Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters except Ali. Although I don't own the characters, in this story, I can manipulate them as much as I want. Mwahahaha.
John stared tiredly at the unconscious form of Ali as she lay on the medical bed in the dark. He had been with her ever since they had arrived back at the Institute. Hank had done numerous scans, finding a dislocated disc in her back and a dislocated shoulder. He had quickly repaired the damage done to the girl.
John rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. Four hours straight he had been here. It was the longest he had ever sat still: a record. The students who had come through often asked him if he was feeling ok. But he was in no mood to answer any questions, so he often yelled at them to buzz off and leave him alone. The desired effect was always acquired: the students left in silence. But he didn't care if they were there and staring at him anymore. The only thing that mattered to him was Ali. She had helped him through the transition to the Institute; she had stuck up for him against Scott. She had done more for him than he could ever imagine. She couldn't be hurt so badly, she just couldn't.
He sighed and held his head in his hands. He was so tired. He wanted to go to sleep in his bed. Thoughts of rest were quickly driven from his mind as he remembered with a sick feeling exactly what happened. He should have been there. He should have saved her. He couldn't help but feel guilty about what happened.
Logan suddenly walked into the med lab carrying a cup of coffee. He looked at Ali with tired eyes. He didn't even seem to notice John. He focused solely on the unconscious girl. It was his fault she was in bed. It was his fault she had been attacked and injured. He should have been there.
There's no way you could have prevented Sabertooth from attacking her, thought a voice in his head. A small part of him agreed, but he quickly pushed the thought away. He shouldn't be thinking that. It was his fault. Nothing more to it.
John suddenly shifted in his chair to get more comfortable. Logan's eyes darted to the slumped figure and softened. There was John, only a teenager himself, worrying about a girl he might not be with for the rest of his life. Logan smirked, but why, he didn't know. A small part of him thought that it was cute how John sat beside the bed. He quickly realized what he had thought and eliminated it. How could he think something like that? He was Logan, Wolverine, a tough guy who never went soft. He was not allowed to think cute, fluffy, sweet thoughts like that! It was just that way. He didn't allow himself. He had to be tough. He just had to be.
John turned around then. "You gonna stop staring at me, mate?" he asked.
Logan grunted. "If you stop being paranoid. I wasn't starin' at you," he replied gruffly.
John smirked. "I could tell just by the way your eyes were looking at me, mate," he said sarcastically.
Logan glared at John for a moment, then let his gaze soften. "Why don't you go to bed, kid?" he suggested, walking across the tile floor to lean against the wall.
"I don't want to," John replied, his eyes back on Ali. "I want to be here when she wakes up."
Logan sighed. "If you're on the brink of death, it's not gonna do her much good," Logan rationalized.
John nodded. "I don't care. I'll sleep, I just want to be here when she wakes up, that's all, mate."
Logan nodded. "You've got a good heart, kid. She made a good decision, dating you," he commented, then left, hoping to God that John wouldn't make a smartass remark on what he said. He had gone soft.
John knew that, but he didn't comment. Instead, he glanced at the clock again. 11:53. He really should go to bed. Sleep began to blur his vision once again. He yawned loudly and stretched. Ali would still be there in the morning; he would still be there. He slumped in his chair and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him at last.
*
John awoke early in the morning, finding Ali lying peacefully on her bed. He sighed. She's probably just asleep, thought a voice in his head. That's it.
Beast suddenly lumbered through the door. "Hello, John," he said. He suddenly stopped moving. "Did you stay here overnight?"
John shook his head. "No, mate. That's ridiculous," he lied. Lucky him, he lied on a daily basis, and by then was a genuine master at the art.
Beast nodded and walked over to Ali's bed. He checked her vitals and her brainwaves, and then smiled.
John jolted up. "What's up, doc?" he asked, reminding Hank of Bugs Bunny.
Beast smiled. "She's just asleep now," he replied. "Apparently, she woke up in the night and just went back to sleep."
John grinned. "That's great!" he yelled. "Now I just have to wait for her to wake up."
Beast smiled and nodded. "Call when she finally does awaken from her slumber," he said, and with that left the med lab.
John turned back to Ali, who currently had a smile pasted on her placid face. John grinned and shook Ali's shoulder, causing the girl to begin to laugh.
"Ali, you little bugger! You were awake the whole time!" John cried.
Ali continued to giggle uncontrollably. Her laughing state was only worsened when John began to tickle her.
"John!" she yelled. "St—stop!" she demanded, curling into a ball to try and prevent John from tickling her further.
John grinned, finally settling back down in his chair. "Fine. But you've got to make it up to me, shelia," he replied. "You scared the livin' daylights outta me."
Ali smiled. "Fine. I'll get you another pack of lighters," she replied.
John nodded approvingly. "Sounds good," he replied.
Ali grinned.
"Well, I'll be right back," John said. "Beast's gotta know when you wake up, sheila."
Ali nodded and watched John leave. She sighed and stretched her sore muscles. How long had she been awake? Not long, that was for sure. She smiled upon remembering seeing John fast asleep during the night. It had been so sweet how he had stayed up by her bed.
She sighed and kicked off the sheets that confined her to the mattress. Swinging her legs over the bed, and slowly stood up, her legs shaking. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, letting go of the bed.
John suddenly arrived back then. His eyes widened and he swore loudly. "Sheila! You're not supposed to be out of bed!" he ran forward ad picked her up then set her on the bed.
Ali rolled her eyes. "I'm fine," she replied. "You don't need to worry."
"Yes, I do," John contradicted. "You're unpredictable."
Ali grinned. "Why thank you," she replied slyly.
John rolled his eyes.
Rogue and Kitty suddenly raced into the room, out of breath and their eyes wide with excitement and shock.
"What's going on?" Ali asked.
Rogue shook her head. "Ya won't believe it," she muttered.
"Yeah, it's like, a total surprise," Kitty added.
"Well, I don't know if I'll believe it or not if I don't know what's going on," Ali retorted impatiently. "What happened? Did Bobby get trapped in his own ice block?"
"No, mah wish hasn't come true yet," Rogue said.
"Oh, ok," Ali replied. "So what really happened?"
Kitty shook her head. "I can't say. Rogue, you tell her," she murmured, hiding her face from them with her hands.
Rogue gaped. "Ah can't tell it any better than you can, Kitty," she shot back. "You tell 'em."
"Tell us what?" demanded Ali and John in unison.
Rogue and Kitty stared for a minute, both thinking that the two talking at exactly the same time was scary.
Rogue swallowed. "It's Logan," she began.
"What happened to Logan?" asked Ali worriedly. "Is he hurt? Is he ok?"
Kitty nodded vigorously. "He's fine. I mean, he does heal himself quickly, you know?"
Ali nodded. "Well what happened?"
Kitty took a deep breath. "He…he asked…he asked out Storm," she replied.
John's eyes widened, then he began laughing hysterically. "Wolvie asked out a sheila!" he cried, on the verge of tears. "He's gone soft!"
"Oh really?" asked Ali. "Were you soft when you asked me out?"
John grinned. "I've always had a soft spot for you since I spotted you, Ali," he replied.
"Good answer," Ali replied.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "But that's not even half of it," she added.
Ali and John's heads snapped to Rogue. "What?"
Kitty nodded. "Storm said yes!" she cried, jumping up and down.
Ali's eyes widened. "Whoa," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "That's surprising."
John nodded. "It's a sign of the Apocalypse!" he declared.
Rogue rolled her eyes, while Kitty and Ali giggled.
"Well, today's been interesting," Ali said. "The day I wake up, Logan asks out Storm."
Rogue nodded. "Glad you didn't miss anything?"
"Of course."
***
HEY! I'M BACK! Sorry I updated so late, but I've been busy. On Friday night I had a church lockin from 7 PM to 8 AM on Saturday, and slept most of Saturday. Not to mention I played basketball for 5 straight hours, and I was exhausted. But I'm back!
Reviews:
damien455: sorry I updated so late. Ya, the prank on Scott was pretty cool…Ali's eyes are cool.
Ivan's Kitsune: devilish little me. let's just say that Ali was asleep for over a day, since I don't know the effects of a concussion since I've never had one and I'm too lazy to find out.
Karakin: You've got a point about Gambit. But I'm going to save him joining for later, just for the sake of keeping the story going. If Gambit joined, there would be no run-ins at the mall and getting Rogue pissed. She would be pissed 24-7. But for the sake of the plot, which I'm still trying to figure out, I'll have him join later.
Coco Cow: Ya, the prank was sweet! And I really liked your chappies! Your story rocks!! Update soon!
One quick note: If I ever don't update for a long time, I'm either typing up my book, finishing it, editing it, or am sore from the upcoming track season at school. Just so you know…
R&R!!
~Jojo~