ii.
Logan woke up in a room that felt oddly familiar, yet distant, like a memory long forgotten. Disoriented, he didn’t bother looking around before he opened the door. The sound of a bell ringing filled the air, and he saw students walking through the halls, laughing and chatting. Confusion gripped him as he spotted Bobby with Rogue. Rogue gave him a warm smile before walking away, hand in hand with Bobby.
As he wandered down the hallway, he caught a glimpse of a classroom full of kids, with Kitty teaching them. Logan looked away, trying to make sense of it all, when he saw Hank walking toward him.
“Good morning, Logan. Late start,” Hank said with a small chuckle.
Logan stared at him in disbelief as Hank walked by. Everything felt surreal, like a dream he couldn’t wake up from. He descended the stairs, spotting Storm with some of the kids.
“Have a good lunch. Good job,” she said to one of them.
“Storm,” Logan whispered, his voice barely audible.
He continued walking, the hallway bustling with children, their laughter echoing around him. And then he saw her—a figure with long blonde hair standing at the doorway, looking into the office.
“Cecily,” he said, his voice filled with disbelief.
She turned her head, a smile spreading across her face. “Hey, I thought you’d never wake up,” she said with a small laugh.
“Cecily,” he whispered again, as if saying her name would make her stay.
Her expression turned puzzled. “Are you okay?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.
“You’re here,” he said, still trying to grasp the reality of the moment.
She laughed softly, turning fully to face him. “Where else would I be?” she asked, her tone light and teasing.
Logan reached out to touch her face, but a hand stopped him.
“Whoa, easy, pal,” Scott said, stepping between them. Logan noticed Jean standing behind Scott, watching him closely.
Cecily rolled her eyes at Scott's reaction. “Well, some things never change,” Logan muttered with a faint smile. He patted Scott’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you, Scott.”
Scott glanced down at the hand on his shoulder, clearly uncomfortable. “Uh-huh,” he replied curtly.
“I’ll see you later, Cecily,” Logan said, turning to leave the room, Jean following close behind.
Cecily noticed something off about Logan. She placed her hand on his arm, her brow furrowed with concern. “Logan, is everything all right?”
He looked at her for a moment, searching her eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, I think it is,” he said, though his voice wavered slightly.
She studied him, still unsure, but nodded. “Okay,” she said softly. “I have things I need to get done, but I’ll see you later?”
As she turned to walk away, Logan reached out and gently grabbed her arm. “Cecily,” he called after her.
“Yeah?” she answered, turning back to face him.
“Do you remember how you talked about wanting to travel?” he asked.
A look of disbelief crossed her face. “Yeah,” she said slowly, unsure of where he was going with this.
“Let’s do it,” he said, his voice firm and resolute.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Are you serious? But I thought you said—”
“Forget what I said,” he interrupted.
A huge smile spread across her face as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she said, her excitement palpable.
She pulled back, practically glowing with happiness. “I’ll see you later,” she said, her smile still wide as she turned to walk away, leaving Logan standing there, more certain than ever that this was exactly where he wanted to be.