"Hey, Allie…Time ta wake up…"
The blackness echoed with the familiar, comforting voice, and Alina raised her head…
Matching a name and face with the voice, she forced herself awake…
The light was a bit bright, but after some blinks, the brunette could see clearly enough.
A sleepy smile crossed her face, and she rubbed slumber away.
"Hey…Is there a reason you aren't in a bed?"
"Figured I should return the favor."
Moonlight eyes studied his features, and he leaned back, clearly uncomfortable with the scrutiny.
"…Well, I didn't exactly need one…Besides, it was more of a favor to Rogue…So I guess I owe you."
Sitting up, she rubbed her head.
"…What do you want to know?"
Logan watched her this time, but her face stayed indifferent.
"Who was that 'mean bitch' ya were talkin' about?"
"My aunt."
Confusion crossed his face, and she smiled a bit.
"It's a long story…"
"Start from the beginning."
Looking around to be sure they were alone, she finally started the story of her life…
"I started manifesting my powers before I could remember…I just remember running around in my house and changing whenever I wanted…My parents didn't care…The rest of the family…"
Her smile was sarcastic…
"Well, they were purely anti-mutant…They all hated me, but they did that by ignoring my existence…Not my aunt…"
Her eyes were glazed over, like thin clouds covering the moon…
"She kept telling them I was an animal, that I didn't deserve the life they were giving me…They never listened to her, but she always looked so…HATEFUL…"
Her voice got soft now, like the mention of this woman instinctively made her quieter to avoid detection…
"When I was seven, my parents started getting sick…I didn't know at the time, but it was cancer…In both of them…"
All the old emotions started welling up, you could see it in her eyes, and she hardly registered that he'd pulled her into his arms…
"My aunt kept coming by as they got sicker, always demanding things I never understood at the time…I had snarled at her once, when she'd made mommy cry…Told her to leave and bit her…"
His chuckle rumbled through her back, and it seemed to comfort her…
"When I was nine, they died…Nobody ever showed me the body, but I smelled blood…And my parents' will left me with my aunt…"
She never liked this part, tried to drown it out with everything she could find, but maybe THIS is what she had needed…
Someone to listen…
"I was only with her for a year…But she made me feel like…"
He could hardly hear her now…
"Worthless…"
"Yer not."
Startled out of her memories by Logan's firm shake, she looked up at his stern face.
"Ya mean a lot ta everybody in here."
"They would have been well-off without me…"
"Bullshit."
"…What makes you think I'm worth anything?"
"'Cause…Jeez…"
Logan was beginning to regret his decision to hold her so close, because now she could latch onto him and demand an answer.
Curled up on his lap, eyes wide and questioning, he was starting to suspect she knew how to use the Puppy-Dog Eyes…
"…Yer just different, alright? Ya make a difference fer those kids, fer-."
Cutting himself off, he almost hit himself when he saw understanding light up her eyes…
"…You don't have to say it…"
Her smile warmed his heart over…
"I understand."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wolverine sighed, stepping out of the mansion and ready to head out onto the open road alone…
"Where do you think you're going without me?"
Pausing, he turned to see Alina, who had a pack swung over her shoulder.
"I'm leaving. An' yer not coming because ya belong here."
"I think that's where you're wrong." She replied, walking to stand beside him with that smile on her face.
"I don't really belong here. I belong with YOU."
"Oh really?"
He quirked an eyebrow at her, fiddling with an unlit cigar in his fingers.
"An' what makes you think that?"
"Hey, I don't question my instincts, I go with them."
Smile widening, Alina took hold of his hand and began to pull him towards the garage.
"So lets get a ride and speed out of here, shall we?"
Watching her weave among the vehicles, Logan sighed, shaking his head in amusement.
'Can't say I'll get bored now…'
"OOO! A motorcycle! AND IT'S SCOTT'S!"
'Or lose interest…'