Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to the creators of X-Men...help me out here...Marvel? Oh, and since I'm going from both the cartoon and the movie, I guess I'm also borrowing from 20th Century Fox. I think I got that all straight.

Author's Note: Thanks to those who have reviewed. It really means alot to me.

Chapter 4

Leaving behind her little town in California, Laughing Water headed towards Colorado. She had a tía, an aunt, who lived in Denver who would be glad to see her. But just as she crossed the state line into Utah from Arizona, she saw something that led her to believe that she was hallucinating.

It looked like a freakin' ship-jet looking thing was landing right in front of her! And to top it all off people were getting out. People in stupid looking suits, Laughing Water thought to herself.

"What the hell?!" Laughing Water yelled in frustration and slammed her fist into the steering wheel. She glanced at her rearview mirror to see if anyone was behind her in the darkness. No such luck. She watched as a tall, muscular man with funky looking sun glasses walked beside an elder in a wheel chair. Laughing Water rolled down her window to tell them to move the hell outta her way.

"You lost?" she asked the approaching men sarcastically.

"No, child. We're not lost," the bald man said, "but you are."

"Listen, Old Man, I don't believe that's the way to talk to strangers, but will you and your muscle man mind moving your freakin' ship outta the way?" And it was then that she felt the element of fire radiating from Muscles over there. Uh-oh. This could be bad, she though to herself. "What do you want?" Laughing Water asked calmly, preparing herself for a fight...after all, that's what she did best. Although she had been raised to respect her elders, she would take out the Old Man if she needed to.

When Muscles, who she would discover later was Cyclops, didn't stop coming towards her car, she lifted her hand and flicked her wrist. Muscles was jolted back a few feet by a gust of wind.

"Call of the lap dog, Old Man," Laughing Water said, her sweet voice tinkling.

Xavier looked at the slight girl sitting so calmly in her little car...and was astonished to read from her that she didn't really want for him to call off Scott. Oh, yes, she wanted to pit her strength against his best X-Man's.

"We're here to help, child," Xavier said soothingly.

"Well, Old Man, I didn't ask for your help," Laughing Water said in her singsong voice. She stepped out of the car, ready to take on the world...or one well built mutant who could blast her away if she gave him the chance. Whatever, she thought to herself.

Muscles, as Laughing Water now referred to him as in her head, came toward her again, but cautiously this time. She smirked at his loss of arrogance now replaced with wariness. Not fear, just caution.

"I want to help you, Laughing Water. With your powers that is," the Old Man was saying.

"Like I said, Old Man, I don't need your help. Not even with my powers," Laughing Water snapped, insulted that this man should presume to even think he knew what kind of power she wielded and that he could help her with it. As she spoke she kept her gaze on Scott, but with the Old Man's next words she whirled around to face him.

"Well then Laughing Water, I want you to fight for me. If you're in full control of your powers, I want you to come with me and fight for me," Xavier said, watching as her eyes sparked with interest.

Laughing Water really looked at the two men in front of her. Now that she took the time, she could see that they both practically oozed compassion and understanding. She had always thought those emotions were too girlish for real men to feel, but they weren't bad things in general. In fact, Muscles over there still looked good enough to eat even with those girly emotions gushing silently from him.

She looked them over once more...then smiled.

"Well, why didn't you say that in the first place, Old Man? Be happy to!" Laughing Water said gaily. "You wanna help me with my bags, Muscles?" she asked of Scott. "Promise I won't bite..." Laughing Water said, grinning, "hard." She snapped her teeth and laughed.

Scott for his part looked relieved he wasn't going to have to take that sweet-looking little innocent girl to the school by force, and grinned at her comments. "The name's Scott Summers and this is Professor Charles Xavier," he said, gesturing to the man in the wheel chair, and held out his hand.

"Laughing Water Aguirre," she replied and shook his hand, then Xavier's. "Well, Old Man, mind telling me what I'm fighting for?" she asked as they loaded her stuff into the jet. She set her things down, then looked up and saw two of the hottest guys she had ever seen...

One was of medium height, had funny facial hair, but a knock-out body. As a plus, he had the most beautiful hazel eyes...he also had claws. She had heard a distinct "snikt" when she boarded the jet, and she would bet that those were she had heard. The other guy was perfection: tall and lanky with brownish-red hair. And his eyes were gorgeous, though unusual. Red on black eyes, that's what he had.

"Goddamn, Old Man! How many of these beautiful warriors do you have?" Laughing Water asked Xavier...in total seriousness.