Steph walked down to the cafeteria and sat in a chair, putting Ruhko on her
lap and smiling as the baby giggle and stuffed down the gummy bears Rogue
had given her.
"Whoa, you just run a five mile race?" Kitty asked, coming up from the back and sitting next to Steph. Steph wondered what she was talking about, then smiled, she must be covered in sweat, after Logan had finally gotten away and she and Rogue had to pick up Ruhko and chase after him. Apparently Logan decided to take a nap and locked himself in his room. Then Rogue had to take a shower and left Steph to take care of Ruhko.
"Eeshba tookie ka," Ruhko mumbled. Kitty smiled somewhat nervously at the baby, and Steph wickedly thought of the shredded sweater that had once been the brown haired girl's.
"So, where's Rogue? I haven't like, seen her in days. You either, you guys been down looking at Logan?" Kitty asked. "Or maybe torturing Peter?" Steph laughed soundlessly.
"No," she said. Kitty opened her mouth to respond when she jerked.
"Oh my god!" she said, staring at Steph with wide eyes. "You can talk?!" Steph shrugged and then adjusted Ruhko enough for her to allow Steph to grab her slate and quickly jotted down. Kitty grabbed the slate. 'I've got 'no' down.' Steph grinned at her as the brown haired girl looked back up at her.
"You can only say no?" she repeated. Steph smiled and nodded.
"No."
"Oh man, am I the first to hear that?"
"No." Steph laughed again when Kitty paused.
"Wait, are you just saying that because you can or does someone else know?" she asked. Steph laughed softly.
"No," she said. Kitty frowned.
"You need to learn to say yes," she said.
"No."
"Cut it out Steph," Kitty said.
"Nyonono!" Ruhko cried, running out of gummy bears and shaking her fists at Kitty. Kitty stood up and backed away a step.
"Um, you can keep a hold on her right?" she asked nervously.
"No." Kitty rolled her eyes and then smiled halfway, patting Steph on the shoulder.
"Glad to hear your voice, just leave Peter alone and learn yes or something else," she said. Steph smiled her thanks and also stood up, hoisting Ruhko up on her shoulder and then walking away from Kitty and up to Rogue's room, opening the door.
"K," she whispered, good mood dropping slightly as she felt her mutation come out. Ruhko smiled at her. "Go in and bug Rogue for a while, and Logan to, if you can," she whispered, opening the door. Ruhko looked up at her and laughed, then saw the rest of the gummy bears inside and charged in, running over then napping Rogue to get to them. Steph giggled as she heard Rogue's surprised squeak and then walked down the hall, reaching a window and opening it she looked over her shoulder and then climbed out, falling for a little bit and then shooting up into the air.
Steph flew up to the clouds, feeling the air start to thin out slightly until it got too thin to breathe, then stopping her flight and dropping down, laughing as the adrenalin of her stunt coursed through her veins and the ground rushed up at her. Getting closer Steph slowed her fall and crash- landed on the roof, bouncing off her butt and flipping over, landing on her back and closing her eyes as she caught her breathe and lay in the warm sun.
"No," she said. "No, nope," she cursed as she heard the traces of mutation in the nope and wondered how much more practice it would take until she could swear aloud. "No, no no, no- Lo- Logan," she sighed, she couldn't even say Logan's name yet. Slowly she realized the sugar had affected her energy more than she thought it would and it was wearing off, the warm sun and fresh smell of grass and trees overcoming her as she drifted off to sleep, still trying to day Logan's name.
"Lo, Lo- gan, GAN, no, g-" she sighed as her energy left completely, her voice becoming quieter as she drifted into her dreams. "Dad."
Rogue looked around for Steph, then out a window nervously, the sun was setting and a stiff breeze was blowing through. Knowing Steph told Rogue that she was out doing one of those mad falls she had shown Rogue during a flying practice. Steph was a nut, flying that high and then dropping down with no control, the brief thought that she hadn't slowed herself down in time and hit the ground flew through Rogues mind, and the girl held Ruhko closer to her as she looked out the window more.
- She didn't crash, Rogue, - the professor assured her. -Steph is asleep on the roof, though I think you'd better go wake her up, and no more sugar fiestas, alright? - Rogue smiled.
- Sorry professor, - she said sheepishly, then walked out the front door and rose into the air, landing on the roof and almost tripping over Steph in the dark.
"Hey! Watch it!" Steph said, her voice vibrating through the air and startling Rogue.
"Sorry," she said after a brief moment of nausea. Steph quickly got up and caught Rogue as she stumbled, smiling apologetically.
"That's ok," Rogue said, shaking her head. "Just can't- not as immune as ya," she said, giggling. Steph laughed too, careful to keep it quiet. Rogue blinked and smiled, then nodded at the mansion.
"Logan's up, wanna go bug him?" she asked. Steph closed her eyes.
"Lo, Logan," she frowned as she heard the vibration. Rogue laughed and Ruhko giggled, making Rogue let go as she jumped down on Steph.
"Eeba!" she said. Steph picked herself and Ruhko up and the two walked over to the edge of the roof.
"Well, ya got 'Lo' down. Call him that, he hasn't heard yoh voice yet," Rogue as the pair floated down and through a window Steph wrote on her slate and handed it to Rogue.
"You already shouted at him?" she read, looking up. "How'd ya do that an' not kill him?" Steph grabbed her slate back.
'Nearly did, common, lets go find him," she wrote, then passed Ruhko back to Rogue and hurried down the hall and jumping down the stairs, then running into the cafeteria and seeing Logan eating some leftover chicken she jumped on his lap and made him crash backwards. Climbing up before the stunned Logan could do anything Steph sat cross-legged on his chest and smiled at him.
"What the-? Steph!" Logan said in dismay, looking at the teen sitting on his chest and then noticing her grin.
"No," she said as he started to shove him off. Logan froze and looked at her.
"Yeh talked." He said in a soft voice.
"Lo," she said. "No Lo..."
"All she ken say," Rogue laughed walking in. Logan started to laugh, grabbing Steph and pulling her in for a hug as she flailed out in surprise.
"Yeh did it!" he said, still laughing. Steph looked at Rogue in shock, seeing the southern girl about to crack up herself. Logan let go and then looked up at her, scowling. "Alright kid, get offa me or ya will need t' make out a will," he said. Steph stuck her tongue out at him but got up anyway, stealing the rest of his chicken as he slowly got up.
Logan smiled at her.
"Soon kid, I'll never hear the end of it," he said. Then he groaned. "A teenage girl gettin' her voice back, yeh'll talk up a storm!"
"No," Steph said. On her slate she quickly jotted a note, which Logan read. 'I've found out talking is overrated, most of the time.' Logan looked up.
"Most of the time?" he asked, Steph wrote another message, her face falling a little bit. 'Like when someone needs help.' "Oh," Logan said. He looked at Steph seriously. "That wasn't yer fault, kid, I shoulda known I couldn't do a level like that right then." Steph tried to smile, and then took another piece of Logan's chicken as Rogue cleared her throat.
"Ah, scuse me, but Ah can't relate ta what y'all are talkin about, so Ah'll just start up anotha talk," she said. She flashed an evil grin at Steph, who looked at her half curiously, then back at Logan. "Guess who was free fallen again- ah!" Steph immediately kicked Rogue, but Logan had already heard.
"You were free fallen again?" he demanded. "Crap, Steph, I told yeh that was too dangerous!" Steph made a face at him.
"No," she said defiantly, then wrote the rest. "It's great, and you're not my father yet, so stop acting like 'im."
"Yet?" Logan asked. Steph glared and pulled out of her back pocket a bunch of papers, then handed them to Logan, who looked at them. It was the adoption pages he had given her in the holding cell, and on the last page Steph had signed her name. He stared at it and then the slate, which fell over the paper. "Didn't know if I had to sign them but it's only in pencil right now, so if I'm not supposed ta we can erase it."
"What's that?" Rogue asked, looking over Logan's shoulder curiously while Ruhko gabbed away and pulled at her hair. Rogue's mouth dropped. "Yah, yah gonna adopt her?" she asked, looking at Logan in amazement. "Yah wanna adopt her?!"
"She's too young t' be on her own," Logan said, shrugging and fighting the urge to smile and hug Steph. Rogue started to giggle and Logan and Steph looked at her strangely. "What's with yeh Stripes?" Logan asked. Rogue laughed.
"Ya gonna be a daddy, Logan," she said. "An' y'all will be a happy famahly, right? Logan, Steph an' Ruhko!"
"And you," Logan said. "Yer in my charge, Stripes, yeh can't get out that easy." Rogue giggle again.
"We're a matchin' set, huh?" she asked.
"No," Steph said, starting to giggle also. Logan shook his head and then noticed that there was no more chicken left on his plate, and that Steph was licking her fingers and finishing off his soda at the same time. When she saw him glaring at her she shrugged and wrote a note on her slate.
"Gramps, ya gotta eat your food or at least guard it around me, I thought ya knew better than that." Logan shook his head.
"I'll get it back outta ya," he growled. "Yeh owe me chicken now, squirt."
"Whoa, you just run a five mile race?" Kitty asked, coming up from the back and sitting next to Steph. Steph wondered what she was talking about, then smiled, she must be covered in sweat, after Logan had finally gotten away and she and Rogue had to pick up Ruhko and chase after him. Apparently Logan decided to take a nap and locked himself in his room. Then Rogue had to take a shower and left Steph to take care of Ruhko.
"Eeshba tookie ka," Ruhko mumbled. Kitty smiled somewhat nervously at the baby, and Steph wickedly thought of the shredded sweater that had once been the brown haired girl's.
"So, where's Rogue? I haven't like, seen her in days. You either, you guys been down looking at Logan?" Kitty asked. "Or maybe torturing Peter?" Steph laughed soundlessly.
"No," she said. Kitty opened her mouth to respond when she jerked.
"Oh my god!" she said, staring at Steph with wide eyes. "You can talk?!" Steph shrugged and then adjusted Ruhko enough for her to allow Steph to grab her slate and quickly jotted down. Kitty grabbed the slate. 'I've got 'no' down.' Steph grinned at her as the brown haired girl looked back up at her.
"You can only say no?" she repeated. Steph smiled and nodded.
"No."
"Oh man, am I the first to hear that?"
"No." Steph laughed again when Kitty paused.
"Wait, are you just saying that because you can or does someone else know?" she asked. Steph laughed softly.
"No," she said. Kitty frowned.
"You need to learn to say yes," she said.
"No."
"Cut it out Steph," Kitty said.
"Nyonono!" Ruhko cried, running out of gummy bears and shaking her fists at Kitty. Kitty stood up and backed away a step.
"Um, you can keep a hold on her right?" she asked nervously.
"No." Kitty rolled her eyes and then smiled halfway, patting Steph on the shoulder.
"Glad to hear your voice, just leave Peter alone and learn yes or something else," she said. Steph smiled her thanks and also stood up, hoisting Ruhko up on her shoulder and then walking away from Kitty and up to Rogue's room, opening the door.
"K," she whispered, good mood dropping slightly as she felt her mutation come out. Ruhko smiled at her. "Go in and bug Rogue for a while, and Logan to, if you can," she whispered, opening the door. Ruhko looked up at her and laughed, then saw the rest of the gummy bears inside and charged in, running over then napping Rogue to get to them. Steph giggled as she heard Rogue's surprised squeak and then walked down the hall, reaching a window and opening it she looked over her shoulder and then climbed out, falling for a little bit and then shooting up into the air.
Steph flew up to the clouds, feeling the air start to thin out slightly until it got too thin to breathe, then stopping her flight and dropping down, laughing as the adrenalin of her stunt coursed through her veins and the ground rushed up at her. Getting closer Steph slowed her fall and crash- landed on the roof, bouncing off her butt and flipping over, landing on her back and closing her eyes as she caught her breathe and lay in the warm sun.
"No," she said. "No, nope," she cursed as she heard the traces of mutation in the nope and wondered how much more practice it would take until she could swear aloud. "No, no no, no- Lo- Logan," she sighed, she couldn't even say Logan's name yet. Slowly she realized the sugar had affected her energy more than she thought it would and it was wearing off, the warm sun and fresh smell of grass and trees overcoming her as she drifted off to sleep, still trying to day Logan's name.
"Lo, Lo- gan, GAN, no, g-" she sighed as her energy left completely, her voice becoming quieter as she drifted into her dreams. "Dad."
Rogue looked around for Steph, then out a window nervously, the sun was setting and a stiff breeze was blowing through. Knowing Steph told Rogue that she was out doing one of those mad falls she had shown Rogue during a flying practice. Steph was a nut, flying that high and then dropping down with no control, the brief thought that she hadn't slowed herself down in time and hit the ground flew through Rogues mind, and the girl held Ruhko closer to her as she looked out the window more.
- She didn't crash, Rogue, - the professor assured her. -Steph is asleep on the roof, though I think you'd better go wake her up, and no more sugar fiestas, alright? - Rogue smiled.
- Sorry professor, - she said sheepishly, then walked out the front door and rose into the air, landing on the roof and almost tripping over Steph in the dark.
"Hey! Watch it!" Steph said, her voice vibrating through the air and startling Rogue.
"Sorry," she said after a brief moment of nausea. Steph quickly got up and caught Rogue as she stumbled, smiling apologetically.
"That's ok," Rogue said, shaking her head. "Just can't- not as immune as ya," she said, giggling. Steph laughed too, careful to keep it quiet. Rogue blinked and smiled, then nodded at the mansion.
"Logan's up, wanna go bug him?" she asked. Steph closed her eyes.
"Lo, Logan," she frowned as she heard the vibration. Rogue laughed and Ruhko giggled, making Rogue let go as she jumped down on Steph.
"Eeba!" she said. Steph picked herself and Ruhko up and the two walked over to the edge of the roof.
"Well, ya got 'Lo' down. Call him that, he hasn't heard yoh voice yet," Rogue as the pair floated down and through a window Steph wrote on her slate and handed it to Rogue.
"You already shouted at him?" she read, looking up. "How'd ya do that an' not kill him?" Steph grabbed her slate back.
'Nearly did, common, lets go find him," she wrote, then passed Ruhko back to Rogue and hurried down the hall and jumping down the stairs, then running into the cafeteria and seeing Logan eating some leftover chicken she jumped on his lap and made him crash backwards. Climbing up before the stunned Logan could do anything Steph sat cross-legged on his chest and smiled at him.
"What the-? Steph!" Logan said in dismay, looking at the teen sitting on his chest and then noticing her grin.
"No," she said as he started to shove him off. Logan froze and looked at her.
"Yeh talked." He said in a soft voice.
"Lo," she said. "No Lo..."
"All she ken say," Rogue laughed walking in. Logan started to laugh, grabbing Steph and pulling her in for a hug as she flailed out in surprise.
"Yeh did it!" he said, still laughing. Steph looked at Rogue in shock, seeing the southern girl about to crack up herself. Logan let go and then looked up at her, scowling. "Alright kid, get offa me or ya will need t' make out a will," he said. Steph stuck her tongue out at him but got up anyway, stealing the rest of his chicken as he slowly got up.
Logan smiled at her.
"Soon kid, I'll never hear the end of it," he said. Then he groaned. "A teenage girl gettin' her voice back, yeh'll talk up a storm!"
"No," Steph said. On her slate she quickly jotted a note, which Logan read. 'I've found out talking is overrated, most of the time.' Logan looked up.
"Most of the time?" he asked, Steph wrote another message, her face falling a little bit. 'Like when someone needs help.' "Oh," Logan said. He looked at Steph seriously. "That wasn't yer fault, kid, I shoulda known I couldn't do a level like that right then." Steph tried to smile, and then took another piece of Logan's chicken as Rogue cleared her throat.
"Ah, scuse me, but Ah can't relate ta what y'all are talkin about, so Ah'll just start up anotha talk," she said. She flashed an evil grin at Steph, who looked at her half curiously, then back at Logan. "Guess who was free fallen again- ah!" Steph immediately kicked Rogue, but Logan had already heard.
"You were free fallen again?" he demanded. "Crap, Steph, I told yeh that was too dangerous!" Steph made a face at him.
"No," she said defiantly, then wrote the rest. "It's great, and you're not my father yet, so stop acting like 'im."
"Yet?" Logan asked. Steph glared and pulled out of her back pocket a bunch of papers, then handed them to Logan, who looked at them. It was the adoption pages he had given her in the holding cell, and on the last page Steph had signed her name. He stared at it and then the slate, which fell over the paper. "Didn't know if I had to sign them but it's only in pencil right now, so if I'm not supposed ta we can erase it."
"What's that?" Rogue asked, looking over Logan's shoulder curiously while Ruhko gabbed away and pulled at her hair. Rogue's mouth dropped. "Yah, yah gonna adopt her?" she asked, looking at Logan in amazement. "Yah wanna adopt her?!"
"She's too young t' be on her own," Logan said, shrugging and fighting the urge to smile and hug Steph. Rogue started to giggle and Logan and Steph looked at her strangely. "What's with yeh Stripes?" Logan asked. Rogue laughed.
"Ya gonna be a daddy, Logan," she said. "An' y'all will be a happy famahly, right? Logan, Steph an' Ruhko!"
"And you," Logan said. "Yer in my charge, Stripes, yeh can't get out that easy." Rogue giggle again.
"We're a matchin' set, huh?" she asked.
"No," Steph said, starting to giggle also. Logan shook his head and then noticed that there was no more chicken left on his plate, and that Steph was licking her fingers and finishing off his soda at the same time. When she saw him glaring at her she shrugged and wrote a note on her slate.
"Gramps, ya gotta eat your food or at least guard it around me, I thought ya knew better than that." Logan shook his head.
"I'll get it back outta ya," he growled. "Yeh owe me chicken now, squirt."