Opening Notes: This ficlet doesn't follow my norm - a different character and in a different light, and quite favorable, I might add! That said, I just thought it fit the prompt for which it was written. Done for the March/April prompt session on Raising Hell. For the prompt specifics, see end notes.

Summary: Logan sees his younger self in another. (Non-shipper nostalgia, General, Fluff)

An Echo Of Self

The kid was sporting the same look in his eyes that he himself recalled staring back at him from the mirror in his youth. The same concentrated intensity, the same awestruck lovesickness. The same subtle inhalation when the object of his affections swept past him, the sweet scent of her perfume filling his nose and rendering him senseless.

Young love, how fumbling and frightening and sweet! Logan would never forget that feeling. He could recall every detail of his first love.

Strawberry mousse. He had imagined that was how her lips would taste. Of strawberries and cream and velvet sweetness. Soft and light and generally divine. Just like everything else about her.

It had taken zero-point-seven seconds to determine the basics and nearly a year to gather his courage and make a move. He couldn't help laughing at his younger self and his fear of rejection by the fairer sex. Though many might not believe it, he had been green around the gills just thinking about it. Lack of confidence could do a number on a young man and Logan had been no exception.

He'd approached her near the ice cream stand by the boardwalk in Santa Monica, so single-minded in his intentions that he hadn't realized he was still wearing his uniform, mindless of the stench of hotdogs, of the ketchup and relish stains smeared on his apron, of his lopsided white paper hat. His family would have been appalled.

Her friends had seen him coming, pulling on her apple-green cardigan and pointing in his direction and giggling madly. He hadn't paid them any heed, just kept a steady pace so he wouldn't lose his nerve. He had opened his mouth to finally speak to the girl of his dreams but was bewitched into silence by her beauty, mesmerized by her brilliant green eyes and the sheets of burnished copper that fell over her shoulders. He even noticed that she had four freckles across the bridge of her nose that stood out against her pale skin and the most entrancing smile he'd ever seen.

Belatedly he noticed that he hadn't spoken, that she seemed disappointed by this. Then she walked away and he felt cold and empty, a sensation that had nothing to do with the wind that swept in from the ocean.

Logan kicked himself mentally for being a coward and an idiot. His face fell as he watched the girl leave, not knowing if he would have the guts to approach her again, wondering if he was doomed to pine for her attentions, tongue tied and regretful with only himself to blame.

A small hand fell upon his shoulder and his head whipped up in surprise.

"You came back!" he'd exclaimed foolishly, then bit his lip and gave a lopsided, embarrassed smile. Her eyes searched his for a moment and, all the while, his heart was fluttering like a small crazed bird trapped in his chest.

And then she smiled, his breath hitched, and she put out her hand and said, "I'm Valerie and I'd love to go out with you."

Logan smiled fondly at the memory, shook it off and continued to watch Dalton bumble and blush as the female Transgenic he'd been eyeing made yet another sweep of the room and came back to stand next to the teen.

"Are you ever going to ask me out?" she asked bluntly. Dalton's eyes widened and his mouth gaped like a fish out of water.

Then she leaned in and kissed him.

Logan chuckled to himself and shook his head. The kid was going to do alright.

Fin.

* * *

End Notes: For the 'Just Because' Prompt: Pick 3 books from around the house - fiction, non-fiction, self-help, gardening, whatever you like. Turn to page 29 of each book. Select a portion of dialogue or a sentence from between lines 13-15 and incorporate them into a fic with the character/s of your choice.

My book choices were:

1) Want to Play? by P.J. Tracy The kid was going to do alright.
2) The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton A sensation that had nothing to do with the wind.
3) Big Mouth & Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates His heart was fluttering like a small crazed bird trapped in his chest.

Author's Final Notes: I've had this little idea on my mind for a while but never did anything with it. I got to thinking about Valerie and Logan and their relationship and I somehow had the picture in my mind of a sweet summer romance that evolved into something more.

I also wanted to show Logan as a regular Joe - the working at a hotdog stand thing was because a friend of ours who comes from quite a wealthy family 'rebeled' and took a position as a hotdog vendor for a summer during college, much to his family's disgust :) Besides, the images of Logan in one of those funny paper hats with his glasses falling down his nose just made me giggle :) It's all good fun!

Anyway, when the prompt struck me, the quotes just wrote the story and dragged Logan's hot dog vendor uniform and the sweet Val before her drinking problem and a bashful Dalton and created a ficlet. I hope you enjoyed it.