"Doschitai Do Sta: Count to 100"

Notes and translations will be at the bottom! Also, I disclaim any X-men characters and related words. They belong to Marvel. Tatiana Lena Karlova is my creation.

Chapter 1

Lena.

Lena sat on a plane nervously looking out of the window. A man was sitting next to her, his tweed suit rubbing roughly against her bare arm. She moved her arm slowly, bringing it closely to her body. People all around her were sleeping, eating or talking, not a care in a world. Lena was not an exception however. She had been through such an ordeal that very night.such an ordeal that should not have happened.

She had murdered her own Father, flesh and blood. Of course, she did not mean too, she had not planned it. But with the constant scrutiny of her parent's jeers and prejudices, her anger had veered into defense, turning into the monster that she was. Monster? Am I Monster? She thought. She grabbed one of her braids and began to chew on it. The silvery metallic taste of blood was still on her tongue. Lena shivered inwardly and requested for a glass of water quickly. Monster, yes that was what she was. Never a normal mutant. Monster and mutant were two different things right? Well, Milana had said that. But Milana did not turn into a thing when she used her powers. Milana was a telepath, able to read people's minds. A simple yet deadly useful power. At times, Milana would read Lena's mind to see what was bothering her. Whether it was the last guy Lena had used or the argument she had had with a teacher, she always found out and tried to solve the problem. But no one could help Lena and her problem.

Lena had begun transforming when she had begun menstruation, which was when she was 14 years of age. Her body had begun to shift, and her eyes had become different colors. She had noticed that her nails grew longer and her teeth became pointed. She had grown scared and weak, not knowing what was happening to her. Milana had been there for her, meeting her in the streets of Moscow. Lena had been hiding behind a garbage can in the back of a Chinese restaurant. She was whimpering, crying tears that quickly froze in the brutal February winter cold. Milana had caught her telepathy waves, knowing quickly that it was a fellow mutant.

"Are you all right?" she had asked, bringing Lena into her house and serving her a cup of tea. Lena had been on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her face, trying to conceal her pointy ears and tail.

"U menya y'est vapros," said Lena quietly.

"Da?" replied Milana, sitting down next to her.

"What am I?"

That was when Milana explained to her that she was unique. Unique from any other Homosapiens in the world. She was an all-powerful mutant, the human of the future. Pretty words did Milana use, but they left Lena no hope. She knew that her parents would not accept her for what she was, she knew that her father was against the "all-powerful". But she told them anyway, just because she knew that she could not hide her true self forever.

"The plane will reach London in approximately 5 minutes," said the intercom in quick Russian, then in English, French and German.

Lena fastened her seat belt and rested her head against the seat. At least she did not have to go America by herself. With the help of Professor Xavier, the man that had taught Milana everything she knew, a companion of his would meet a Lena at the London airport. They would stay in London for a couple of days. The companion Lena was to meet apparently traveled with the circus, and would be able to chaperone Lena. So Lena figured that he was an older man. He also knew a bit of Russian, but was naturally German. The mention of German made Lena flinch a bit. Everything German made her queasy to the stomach. The intercom on the plane speaking it, the German beer that sat next to the man sleeping next to her. Even the German writing on her T-shirt pissed her off.

"Govn'uk," the girl said bitterly. She quickly put her braids into a ponytail, gathering her backpack and settling it down on her lap. She hoped that this guy did not resemble her Father. Otherwise, she just might have to kill him.

"The plane will be landing soon."

Kurt.

Kurt Wagner sat patiently in the London airport with his hands between his legs. He was glad to meet a new mutant from a different country and also someone young who could benefit from the advice from an older mutant. Xavier had contacted him early that evening, telling him that this was important. Kurt had just finished his show when he was told to go to the airport and wait for a girl named Lena Karlova.

"Ja, I shall go Professor," Kurt had said mentally, grabbing his image inducer.

The image inducer was a special tool that allowed Kurt to create a holographic image over his real self, with the image of a normal looking person. This avoided many stares and questions that would have arose naturally. Questions such as 'What is that?' and "Why is a mutant on the loose?' Kurt enjoyed the tiny contraption, finally feeling like a normal human being. He did not even mind looking at his reflection either. With dark curly hair, a milky complexion and deep brown eyes, Kurt's holographic image was quite something. But at times, he wondered if he were hiding behind some sort of technical make-up. He remembered vaguely the conversation Mystique and himself had engaged in quite some time ago.

"I was wondering," Kurt had said to her in the middle of the woods. "with such ability to disguise yourself all the time, why do you not disguise yourself as a normal looking person?" Mystique's answer had been short and simple, yet powerful enough to etch itself into Kurt's brain.

"Because we shouldn't have to."

Those words did stick to him, but he did not believe it. No matter how much he went out in public in his true form, he was automatically made to seem as if he were a walking wrong. Like he was not natural and he should be condemned for being himself. Kurt sighed and shifted into his seat, his arms around his knees. Why was he doing this to himself? No need to depress yourself before you meet a new person he thought. After all, he wanted to make a good impression.

"Flight 414 from Moscow has arrived," said an announcement throughout the fairly crowded airport. Kurt leapt up from his seat, anxious to beat the crowd of people that would naturally come his way towards the gate. Also, he was quite giddy. He was always excited to meet other mutants. But, he did not know what she looked like. But luckily, he always did have a 6th sense for figuring out who was a mutant and who wasn't. The way he could tell was when his eyes met theirs and a soft tingling shot up his body, as if being tickled by a feather. He liked the feeling to be quite frank, even if the mutant was looking forward to killing him.

"Passengers will be leaving at the gate now," announced the voice then. A crowd of people surrounded Kurt, holding flowers and cards, anxious smiles upon their faces. One girl, complete with shocking blond hair and crystal blue eyes, had tears streaming down her cheeks, it being obvious that they were tears of joy. In her petite porcelain hands she held flowers and a token of some sort. That was when the idea struck Kurt. He should have bought something. Perhaps he would buy something for the girl on the way to the hotel. And then he could possibly introduce her to his circus mates and then finish the night off with a small mass service before retiring to bed. He did hope that the girl was religious.

"Ah! Mum it's John!" exclaimed the girl standing next to him.

Kurt smiled slightly as the girl ran into her lover's arms, shrieks of delight filling the air. How beautiful and strong the emotion love could be. Kurt himself had never been involved in a physical relationship, due to his appearance. But he had experienced the bitterness of crushes; the terrible bite of emotional lust (or love, depended on how you saw it). Storm, a.k.a. Ororo Munroe was the object of Kurt's fantasized affection. But he had never revealed it to her, for fear of more rejection. He had faced rejection many times, since the first day he was born. But that had never dampened his spirit. With the power of God on his side, he knew that he was winning. Still, he feared that a rejection from Ororo would dilute his spirit quickly. But who knew? Perhaps Storm had a feeling (or thing as the teens at the Academy called it) for him.

Speaking of feeling, he felt something tingle up his spine, as if someone were rubbing a finger lightly along his back. He looked up to the gate to only see a short, petite girl with long braids and a sullen expression. She wore black jeans and a T-shirt with German writing on it. Making his way through the bustling people, Kurt made his way over to the girl with a wide grin on his pale face.

Lena.

Lena watched the man walk over to her with a wide grin on his handsome pale face.

"Guten Abend," he greeted happily. Lena gave him an insolent glare, beginning to back away.

"Who are you?" she asked in Russian. She refused to speak German or the English, the so-called universal language. She was only going to speak Russian, even if the man didn't know a lick of it. Hesitantly, Kurt blanched for a moment, trying to remember his lessons. It had been so long ago that he doubted if he could continue a conversation with the girl. Soon he did remember how to respond, although his accent was quite rusty.

"Menya zabot Kurt Wagner. Á Teb?"

"Lena."

"Thought so." Awkward silence. Lena swallowed, beginning to study Kurt. He was quite handsome for a German govn'uk and he didn't even look like a mutant.

"Are you a mutant?" she asked. Kurt looked quite taken aback from her question, but Lena didn't care.

"Ja."

"What can you do?"

Kurt's eyes suddenly widened, his porcelain skin blushing red. His grin had become wider and his confidence seemed to have risen to new heights. With his chest almost swelling with pride he stated -

"I can do lots of things! That is why in Munich, I am known as the Incredible-,"

"Yes, that's nice. Can we go now?" interrupted Lena.

She began to walk away, leaving her tiny suitcase on the ground. She expected Kurt to pick it up, and Kurt realized this. So grabbing the suitcase quickly, he ran after Lena, who was walking quite fast. She seemed angry although Kurt knew not the reason. Professor Xavier had not told him anything about why Lena was meeting him in London, only that she needed a chaperone. It was good timing as well since Kurt had finished his last day with the circus. He would return home and become an active member of the X- Men team. And, he would be able to see Storm.

"You will like it at the academy yes?" he asked, trying to strike up another conversation.

But Lena just kept walking, not knowing where she was going nor acknowledging Kurt. Kurt grabbed her arm, causing her to stop. Lena felt a pang of annoyance shoot through her body and something else - something weird. When Kurt grabbed her arm, she didn't feel normal human hands. Instead she felt 3 fingers and superbly plush fur. She stared at Kurt with a look of confusion. But he didn't see it. Instead he pointed towards the direction she had been heading towards.

"You are going the wrong way," he said in broken Russian.

He led her up an escalator, finally reaching the gray and dreary outdoors of London. It was raining - pouring was more like it. Just perfect. Lena groaned as she grabbed a nearby newspaper and began to adjust it onto her head. She hated rain with an undying passion. It bothered her even more that she would have to walk through the rain to get to where she was going - wherever the hell that was. She turned to Kurt who was standing very close to her. She backed away from him instinctively, giving him an odd look.

"Why are you standing so close to me?" she asked incredulously.

"Sorry," Kurt apologized. "But I have to hold you to return to our room."

Lena raised her eyebrows and placed a hand on her hip. Who was this guy? Did he really expect her to let his filthy little 3-fingered furry hands touch her body? The idea was too funny.

"Excuse me?" said Lena. "You have to hold me? I am sorry but you are not touching me in any way!"

Kurt blinked at her with curiosity, wondering why she was so angry. He had only requested to hold her so that they could teleport back to the hotel without getting wet. What was the harm in that?

"I am afraid I do not understand your anger," he replied gently.

"You should!" Lena flared. "I do not appreciate your flirtation with me."

At the word 'flirtation', Kurt felt himself blushing. She had mistaken his words for flirtation!

"Nyet, not at all Lena," he said quickly. "I only meant that in order for us to teleport, I must hold you in my arms."

"Teleport?" replied Lena. "What do you mean?"

Kurt felt himself smile, slowly advancing himself towards Lena. Only this time she did not move but gave him a glare that would've frozen a mass lake if attempted. Bless her Russian anger thought Kurt happily.

"Trust me Lena," he said softly.

He then wrapped his image-induced arms around the frail girl, pulling her close to him. Again Lena felt the odd sensation of his body. It was not a normal human body but it was - something else. Then without warning, she felt a jolt and a thick haze of indigo smoke smoldered her eyesight. Her insides felt as if they were leaving her body and nausea swept through her. But as quickly as the feelings had come, they ended. With a soft "bamf", she found herself in an alley that was deserted, rain pouring down onto her. With confusion she looked around almost forgetting that she was still holding onto Kurt.

"Where are we?" she asked softly. She released her arms from around him and put the newspaper she had put in the back of her jean pocket over her head. Kurt blinked and glanced around the alley.

"Well, we were supposed to be inside of the hotel but I suppose I did not concentrate well enough," he replied but soon winced. He had said the whole sentence in German. But before he could restate his sentence in Russian, Lena nodded and began to walk towards a street that was visible at the end of the alley.

"Where is the hotel then?" she asked as she walked. But she soon stopped and slapped herself against her forehead. She wasn't supposed to know German. She hoped Kurt did not notice her reply to his statement. Of course he had noticed, but he did not say anything about it. Instead he walked besides her with the suitcase banging against his leg softly.

"It is across the street here," he said in Russian. Lena silently thanked God, thinking that Kurt had not noticed her mistake.

Soon they were at the hotel in the lobby dripping wet. Lena's boots squelched loudly as she crossed the marble floor to get to the elevator. It was a really nice hotel; the kind of expensive ones that celebrities hide out in and have secret aliases. Everything was either marble or glass and the people that lounged about were decked out in Prada evening gowns and expensive European perfume wafted everywhere you went. Lena had never been in one of those hotels, not even to visit. She wasn't exactly from the richest family in the world. Her Father was a priest and her mother was a schoolteacher. They lived a very sensible life and always resented high society. But now that Lena was in the expensive hotel she began to imagine herself as a girlfriend of a rich celebrity, being able to wear expensive looking dresses and high Stiletto heels.

"It is very nice here," said Lena to Kurt on the elevator. The elevator was made out of glass and they could see the people below. "I've never been in one of these hotels before."

Kurt just smiled slightly in response. He was never one to mingle with the pure breeds of high society for they resented him even more in his usual form than the middle class people. But the Professor had insisted that Kurt lived leisurely while on tour with the circus. Usually they would allow him to sleep at the arena that they would be performing at the next day. They had done it because most hotels would not have accepted him, just because of his appearance. But thanks to the image inducer and the Professor's extreme generosity, Kurt was able to disguise himself as the people that he saw now. Not that it mattered to him anyway. As long as the good Lord provided a roof over his head he was grateful for it.

**

After settling in, Lena stared out of her window to admire the gray atmosphere that was London. Kurt was in his room doing whatever. He had told her that he would give her some privacy for a moment but would return shortly. Not that she wanted him to. Right now Lena just wanted to relax and think about what was going to happen to her. She knew her mother would tell the Russian authorities of her murderous deed. She just hoped that they would not find her. And what of Milana? Her parents had known about Milana, for her friend had come to visit her many times. They did not know she was a mutant however so perhaps they would not question her. Lena's stomach cramped suddenly and she gasped, stepping away from the window and going over to the bed. She hated when that happened and she knew what was coming if that did happen.

Sighing heavily the girl got up and walked over to the bathroom, turning on the tap. She needed a nice warm shower to wash off the grime and the oncoming menstruation that was going to happen soon. If there was one thing in the world that she hated most was menstruation. It gave her the most horrible cramps and gave her headaches and sent her vomiting daily. It lasted for about 8 days, which really sucked. But it had to happen. Sometimes Lena wondered if her periods were an evolution of her powers. Milana had mentioned something about her powers not being fully matured yet. Still, Lena was somewhat skeptical. If turning into a full-blown monster was not mature enough then what else could she become?

Beginning to strip off her clothes, Lena made sure her door was locked to prevent anyone from coming in. She enjoyed the feeling as she twisted the knob to lock it. In her house, locks were forbidden. Her father believed that privacy was a form of secrecy and that the family had nothing to hide. So even if Lena were stark raving naked her Father would storm in and begin to talk about God or what not. It was hideously embarrassing and not to mention disgusting. Lena shuddered inwardly. She kept thinking about her damn Father. Stepping into the warm shower, Lena relaxed her body and leaned against the wall allowing the water to hit her softly. Her Father had been a good man though at times a bastard. He would lecture her constantly about God and sinning and the danger of having a boyfriend. Of course she had listened because if she had not listened she would have been beaten. But she had had a boyfriend. His name had been Sasha and he was quite gorgeous. He was 23 with spiky red dyed hair and a lip piercing. They had met when Lena had sneaked out of the house to go to a local teen club (condemned by her Father of course who had called it the haven of pre- marital sex). Lena had been dancing wildly with a group of her friends from her school and she bumped accidentally into him. Sasha had turned around to tell her off but instead began to flirt with her. They had started dating right then and there. Sure he knew that Lena was only 14 years old but he was OK with it. After all, he had taken her virginity on the night of her 15th birthday at her house in her parent's bed. He had also broken up with her on that day.

But Lena held no grudges. She usually reveled in the fact that she disobeyed her straight-laced parents. She loved them dearly however and wished nothing ill. But after the incident and display that had happened, she was not sure if her love was pure anymore. They had accused her of being something unnatural, wrong. Her mother had allowed her father to beat her, beat her for many years. And then what really pissed Lena off was that her Father would pretend that nothing had ever happened and would carry on with his stupid fucking German lessons and his talk about God this and God that.

"Fucking bastard!" yelled Lena as she kicked the wall of the bathtub.

She quickly got up and turned off the water, stepping out and grabbing a nearby towel. She literally stormed into the room, curling up into a ball on the expensive comforter that was so warm and comforting. She felt like crying really bad but her eyes - and conscience - didn't allow it. But she could throw something, and she did. She picked up a nearby shoe and threw it hard across the room, a loud thud echoing. And along with the echo came a satisfying relief from Lena. She would have never been able to show such frustration back at home and now she had the freedom to.

"Stop thinking about home," she whispered softly to herself. When she gets to America, that would be her new home. A new a home and a new beginning.

Knock-Knock.

Lena sat up suddenly in her bed and stared at the door. It was probably Kurt. Instinctively, Lena began to get up to go answer it but suddenly she realized that she was only wearing a towel. She then felt a sly smirk spread across her face. Wouldn't it fun to play around for a bit? Nyet, she thought inwardly. It could be a room attendant or something, so she wouldn't risk it.

"'Old on!" she yelled in English.

Grabbing her suitcase she unzipped it and began to dress slowly. Frowning slightly as she put on her favorite pair of torn black plaid pants (which had a small whole on the right knee), she decided that she needed new clothes. Milana had given her some money just in case so perhaps she would ask Kurt to go shopping with her.

Knock-Knock-Knock.

"One more moment!" Lena yelled only this time in Russian.

Her English didn't come to mind that easily. Thrusting a black tank over her head and shaking out her wet braids, Lena went over to the door and opened it. Of course it was Kurt Wagner, standing straight and poised. In his hands he held a well-polished strand of rosary beads from which a silver crucifix hung peacefully.

"Hello," he said in English. "I didn't know you spoke anything but Russian."

"Only a little," replied Lena.

So perhaps he hadn't really noticed her little mishap with the languages back there in the alley she thought. Slowly Lena stepped aside and waved her hand, inviting Kurt inside.

"Spasiba," thanked Kurt as he stepped inside.

Lena closed the door and locked it, once again enjoying the feeling. Kurt began to walk around the room as an awkward silence filled the room. Lena started to feel a bit giddy. She had never been alone with another man before, except for Sasha. The same went for Kurt only opposite. Never had he been in the presence of another woman in secrecy, though Lena was only a child.

"So what do you want?" asked Lena, the silence finally getting to her.

Kurt looked quite relieved to hear her speak as the silence was getting to him also.

"Well, I was hoping that we could pray?"

"Pray?" repeated Lena. Kurt nodded while smiling, reaching into his pockets to reveal two small white candles and a lighter. Lena however sucked in her breath.

For the love of Christ, why couldn't she get away from religion for a FUCKING day? It wasn't enough that she had to recite the Hail Mary five times a day at home, but to pray when she finally had some sort of freedom? Fat fucking chance.

"No thank you," she said calmly. "I'm not religious. In fact, I'm atheist."

"Atheist?" replied Kurt with a voice of wonder.

This child reminded him so much of his own beloved Ororo now. He just couldn't understand why humans who looked normal - beautiful in Lena's and Ororo's case - hated God with such fervency. Kurt could understand if he himself held such a hatred for the beloved one above him.

"Yes I am atheist," lied Lena. "As in, I don't believe in God or anything else of that useless shit."

Kurt winced terribly at her harsh words. How dare she insult his beliefs? Usually Kurt would accept other people's opinions about this and that, but never did he take rude and uncalled for insults.

"Excuse me Lena," he replied harshly in German. "I do not appreciate your use of words you have chosen to describe my religion."

"I don't understand German," Lena said huffily, setting her hands on her hips.

Even though she was lying, the girl could still act thought Kurt. And although she was also lying about being an atheist (there was a silver cross dangling around her neck!) and being very rude to Kurt he still felt pity for her. She was nothing but a lost and confused child, which was all. So he would just leave and say nothing else to her.

"Well," Kurt said finally in Russian. "I suppose I have nothing else to do here."

He then bowed stiffly and walked towards the door, walking out and leaving Lena all alone. After Kurt had left her, Lena began to feel all alone once again. She also felt terribly guilty for being such a bitch towards Kurt. He really was a nice guy; she was just in a bad mood. She had the cramps, she was hungry, and most importantly, she needed clothes. Lena wondered if she could just venture out into the city for a little while, not too far from the hotel. She had money, plenty of it in fact. Kurt wouldn't have to know because he would be too busy praying anyway. When Lena was finally decided, she grabbed her jacket and her backpack that Milana had borrowed her. Making sure her money was safe and her key was in her pocket, Lena began to walk down the posh corridor with a feeling of independence. She would go shopping and perhaps even meet some cute British boy along the way. Lena felt a smile curve onto her lips. Being a mutant on the run wasn't so bad.

**

Translations:

U menya y'est vapros: I have a question

Govn'uk: Bastard

Guten Abend (German): Good Afternoon

Menya zabot Kurt Wagner. Á Teb?: My name is/I am Kurt Wagner (German name however!)

Nyet / Da: No / Yes

Spasiba: Thank you

Notes: I like this chapter! Took me long enough to write it. But anyway, there are a couple of people I want to thank. The 3 people that reviewed, thanks I really appreciate it. I thought no one would ever read this story and I'm ever so glad that you've taken interest! Also, I want to thank Peggy with the help of translating some Russian Cyrillic letters. It would have taken me longer. Oh well, I have Russian next year when school starts so it's all-good. Um, and also I want to thank Bryan Singer for inspiring me to write this fan fiction. If it weren't for X2 I would never have felt so passionately about a story before. Thanks! Aussi, I thank Alan Cumming for being hot. Keep being that way. Okie so that's all. Um, about the next chapter. Lena gets lost in London (should've saw that coming), Kurt panics, Storm begins to miss Kurt, and Professor Xavier makes sure that Peter Rasputin will look after Lena. Hm, romance there perhaps? I'll never tell! Dasvidanya!