Disclaimer:
I, James Patterson, do not in any way, shape or form, own or profit from these stories. Life is Strange is the Property of Square Enix. X-Men: Evolution is the property of Marvel Comics. This story is purely for enjoyment only.
A Fan Fiction by James Patterson
ThePlumLearner
Two of a Kind, One of Heart
Chapter One
"We've been discussing your experiences for some time now, Logan." The burly man sat in the large armchair in front of Charles Xavier's desk as the wheelchair-bound mutant spoke to him.
"Yeah, over half a year now." Logan nodded, his expression gruff, as it usually was. "How come you still don't know what happened to me?"
Xavier furrowed his brow. "It's not that we haven't found any leads- as a matter of fact, my search has yielded many results- I simply thought that you would find yourself more at ease if I excluded you from the search."
Logan eyed the man, cracking his knuckles before he spoke. "You thought?" He growled. "I'm not one of your students, Charles– I thought I was one of your precious X-Men."
"You are, Logan, and that is exactly why I called you to my office, because it is time for the X-Men to get to work once again." Charles brushed away Logan's tone, straightening himself in his wheelchair. "In my search for your answers, I believe that I have discovered why you underwent such experiences, but before we proceed, I would like to go over your… symptoms one last time. I wish to be certain that my theory is correct." The professor followed with a pleading gaze, as if asking for Logan's cooperation, which was exactly what he was doing.
A heavy sigh was the response. "Just like every other time I've told you, 'bout eight months ago, there was a week where I… skipped through time." Logan shook his head. No matter how many times he told Xavier, he still felt childish for saying it.
"But it wasn't really a week, isn't that right, Logan?"
A nod. "It was a week for you guys… I guess for everyone the world, but for me, I lived every moment, travelling back in time and being forced to relive the same week over and over. I was stuck in that damn loop for over a month!"
Xavier nodded and leaned back. "Thank you for cooperating Logan; I believe we are ready to proceed with the final step of our investigation."
"Are you sure? What happened to me?" Logan demanded.
The Professor examined the man's expressions from across the table. "Not what, Logan, but whom."
"Who? Logan arched an eyebrow, taken aback. "You mean a person did this?"
"A young woman, by the name of Maxine Caulfield."
"Chuck…" Logan was surprised. "I've never seen anyone that was able to do anything like this; are you sure?"
"Yes, Logan," One final nod from the Professor confirmed any doubt. "The cause of your experience with time is one of us. A mutant."
Max rolled over in the soft, queen-sized bed of the hotel room which she had been staying in for the past few days, stretching her arms above her head as she let out a fierce yawn. The early morning sun cut through the slits in the blinds, casting streaks of light across the room causing them to dance like fire. She rolled over to lie on her side, facing the figure that lay next to her. A kiss on the cheek and tight hug woke her partner from her slumber.
"Mm, damn, that's a hella good wake-up-call." Chloe smiled at Max, who was peering at her from over her shoulder.
"Well I'm glad you liked it." The brunette gave another smile before sitting up in bed, glancing at the calendar on their bedside table as Chloe rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Eight months ago their hometown, along with many of the people they had both known and loved, had been killed. All of them, whipped off the face of the earth by what was now called Hurricane Xenia; the largest storm in history to ever be recorded.
Max gazed out the window, her eyes fixing on a billboard across the busy street. Remember Arcadia was printed across it in massive letters.
"Hey! I told you not to think about that shit, Max!" Chloe cupped Max's face in her hands when she realized what she was looking at, averting the troubled girl's gaze by resting their foreheads against each other.
"I... Wasn't." She tried to brush away the accusation, but the tattooed girl easily decrypted her lie.
"You made a choice, Max, one that saved my life; don't you ever feel guilty for what you've done. People die all the time, this is no different." She gently kissed her, pulling away only when a shrill knock sounded on the door.
"Housekeeping!" A voice called through the thick door.
"Dammit," Chloe groaned, reluctantly sliding out of bed to answer the door. "Just when things were getting good…"
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" Max asked, unable to stifle a laugh as she gestured to the blue-haired girl.
"Hmm?" Chloe looked down at herself, acknowledging the fact that she stood in nothing but her underwear. "Well I figured the cleaning lady might want to join us, you know?"
"Gross!" Max wrinkled her nose as she giggled. "Just throw this on, weirdo!" She tossed her a shirt, which had been lying crumpled on the floor. When the punk girl put it on, they were relieved to see that it extended far enough to hide an acceptable amount of Chloe's body.
"Damn Max, when did you start wearing such hella long shirts?" She grinned as she answered the door with a sarcastic salute. "Yo!"
The vacuum wielding woman smiled through the doorway, offering a quick sweep of the room. "It will only take a moment, dear,"
"Nah, we're cool here, thanks though," Chloe replied, closing the door as the woman smiled and made her way to the next room. "Now then, where were we?" She grinned mischievously as she crawled back into bed, straddling Max's waist as she pulled the shirt off and tossed it once again into a crumpled heap on the floor.
"Beats me," Max smirked, gently sliding her hands along either side of Chloe's waist, gliding them down to her hips. "Why not just start here?"
The other girl moved so she was eye level with Max, kissing her lips. "Good enough for me." She reached around and unclasp Max's bra, letting it fall away.
Just then another knock rang from the door, drawing a disappointed sigh from Max– and a very loud cuss from Chloe. "Is there just no peace and quiet anymore?" She clambered out of bed and stomped over to the door, leaving the shirt behind this time. "I said we're good here, lady!"
When the upset Chloe swung the door open, prepared bitch at the woman to her heart's content, she was surprised to see two, very un-cleaning lady-like people standing in the doorway. One was a slender, beautiful woman with chocolate skin and hair so white that it looked as though it was a wig, while the other was a short man with messy black hair, which curved into a thick beard.
"We interrupt something?" The man asked in a gruff voice, nodding in the direction of Max, who yelped and ducked under the covers as it dawned on her that she sat in sight of these people while she had nothing covering her chest.
"Yeah," Chloe put her hand on her hip defiantly. "That a problem?"
The man shrugged. "Little early in the day for that, don't ya' think?"
"Logan," The woman scolded the man as Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't think that's helping anything– would you go wait by the car, please?"
Logan locked eyes with Chloe as if saying I'm watching you before turning away, and leaving the hotel.
"Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Ororo Munroe, and that man was a colleague of mine." The woman replied. "I'm sorry if Logan seems… well,"
"Like a dick?" Chloe offered.
"I suppose that would be a suitable way of describing him– may I come in? I would like to talk to Miss Caulfield."
Max peeked out from the covers at the sound of her name, eyeing the woman cautiously. "How do you know who I am?"
"May I come in?" The woman repeated.
"Chloe, It's okay…" Max sat up in bed, using the sheets to cover her body.
"If you're sure…" Chloe stepped out of the way, going to sit next to Max as the woman took a seat in a chair across from them.
"How long has it been, Max?" Ororo asked. "When was the first time that you discovered your… abilities? Bending time isn't common, you know." A silence crept across the room, falling upon all three of the women.
"How… the hell do you know about that?" Max looked at the woman, a mix of shock and dread filling her expression. "Nobody but us knows about that!"
"I was sent here by a man named Charles Xavier, perhaps you know of him?"
"Yeah… I've heard of him,"
"Wait," Chloe cut in. "Do you mean that hella crazy guy on the news? The one who thinks that there are fucking mutants hiding out in plain sight?"
"He doesn't just think they exist; he knows that they do."
Now it was Max's turn to interject. "So what does any of that have to do with us?"
"Come now Max, you're smarter than that; I can tell that you already understand why I am here."
"Max?" Chloe nudged her elbow gently. "Are you okay?"
"I think… Does this mean that, I'm one of them?"
Ororo nodded. "Indeed, Max, how else would you be able to do what you do?"
"I don't understand… But at this point, nothing really can surprise me anymore." She gripped Chloe's hand tightly. "How do you know for sure?"
"We're fairly certain, but a simple blood test back at the school would tell us for sure." Standing, the woman continued. "What I am offering you, Max, is the opportunity to join Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. There, you will have the opportunity to learn everything you've never been able to understand about your abilities."
Chloe looked straight at Max, obviously uncertain about the offer. "Max, are you actually thinking about agreeing to this?" Chloe asked.
"It sounds like they can actually tell me what happened to me back in October!" Max hugged her. "But I can't leave you…" She turned to the woman. "I'm sorry, but Chloe and I are each other's top priority, we would never leave each other, not again."
"Hmm, I think that there will be no harm in Chloe coming along; I can clearly see that the fact that you are a mutant has no effect on her feelings for you." Ororo examined to two girls, who clearly showed surprise across their faces. "It will be good for the other children to interact with someone who isn't a mutant."
Max smile widely and looked at Chloe, who tried to hide a smile. Failing to do so, she shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I was always wanted to go to school again."
The two girls laughed, which in turn earned a smile from Ororo. "Pack your things please, I'll send Logan up to collect them, then we can be on our way." As she was leaving, the woman turned to face them. "Of course, given your clear level of intimacy, you will have to share separate rooms." Both the girls let out a chorus of grumbles and complaints, but the woman was already out the door.
"Hey, it's okay," Max reasoned. "We can always sneak in to each other's rooms, right?"
Chloe grinned and gave her another kiss. "Damn, I'm such a hella bad influence on you, aren't I?"
Max smiled back as she intertwined their fingers together. "Maybe just a little."