Night Before The Last Night: Part Two

by Kerri

Charlotte stared out through the bars. "I don't believe this. I hope Logan never hears about this." It was a useless wish but she tried anyway. He'd hear about it, in glowing, graphic detail.

"It could be worse," Jean pointed out.

"*You* would say that," Emma ground out between her teeth. "Let's recap the incident in question, shall we?" She tapped her foot impatiently. "Rogue takes us to a cowboy bar, gets rip-roaring drunk, and starts a bar fight. We try to get her out of there and get caught up in it ourselves. Now, the four of us are in jail for disturbing the peace, Storm, Betsy and Domino are God knows where, Rogue has been passed out for the last hour, and we've been waiting for Charlotte's lawyer for the last 45 minutes. Have I left anything out?" She glared at the bars and the police officers beyond the cells.

Jean was right, it could have been worse. They could have been put into the general population. Or worse yet, have used their mutant powers to get out of the impossible situation and been treated like outlaws.

Four obviously wealthy young women in expensive clothing were just iffy enough for the officers to put them in an isolated holding cell without booking them first to save face later. Charlotte's telephone call to a high priced attorney from a high profile law firm further strengthened their position. The women decided to use Charlotte's lawyer to avoid giving the authorities Jean's and Emma's names. Who needed the publicity?

They might have been able to wait in an office and spend this time charming an officer into letting them go, but Rogue threatened to maim and dismember the entire force.

Charlotte fixed Emma with a unblinking gaze. "Why are you here?"

"Haven't you been listening?" She nudged Rogue's foot out of her way and continued her pacing. "The Southern Belle here can't hold her liquor."

"That's not what I meant. Why did you come out with us tonight? This really isn't your sort of party."

Emma turned away. "It was Robert's idea."

"Bobby talked you into this. Why?" Jean asked.

"Isn't it obvious? All the happy couples Charles has recruited for the team."

"Bobby's hoping the two of you will become one," Jean finished.

"He's got his head in the clouds again. He looks at you and Scott and sees 'made for each other', at Betsy and Warren for 'opposites attract', and Charlotte and Logan for the 'Beauty and the Beast' happy ending. I told him it wouldn't work," she said irritably.

"Just because we're in jail?" Charlotte asked, surprised. "In some parts of the country a bridal shower isn't a success until the police have arrived." She moved to stand next to the White Queen. "This should've been the other way around. The men should be here and we should be bailing them out and making them grovel to get back in our good graces." It would have been such fun to see Logan grovel. "Until Rogue tried the jello shooters, we were having a good time. Don't let yourself fall apart because of this."

"I am not falling apart, I have a legitimate concern here. I have to be a good example to my students. If they hear about this, and they will, how will I ever keep them under control?"

"They might find you more human and you might relate to them more easily? You didn't commit a crime, you know. Haven't you ever been detained before?"

"No, and I suppose you have? During the sixties with the free love and sit-ins?" Her voice was snide in her frustration.

Charlotte laughed, rubbing her forehead to ease the headache she felt coming on being this close to an angry projecting telepath. The things these people thought she'd done, just because she'd lived 3 centuries. "With all that drug use and poor hygiene habits? Free love? Since when was love ever free? I spent the sixties at home, thank you. I was just as happy to miss Woodstock."

Emma's face tinged pink. "I didn't mean-"

"Forget it," Charlotte gestured with one hand. "Emma, I find a lot to admire about you. Your devotion to your students, for one. I know why you're so hard on them, you're trying to keep them alive. I understand why you do it. I've been it that position myself during the war. And I know some of the things I do with them when I visit bother you, but they should still be teenagers, still have the same experiences normal teenagers have. If we isolate them, we force them to behave differently. They need their own fun."

"What qualifies you as a child raising expert?" Emma's voice was sharp.

"Gee, I don't know, raising children, perhaps?"

Jean tried to smooth over the tense moment. "We were all having a good time and we should do this again soon and make it a regular monthly date. Get away from the men every now and then. Next time we don't let Rogue choose any of the destinations."

"Agreed," Charlotte said. "It might be fun to have a night out every so often. Maybe not with strippers, though. You were getting a little too friendly with Hercules back there," she grinned at Emma.

"I'll admit to having fun, but that stripper? Unless you've got proof I'll never own up on that one," Emma smiled herself.

All three women laughed.

Charlotte caught sight of William Addison at the duty sergeant's desk. "There's William, he'll have us out of here quick-oh, damn!"

Jean and Emma looked where Charlotte was staring in dismay. They added their own muttered curses.

Logan, Scott, Bobby and Remy were right behind William. Scott was frowning heavily, while the other three were plainly amused.

"How did they find out so fast?" Jean wondered aloud.

"Three guesses. There's another one who won't let me live this down," Emma sighed. "At least we don't have to admit we caught the G-string." The scrap of emerald satin still dangled in Rogue's hand.

"There's a couple of things we need to remember," Charlotte told the other two as an officer unlocked the door to let the men in the holding area. "Number 1-this is all Rogue's fault. We say that as often and as loudly as possible." The three looked at the unconscious woman.

"Can do," Jean responded. The look on Scott's face said she'd be doing a lot of that, and more besides, to make this up to him. "And the other thing?"

"Jailhouse friendships last the longest." They looked at each other with new eyes, then started laughing again, holding on to each other for support.

<What happened?> Emma 'asked', giving Bobby a merry smile. <During the war?> Bobby was momentarily confused by Emma's reaction and looked behind him to see if she smiled at someone else. He expected to find *Miss Frost* firmly in control.

Charlotte shot her a wink. <I lived through it and got a reason to keep on living.> And he was looking very self-satisfied at the moment. She was going to have to find a way to wipe that smirk off his face. One or two methods sprang to mind.

Logan surveyed the women with an experienced eye of someone who's spent time behind bars and broke down, laughing too hard to stand up straight. He leaned against the opposite wall, the look on Charlotte's face making him laugh even harder. The last thing he ever expected to do two nights before his wedding was bail the bride out of jail. He should've known. Life wasn't going to be dull with Charlotte.

End.

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