The Wolverine and The Phoenix

The Window

Back inside, Phoebe sees that the others are preparing dinner. Kurt is chopping vegetables, while Storm and Hank are busy over the stove. In the dining room, she sees Scott set down a stack of plates on the table. She picks them up and puts them on the placemats while Scott grabs glasses from the cabinet. She's hoping that maybe she'll have the chance to get to know the others better. Logan comes in from outside, feeling restless. He steals glances as Phoebe works quietly with Scott to set the table.

She doesn't acknowledge his presence and he wonders if she's ignoring him on purpose or if she's too busy setting the table to notice him. But he knows it's probably the former.

"Anything else I can do, Scott?" she asks once the table is laid. 

He sets down the final glass before looking over at her. "Nope, I think you're good. You mind going to let Charles know that dinner is almost ready?"

She nods and heads down the hall to find Charles. Logan watches after her as she leaves the room. Even though she's temporarily out of his sight and range of senses, he strangely feels compelled to keep an eye on her, to know her every movement, wherever she might go.

As Phoebe returns with Xavier, Logan is almost subconsciously tracking her every step. She knows his eyes are on her and she knows that he's just as confused as her about why on earth they can't get rid of each other.

The others come in with the food and everyone sits, serving themselves from the dishes in the center of the table. With everyone in the room like this, Phoebe feels uncharacteristically nervous. It's probably also because Logan is watching her every move, glancing over every few seconds. She takes a small serving from the food in front of her and watches as the others interact with each other. Jean, Hank and Charles are having a conversation about some new scientific study, while Kurt, Scott and Storm seem to be sharing some kind of inside joke that Phoebe doesn't understand.

Logan, noticing Phoebe's silence, wonders if there's a reason she's so quiet. He's waiting on her to say something snarky or sarcastic, but she doesn't. He watches her, concerned, but his worry starts to turn into curiosity. Why isn't she talking? Why is she acting so different? 

'What's going through her damn mind' he thinks. Phoebe is listening carefully to the others' conversations. She's waiting to hear something she understands, or for someone to invite her to the conversation. Logan glances around at the X-Men, noticing that they seem completely oblivious to Phoebe's change in behavior, too distracted by their own conversations to notice. He feels a pang of what could almost be described as jealousy, he's the only person in the room noticing that she's acting differently, and he's the only one who cares enough to pay attention.

It doesn't go unnoticed to him that nobody is bothering to try and include her in the conversation. Sure she's new, and they might not know her very well, but it doesn't seem like they're giving her any chance to speak. He begins to get irritated at their disregard for her presence. Phoebe, however, just eats quietly and tries to block everything out.

Logan catches Phoebe's gaze. She's hoping that maybe he'll say something to piss her off so she can break the silence that only they're aware of. She's becoming uncomfortable and doesn't know how to navigate this new situation. Relief washes over Logan as she looks at him, maybe she'll speak to him. But to his disappointment, she simply holds his gaze for a few seconds before returning her focus to her plate. His disappointment is quickly overtaken by frustration. He can't figure out this new version of her that isn't talkative and it's driving him damn crazy.

Phoebe wonders if Logan's going to speak to her or if he's playing some kind of game. Although she wanted to get to know the others, it doesn't surprise her that they're not interested. But Logan not speaking to her is confusing. He was the closest thing she had to a friend in here. Hell, he's the closest thing she has to a friend full stop.