Next to the hotel was a detached villa, the home of Jack and his family.
Tonight, the villa was much more lively than usual, and the dining table was crowded with people.
Jack introduced his family to Logan and the others: his father, Mr. Bill, who looked to be around Charles's age and also used a wheelchair; his wife, Mrs. Helen, who was busy at the stove, with curly black hair and a slightly plump appearance; a son who seemed to have reached adulthood, and his daughter, who was Laura's age.
The family gave a warm welcome to Logan and his companions, inviting them to sit down to eat.
The dishes were simple in ingredients but seemed carefully plated.
After everyone was seated, Mrs. Helen served some soup to everyone and prepared the special appetizer.
"Don't be shy, feel at home," Helen said to everyone with a smile. "I hope you enjoy tonight's dinner."
"Thank you."
Charles nodded to Helen with a gentlemanly air, cut a piece of pork, and put it in his mouth, saying with a look of enjoyment: "It's delicious."
"You're welcome, sir."
Helen sat in her seat and said gratefully: "It was your son who saved my husband and kept him safe."
The woman looked at Logan and thanked him: "Thank you. I got very scared when I heard Jack say he was attacked by boars. I only felt relieved after making sure he wasn't hurt."
"In that situation, I was actually saving myself, since I was also one of the targets of the boars."
Logan smiled.
"No."
Jack said confidently: "Those boars posed no threat to you. Even if you hadn't revealed your abilities, you could have survived, but you chose to save me."
He knew the current situation of mutants. Revealing his abilities in public would definitely attract a lot of trouble, but even so, Logan chose to save him.
Logan chuckled: "In fact, you saved me too; you tricked those guys and hid us."
"Kindness always has its reward," Jack smiled, pointing to his plate. "Eat, my wife's food is the best in town, you should try it."
Logan nodded and began to eat.
He noticed that Laura looked up frequently, her eyes full of joy; the girl seemed to enjoy the scene very much.
In fact, good food, good wine, and the company of family and friends—such a harmonious scene comforted Logan's heart.
Halfway through the meal, Jack's father, Mr. Bill, suddenly smiled and said to Logan: "When Jack was very small, a mutant saved his life. He pulled him out of a fire."
He explained with a smile: "But that happened decades ago; Jack was only five then. It's been so long that my memory of that time is somewhat blurry, and since then, there have been far fewer stories of mutants."
Logan looked at Jack with some surprise, not expecting his family to have such a deep connection with mutants.
Jack smiled and nodded. "I was young then, but I remember it very clearly. They called themselves the X-Men, but unfortunately, he never told me his name."
He sighed. "It's a pity that the X-Men and mutants disappeared together, and no one knows where they went."
Logan and Charles exchanged a look and remained silent.
Then Jack changed the subject and started chatting with the others about everyday things.
Everyone enjoyed the food. Laura ate happily and, at the invitation of Jack's children, went to watch television afterward with a strange smile on her face.
Charles and Mr. Bill talked about things from the past, many of which brought nostalgia and laughter.
Logan's expression suddenly became somewhat dazed. Seeing Helen refill Caliban's plate, and the happy Charles, Laura, and the other children, he felt a strange sense of enjoyment.
This scene really felt like a family weekend dinner; he could forget about the pursuit and his hidden identity, and enjoy a quiet and relaxing moment like a normal person.
The dinner lasted well into the night.
Logan and the others returned to their room. After showering, he lay on the sofa, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Charles suddenly came out of the room in his wheelchair. Looking at Logan, he smiled and said: "I knew you weren't asleep."
"I can't sleep," Logan said, sitting up abruptly.
Charles pushed the wheelchair to his side. "Because of what Jack said?"
"Probably," Logan said with some emotion. "I didn't expect anyone to still remember the X-Men."
"I thought time would erase us completely, that the glory of the X-Men would never be remembered by future generations."
But now, Jack's memories of the X-Men made his heart tremble, even moving him.
"It's a name from long ago." Charles's expression became increasingly sad. "If it weren't for me, perhaps none of this tragedy would have happened—Scott, Hank, the other X-Men."
Seeing this, Logan patted him on the shoulder to comfort him: "It's not your fault. The government would have kept kicking us out for any reason, no matter what we had done."
Charles sighed and suddenly laughed: "Speaking of which, tonight's dinner felt very real. I even felt a bit dazed, as if I had gone back to the past."
Logan smiled, patting the professor on the shoulder: "Don't worry, that day will come, but it's late, you should sleep."
Charles nodded, letting Logan push him into the room and put him to bed.
"Goodnight, Charles," Logan said on his way out.
"Goodnight." Logan closed the door carefully.
Returning to the sofa, he took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly fell on the comic book that had fallen out of Laura's bag.
One page showed a poster of the X-Men, and in the center, where he stood out most, appeared Wolverine in his suit, with one foot on a rock, hands clenched, and his long adamantium claws shining coldly in the sunlight.
Logan picked it up and observed it for a long time before carefully cutting out the page.
The next morning, Logan and the others packed their things, refused Jack's offer to stay longer, and put the luggage in the car.
Jack and his family were at the door, waving goodbye.
As the car disappeared over the horizon, Jack turned around and returned to the hotel, pushing the cleaning cart, and opened the door of the room where Logan and the others had stayed.
A comic book on the table caught his attention immediately.
It was the X-Men cover, featuring an X-man with metal claws visible.
"Is it Wolverine?"
In an instant, Jack's eyes widened, and he ran to the window to look down, but the car was already far away.