Laura's Journal

An X-Men Evolution Fanfic by Quill N. Inque.

I do not own X-men.

Chapter 2

Logan strode briskly into my room and flicked on the lights. "Rise and shine, Laura. Breakfast is downstairs."

I rolled over and told him to go do something anatomically impossible.

"Well…okay. If that's how it is…" he sighed.

I was almost asleep again when a sheet of ice cold water was thrown over me. Instantly awake, I sprang up, claws extended, and found my "father" grinning and holding an empty bucket.

"What did you do that for?" I yelled, outraged.

"I wanted to teach ya a lesson," he replied, still wearing that stupid grin on his face. "Maybe next time you'll listen when I tell ya to get up."

I looked forlornly at my sodden sheets. "Don't worry, they'll dry out before ya know it," Logan said, reading my expression. "Now I suggest you get some breakfast before Kurt devours it all. That kid's a bottomless pit. An' this comin' from me."

"Okay…okay…" I muttered as I began to strip off the pajamas Kitty had loaned me.

"Whoa! Whoa! Could ya at least wait 'till I'm out of the room to start changing?" Logan said while looking away.

I was confused. Modesty had never been a problem before. It certainly wasn't a concern in the Canadian wilderness. This must be another part of that "etiquette" thing Kurt told me about.

"Speaking of clothes, I brought ya these," Wolverine said as he tossed a bundle of pants and shirts onto the floor. "They should do 'till I can get ya some clothes that fit." He strode out, leaving me to change. The clothes weren't tailored to fit, but they would suffice for now.

A few minutes later, I nervously stepped into the kitchen and almost fainted. So much food….There were sausage links and scrambled eggs, and a kind of potato mash I heard someone call "hashbrowns" and toast with butter and six kinds of jelly. It was noisy, too, because everyone was talking at once, a kind of chaos that made everyone feel at home.

"Laura! Over here! I saved you a seat!" cried Kurt over the din, which was impressive given the extraordinary level of noise.

Sitting down next to him, I suddenly became aware of how close his hands were to mine. I frowned. Why notice such a thing? It wasn't important, merely an insignificant detail that had nothing to do with the situation at hand. I resolved to talk to Logan about this, concluding that since he was almost my genetic double, he must be experiencing the same things. Then Kitty handed me a plate pile high with food, and all such thoughts were forgotten.

Cyclops choked on his orange juice. "Holy crap! Look at her go! I don't think even Kurt puts that much food away!"

I ignored him and began to attack my scrambled eggs, which someone had loaded with bits of meat. That made it even better. Everything's better with meat.

I continued to eat well after everyone else had left the table, until I finally sat back and let out a satisfied belch. Then I remembered Kurt telling me that such a thing was not "appropriate" at mealtimes.

So many damn rules, all this "etiquette" crap that everyone but me seemed to instinctively know. It makes everything so much harder than it has to be. Resolving to find Logan, I finished stuffing myself and left the kitchen, my nose twitching as it homed in on his scent.

He wasn't hard to find. After all, Logan smells like sweat, leather, and alcohol. Even in a house this big, I was able to track "Dad" easily; a blind mole with one nostril would be able to find him. He was sitting in the living room, watching some kind of game with big men in helmets who tackle each other almost constantly. Logan cursed when a buzzer sounded, then spoke to me without turning around.

"Need somethin'? I heard ya comin' a mile away."

I sat down on the couch next to him. It felt….comforting somehow, having him near me, like I was protected.

I got straight to the point. "I think I'm dying."

That got his attention. Logan bolted upright and choked on his beer. "W-What?" he asked, his eyes wide with worry and concern. He does care, I thought silently.

"Yes. And I want to know if you've been experiencing the same symptoms as well, since you are almost identical to me in genetic makeup."

Wolverine closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "Okay…so what, exactly, is wrong?"

"It's weird. The symptoms only occur when I am in close proximity with Kurt."

Logan leaned back, a knowing look growing on his face. "Oh? What kind of 'symptoms'?"

I counted them off on my fingers. "My face begins to feel hot. I get a weird sensation in my stomach. My legs begin to shake. I start stuttering. And my thought process becomes severely inhibited."

Wolverine stared at me for a minute. And then he doubled over, laughing so hard his face resembled an overripe tomato.

Logan, the infamous Weapon X? LAUGHING? It seemed unthinkable.

Wiping tears of merriment from his eyes, Logan caught his breath and patted me on the shoulder. "Well, the good news is, yer not dying, or sick. I guess, in retrospect, I shoulda seen this comin'. I mean, you're still human, after all. If you hadn't spent the past year hiding, it woulda happened sooner. Yer fifteen, right?"

I nodded.

"Then yer way past overdue. I'm not good with these sorts o' things, but here's my advice. Go find Jean or Kitty, and tell 'em what ya just told me. I'm gonna go have a talk with the elf…" Quaffing the rest of his beer in a single gulp, he marched out of the living.

I nodded and left the living room somewhat exasperated for not having received a straight answer. Luckily, I ran into Kitty on the way up to my room. Grabbing her roughly by the arm, I pulled her aside.

"Like, what's your deal? Let go!" she exclaimed, more out of surprise than anger.

I released her and whispered hoarsely, "I need your help. I think something's wrong with me."

"Really? What?"

I repeated, word for word, what I had told Logan.

An amused look crossed her face. "Aw, you, like, poor thing! Don't worry, I know exactly what's going on."

"Which is….?"

"You've got a serious crush! On Kurt! He's not exactly my type, but he is kind of attractive, when you think about it…"

I stared. "You can't possibly be serious."

"Hey, it happens to everyone. It's just happening to you a little later than everyone else. My advice? Follow your heart, because I'm pretty sure he feels the same way."

I blinked. "Really?"

Kitty looked at me pityingly. You are new at this, aren't you? Why do you think he saved a seat next to him at breakfast this morning? Why did you choose to sit next to him when there were so many other spots available? And why he was so willing to help you find your room? He's been looking forward to meeting you for, like, ever!"

"He was just being nice," I replied. "And I chose to sit next to him because that seat was closest."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "You are so in denial. Tell you what, instead of denying your feelings, why don't you try talking to him and we'll see what happens, 'kay?"

And then she left, leaving me standing in the hallway with an utterly bewildered expression on my face.

Still grappling with the tornado of emotions inside my head, I was heading toward my room to do some thinking when my enhanced hearing picked up the sound of raised voices, one of which I instantly recognized.

"You better quit sniffing 'round my daughter, d'ya hear me, elf?"

"Vait- I- Logan-" that was Kurt's voice.

"STAY AWAY FROM 'ER, HEAR? SHE'S INNOCENT AND I MEAN TO KEEP IT THAT WAY!" Logan thundered.

I moved out of the way as Nightcrawler appeared with a puff of smoke outside the room. So that was his power. Teleportation.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" I asked, suddenly and inexplicably overcome with concern for his well-being.

Kurt had an expression of utter terror on his face. "Logan just yelled at me. I think that vas the most frightening experience ov my entire life."

I was suddenly unsure of myself. Again. "I'll try and talk to him…he's blown this way out of proportion," I muttered.

"Blown vat out ov proportion?" he asked.

"Nothing!" I answered quickly as my cheeks heated up again. Was what Kitty said true? Do I have a…crush? Was that even possible, for someone like me? This "normal" stuff is so confusing.

"Oh…okay." Kurt sounded disappointed.

It was at that moment that Professor Xavier's voice echoed through my head.

"Laura, would you come to my office for just a moment, please?"