt and Piotr used to go across the road to Marie’s diner. There used to commandeer a corner and set about on their game. Jubilee and Amiko also used to come over to the diner and together all of them used to enjoy the best southern cooking around. He and Remy used to enjoy their quota of the hard stuff, with Petey joining them occasionally. Kurt was still underage and used to limit himself to ‘root’ beer. A waste of the ‘beer’ name…..which is what it was to Logan. Beer was beer, alcoholic, with a nice kick. There was no such thing as non-alcoholic beer.

“Dad….dad….WOLVIE,” Jubilee’s shrill voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Dadddieee…”
“What dya want?” he arched one shaggy brow.
“Wha….” Her mouth fell open.
“Jubes, I know this look of yers,” he pointed at her. “This look and this ‘dadddieee’ of yers. So what dya want?”

“Its nothing much,” she hesitated...deliberately. “No biggie.”
“Jubes.”
“I need to make a call,” she winced and looked away from him
“Ya know ya are grounded,” he reminded her.
“I know, I know,” the brave front was back on. “But it’s very important.”
“Yeah,” she nodded at him. “Let me guess. Ya have ta talk to that half-pint friend of yers. That Meow-Kat.”
“Kitty.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Logan reached for the TV remote.

“So can I make the call,” she was practically hanging off his arm now.

“Dad,” she tried again at his silence.
“I am thinkin’,” he changed the channels.
“Daaaddd,” it was a plea now.
“Hmph,” he finally relented. “Ok.”

“Thank you, thank you,” she rose up and kissed his cheeks. “Ew, morning stubble. Chaffed my lips.”
“Grr…No more than thirty minutes.”
“One hour,” she tried to bargain.
“Twenty five,” he countered back.
“Ok, ok,” she leapt off the sofa. “Sheessh, what all do I have to bear here,” she placed the back of her wrist at her forehead, presenting a mock dramatic pose.

“Git,” Logan huffed at her.
“Hmph,” she stormed off.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” her head peeked through the door. “You better get ready.”
“Why?” he inquired as he scratched along his stubble.
“Don’t you have to go to pick up Amiko,” the eyebrows were wiggling again. “Meet Ms. Or-Ro-Oh,” she dragged the name out as she disappeared from view, leaving him to think about the white haired Nubian beauty that had occupied his thoughts since the previous evening.

-----

An hour later,

*Ding Dong* the bell announced someone at the door.

“Just a minute,” Ororo excused herself, instructing Amiko to complete reading the lesson they were currently on.

Reaching the door, she unlocked and swung it open, her eyes widening momentarily at the person who stood in front of her, her lips curving up in a smile.

This was an unexpected surprise.





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