Dori & her Grandpa

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A visit Dori didn't expect shows up. At least it's someone she's very happy to see.

Doreen was half awake, half asleep. The movie she was watching fading into her dreams until she and her friends were the cast of Ghostbusters. Her, Julian, Catseye, Yvette, Victor, Nick, Callie and Fred all filled into parts of the movie complete with a giant marshmallow Logan, claws out, terrorizing New York City.

It was a weird dream.

Catseye is terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought.

Doreen giggled. Her dream was funny too. Like watching the movie, only better.

Sean looked worriedly at the careful directions he'd written down from the man reading philosophy on the front steps. He didn't want to get lost in the mansion and, though he could normally find his little Dori by her scent, the strange chaos of so many mutants made it very difficult for him to use his senses to their fullest.

Walking forward the doors slid open before him and he was glad to see the sterile confines of a medical facility. At least he could still follow directions. Looking around he tried to spy Dori and, when he couldn't see her, he stepped inside and inhaled deeply. The chemicals burned his nostrils slightly, but he was also able to capture the faintest whiff of his granddaughter.

Following it through the lab he walked into a private room and found her lying peacefully on a bed. He smiled a little, realizing how much he'd missed her in the past month, and he stood there for a moment in quiet contemplation.

It was the smell that woke her up fully. She looked over, wondering if her nose was playing tricks on her. Doreen brightened instantly, "Grandpa! You really are there!"

Sean moved forward and laid his hand on her head. "Of course I am, you think I'd let you wallow in your bed alone. I told you I would come support you whenever I was able, and when I heard about what happened I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to surprise you."

"I thought my nose was playing a trick on me," she said, smiling and closing her eyes for a moment, "I was having the strangest dream. There was a Mr. Logan made of marshmallow attacking New York."

Quirking a brow, Sean did not know how to respond to that. He decided to pull up a seat, and he stared at his granddaughter with a half-puzzled-half-concerned look. "Are you alright, little one?"

"I'm on pain killers because my hands hurt," she said, which was an understatement, "Oh, and they have claw type things sticking out of them. And they make my head feel fuzzy."

"I see," Sean said. He had heard what had happened but seeing it gave him quite a different feeling about it. He was almost too proud of his granddaughter to say anything. Even so, he knew she needed some words of encouragement. "It reminds me of when my father cut off my tail,"
he whispered leaning in close so no one else could hear, "He simply dropped my pants and took it off in one fell swoop. It was so painful I couldn't bring myself to speak for weeks."

"Least nothing got cut off," Doreen offered, just her hands were cut up and would be until the claws withdrew, "I'm so sorry he did that to you, Grandpa. It wasn't right at all."

"No, it wasn't, but it made me who I am today and so I don't want you to think too harshly on it." He smiled, it was genuine even if his nose twitched slightly as he spoke, "As for your hands, I'm sure your claws will come in very handy. They seem to be quite intimidating."

Doreen giggled a bit, "No they're not. They're just tiny things that make it hard for me to type. You should see Mr. Logan's. His are made out of metal! But apparently they didn't used to be so someone did something bad to him too. People like to do bad things to us, but I don't like to do bad things to people."

"Well, I find them to be quite intimidating," he said with a mock terrified expression. "People do bad things to anyone they don't understand, it's part of human nature. We need to rise above it and realize that as long as we can stand for good then there will be someone to." He patted her on the head as he spoke, knowing she would do whatever she could to take that to heart.

"I'd give you a hug, Grandpa, but I don't want to cut you. These stupid things are really sharp," she said. The head patting was so very comforting, but not as much as actually having him here.

"It's ok, I'm just glad I can be here to support you," he said, especially after the travesty of a few weeks ago.

"Me too. Oh, Mr. Logan was there when this happened, but it's not his fault. He's just kinda scary," she knew Grandpa would know just what she was talking about when he smelled Mr. Logan. "Isn't this an awesome school?"

"It truly is, I am very glad you enjoy it here." He laughed, seeing that even through the pain his granddaughter was exceedingly happy.

"Can I have a hug?" Doreen asked simply.

"Of course, little one." He wrapped her in a gentle hug. It would be a tough couple of weeks, but he knew she'd make it through.

"I love you, Grandpa. Some of my teachers want to meet you. I mean, you should meet them," she said, enjoying the hug. "Then you can see how really good this school is."

"Oh," Sean replied, genuinely surprised, "I'd love to meet them." He smiled, he held her tighter. There was no need for him to say any more.