LOGAN POV

I needed a beer. Actually, I needed about 15.

This day had been effin insane, even by my standards. First attacked by a crazy cat mutant, then I wake in some mansion called a school where this X guy says he can help me with my memories. Plus my van was now a crisp.

I would've left this school instantly but this guys promise to help me restore my memories was too much to resist. It had been 17 years. I had nothing before those years. No answers, but so many questions. The first was how old was I? According to that Jean chick, I could be over 100 cause of my healing. Then there was the question of who had put this metal on my bones. It was hard to imagine you could forget something like that but all I ever got was brief flashes in my sleep of a small tank and needles.

Did I have a life before I lost my memories? Someone who loved me?

No one could ever love an animal like you.

I growled inaudibly and continued searching for the kitchen. It wasn't hard to find. With my heightened senses, all I did was follow the smell of food. As I neared the kitchen, I picked up on a familiar scent of something flowery. I could hear her dragging her spoon on the bottom of a bowl, hear her sigh then growl at herself. Wait, did she just growl?

I stepped into the kitchen to see the kid sitting at the bench. With my animal instincts, I hardly made any noise while moving, so I wasn't surprised to see her jump from fright.

"God, you scared me!"

"Sorry kid," I said as I leant upon the fridge, my arms crossed. "Can't sleep?"

"I just woke up actually," she replied, "I haven't eaten anything since...your beef jerky, so I came down to get some food."

I let out a huff of small laughter. "So you're eating ice cream?"

She smiled, but it had no warmth. "I can't remember the last time I had ice cream."

"What, you're parents never gave you ice cream?" I asked bluntly.

Her eyes dropped from mine to her bowl, and I knew I'd said something wrong. "I grew up in an orphanage. They didn't give us a lot of ice cream there." She looked up to me and tried to smile but I could see the pain in her eyes.

"How old were-"

She cut across me. "One week."

Damn. I never really stopped to think that someone's life may have been as bad as mine. This girl looked like a pretty good kid; so why would someone just dump her at an orphanage?

"Sorry about your van," she suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"Don't worry about it kid. It was a piece of junk anyway." I stood up and opened the door to the fridge. "You seen any beer in here?" All I could see was orange juice and chocolate milk, neither of which took my fancy.

"Uh, no. This is a school, so you probably won't find any."She laughed.

I figured she was probably right so I gave up my search and sat down on one of the stools opposite hers. The kid was pushing around the rest of her melting ice cream with her spoon. After a moment she spoke.

"So...are you staying?"

I looked at her, studying her face. "I dunno kid. The Professor recons he can help me with my memory so I'll be around for a couple of days."

After a moment she looked confused. "Your memory?" she asked.

I then realised I had never told her about my memory loss. I felt close to this kid, even though we'd barely known each other for 24 hours. I had to remind myself I didn't get close to anyone.

"I can only remember the last 17 years. Before that; nothing." I decided I could trust her enough to tell her this.

"Oh, wow," she muttered, "That sucks."

I lifted my chin in agreement but I didn't feel sorry for myself anymore. "What about you kid? You stayin'?" I had expected her answer to be a yes, so I was surprised to see her bite her lip and shrug.

"Maybe. It's alright here and the Professor said he would try and find out more about my mutation...but I don't know."

I nodded in understanding but I figured for a kid like her, the best place to be was this school. This Professor X man seemed to genuinely care about these kids.

"You reckon the Professor will let you mimic some kids mutations?" I asked. While explaining where the hell I was, the Professor had mentioned the kid's mutation. It was one of the better mutations around. Actually...it was probably the most useful mutation I had ever heard of. I wonder if the kid knew how lucky she was.

"How do you-" she began.

"The Professor mentioned it while we talked." I realised now why she didn't want to touch me in the car. Probably thought she would sprout claws is she did.

"Oh. Well, yeah. It would be cool if I could but I forgot to ask him."

She was still pushing around her spoon and as I watched her, I thought of something. I don't know why I said it but she was a good kid and my mutation might be useful for her one day.

"You wanna mimic mine kid?"

"Wha-really?"

"Yeah, why not? My regeneration might come in handy one day." Had been bloody handy for me plenty of times but I doubted the kid would be getting in cage fights like me.

"Awesome. So I would be able to heal from everything? Broken bones? Being shot?"

A very small smile was on my face. "Yeah."

"Awesome," she repeated. "Won't I grow claws?"

"Not as far as I know kid. But you will get heightened senses and increased strength."

She was so excited she had already lifted her hand to touch mine but I decided there was one last thing I needed to tell her. "There is something else."

"What?" she asked, lowering her hand.

"With my healing factor, there is a chance that you might live forever."

"Live...forever?" she repeated slowly.

I had expected her to simply think living forever was another bonus, but as I was finding out, this kid never reacted the way I thought she would.

"Well I don't know about forever," I said as I watched her frown deepen, "But you will certainly live longer than normal humans."

"How long?" she asked.

I sighed. "I dunno kid. 500 years? 1000? Maybe more."

She looked confused, which was making me confused. I couldn't figure this kid out.

"I don't think I want to live forever," she said, wringing her hands, as if I would be angry at her.

Any other kid at this school would have probably jumped for the chance to live forever yet here was this kid saying no. "Why?"

"I don't want to watch my friends die while I live. What if I meet someone? I don't want to have a kid, watch them grow up then die while I keep on living."

For some reason, something the kid said cut me. Had that been what it was like for me? Before I lost my memory? Had I watched people I knew die while I continued to live? Had I had a kid, only to outlive them? I ignored the images in my head and focused on the kid.

"Fair enough," I said, "But the offer is there."

She nodded and smiled. "Thanks. I think I'm gunna go to bed."

"Sure," I said as she placed her bowl in the sink, "Night kid."

"Goodnight Logan," she replied. She smiled at me but there was something not right. Her eyes had no warmth and her mouth pulled down at the edges. I thought about asking her what was really going on in her mind but she had left the kitchen before I had decided to speak.

I was left with just my thoughts, which is the last place I wanted to be. I didn't want to think about myself so I distracted myself by thinking about the kid. I wondered if she knew why I didn't say her name. I had already gotten too attached, just by being attacked together. I couldn't afford to care about her, so I called her 'the kid', as if not saying her name aloud made her less of a person. If she wasn't a person, I didn't have to care about her.


MORGAN POV

I have to tell him. I will tell him.

Tomorrow.

I didn't have enough courage to turn back for the kitchen and just tell him now. Tomorrow I would. I would spend tonight psyching myself up. He was leaving soon and I wouldn't lose him again, not without letting him know. At least then he would make his own decision to stay or leave as planned, with all the knowledge.

The talk in the kitchen was what had made me finally decide. It had been the longest conversation we had and I knew it would be the one I always would remember; even when I had lied for half of it.

I hadn't expected him to talk openly about himself, so when he mentioned his memory, I stalled for a second before remembering I was suppose to have no idea what he was talking about. A lie.

I had hesitated before telling him I wasn't sure about staying here. Another lie. Why wouldn't I stay? I had nowhere else to go. I would never go back to the orphanage and I couldn't see myself tagging along with Logan as he drove to bar after bar.

I couldn't believe I'd almost let myself touch him. I had forgotten that his regeneration mutation came along with the price tag of an extended lifespan. And bone claws. Most people would think I was crazy for not wanting to live forever, or at least hundreds of years longer than a normal human, but I had my reasons. My mother wrote in her letter than Logan had been born in 1845, meaning he was over 160 years of age and was showing no signs of slowing down. And in those many years, he had probably seen so many people he had cared for perish, including my mother, even if he couldn't remember any of them. Why would I make myself go through that pain? For me, that con, far outweighed the pros of Logan's mutation.

My hands flew to my throat where my mother's necklace sat. It was the only thing, besides the letter, that she had left me.

A strange, quiet whirling sound interrupted my thoughts. My heart leapt to my throat as I saw the Professor wheel around the corner. He was still wearing his blue suit from when I had last spoken to him that afternoon. I wondered if he ever changed into PJ's or something other than a suit. Then I wondered what my punishment was going to be for walking around after dark. In the orphanage, it had been 15 strokes with the cane.

"Professor. Sorry...I know I shouldn't be up but I was asleep when dinner was on so I thought-"

"Morgan," the Professor said, holding up a hand to silence my rambling, "You are perfectly welcome to roam the halls at night, as long as you do not leave the building."

"Really?"

"Yes. We have a number of students who do not sleep, so students are free to leave their room."

I was greatly surprised. I had never heard of a school allowing its kids out of their room after dark. Suddenly I was looking forward to wandering the halls during the dead of night, though I knew I shouldn't make a habit of it. "Oh. That's awesome."

The Professor chuckled quietly. "Goodnight Morgan."

"Professor," I called out before he went back around the corner, "I was just wondering...is there any way you can confirm that he is my father...you know, so I can be 100 percent?" Some very, very, very, very, very, very small part of me was unsure if Logan was my father. Just because someone wrote it in a letter doesn't make it true...but then why would my mother lie? I just wanted to be sure before I told him.

The Professor gently nodded his head. "Yes there is. I can use Cerebro to determine if Logan is your father." At my puzzled expression, he explained, "Cerebro is a device which amplifies my power and allows me to track mutants across great distances. With it I can also see genetic links between people. I will be able to see if you are Logan's daughter by using it."

I wanted to ask him to use it now but I didn't want to be rude. "Thank you so much Professor. Goodnight."

"You're welcome Morgan. Good night."

I walked back to my room happier than I had been when I left it. As soon as the Professor confirmed 100%, without a doubt, that Logan is my father, I would tell him. I was nervous about how to go about telling him but I told myself to relax; the Professor probably wouldn't confirm he was my Dad for a couple of days so I could think over what to say.

I would have to show him the letter my mother left but would that be enough for him to believe I was his daughter? I guess I could get the Professor to tell him it was true if he didn't believe me. I tried to stop myself from imagining all the various ways he might react. Truth was, I have absolutely no clue how he will react. He wasn't the type of father I had imagined and every time I talk to him, he surprises me somehow. So it is useless try to think of how he will react. Nothing to do but wait and see.

When I silently slid back into my room, the lights were out and I could see Rouge asleep beneath her covers. Using the moon's glow as my only source of light, I tip-toed the short way to my bed and quickly slid between the sheets. The soft fabric was warm and comforting.

With my earlier nap, I found it hard to fall back to sleep again. Still determined not to worry over what Logan was going to do when the big moment arrived, I began counting sheep. I was up to 328 when I heard heavy footsteps walking down the hall outside my room. I wondered if it was Logan. I didn't know where he was staying.

The footsteps died away and the silence was deafening. It took me 2 hours to fall back sleep.

I was hoping running away from the orphanage would give me the freedom to choose; to choose where I wanted to go, to choose what I wanted to do with my life, to choose if I wanted to go to school!

But unfortunately, since I ended up in a school, I didn't get that choice.

Storm had arrived in the morning to tell myself and Rouge that we would start classes today. I was an average student but I had never liked school...mainly because the only school I went to had caned me whenever I spoke out of line or didn't stand up straight.

I knew this school would be better than my last, but I still wasn't looking forward to it. Storm had given us our class planners and gave us direction to our first class- maths. I definitely was not looking forward to it.

I got ready slower than usual, dreading what was to come. I pulled on a pair of torn jeans, my favourite black converse, a white shirt and a long sleeved black jacket. I decided I could ditch my gloves. I didn't know if I would be allowed to mimic some kids mutations (I couldn't see why not though, it didn't hurt them) but I was sick of covering up completely.

I went to the girls shared bathroom and brushed my teeth. After my late night snack, I wasn't very hungry so I would skip breakfast. At the orphanage, our food rations had been extremely small so I had gotten use to eating less. It was why I was so skinny.

I left my long dark blonde hair to fall halfway down my back. I was the only girl in the bathroom, surprisingly, so I stopped to take a look at myself in the mirror. A good look.

My pale skin had few freckles, my full lips were rosy pink, my wide brown eyes held in them a sparkle. I didn't care for how I looked, nor did I care about anyone else's looks. But I began seeing things I hadn't seen before. Eyes that were shaped like his, a nose that looked like his, a smile that resembled his. I was guessing I got some of my more...antagonistic personality traits from him as well.

I wanted to get to know him. I wanted to find out what else we had in common besides looks. I wanted to call him Dad. But most of all, I wanted him to want to know me.

The door to the bathroom swung open and a cluster of girls entered. They looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and fear. I wondered if Chinese whispers had occurred...my mutation wasn't anything to be afraid of.

I realised that even in this school there were bound to be cliques. All of the girls were dressed impeccably with skirts, lace shirts and pearl necklaces. Their platinum blonde hair was brushed to perfection; not a hair was out of place. I realised how out of place I was in my worn leather jacket, torn jeans and dirty blonde hair. Then I realised I didn't care.

I walked out of the bathroom with a smile on my face, watching as they scuttled out of my path. I didn't care about making friends but I hoped not all the girls here were like that. I made better friends with boys anyway.

"Good morning Morgan."

I turned around to see Professor Xavier approaching me.

"Good morning Professor," I replied. He must have known I was anxious about the Logan issue because he wasted no time in telling me what he had found.

"I confirmed using Cerebro that you are Logan's daughter," the Professor told me using his mutation.

I wasn't really expecting him to say otherwise. Now with the confirmation that Logan was my father, 100%, without a doubt, I had to tell him. My heart began pounding in my chest at the thought. My time was up; I couldn't keep putting it off forever.

"Would you like me to tell him?" the Professor asked. It was a nice thought but I knew I had to be the one to tell him.

"Thanks but I should tell him."

The Professor nodded before leaving.

I stood in the middle of the hallway, ignoring the looks from the few students walking past. Taking a deep breath, I walked back to my room and took out my mother's letter; the only tangible proof I had, besides my necklace but he wouldn't remember that.

Everything would change today. I wondered if this would be enough to somehow spark a memory he had long forgotten. I was desperate for him to remember my mother, so I would know that he loved her for real, so I would know that he might love me.

He had to remember.

I couldn't forever be his forgotten memory.

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