Nikki had stopped dead at a window and was looking out at the sky. "Can we go out today Luke?" He asked.

'Where do ya wanna go?' Luke asked walking up beside him.

This was a hard question. Nikki thought for a long while then eventually got an answer. "Uh... out?"

Luke chuckled inwardly, 'Alright, I guess we can go out.'

Nikki jumped into the air, and Scott walked in, in time to catch him. "What's going on?" He asked smiling, glad to see the usually timid and morose boy in high spirits, and Luke looking not too bad himself.

'We're going out, Nikki talked me into it,' Luke shrugged slightly, 'Hey... you don't by any chance have a pad of paper Nikki can have, do you?'

Scott looked, about to ask, but decided it better not too. "Uh... sure. I should have some somewhere in my room... wanna come up and I'll take a look?" Nikki nodded,

Luke followed along side Scott as they walked to his room, 'So... What've you been up too?' He asked casually trying to think of something to say.

Scott grinned, blushing slightly. "Oh, you know... the usual... just...  been hanging... with Lance..." He coughed a bit.

'R-ight...' Luke shook his head, 'I really don't want to know...'

Nikki giggled.

Scott smiled down at him, then opened the door to his room, which was spotless and didn't look lived in at all. He began looking through some drawers. "I know there was at least three notebooks in here.." he said to himself

Luke raised an eyebrow as he glanced about the room, 'You really need to clean your room.' He said sarcastically.

"huh?" Scott looked around. "Oh yea." He laughed. "Well, its not like I use it.." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

'Really, I didn't need to know that.' Luke shook his head.

"Well you did comment." Scott chuckled, then pulled a book out from the bottom drawer. "Here ya go." he said, handing it to Nikki who had made a little nest for himself on the bed. "Thank you." He said politely, taking the book. "No problem" Scott said.

'Yea, thanks,' Luke turned to Nikki as he backed up into the doorway, 'Come on Nikki, let's go outside.'

Nikki waved bye to Scott and followed Nikki, grabbing a pen from the pot on Scott's desk as he left.

Luke shuddered as he walked down the hallway, 'Cool, so you got your Notebook now.' He smirked a little.

"Yup." Nikki grinned. "And im gonna do what you said, and write everything in it." He looked down at the clean white pages as he talked, feeling happy at the simple blank space

Luke nodded, glad that Nikki was happy.

Nikki looked up. "So where we going then?"

'To the river?' Luke suggested reaching the back door.

Nikki made a face, but then brightened. "I can write my diary while you catch some more fishes then?" he asked.

'Sounds good to me.' Luke nodded then looked at the door and tried to open it, and failed.

Nikki shook his head and opened it himself. "Silly Luke." He giggled.

'Eh, I try.' Luke walked through the door and followed along side Nikki, as they walked back to the path they had been on earlier.

Nikki sat down on the bank on the accommodating roots of a tree and propped the book on his knee, sticking his tongue out from the corner of his mouth as he thought about how to start. "Hey Luke." He called. "How do I start this?"

'How about from the beginning?' Luke trotted up to the water and splashed into it, 'Or maybe your first memory of something.'

Nikki thought hard, then started writing...

Luke stood in the center of the river staring at his reflection in the water, Funny how the same mutation that got me into that hell hole, got me out... Life's never been simple, or easy for me; especially since I met Nikki. Don't get me wrong, I love him more than anything in the world, but he can be a hand full at times... Spotting a large fish swimming his way, he tensed and waited for just the right time...

'Luke sez I should write about the beginning or my first memory, and I dunno if this is the first one, cause I cant tell anymore really, but this is what came into my head.

I was scared when I was in that place. The people who took me away from mummy said I'd be okay, but i don't think they were telling the truth. There were people in white uniforms who weren't very nice and gave me something th at made me feel sick, and then I saw that thing that sometimes comes, although I haven't seen him for a long time which is very strange, not that I mind. Maybe. The other shadow thingy scared them all away? I don't know if theyll come back...

but i saw Luke and he made them go away and he was very nice to me. He's always very nice to me, and he doesnt hit me when he gets cross with me or anything. And that is my first memory. '

Nikki closed the book and put the end of the pen in his mouth, chewing on it as he watched Luke out in the water.

Luke was stalking a large bass, which was currently swimming in circles about a foot in front of him. He lunged at the fish and bit into.... water.

Nikki giggled from the shore. "What are you doing? Catching many fish?"

Luke snorted the water from his nose, 'No...'

 On the other side of the river, resting on the bank was a large green bullfrog.

Nikki looked over. "There's a fish over there Luke." He said, trying to be helpful

'Yes a fish with legs.' Luke chuckled mentally as he approached the frog.

 He lay down in the water so he was eyelevel with the water-dwelling amphibian. The frog stared back at him with large black eyes and made a low croaking sound. Luke barked back at it and it jumped onto his head. Startled, Luke sat up and the frog jumped into the water with a splash.

 'So we're playing that kind of game, are we mister frog!?' Luke growled lunging into the water.

Nikki was in hysterics on the bank, lying back in the grass, which showed just how funny he found the situation.

Luke stood up from the water holding the frog by its leg.

Nikki sat up and watched the frog kicking around. He shook his head and looked away. "Ew Luke."

'It's evil.' Luke glared at the frog the best he could, and ended up going cross-eyed.

"Its just a frog." Nikki said reproachfully.

Luke snorted and dropped the frog back into the water and watched it swim away, where the large bass Luke had tried to get earlier later ate it.

Nikki watched the frog drop into the water, but didn't see its unfortunate end. He grinned at Luke instead. "I wrote in my journal." He said, showing Luke the page of words briefly.

Luke trotted up onto the bank, 'That's great!' He sat down next to Nikki.

Nikki leant away from Luke. "You're soaking wet." He scolded playfully. "You're gonna catch your death of cold."

Luke barked playfully as he stood up and shook himself. As he was sitting back down he began to feel the familiar pull of his mutation. He glanced down at his paws, which were turning back into his human hands.

Nikki watched as Luke began to change, and moved back hastily, not sure what was going to happen.

"Oh crap!" Luke half growled half said as he fully transformed back into his human self.

Nikki peeked at him. "Uhm... you have no clothes on." He said, unhelpfully.

Luke covered himself with his hands, "Wolves don't wear clothes, and I didn't know I'd be transforming back anytime soon." He sighed shaking his head.

Nikki cocked his head, and then pulled his shirt off, handing it to Luke. "You can borrow mine."

"Uh thanks," Luke smiled sheepishly as he covered himself with Nikki's shirt, "Let's go back... now..."

Nikki nodded, shivering in the cold, and clutched his notebook to his chest, preparing to follow Luke back.

Luke shook his head noticing Nikki shivering then started back for the mansion. Once the two arrived Luke bolted up to their room and pulled on a pair of boxers and blue jeans.

Nikki followed Luke into their room, and bolted for the pile of clothes he had left on the floor, pulling a borrowed hoody two sizes too big for him over his head.

Glancing at himself in the mirror, Luke frowned at what he saw; his chest and back were marred was long deep scars. He sighed and turned away from the mirror.

Nikki noticed Luke's expression in the mirror, and knew what he was sighing about immediately. He went to Luke and carefully traced a finger across one of the more prominent scars. "These won't go away if you write about it." He said quietly.

Luke shook his head, "No..."

Nikki stepped closer, his look far-off as he traced yet another scar on Luke's chest, but he came back to himself and looked up at Luke seriously. "But it doesn't matter." he continued, his hand resting flat. "Not really...not unless you let it" He suddenly looked older than his years.

"They're hard to forget sometimes." Luke whispered glaring at himself in the mirror.

Nikki slid his arms around Luke's waist and laid his head where his hand had been, meeting Luke's gaze in the mirror. "Maybe,,, but you wouldn't be you without them.." He meant more than the scars themselves.

Luke sighed dropping his eyes down to Nikki, hesitantly he hugged him back, "Thanks." He whispered closing his eyes.

Nikki smiled and hummed softly to himself, closing his eyes. He liked being hugged by Luke, and not only because it was so unlike his mother's hugs either.

Luke pulled away slightly, "So how much did you write in your journal?" He asked pulling away completely so he could put a shirt on.

Nikki blinked... he'd been getting comfortable... but ran over and picked up his book from the floor. "Do you want to read it?" He asked shyly.

"That's okay, it's your book," Luke smiled slightly, "I think I might get one myself..." He shrugged.

Nikki looked round for somewhere to put it, then shrugged and folded it in half, sticking it in the kangaroo pocket of his hoody. He went and sat on the bed. "What're we doing now?"

Luke glanced around, "I dunno... hey... what happened to that bear I gave you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

Nikki looked around, suddenly panicked. "I don't know!" He yelped, then slid off the bed to look under it, shooting off again to rummage through the pile of clothes. "I dunno, I dunno..." He chanted. "Don't be mad Luke, I'm sorry I lost it..." He said, still frantically searching.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down!" Luke grabbed Nikki's shoulders, "Where were you the last time you saw it?"

Nikki panicked when Luke grabbed him by the shoulders and shrieked like he'd been hit, pulling back and thrashing in Luke's grip, "No, no, lemme go, please, PLEASE..." He went boneless sobbing, still pleading brokenly to be let go.

Luke release Nikki quickly, "Nikki!" He said worriedly.

Without Luke holding him, Nikki fell to the floor and stayed where he was, in a collapsed heap, still crying and mumbling nonsense to himself.

Pulling him back up, Luke held him firmly by the shoulders, "Nikki, calm down! It's me, Luke!"

Nikki tried to push Luke away at first, but calmed down to hiccups when he saw Luke and realized who he was. He looked around confusedly. "Luke... wh-what happened?"

"You're okay now," Luke whispered pulling Nikki into a hug, "You're alright." His nerves were begining to fray and wear thin. He suddenly felt jittery and jumpy, but he pushed the thoughts and feelings all to the back of his mind. Nikki needed him right now.