Okay, I guess part three didn't go over to well. But for those of you still with me I thank you! I make no apologies for this part, I really like it and I rarely say that about my own writing. This could very well be the last part despite the fact that I have a lot more story written down. (I do most of my writing by hand – often during classes when I should be learning). Please read and review and tell me what I should do. I have fallen prey to my usual habit of not knowing when to quit. Sorry! I don't own the X-Men, or Disneyland, or anything that someone else owns. (That was a little joke there… Now you see why I don't write in the humour section!)
Recap: Bobby got drunk and broke into Mel's room.
Bobby spent an hour in Scott's office while Scott, Jean, and Storm, railed at him for his destructive behaviour. Somehow they knew that he had come home very drunk yesterday and they were already upset because he'd been an hour late for his practice. Despite their anger, he found himself barely listening to their conversation. His mind was still on last night and on the person he cared most about in the whole world. He hadn't had the chance to speak to her yet; he'd go as soon as he was done here.
" Bobby I realize you were a little upset that we missed your birthday yesterday but what you have to realize is that this is a school, a business if you will and we have commitments and responsibilities that take precedence over such matters. Not to mention the fact that you have been rather unpleasant to your teammates in the last few days. I'm thinking that perhaps you need some more time off. The few weeks you had before were obviously quite stressful, perhaps a time out will give you some perspective", Scott finished quietly. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose and his posture indicated tension. He was tired of fighting with Bobby and he was tired of being the one in charge. Maybe he was the one who needed a vacation.
" I'm sorry sir. I truly am this time. I can't seem to do anything right lately." Bobby finished lamely.
" Bobby, it is not our intention to make you feel badly about yourself. We ourselves go through the same things you do and it is often overwhelming. We are concerned as to the method you are handling your frustrations. Destroying yourself is not an answer", Ororo said.
" I know. I realized that last night. I need to do something, can I be excused?"
Scott smiled slightly at the polite manner Bobby was using. He was twenty-four years old now and he was still asking to be excused.
" Consider the vacation idea Bobby. Now go before I get mad at you again", Scott said.
" Good luck Bobby", Jean said as Bobby went to exit the room. He turned around slightly puzzled.
" Huh?"
" I sense that what you are going to do is very important to you so I wish you good luck."
" Thanks", Bobby said. I'll need it, he thought. As he made his up to Melanie's room he began composing apologies in his head. I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing, you look really good in a wet T-shirt, I think I'm in love with you, I'm confused, I really want to be with you. Bobby got to her door still unsure of what he was going to say. He didn't want to lose her friendship but there was no denying that he wanted something more from her. It turned out however that he would have to wait to make an apology. There was a letter with his name on it on his desk and Melanie's room was deserted. He opened the envelope and read the note Melanie had left for him written in her sharp, black, handwriting.
Bobby,
I'm really mad at you and since I rarely get mad at anyone I thought it best that I avoid you until I figure out how to forgive you. Because I will forgive you and you probably banked on that, didn't you? You come home horny and drunk and looked for the first available female. What luck it was me since not only would I forgive you (how often have you taken advantage of that aspect of my personality? How convenient is it that I'm entirely spineless and desperate for someone to be my friend?) But hell you probably thought I'd be grateful for the chance to sleep with the great and wonderful Bobby. You're probably thinking by now that I'm being completely unfair and you could be right. I'm angry after all. Did you stop to think how I'd feel? Just a convenient, forgettable, substitute for Ruby or whoever. I don't like being used. More then that, I hate to be considered a nobody. I am your friend Bobby and I deserve more respect then that. Damnit, maybe I'm imagining this whole friend thing, maybe I'm the only one who feels that way… I'm nobody special. Oh, I don't know what I'm saying anymore. I'm just rambling. I'm trying to salvage a modicum of pride by remaining mad at you but even now I feel it dissipating. What is it about you Bobby? And why did you do what you did? Do I want to know?
Melanie
Bobby read the later through twice, wincing when her words mimicked the rationalizing he had done last night and clenching his fist when he saw how much he'd hurt her. He knew how fragile she was, how hard it was for her to have put so much trust in him and he had betrayed her. Well, he would make it up to her somehow. Maybe then she'd believe him when he told her he was falling in love with her.
" Hank, you busy?"
" Bobby, I am always busy but never am I so busy to that I would not relish a conversation with my dear friend. What's on your mind? I don't suppose you've come to give me back the money you owe me?" Hank teased. It was a usual question for them, both were insistent that the other owed money. Bobby smiled but the humour didn't reach his eyes.
" I have a problem Hank. I have done something stupid and I'm not sure how to fix it. I bow before you're wisdom." Bobby poured out the whole story. Starting with the conversation he'd had with his father, the fling with Ruby, the drunken birthday night, and his humiliating actions in Melanie's room. Bobby handed him the letter to read for himself. Hank's ready smile disappeared from his face and he sat back in his chair with a weary sigh.
" Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. What have you gotten yourself into? This isn't even some practical joke that backfired or one of your harebrained schemes intended to get a laugh. That was downright cruel and she is absolutely correct in everything she said about you."
" Not quite everything. She says she's not special but she is. You want to know the stupid thing? I went into her room thinking all those things she accused me of but I kissed her because… I kissed her because I wanted to kiss her. How do I convince her that I genuinely care about her?"
" You certainly have your work cut out for you." Hank said, pondering her letter. " Why does she question your friendship here? Have you two been fighting?"
" No, I haven't been here long enough for that to happen. I guess I could have called her while I was away or maybe it's because I turned up with Ruby that first morning."
" Mel isn't the jealous type. I think it's something a little deeper. Has she been having any problems lately? I know she was having trouble sleeping earlier", Hank mused.
Bobby thought back to last night and remembered seeing a discarded bottle of sleeping pills next to her bed. He hadn't really registered the bottle last night but now it made sense to him that she hadn't woken up for awhile. But why the insomnia? She hadn't mentioned any problems. Come to think of it, she'd never confided any problems to him except that one time.
" I don't know what her problems are. She doesn't talk about herself."
" Maybe she would if you asked. A friendship has to work both ways, you can't just take."
" So I'm a selfish bastard?"
" No. You are a person of great character when you allow yourself the freedom. I think you can make this work but it's going to take some effort. Melanie isn't like the other woman you've had."
" What do you mean?" Bobby said defensively.
" I'll try to say this as nicely as possible. The women you date are experienced. They aren't looking for anything long-term; a one-night stand doesn't hurt them. They know how to play the games. There's nothing wrong with the girls you've dated but I think the reason you chose them was because you knew they wouldn't be around forever. Melanie doesn't play those kinds of games; any relationship you undertake with her is going to be a serious one. It's… a real relationship you'll be having. I believe the benefits are worth it but there's considerable chance that you'll get hurt along the way."
" I don't really have much choice. I think I really love her", Bobby said, sounding almost surprised. Here he was considering a commitment without feeling the usual fluttering of panic.
" Then I'm happy for you. You couldn't have picked a better woman. Just treat her right or else I'll be forced to choose between you and despite our history I'd probably go with her. I mean, she cooks."
Bobby grinned. He had Hank's support and that counted for a lot. Now, if he could just convince Melanie to give him a chance.
" Thanks, Hank. I'll let you get to work. I have some planning to do", Bobby said with a broad wink.
" At the risk of upsetting you, I'd like to give you some last bit of advice. Don't go straight to the love making, I don't think she moves at that speed."
" Why does nobody think I can restrain myself?" Hank raised his eyebrow. " Oh right, the whole groping thing. Although I am the only one who has kissed her so maybe I'm the only one who knows just how ready she is."
" Bobby…" Hank said threateningly.
" Kidding. Trust me, this is one thing I am going to get right."
While Bobby was talking to Hank, Melanie was sitting on top of the mansion roof staring out into the distance. The drugs had long since faded from her system but she still felt kind of disembodied, like everything was happening to someone else. She hated the feeling. Hate was a strong emotion she had striven long and hard to remove entirely from her system but things like that never really work properly. You can't protect yourself from strong emotions by never feeling them. That was a truth she was rapidly trying to come to terms with. She didn't know what do with the turmoil that existed just below the surface of her skin. She felt like screaming.
The sky was beginning to darken and a chill wind had started to blow. Matches my mood, she thought to herself. A crash of thunder pealed across the sky and rattled in her ears. One thing she didn't need was a headache to deal with as well. Glancing at her watch she realized she'd been sitting on the roof almost all day. Ororo had been very understanding about the missed practice, had even asked if she wanted a few days off but Mel still felt guilty. She shouldn't let small problems ruin her reputation. A bright flash of lightning made her scurry for the safety of the indoor before the thunder could crash again.
Her room was gloomy thanks to the impending storm. It wasn't too dark however for her to make out the form on her bed. Damn. She didn't want to deal with Bobby right now.
" I've really got to start locking my door. What can I do for you, Bobby?" Melanie asked wearily, standing in the middle of her room.
" I came up here to apologize but… but I'm not going to do that anymore. I mean I am sorry for the way I did what I did but I'm not sorry it happened either. It made me realize a few things. Most importantly that I haven't been much of a friend lately. I'm sorry. I guess I have a lot to learn about this whole friend thing but I really want you to think you can trust me. I mean I tell you my problems on a daily basis and I tell you things I don't tell anyone. And you see me as myself. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're my best friend and I really mean that. I hope you can forgive me enough to let you trust me." Bobby wanted to add that he was falling in love with her but then thought better of it. He didn't want to frighten her and he certainly didn't want her to associate last night's actions with his current feelings. Nope he'd have to wait for the right time.
" I've already forgiven you Bobby but thanks for the explanation of sorts. I overreacted anyway; us virgins tend to take attacks on our persons way too seriously", Melanie was staring out the window as she spoke. Her mind wasn't really on the conversation anyway. It wasn't the incident with Bobby that was making her feel ill. The situation had just been the final thread in the unravelling that was her life. Despite her inattention she was still aware that Bobby's jaw had dropped slightly.
" Virgin?"
" I realize they must be rather rare creatures in your company", she said bemused.
" How can you forgive me?"
" Please, I don't have any high, lofty, moral obligations. I'm a virgin because nobody has slept with me, end of story. I'd really rather not talk to you about it anyway."
In her head Melanie was explaining to herself the reason she was still a virgin. Nobody had ever come close to wanting to be with her. Well, unless you counted her mother's second husband when she'd been about eight and she didn't. She was too ugly and too emotionally backward to know how to deal with people. She was a nobody who was never even taken into consideration. It made perfect sense that the man who'd gotten the furthest with her, namely Bobby, had to be drunk first. What was wrong with her? Why was everything her mother said about her true? Had she made the wrong choice all those years ago? Melanie was so lost in her own soul that she forgot Bobby was even there. She crossed over to the large red and black painting on her wall and traced a fingernail down its surface. Tears began to roll down her cheeks unnoticed as she scratched harder at the painting, scoring it with pale lines wanting to forget or maybe wanting to release the feelings she had that went hand in hand with the lost feeling the painting engendered.
" I'm sorry, I really am. If this is because of me…"
" Not everything is about you!" Melanie said angrily, as she registered Bobby's presence. How dare he intrude on her pain. How dare he try to delve into everything that made her who she was, didn't he know what happened to people who got close to her? Didn't he realize she kept people at a distance for a reason? Maybe she could no longer hide from her emotions but did she have to let someone else in on them as well? She didn't think she could handle that. " Could you leave please? I need to be alone."
Bobby turned to go, frightened and angry at the same time. She was shutting him out physically and emotionally, thinking he couldn't handle it. Well neither could she; that much was clear. Certainly not on her own. He slammed her bedroom door closed and faced her.
" I'm not going until you tell me what's really going on. You keep saying that I have no faith in this friendship. That's a lie. I have more trust in you then any other person in the world and yet you won't even tell me why you're crying. You want my respect? Well I want yours. And that means you believe me when I say I can handle it."
" Fine. You want to know what makes me tick? You want a confession?" Melanie stormed at him even as the storm outside slashed rain loudly against the windowpanes.
" I don't want you to be in pain anymore"; Bobby said quietly, taking a seat on her bed and looking straight into her eyes. It was more then she could take. The love she saw shining out from his blue eyes was stronger then anything she'd ever felt before. She pulled her eyes from his and stared at the painting again before wrenching it from its hook. " Tell me about the painting."
Melanie sank to her knees as her knees gave out, painting still in hand. " Things were wrong long before I did this. My first real memory of my parents was my father smacking my mother into a wall for having such an unruly child. I cried all the time because of the pain caused by my enhanced hearing and whenever I cried, my parents would yell making the situation worse. My father had been drinking I think and when he'd gone my mother turned to me and shook me, demanding to know why I was ruining her marriage. I was maybe three or four at the time. I don't remember answering. Shortly before I was supposed to start the first grade my mutant power really kicked in. The loose skin I have now was the same size at age six so you can imagine how fat I used to look. It was like I was wearing a suit nearly six times too big for me. My father came home one night and held a pillow over my face trying to 'put me out of my misery'. My mother came in and started yelling at him to stop. He got off me and hit her, yelling at her that he wasn't going to let me go to school and embarrass him but my mother said that there was no way she was going to let anyone think she was an unfit mother by letting me die. My father deserted us then for good and my mother blamed me. I think she hit me the night he left… I don't remember. She kept food from me for the whole two weeks before school started, trying to get me to look decent. For two years things went on like this. She starved me while at the same time she never let anyone get close to me. She was obsessed with being the perfect single mother and raising a beautiful and successful out going daughter the envy of all. At school I was teased and ostracized. My hearing was so good then that I always knew what the others were saying about me but the constant noise of school gave me migraines.
"When I was eight years old my mother remarried and for a time things improved. He flattered my mother's vanity no end and he was always very kind to me. He called me a 'little lady' because I'd always been a bit of an old soul. Every time my mother tried to nag at me he would intercede and take my mother out to dinner or something. She even loosened up enough to leave him in charge of me for a day and a night while she visited family. Usually she was always glued to my side. Anyway, she came back to find me hiding in a hole in the basement, I had absorbed away the floor so he couldn't reach me, with her husband whacking off on the basement floor since he couldn't reach me to have me do it for him. Needless to say that marriage was over and once again it was my fault. I wound up in the hospital with a concussion. I'd 'fallen' down the stairs."
Bobby was barely breathing he was so focussed on her words. She had started out angry but now she was simply talking. Her tears had stopped falling and her eyes were focussed somewhere far, far, away. Bobby wanted to comfort her but he knew it was important that she not be interrupted now that she had begun. She had needed to let this out a long time ago.
" Things went there usual way for a couple years. We moved around a lot and my mother took me to all kinds of doctors who all said I was perfectly healthy and there was nothing they could do about how I looked. The only concern they had been how little I weighed compared to how fat I looked. I was actually about twenty ponds underweight at that point and my bones were brittle. That's when I first met Prof. X. He tried to tell my mother about my mutant powers and he explained that there was nothing 'wrong' with me, that I was just different. My mother went ballistic on him for interfering with her little girl. She loves to control things especially things she considers her property. She hated the fact that I was a mutant and made it her mission to see that I never forgot that I was a freak."
Bobby could sympathize with that. He knew all about parents making you feel worthless. But to have been so young… His own mutant powers hadn't surfaced until his teens and he hadn't told his parents for quite a while even after they had. Then he'd gone with the X-Men. He hadn't had to remain with their animosity for long. Bobby went over and sat across from her on the floor hoping to support her just with his presence.
" When I was about ten, husband number three entered the picture. His name was Robert too actually, but we both called him Rob. He was a gentle and kind human being and I have no idea how he ended up with such a phoney person as my mother. He kept my mother from hurting herself and from hurting me. When my mother flipped out he would take me out for dinner. He taught me to how to cook, taught my mother to wear less make-up, and kept us more or less out of each other's hair. At Christmas he got me a puppy. I know it sounds stupid but I always felt like that dog was the first thing to ever truly love me. The dog followed me everywhere and he was really smart. He always did exactly what I asked him to. And he hated my mother, which made me feel somehow like I had someone on my side. Unfortunately the marriage fizzled after a year, turned out Rob had made some bad investments at work and had lost his job. My mother couldn't bear the thought of being married to a failure. I wish I could say I was sorry to see Rob go but really I just missed having someone to keep my mother away from me. But I had my dog, a little brown curly haired mutt that I named Charlie Brown and that's all that mattered to me at the time. For a while I went to school and came home to play with Charlie with barely a word or two said between my mother and me. I think I could have been happy if things had gone on that way because I had my little friend. I finished grade six with decent marks but that summer my mother got a new boyfriend several years younger who stirred things up again. He was always telling her to run away with him and dump me. He would come to the house at all hours of the day and lock me in my room so that he could fuck my mother in peace. I didn't care. Then they had a screaming match one day out on the lawn, something about how he would leave her if she didn't get rid of me. My mother refused and stormed into the house in such a rage. She saw me cuddling Charlie and a strange look went across her face.
' Don't you know how much I love you? Do you see how much I sacrifice for you? And yet you ungrateful little bitch probably care more about your dog then you do me. Well, who do you love more?' I made the mistake of hesitating, I mean I knew what she wanted to hear but all I could do was compare the warm loving presence on my lap and the screaming woman in my face. The colour went out of her face and she grabbed Charlie's collar and slung him against the wall so that he yelped. I pushed past her desperately to see if he was okay and my mother thought I was betraying her. She screamed at me while I cradled his trembling body. ' I think you need to be punished. I know what I'll do; I'll give the dog away' I didn't think she was serious, I mean how could she do that, but a friend of hers arrived at our door and my mother passed her Charlie's food bowls. I lost it. I picked up Charlie and started to run. I had adrenaline on my side but I was still young and my mother eventually caught me. She reached for Charlie's collar and I did the only thing I could think of: I absorbed him into my body. ' Where did you put him? Are you using that freaky mutant thing again? I told you I wouldn't stand for that' she slapped me around for daring to humiliate her in front of her company. As soon as she left the room I reabsorbed Charlie but I'd already killed him. He was lying dead in my arms when my mother came back in and started laughing at the irony of it all. I can still hear that laughter sometimes… I didn't know then that I couldn't absorb live things. But I knew I had killed the one thing that trusted me."
" It wasn't your fault. You should never have in that position", Bobby said, horror stricken at her story. " Do you want to keep going? I'm here for you."
" I'll try not to kill you", she said softly. " I was severely depressed after Charlie died. I was also angry. I didn't want to please my mother and I didn't want anyone to get close to me. I began failing out of grade seven. It was junior high and I hated it. I hated everything. The school counsellors begged my mother to consider home schooling. I finished grade seven therefore in my home with a hired tutor. My teacher Mrs. Collins was an elderly woman and was also strict and no nonsense but she was the first human friend I ever had. She was the one who taught me how to paint and she encouraged me to write. She was fascinating, always telling me fantastical stories and teaching me how to daydream. She became the most beautiful person in the world to me. She knew how hard my life was but she let me in on her secret. If you can find the person you are inside then nothing anybody says about you matters: you're untouchable. I thrived under her tutelage. I began to read voraciously always looking for that escape. I wanted to learn about everything and I finished the rest of grade seven, grade eight, and grade nine in just over a year. My mother decided I had outgrown my tutor and she bustled me off to the local high school when I was fifteen. I never heard from Mrs. Collins again and I found out later that she had suffered a fatal heart attack after I'd been at school for two months. School was better. I had grown in to my skin a little and I was also a very good student. Kids aren't quite as open with their taunts at that age, especially when you let them copy your homework. I was still lonely though until I met a girl named Enid. She'd lost a leg to leukemia and was forced to use crutches but Enid never let that stop her. She had the most abrasive personality I have even known, tough as nails but we got along great. She was in awe of what she called my 'core of serenity' and I was amazed by her straightforward manner. She was barely five feet tall and weighed maybe a hundred pounds but she threatened anyone who dared to challenge us and I think most people actually feared her. She made high school bearable and she was always telling me how life was a gift. She spoke from experience and I started to believe her. The last time I saw her was just before X-Mas vacation in eleventh grade. I came back from holidays and she wasn't there. I called her parents and they told me she was in the hospital because her cancer had returned. My mother told me if I went to see her that we would move away, she actually thought you could catch cancer that way. So I called Enid's house every night to check on her condition. In May while I was writing exams I got word from the school counsellor that Enid had died. It hit me really hard. I disobeyed my mother and went to her funeral and Enid's parents gave me a long letter she had written to me. In it she had written that I wasn't allowed to feel sorry for her or myself and since she wouldn't be able to do any of the things she had wanted she made me promise I'd do them for her. At the bottom she told me she loved me and I remember I started crying because nobody had ever said that to me before. I was hanging by a thread finishing off that year of school. I felt like I was in some cruel pattern of meeting people who could love me and then losing them. On the last day of school I came home to find my mother reading the letter Enid had given me. She refused to give it back to me. That night I decided that no matter what promises I had made I couldn't go on. I went into the kitchen and stole a bottle of vodka and then I went back to my room where I swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills, thirteen aspirin, and all of the vodka", Melanie took a deep breath. Bobby's arms were clenched around her so tightly she could hardly breathe but she decided she liked it that way. " I don't know really how to describe what happened next. I felt like I was in some sort of void. I was floating in a churning pool of red-hot anger and black despair. I was neither alive nor dead. I was nothing. Somehow I felt I had come to some sort of turning point. I couldn't go on living the way I had been; I couldn't go on afraid to live but not dead. So I knew I had to choose either to really live or to die. I thought of Charlie, of Mrs. Collins, and especially Enid. I knew Enid would never forgive me if I gave up on something she had wanted so badly. I must have absorbed the poisons out of my system since I woke up on the bathroom floor. I painted this painting to remind me of the void that exists between life and death and of the choice I made."
Dead silence followed the end of her story broken only by the beating of raindrops against the windowpane. Eventually Melanie felt compelled to break the silence if only to escape the mournful sounds of the outdoors.
" So you see I'm poison. Anyone who gets close to me eventually has to leave."
" Mel, I", Bobby began and reached out to touch her and impart some comfort.
" " Don't touch me!" she said sharply. Bobby pulled back a little in surprise. Mel didn't like the hurt in his eyes so she said, " You're the most important person in my life and I don't want something to happen to you, so maybe you should just stay away".
" Because I'm such a good way, we can't be friends?" Bobby asked sceptically.
" Well when you put it that way it sounds… stupid."
" Yes, it does", he said, resisting her withdrawal and putting his hand over hers. Melanie stared at this connection knowing he was asking her to trust enough not to push him away - even if it was for his own protection. Bobby continued, " About last night, I may have come for all the reasons you think but I stayed because of you. I didn't want to leave then and I sure won't be leaving any time soon."
" Really?"
" You matter to me, I don't plan on screwing this up."
Melanie looked at Bobby and saw the sincerity in his eyes. Did she dare? Or was it already too late anyway? He already had her heart, maybe it was time she gave him her trust as well. Slowly she manipulated the hand in held until she was clasping his in return. They held this connection for a moment before Mel grinned and shook his hand brusquely.
" I believe you." Melanie didn't feel like screaming anymore; in fact for the first time in her life she felt like she was somebody and that she was where she belonged. Strange, she'd always been looking for a place to fit in when what she needed was a person to tell her she mattered.
" Thanks for my birthday present. I really love it, both the drawing and the easel. I wish you could have come with me, it was so boring without you."
" I had to meet my mother yesterday. My father died and had left me some money in his will".
" Oh. No wonder you were so upset. And I was being such a jerk", Bobby said.
" Don't say that. Let's just forget about it okay?"
" We'll learn from it and move on. I won't be so selfish and you won't be so mistrustful, agreed?"
" Deal. Should we get off the floor now?" Melanie said, feeling oddly empty now that she had told her story. Bobby's stomach rumbled.
" Let's get some food."
" Of the chocolate variety".
Melanie and Bobby stayed up all night watching old movies and eating junk food. At dawn they stumbled up to their rooms, both feeling purged. A few days went by in which things settled down and got back to normal sort of. There was a lot more trust between Bobby and Melanie which helped them both feel more secure with themselves but that wasn't the only thing that had changed. They both tried to deny it but here was a certain tension now when they were together; a desperate need to show the other their feelings without having to talk about them. One day a few days later Bobby came into his room and was startled to find Melanie sitting in his favourite chair.
" Thought I'd switch things around and surprise you in your room for a change", she said smiling.
" That's fair I guess", Bobby said with an amused smile. Actually he could get used to coming in to his room and finding her waiting for him. He even got a nasty idea involving her, a lot less clothes, and that very chair.
" So, do you want to go to Disneyland?" She asked, eyes shining brightly.
" I was not expecting that", Bobby said. " What makes you ask?"
" Well I got the money from the lawyer and I feel like spending it recklessly so that nobody has any illusions that it means anything to me. And then I tried to think of a place where I couldn't possibly be sad or have to think too much and that meant going to the happiest place on earth. And then I decided to go with the person who would not only have fun acting like a kid with me at Disneyland but would understand why I had to go away for awhile. So come on, let's go to Disneyland. I'll let you have the window seat…"
" In that case… This will be so cool", Bobby said, a smile from ear to ear. As fast as was possible Bobby and Melanie were taking a commercial flight to the Los Angeles airport. Their hotel was just across the street from the park and predictably enough the two of them were some of the biggest kids there. Just standing on Main Street for the first time in her life had Melanie giggling like an idiot. They decided on fake identities for every 'world' in the park. They had the names Judy and Elroy for future world and insisted on really bad southern accents when they were in adventure land. They got up in the morning at 6:45 to get to the park as soon as it opened and beat the lines. They went on the Indiana Jones ride so many times that they had memorized the automated words that were spoken as you went through. They went on everything they could go on even the really stupid rides. Bobby bought a disposable camera so he could take a picture of Melanie since he'd torn up the other photo.
On their third day there they left the park in the evening time because it was starting to rain. Not that that would stop them but they were also exhausted so they thought it a good idea to head back to the hotel and watch some HBO.
" Explain the scream at Splash Mountain. You know the drop is coming", Bobby teased as they walked.
" Oh and you're so much better when you shut your eyes through the haunted house?"
" You promised you'd never mention that", Bobby said, pretending to look around for someone who might have heard. Melanie laughed.
" Can I be sappy for a moment and say that I am having the best time ever? Promise me you'll slap me if I ever decide to stop being immature".
" It's a deal. Now hurry up, I'm getting soaked", he said. They hurried along to their apartment. " I'm going to grab a coke from the machine. You want anything?"
" Nah. I'll see you upstairs." Melanie went up the stairs to their room. While she was fiddling with her key she heard Bobby whistling on the floor below. Leaning over she could see he was about to pass beneath her. Smiling wickedly she took hold of one of her shoes, took it off and dropped it on his head with a muddy sploosh. Bobby looked up annoyed and then broke into a grin.
" You are so dead", he moved like lightening for the stairs as Melanie fumbled with the door. She succeeded in getting it open but Bobby had tackled her before she could close it. Bobby pinned her arms above her head as he shut the door with his foot. " How do you like it?" He asked as he shook his head and bits of mud and rain splattered her.
" I'm sorry it was just so tempting", she said laughing. His hair was a mess with wet spikes sticking out all over.
" And now she's laughing at me. What's a guy to do?" He asked rhetorically already starting to tickle her. She had the most amazing laugh when she got started and she sure was ticklish. She was struggling and pushing at him even as she howled with laughter.
" Please, please, stop. I can't breathe!" She gasped out between peals of laughter.
" Oh fine", he said, breathing hard himself from keeping her pinned. They lay like that, Bobby on top of her on the carpeted floor while they both breathed deeply. Gradually the position he was in began to filter through to Bobby's brain. Considering how he felt about her, this was probably not a good idea. Things got deathly quiet between them. " Uhh, what do you want to do now?" He asked.
She shrugged, which produced delightful sensations for the both of them considering how close they were, and said softly, " I don't know what do you want to do?"
Bobby knew exactly how he'd like things to progress and if they kept their positions much longer Melanie would for sure catch on. But he couldn't help it. He loved every thing about her and today had been such a good day. She was practically glowing. " I should probably move", he said uncertainly and started to shift his weight off of her to the side. Swiftly Melanie brought up her knee, keeping him where he was. He looked at her curiously. With a sudden movement, Melanie brought her head off the floor and kissed him. There was nothing for it but to kiss her back.
It was a desperate sort of kiss, the kind that was meant to prove things, and to reassure that all the emotions in play were genuine. Bobby had been struggling for days trying to find the perfect time to express his feelings to her; it was crucial that she not deny him. Now that she had made the first move, he could only revel in his good fortune. Bobby eased his hand around to the back of her head so that he could deepen the kiss. She opened her mouth to his probing and Bobby was once again lost to her sweet intoxication. She started to smile as his tongue licked her teeth and Bobby wanted more then anything to capture that smile and keep it forever.
Melanie was amazed by her boldness. When Bobby had started to move away she'd suddenly been hit by a terrific sense of longing. It had overwhelmed her usual impulses. She was so much in love with Bobby and this felt so perfect. And at least physically she knew that Bobby felt the same way since she could feel the proof growing between her legs. She raised her other knee so that they were joined more closely and so that he was trapped in his position.
Bobby groaned. Just kissing her was sending him over the edge. He felt like he was running out of air but delighted in the dizzying sensation anyway. He forced himself to break free from her mouth to kiss her throat and the side of her neck. He felt her hand smoothing out his hair and then another hand exploring the planes of his back. He stopped kissing her for a moment in order to take a deep breath and steady himself. He hadn't gotten this out of control in a long while.
" We should probably stop", Melanie said unconvincingly.
" I know", he said and kissed her again. " But you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this".
" Get out, really? How long?"
" I think since that day we played mini-golf and you let me hold you."
" And you didn't tell me?"
" Well I wasn't really sure then. Why, does it matter? When did you fall for me?"
" The first time I met you. We were walking down the hall and you looked so adorably vulnerable that I think I fell head over heels right there".
" Ooh, all that wasted time when we could have been doing this", he said, and demonstrated what they'd been missing. Then he pulled himself away with difficulty. " Still we have lots of time to get caught up".
" Yeah, lots." She said kissing him again despite her assertion. After a few more rounds of this they did manage to pull themselves away. Mel stopped because she wasn't all that experienced: Bobby because he didn't want to rush her. Too much.
"Oh God", he said as his heart thundered in his ears. " How on earth did you stay a virgin until now?"
" I have no idea. Is it… Is it always so intense?" She asked curiously.
" No. Only with you I guess." Bobby sidled over and took her hand in his. " I think it's because I might be in love with you."
" Might be?"
" Well I've never been in love before so I can't be sure. But I do know that I'm always thinking about you, always want to be with you, and hate the time I'm away from you. Is that love?"
" I don't know. Maybe. Bobby, I'm going to need some time to make myself believe it, okay? And I'm afraid of losing you. You mean so much to me"; she said and squeezed his hand.
" You can have all the time you need. But a few ground rules?" Melanie laughed but agreed with a nod. " Okay, I get to bump into you and cop a feel without having to pretend it was an accident."
" Alright. I thought you'd been clumsier as of late. Second?"
" Next rule is that I get to announce to people that we are a couple and that means occasional public demonstrations of affection."
" Not so keen on that but we'll work on it. Anything else?"
" Just what we said before. That you're open with me and I'm there to listen. How's that?"
" Not bad Bobby. Not bad at all", Melanie said. She yawned then, suddenly very tired. Bobby leaned over and kissed her softly. " What was that for?"
" A goodnight kiss, moron."
" One minute into the relationship and he's calling me names? I sure can pick 'em", she said, a smile betraying her good mood.
That night as they slept in separate beds (and after Bobby had taken a very long cold shower) Melanie had a dream that Bobby was killed in a battle with some dark shadowy thing. She woke up in a cold sweat thinking that once again someone she cared about was going to be taken away from her. A snore from Bobby made her sigh with relief. She got out of bed and nudged his shoulder.
" Bah?" Bobby said groggily. His eyes widened.
" Can I sleep in your bed?" She asked hesitantly.
" Ah, yet another perk of being a boyfriend". He opened the covers for her and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close. They fell asleep comfortably folded into each other.
The next day they went to Universal Studios and ate lunch at Marvel Mania (AN: I realize that Bobby would see pictures of himself there but hey just go with it!). They had another day touring around Hollywood, becoming part of the audience for the Family Feud taping and another day at Disneyland before catching a plane back home. Melanie was still coming to terms with Bobby saying he loved her. On the first day he had marched up to complete strangers, introducing himself and Melanie and informing these strangers that they were a couple. Melanie had been mortified and proud at the same time. She was wondering if Bobby would act differently when they got home and were under the scrutiny of their friends.
As it turned out neither would get a chance to explain the new situation. The X-Men were in the midst of another series of battles. Bobby and Melanie were split up as they went with their respective teams. Bobby dashed into the kitchen, hoping to grab a sandwich before heading out on his mission. Melanie was waiting for him; she knew he always had to have a snack before leaving. Bobby smiled his delight at seeing her.
" What are you doing here?"
" I made this for you", she said, holding out a large sandwich. She was sitting on the edge of the counter and as Bobby reached for the sandwich she held it high above her head. " Not so fast. Come here", she said and pulled him in close. They had time for one long, passionate kiss before Bobby was had to leave.
It was a rough couple of months for the both of them. Melanie got separated from the rest of her team and spent a week in Japan keeping one step ahead of a group of assassins while trying to find her team at the same time. Bobby was exhausted from using his mutant ability at levels previously unheard of. He didn't even know what he was fighting they were just shadowy shapes that flowed around them and choked the breath from their lungs. It wasn't much of a victory for Bobby's team; they basically did what they could before escaping to lick their wounds. They arrived at the mansion totally spent and more then a little shell-shocked. Bobby slept every night in Mel's room waiting for her to return.
Melanie finally found the rest of the X-Men and managed to help them to escape. A battle was waged on the streets of Tokyo that left everyone involved battered and hurt. This second X-Men team finally boarded the blackbird and was on their way home. Scott radioed home to alert the other team that they were on their way. The blackbird landed in the underground hangar and the X-Men wearily made their way down the gangplank to the basement floor. Jean and Scott were first off and when they slid open the door that led out of the hanger into the underground hallway they bumped into an eager looking Bobby.
" Bobby, is there some reason you feel the need to get in every one's way?" Scott asked irritably.
" You have something on board that I want", Bobby said, hopping impatiently from one foot to the other.
" Huh?" Scott said, before Jean leaned over and whispered in his ear. Scott's eyes widened. " Oh. Well does he have to wait right there?"
" Oh give him a break, don't you remember what it was like to fall in love?" Jean said, linking her arm through her husbands.
" Perhaps I need to be reminded", Scott said, smiling softly. Bobby ignored both of them as they quickened their pace and disappeared round a bend in the hall. Where was she? Wolverine came out next and brushed past Bobby with barely a nod in Bobby's direction. Bobby wondered if his nervous anticipation was even more apparent to Wolverine. Finally he saw Melanie come out. She was a little bit battered and her face and hair were streaked with dirt but Bobby didn't care. She was helping Hank down the gangplank since it was obvious that one of his legs was injured. They got to the bottom with Hank leaning heavily on Melanie's shoulder.
" Mel!" Melanie's face lit up when she saw who had called her. Hank murmured something in her ear and Melanie paused for a moment before leaving Hank on his own and running towards Bobby. Bobby swept her off her feet and crushed her to him. " I'm so glad you're back!"
" That makes two of us. I've been so looking forward to a shower", Melanie said.
" Oh that's romantic. The girl dreams of showers instead of the guy who's been pining for her ever since she left."
" If it helps, you were often included in my daydreams of a hot shower", Melanie said shyly, looking up at him through her lashes. Bobby kissed her quickly because she looked so darned adorable. Then he kissed her deeply because, hell, he could.
" Ahem", said Hank loudly as he approached. Melanie blushed, forgetting that they weren't alone. Bobby just smiled. He was enjoying this.
" Sorry Hank. Do you want to go to the labs or up to your room?" Mel asked, supporting Hank again.
" My room. I don't suppose there's someone waiting for me to give me a big kiss hello?" Bobby winked at Mel before giving Hank a big kiss on his furry cheek. Hank made an elaborate gesture of wiping it off before accepting Bobby's help on the other side so he could hobble out of the hanger. " I had to ask didn't I?"
They settled Hank in his room and then Melanie turned to go take her shower. Bobby followed on her heels like a well-trained dog. At the door to the woman's shower she had to turn around and keep him from following her inside.
" Bobby, I was only kidding! I'll be a minute okay?" Melanie said. Bobby kept on smiling goofily.
" Fine. I'll be right here", Bobby sat down cross-legged on the carpet directly in front of the door. Melanie could hardly believe how attentive he was. Never had she received so much attention. She was surprised when she came out that Bobby wasn't still on the floor. Puzzled she went up to her room. She began to get dressed in her room when she heard Bobby yelling out the window of his room. She opened her own window curiously.
" Hey, is Mel down there?" Bobby yelled down to the collection of people down by the pool. He knew exactly where she was but had come up with a good way of telling everyone what was going on. And for teasing Mel.
" No she isn't", yelled a voice from the pool.
" Oh. Well if you see her can you tell her that I love her? And tell her that she's beautiful and that I'm really glad she's home? And could you tell her if you see her first that I'm going to let everyone know that were going out because I feel so lucky to be with her? Oh, and ask her if she wants to go out with me tonight?" Melanie bolted for Bobby's room intent on shutting him up before she died of embarrassment. She caught the last of his words as she burst into his room and tried to pull Bobby away from the window. " Never mind. I've found her", Bobby yelled out the window, more then capable of keeping Melanie from ruining his joke.
" Well what did she say?" Yelled the voices from the pool. It was obvious they were all laughing at the two young people. Bobby turned to ask Melanie what her reply was when she kissed him.
" How could I say no to such an invitation?" She told him smiling.
" She said yes!" Bobby yelled.
" Then quit talking to us and do something about it!" yelled a voice and this time there was no disguising that it was Scott.
" Yes, sir!" Bobby yelled and everyone laughed. Bobby shut the window and said to Melanie, " Shall we?"
" I think I believe you now", she said, the smile fading as she became serious.
" Believe me?"
" I mean I'm in love with you Bobby Drake and I guess I've accepted that you feel the same way. Just to be sure, you're not drunk right now are you?"
" Nope. Can I kiss you now or are you going to keep blubbering?"
" Jerk", she said putting her arms around his neck.
" Moron", Bobby said softly before kissing her. Bobby's heart was beating so fast he could hear it roaring in his ears. She loved him. She had said so. And she was all his. He could wrap his arms around her and kiss her and nobody could tell him that it was wrong or that it didn't make sense.
" Ow", Melanie murmured. Bobby pulled away briefly, questioning her with his eyes. " My back got a little cut up in our battle yesterday. It's a little tender is all." She explained quickly before pulling Bobby's head back down where she could reach him.
" God I'm such an idiot. I mean you only got back this morning you must be exhausted", Bobby said ignoring the exasperated sigh he got from Melanie. He picked her up and placed her on the bed. Although Melanie would have preferred to have continued kissing she had to admit to how tired she was when she felt the soft bed under her bruised body. When had she last slept? She couldn't rightly remember and it certainly hadn't been anywhere as nice as Bobby's bed. She was lying on a dark, blue, fuzzy, flannel quilt and it smelled strongly of Bobby. Her brain and body, desperate for sleep, made her curl up happily onto her side and she breathed in deeply. A hand sliding slowly down her back made her eyes spring open again and her muscles tense. " That painful huh? I don't suppose you had any body look after it either did you?"
" Everyone was busy", she said.
" I'm not. You'd better let me check that it's not serious."
" I swear it's not that bad…" Melanie trailed off as Bobby eased her over onto her stomach and lifted up her shirt.
" Ouch. Did you realize you were bleeding through your shirt?" Melanie sighed and reabsorbed her first aid kit and passed it to Bobby.
" Would you mind fixing me up?" Melanie asked, surrendering to necessity. She should have felt vulnerable and exposed but instead she felt safe.
" Off with the shirt then", Bobby said, trying to sound matter of fact. Melanie sat up a little and pulled the grey T-shirt over her head and settled back down clad only in her bra. If she was nervous then Bobby could only imagine what his expression looked like. Vulnerability is such a turn on. He opened the kit to keep his mind off the fact that there was a half-naked woman lying on his bed and proceeded to dab on peroxide to her cuts. There was one particularly nasty slash that ran from her right shoulder to just above her left hip. Her bra intersected the cut and was biting into the exposed flesh. As gently as possible Bobby undid the clasp and washed out the cut with a bunch of swabs. He carefully bandaged up the wounds, wincing as she winced. Melanie shivered as a cool breath of wind came in through the window and blew across her bared skin. " There I'm finished. You should probably stay warm", Bobby said and he grabbed a blanket from his closet and laid it carefully over her body. She looked so small to him. Could this woman really be a superhero? Had she really been on the run from assassins all week on her own and survived?
Melanie rolled over onto her back and refused to let herself feel the sting of the cuts. There was only one thing she wanted to feel at the moment. She reached one hand out from under the blanket and Bobby took it.
" I don't… I don't want you to go", she said, trying to tell him what she wanted with her eyes.
" I'm not going anywhere", Bobby said confused. Melanie rolled her eyes at him. She yanked hard on his hand and pulled him off balance so that he fell onto her.
" I mean", she said and kissed him, " that I want you to stay."
Bobby then kissed her happily of his own accord. Her hands were in his hair and she was kissing him with such passion that if he had had any doubts as to her intentions then they were gone now. Bobby had gone over and over in his head how he would undertake this situation. He wanted her to feel safe and he didn't want her hurt. This relationship was the only thing in his life he felt he had really chosen to do and he really wanted to get it right. All his notions about tenderness and restraint, however, flew out the window after a few minutes. There was simply too much feeling, too much power, too much need, for them to go slowly. It was rough and desperate with the kind of passion that feels so strong it seems tangible. They couldn't get enough of each other; wanting to form the sort of bond that nobody could break because they knew without knowing that they belonged to one another and to nobody else. As they finished, if there was ever any doubt, they were certain that what they had together was precious. Love: fragile, painful, but beautiful beyond belief.
Melanie glanced covertly at her partner and saw that he was spread-eagled on the bed, eyes mostly closed and heedless of his nudity. As quietly as possible she tried to get up but decided she was too tired so instead she slipped underneath the covers of the bed, biting her lip as her body reminded her of all the things she had put it through in the last couple of days. The lack of sleep, the hours spent crouched in dark alleys with every muscle kept straining on the alert, the use of her powers over and over, the hunger, the endurance, the slashes to her back, the ache between her legs; it was as if her entire body was in mutiny. Still, it was worth it. She brought her knees up to her chest and turned her back on Bobby. She fell asleep instantly.
Bobby was slowly whirling down from his state of euphoria. The first burst of reality came to him when he felt the bed move and saw Melanie climbing under the blankets. He watched for a moment as her hair fell across the pillow in tantalizing waves. He felt the stirrings of longing beginning again and he propped himself up on one elbow to look over at the woman he loved. He frowned slightly then, her back was to him. Not a good sign. He got under the blankets himself and took a closer look. The slash on her back had opened again and was weeping small fresh trails of blood. Again, not a good sign.
" Mel?" Bobby asked, nudging her shoulder. He realized she was asleep and smiled. Of course, after the month she'd had it was only natural. He rewrapped the bandages on her back with care and then he very carefully draped an arm around her waist and put his head next to hers on the pillow. He wasn't really tired, it was only mid-afternoon after all, but for the first time in his life he wasn't as eager to depart the bed, as he had been to get into it.
" Hey sleepy-head. Hungry?" Bobby asked her several hours later. Melanie blinked rapidly and tried to get her bearings. She was in Bobby's room still and Bobby was standing in front of her with a tray. Melanie sat up before remembering that she was still naked. Blushing bright red, she grabbed a blanket to cover herself.
" Could you pass me a shirt please?"
" Hmm, I'll have to think about it", he kidded, before grabbing one of a multitude of shirts off his floor and tossing it to her. Melanie put it on and rolled up the sleeves. " See what a good boyfriend I am? I actually cooked you breakfast."
" Hmm, I guess 'cooked' is a relative term", Melanie teased at the sight of a large bowl of fruit loops cereal.
" Well I decided you'd probably prefer this to something I could prepare"; Bobby agreed handing her the cereal and a glass of orange juice.
" Is it breakfast time?" Melanie asked taking a large spoonful of cereal. She was famished.
" Nope. It's about nine evening time but I didn't know what you'd feel like eating."
" This is perfect. You can be darn right sweet when you have to be Bobby", Melanie said approvingly.
" I know but don't tell my friends. I have a reputation as a jerk to protect." Bobby seemed completely at ease walking around the room without a care in the world. Melanie felt a little shy remembering all that they had shared. Even from here she could see where her nails had scored little red lines across his shoulders. Not to mention that she was still only half-dressed while Bobby had obviously been up for a while. No doubt she had a terrible case of bed-head.
Bobby was thinking that she looked delectable with her hair running wild all around her head and pooling on the bed. Her face was flushed, her skin was glowing, and she had this look of innocence about her that he was beginning to discover was irresistible. He crossed the room in two strides and kissed her fully.
" What was that for?"
" Lover's prerogative", he said.
" I'm done. Maybe you should take the tray back to the kitchen", Melanie said.
" I'll take it later", Bobby said, taking the tray from her lap and balancing it precariously on a pile of junk on his desk.
" Well, don't you have somewhere to be?"
" My dear, I get the distinct impression that you're trying to get rid of me. Now why would that be?"
Melanie blushed. How to explain that she was still hesitant about being naked in front of him? Would he think she didn't trust him? Melanie came to a decision and slid out of bed. Fortunately when she stood up in the borrowed shirt, which was at least a couple of sizes too big, the shirt reached to mid thigh. Bobby whistled approvingly.
" Is there anything that doesn't turn you on?"
" Sure. Anyone who isn't you".
" You lie! What's with all the sucking up anyway? Afraid I won't sleep with you again? Don't worry, you weren't that bad", she said.
" Not that bad?" Bobby responded automatically before realizing she was joking. His serious face broke into its customary grin. Melanie was gathering up her clothes carefully. " Where are you going?"
" Thanks to you I now need another shower", she said, and exited his room. Bobby took a deep breath. Already his room felt empty, lifeless. Unbelievable, he thought, she's gone five seconds and I miss her. Hank had been right. This relationship was already way different then anything else he had previously been involved in. He plucked the front of his shirt and smelled it. Clean, just as he was clean because of his own recent shower. Oh well you can never be too clean, he thought with a smirk before sneaking into the woman's showers, stripping clothes as he went.
" Where do you think you're going?" Bobby asked the next morning. He'd been sleeping deeply, one arm slung lazily about Mel's waist, when at 6:45 she'd woken up.
" I always get up at this time and you're in my way", she grumbled lightly. Bobby had spent the night in her room after he'd interrupted her shower (not that she really minded) and it was obvious he was planning on making sleeping in her bed a permanent arrangement.
" Why on earth would anyone dream of leaving this bed at this hour?" Bobby asked, closing his eyes again. Mel had no choice but to try and crawl across him if she wanted out. She was almost free when Bobby's hand clamped on her wrist. " You don't have practice. I was supposed to tell you that you have three days to convalesce."
" Then why did you let me get up?" She asked, slightly exasperated but smiling anyway.
" And miss having you climb over me? Be serious! Now get back in for your required bed rest."
" Umm, Bobby?" She said after a few moment's had passed. Bobby was too busy to answer with anything other then a grunt. " I don't think this is what Scott had in mind when he said ' bed rest' you know."
The days and months went by as Bobby and Melanie, in addition to their lives as superheroes, learned how to be a couple. Naturally they suffered the usual growing pains of a new relationship but overall it was rather painless.
" Bobby, why does my room look like ground zero?"
" I don't know, why does your room like ground zero?"
" I'm not making a joke! I'm hinting none to subtly that you might like to clean up a little?"
" 6:45 every single morning. Couldn't you once do something spontaneous like sleep-in and stay with me?" Bobby complained.
" Couldn't you once get up and have breakfast with me?" Melanie retorted, mimicking his wheedling tone. Bobby considered getting up before pulling the quilt over his head and mumbling, " have fun at practice".
" Have I told you how much I missed you?" Bobby asked Melanie. The two of them were lazing about indoors on a very wet and cold day. They had both returned from two separate and gruelling missions.
" Only about a gazillion times", she said.
" Yeah well I keep saying it because you haven't said it back to me yet."
" That's 'cause I didn't miss you. I had our bed all to myself for two nights and it was wonderful."
" God, I'm crushed", Bobby said, pretending to sob. Then his face brightened. " Hey you said 'our' bed instead of 'my' bed."
" And that matters to you because?"
" Because it means when we break-up, I'll get bed-visitation rights."
" You're planning on dumping me then?" Mel said lightly, all though in her mind there was a twinge of fear at the thought of living without him.
" Aww, look she's nervous. Now don't you worry your pretty little head, I'd sooner break all the bones in my body then break up with you. Of course that does depend on whether or not you'll admit to missing me even a little bit."
" I missed you. And I lied; our bed felt dreadfully empty without you. But you know what I missed most? This part of your neck right here", she said, kissing him lightly where she knew he was very sensitive.
" Would it be rude and transparent if I said I missed your breasts?"
" Yes".
" Oh. Then I missed your eyes, or whatever."
" I wouldn't consider a job at Hallmark, Bobby".
" Why does everyone say that?" Bobby's indignation was lost in a howl of laughter. As they laughed, talked, kissed and… all the other things couples do (AN: just use your own imagination), Melanie couldn't help but think that she was the happiest she'd ever been in her entire life. Deliriously, incredibly, almost painfully happy. Sure he bugged the hell out of her half the time but that was just part of the fun. There was, perhaps, one small thing missing, but even admitting that she wanted something so cliché was enough to keep her quiet. She wanted to get married. It was stupid, she reminded herself. Marriage didn't prove anything – her mother had done it so often it was meaningless. And she hated the thought that she was buying into that whole ' a female's goal in life is to land a husband and raise a family'. But for whatever reason she couldn't help but harbour a dream of one day getting married, retiring from the X-Men and having a family with Bobby.
" Hey, earth to Mel. Come back", Bobby said, snapping his fingers.
" Oh sorry. Daydreaming. You were saying?"
" I was saying that I wish it was sunny out."
" Ugg, sun. Why on earth would you want that?"
" Well duh, so we could go outside, go for a walk, to the pool, something."
" In other words we'd have to do something instead of being forced to remain locked up in our room, amusing ourselves?"
Bobby thought about this for a few moments; took a long at the falling sleet outdoors and a longer look at his beautiful girlfriend lying comfortably across their bed. " You truly have a wisdom beyond your years."
" God, I love you", Mel said, after he'd kissed her.
" And I love you".
" Jerk", she said, using what for them had become a term of endearment.
" Moron", Bobby said, just as tenderly.
So? Not much of an ending I know but as I said there was to be another part. Anyway thanks to everyone whose come this far with me. And don't forget to tell me what you think and if my story is anything to go by, there's no need to keep the length of your reply short! Hee! Hee!