title: Stages

pairing: Laura/Julian

a/n: Takes place right after the events of the Nimrod arc. it should be noted that in my story, Laura has her own room (it makes more sense;
if they are so afraid of her killing everyone, why does she have a roommate?)

story type: you know what, i really couldn't tell you. this is just an insight into what daily life would be like if the two were a couple.
it has a subtle plot in there. hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 1: first contact

The girl sat in her room, hunched over and staring out the window unblinkingly with her luminous green eyes.
The only movement on her person was her shoulders, twitching erratically as she worked on something out of
view. Her hair hung around her face like a curtain, glossy and full of life around her pale skin.

She tensed suddenly, and her head swung around, her nostrils flaring. She did not show surprise when a
knocking sound broke the silence a minute later. She made an odd metallic sound, her shoulders making
the greatest of all the movements she had made so far. She then slowly got to her feet, picked up
a towel from the bed and wiped it over her arms, which were covered in a sticky red fluid. It couldn't be
blood, though, because there were no cuts, just unbroken white skin. Throwing the towel back down,
she placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door partway and leaning out.

"Yes?" she asked. She did not falter in her visage, or show surprise at her visitor, having known who it
was when she'd first detected him.

"I came to make sure you're okay," the boy said, almost uncertainly, rubbing his neck unconsciously.
As if that might be the wrong answer to whatever question it was that was poised. The girl raised her
eyebrow.

"I am fine, thank you. You have asked me that twenty-two times in the last sixteen hours you have been
awake. I continue to be fine." Her mouth closed, and she continued to watch him blankly.

"I—" he cleared his throat. "Okay, that's not all I, um, wanted to know. I guess I just wanted to make sure
you're still alive, and, uh…" he trailed off, angry at himself. He'd never had trouble stringing words together
before, and that was something that bothered him about Laura. "Do you, uh, want to go somewhere?"

Laura shifted. "I am…comfortable, at the mansion. I do not wish to leave."

"No! That wasn't what I meant!" the boy was annoyed. Did she have to be so damn literal all the time?
"I meant…do you want to, um, go out? With me? We could, do something."

"Do something?" Laura looked confused. "A mission?"

"No," the boy replied with a sigh. "Um, a date."

Laura opened the door all the way.

"What's a date, Julian?"

"Oh my god, forget it," he replied, suddenly realizing that this was possibly the most retarded thing he'd
ever tried to do.

"I do not understand," Laura continued, like she responded to mission parameter briefings. "I…I would like to know."
She looked down, and his frustration began to melt away somewhat as he was reminded exactly what had given
him this idea. The horror at seeing her eyes in a melted face, doing this exact thing—giving him a beseeching look;
and then the recovery, when she'd rolled to her elbows and given him an honest-to-god smile. He hadn't realized she
could smile before, having assumed whatever people had made her had eliminated the muscles for such an expression.

"It's, uh…I like you, Laura," he said plainly.

"I like you too," she responded, but he knew—just knew—she had no idea what he was talking about; she was saying
it mildly, like admitting that she did not hate her teammates or friends.

"No, I mean—I want to spend time with you, and get to know you better," he said, realizing he was speaking to her like
she was a child. Possibly the best approach, but it made him feel weird, like he was asking a five-year-old out. "You—you
do know about the birds and bees and shit, right?"

Laura's eyes opened wide. "Birds and bees?"

"Wow, okay. I mean, the thing men and women do." Julian wondered if he was going to have to explain it to her, which
would be a first for him. Then again, all this was new. He'd liked Sophia—possibly loved her—but it still hadn't been quite
the same as this obsession with Laura. She hadn't filled his mind every waking and dreaming moment,
she hadn't been in the background of every unrelated thought he had.

"Sexual intercourse?" Laura asked. "Yes, I know what that is. The male of the human or mutant species inserts his—"

"No, I didn't ask for an explanation," Julian interrupted. "I know what it is. I brought it up, because, um, what I meant about
liking you…it's sort of along those lines." He rubbed his neck again, and flushed.

"Oh," Laura said, studying him. She was silent for a while, then looked down at the carpet again. "Is there something wrong
with the floor, Julian? You keep staring at it. Cyclops asked us to inform him if we see any structural damage."

"No," he said.

"I do not wish to talk about this," Laura added suddenly. "I…I like you too. I cannot allow myself to form attachments."
She shifted. "People I form attachments to…they die. I do not wish for you to die, Julian."

"I can take care of myself," he said sharply.

"My creators will return for me, and they will be prepared to deal with you as well. I do not wish to be responsible for your
death. I should not even be here, at the mansion."

"Like I said, I can take care of myself," Julian said, sounding angry. "I'm more powerful now. Whoever your "creators" are,
they can go screw themselves. I'm not going to live life, being careful every moment. That's like being afraid to get out of bed 'coz
you might twist your ankle doing it."

Laura looked down. "No, Julian, you do not know what you are talking about. I cannot form attachments." She began to close the door.

"Damnit, Laura!" he said, holding it open mentally and slipping into her room after her. She backed up, her eyes wide;
no one had ever entered her room before. They were all afraid of her, in their own way. They might be friendly, they
might speak to her and touch her on missions, but her time was her own, and no one wanted to spend it with her.

She liked it that way.

"Julian…leave," she said, sounding a little uncertain for the first time.

"Not until you give this a chance," he said, sitting on her bed. "I…I was scared when you nearly died, and not just because
I didn't want to lose another teammate. I think I care about you."

"No!" Laura suddenly yelled, her claws sliding out. "You do not understand! I cannot form attachments!" She brought her
hands to her face, trying to cover up her eyes. Was she crying? Julian felt awkward, and bad at the same time.

"Nothing bad's going to happen!" he said, jumping up. "Stop it! People are dying anyway, and it's not your fault."

"Yes it is, it always is!" Laura growled, her voice broken. "It always is my fault. I killed my mother, you know."

"Jesus," Julian said, his eyebrows shooting straight up. "Well, at least you can't kill your father—brother, I guess." He was
referring to Wolverine. This was so off-topic that it was funny; suddenly bringing Wolverine into the conversation. Wolverine,
the sarcastic, beer saturated teacher who had eccentric habits and was as psychopathic as Laura herself.

Laura stared at him, and slowly an odd thing began to happen. A high-pitched, musical sound, somewhat roughened from crying,
was gurgling in her throat. It rose in volume, and she clapped her hands over her mouth, turning pale as a sheet, with a terrified expression.

"Oh my god, did you—did you just laugh?" he asked, astounded. This was bigger than Laura smiling that once—this was amazing.
The idea of her laughing, of being human enough to find something funny, floored him completely.

"I have to go see Dr. McCoy," Laura said, her voice uneven. "I must have broken something internally."

Julian grinned. "No, it was good. It means you're more human than you think, beautiful." The last part slipped out without him meaning
to add it, but somehow, it seemed right; Sophia was gone, but Laura was slowly taking her place.

"I…" Laura's hands dropped to her sides, the claws retracting. She flushed; she'd never been called beautiful. She knew what the word
meant; in reality, she knew the definition of all words, just not how to apply them to her world. She couldn't imagine someone thinking
that she was anything other than a weapon; the appearance of a weapon was unimportant. Yet there they were. "Give me a chance?"
Julian asked, taking one of her hands in his and trying to mimic her beseeching look. It probably looked pathetic on him, but he didn't care.
Seeing her laugh had added fuel to the fire. He wanted to work on her, make her laugh again. It was like music.

"I…" Laura swallowed, fighting her instincts. She was terrified at the thought of allowing herself to even consider forming another attachment,
but in all honesty, she wanted something from Julian. She wasn't sure what, but it had made her follow him like a dog for the last few weeks.
He was unaware that she'd been stalking him, even breaking into his bedroom to watch him sleep. "Yes. But…be careful, please. Do not tell
anyone. No one must know, do you understand?"

"Yes," he said, and wrapped one arm around her waist. He pulled her flush and kissed her lightly, grinning against her as he felt how stiff she
was, her legs bending to remain rooted on the ground. "We'll be careful. I promise."