Hard to Say Three Words
By: Cece Williams
((Disclaimer: I don't own "XME" at all… oh, screw it. You already know that I don't own the show. Melanie's my original character, so you can't have her. AN: This is after "A Secret Worth Revealing" and "Almost Gone." Anywho, if it's a Kurt/OC romance you like, you'll probably be in for a treat. R later, all you Kurt fans!))
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It had only been two months since her fall to her almost death and one since her return to life. Melanie looked out her window and saw an attractive picturesque of the view from her second-story balcony. The leaves were changing colors; red, yellow and orange leaves in display, the colored leaves falling from the trees like little raindrops to the earth, and the sun was shining its big, yellowish-orange face against the brightly colored leaves. Melanie sighed; she had seen little things like that back home in London, but never seen it as beautiful as she saw it now.
Melanie was only in her light blue pajamas and gray fuzzy dolphin slippers, her long reddish-brown hair in two braids. She yawned into one of her hands, which she usually painted her fingernails blue, but for some strange reason, she had painted them almost like they were chocolate.
After taking in the scene, Melanie walked to her closet and pulled out a humble-looking outfit; a pair of flared jeans, a lavender cardigan, her black boots, and her black choker. Fortunately for her, the boots weren't really high, only three inch heels. She changed clothes quickly, and then pulled on her sliver earrings. She looked in the mirror in her room. Staying at the Institute brought some color back to her face and a smile that she barely knew she had.
Soon after that, she put on only a little bit of makeup, just a little powder and a soft red lipstick. She undid her braids, brushed her hair, and looked at her bedside clock: only 7AM. Smiling, she grabbed her books, shoved them into her backpack, and turned off her alarm, which was blaring. As soon as she turned off her alarm, she heard a knock on her door. "Melanie? Are you up?"
She looked up and, slinging her backpack on her shoulder, walked to the door, opening it to reveal a very familiar face. "Morning, Storm," she answered. "I'm already up."
Storm looked at Melanie, a concerned look on her face. "Been up talking to your parents?" she asked her.
"No, not really," she answered, smiling. "You know my father; he's probably too busy to talk to me anyway. Besides, it's a long-distance call, and I don't think he'll like me racking up the charges here."
"That's understandable," Storm answered. "What time did you wake up?"
"About ten minutes ago," she answered. "I've never been able to see a sunrise like that back home. Big Ben was always in the way."
Storm laughed. "Yeah, well, lucky for you, you don't have to worry about a large clock blocking the view," she replied. "Just a bunch of trees."
"I don't have a problem with it," she answered her, raking a hand through her wavy reddish-brown hair. "Is everyone else up?"
"Logan's up, as usual," Storm answered. "The Professor's up, too, along with, let's see…" She counted on her fingers and shrugged. "Other than you and me, that's pretty much it."
Before Melanie could say anything further, she saw a door open and a red-haired girl walked out. She looked at them. "Good morning, Storm," she said. Looking at Melanie, she added, "You're up early."
"Well, you know, I'm an early bird," she answered. She saw the redhead yawn. "Jean, did we wake you up?"
"No, I'm fine," she answered. She looked at them and she started walking down the hall.
"I'd better get the others up," Storm told her. "See you downstairs." With that, she walked down the hall.
Melanie sighed again, and just as she was about to close her door, she heard a poof noise from behind her. "Kurt, glad to see you're awake," she said without turning around. "If you weren't, I would've grabbed you by your ear again."
Kurt rolled his sleepy yellow eyes. "Glad to see your humor's back," he answered her as she turned back around. "Feeling any better?" He yawned into one of his three-fingered hands, blinking once.
"Yeah," she answered. "The Professor's been very lenient towards my Danger Room make-up. He told me to take it easy until I was up to par with everyone else."
He looked back up at her, glad that she was physically all right. "Did he say when you'll be back on the team again?" he asked.
"No, not really," she answered. "For my sake, I hope he doesn't kick me off or send me back to London for what I did." She was about to bite her bottom lip when Kurt said her name.
"He's not going to do anything like that," he answered, meeting Melanie's green eyes. "I wouldn't know what to do if that happened."
She turned away from him, closing her door. "I'm sure you would've thought of something," she answered. Giggling, she added, "Oh, and I'd turn on the inducer if I were you; can't go off scaring people, right?"
Kurt laughed; she was getting back to normal. "Right," he answered, switching on his inducer, which turned him from a blue guy with fangs to a normal looking guy. "How's this?" He waved his arms in a "ta da!" fashion.
Now, she laughed openly. "Now, you got to change clothes," she answered, starting to walk downstairs. "Meet you in the kitchen."
Watching Melanie walk off, he said, "Okay, fraulein." He 'ported back to his room and changed from his pajamas to his normal outfit. After grooming himself, he 'ported behind the British beauty.
"Nice to see you too, Kurt," Melanie said without turning her back.
Kurt smiled. "You sure have gotten used to me 'porting near you, haven't you?" he asked her.
Melanie turned around to meet the blue-haired German's eyes. "It's a habit I know you can't break," she answered him, winking at him.
Scott shook his head and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Man, she's just teasing with you," he said.
"I know that," he answered. He looked at Melanie, who had struck a conversation with Kitty, who seemed to really enjoy her company. "She's just that kind of girl."
"Well, if you like her so much, why don't you ask her out?" Scott asked him, his eyebrow raising.
Kurt blushed; this time because of his disguise it was visible. "Scott, Melanie and I are just friends; that's all," he answered. "I mean, what if she says no to me?"
"What makes you think that?" he asked his friend. "She's definitely got a crush on you; that's probably why she hangs next to you like a puppy."
Kurt laughed. "She's not a puppy; she's a nice girl," he answered him. "Not to mention good-looking," he added, bringing his blue eyes up to the British girl. "And fun to be around."
"So, why haven't you set up a date?"
"A date with who?" Melanie's voice broke through the conversation.
The two boys looked at her. "Oh, hey, Melanie," Scott said. "We were talking about some other girl that's single."
Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged. "Okay," she said, almost dejectedly. She grabbed her backpack and looked over her shoulder. With that, she looked at them and left the mansion.
School seemed to drag on and on and on. After her six period Public Speaking class, she seemed oblivious as she walked to the parking lot.
"Okay, Kurt, here's your chance," Bobby, another of the team, said.
Nodding, he made his way to her car, an American Jeep. He saw that Melanie was just about to get in the Jeep, so he had to act fast if he wanted to ask her.
"Melanie?" she heard a voice from behind her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" It was Kurt, which kind of shocked her.
"Sure," she answered, getting in the Jeep while Kurt got in on the passenger side. "What's up?"
"Well, Melanie, I've been thinking," he began. "Since we've been friends for almost four months; well, three because of that coma you were in…"
"Go ahead and make it four," Melanie interrupted. "The coma counts."
"Okay," he continued. "Well, anyway, um, are you doing anything tonight, by any chance?"
"No, not really," she answered. "Why are you asking?"
"Well, I was just thinking that since you don't have any plans and I don't either, then we could go somewhere, uh, together…"
"Kurt," she interrupted him again. "You're asking me out, aren't you?"
Blushing, he nodded. "Yeah, that would be it."
"I'd love to," she answered, smiling half shyly, half relieved. "I would really like that, Kurt."
While Kurt was talking to Melanie in her Jeep, he gave the others a thumbs-up, which made them cheer for him.
"Kurt's got a girlfriend!" Bobby chanted, only to have Scott cover his mouth.
"Cut it out," he said. "Kurt just wants to date Melanie, not that that's a bad idea, but maybe Mel will open up to him a little more… literally."
Back in the Jeep, Melanie looked back at him. "Well, where did you have in mind?" she asked him. This time, she was blushing; for some strange reason, she didn't know.
"I don't know," he answered. "Anywhere you have in mind?"
Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there's a really good movie in the theater tonight," she answered. "It's called, um, I know the name…" She snapped her fingers, trying to bring the name of the movie to her mouth.
" 'Cabin Fever'?" he finished her thought.
"Yeah, that's it," she answered. "I just don't want to see it alone, you know what I mean?"
"Sounds like a great plan," Kurt answered, but before he could add anything else, his inducer went crazy and he returned back into his blue form. He shrunk into the passenger seat, his yellow eyes looking up at her worriedly. "Um, Melanie? I think we got a problem."
She grabbed his wrist where the inducer was and pressed a button; this brought him back to his human form. "I know; we'll have to get the Professor to check that out when we get back home," she said, smiling.
"You're a lifesaver," he said to her, sitting back up in the seat. He dropped his books on the floorboard of her Jeep. "So, what are we waiting for?"
She looked out ahead of her and saw that the other guys had already gone back to the mansion. "Nothing, really," she answered, starting up the Jeep and heading back to the mansion.
After they had gotten back to the mansion, Kurt had gone off to find the Professor while Melanie went to her room to do her homework. Clearing her throat, she started on her Geometry, which only took her only ten minutes to finish, and went on to another subject.
Kurt, on the other hand, was in the Professor's study. Before he could say that he was going on a date that night…
"I already know, Kurt," the Professor said to him. "That's why you're nervous about dating Melanie; your inducer's been going crazy."
He had an uncanny ability to know things before they happened, which really shocked Kurt. "That's it exactly," he answered, sitting on the chair on his feet.
"Kurt, there's something else," the Professor added. "I've had a chance to probe your mind and you really have feelings for Melanie, don't you?"
Now, his heart was thudding out of control. "What?" he said, almost falling out of his chair. "You have to be kidding." Kurt's yellow eyes looked at the Professor. "Melanie's from a rich family; why would she want to date me?"
"Maybe because she likes you for who you are; the Kurt Wagner underneath the inducer and not the one that she sees at school," he answered.
"But I can't go out with her looking like this," Kurt protested, his spaded tail flicking around behind him.
"I know; in an hour, your inducer will help you out all night, all right?" the Professor said. After Kurt gave him his inducer, he added, "Now, go on and do your homework, okay? And don't worry about a thing."
Nodding, Kurt 'ported back to his room and started on his homework. Instead of concentrating, his mind was filled with thoughts. Why would Melanie want to date me, of all the guys that practically follow her around? he thought to himself. Could the Professor be right and she likes me for me? Shrugging his shoulders, he started his homework and finished it in record time; despite the nagging questions he kept asking himself.
In her room, Melanie was listening to a burned CD that she had made back home in England. "Stay the Same" was playing, while the British girl was reading a magazine. She hummed the song, thinking about the inducer on Kurt's wrist. Maybe I should cancel the movie, she thought to herself, sighing. On the other hand, she didn't have to; she liked him enough for the inducer not to matter. "'There's nothing about you I would change'," she sang the last line, smiling.
The hours went by fast, and soon Kurt had to do something. He heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he answered, hearing the door open.
"Kurt, hey, man," Bobby said, raking a hand through his hair. He looked at Kurt, halfway shocked. He was wearing a dark blue sweater and khaki pants with black tennis shoes, the inducer on his wrist again. "Man, you're trying to impress the lady, aren't you?"
His hand went to the inducer that the Professor had given back to him and turned it on, turning him back into the human that usually appeared at school. As he turned around, Bobby could tell he was blushing. "Well, I hope I'm not dressing as the oddball," he answered. "Have you heard from Melanie?"
"Yeah, she said for you to meet her at the gazebo in ten minutes."
He looked at the clock, which read 6:30pm. "Okay," he answered, raking a hand through his hair and walking out the door. "I'm there."
Bobby shook his head and followed him until he got to the common room. "Well, Kurt, this night just might become public," he said, holding up Evan's camcorder. He waited until Kurt had 'ported from view; then he went over to a bush not too far from where Melanie was.
Melanie sat on the railing of the gazebo, wearing a pair of khaki pants, brown shoes, and a brown and red elbow-length shirt. Her face only showed a little makeup as usual; powder, a tan eye shadow, and light brownie-like lipstick. She placed one arm around the pole and leaned against it, humming a song from one of her favorite animes.
"Hey, Mel," a familiar voice said from behind her.
As she turned her head to her side, she saw Kurt sitting next to her. She started biting the inside of her mouth, a very bad habit for her. "You're early."
"Isn't that supposed to be a good first impression?" he asked her, gazing into her green eyes, which seemed to glow with the moon over their heads. Now that he thought about it, she looked really mysterious in the moonlight. Not that he really cared, but she did look much more than the angelic facade that she passed off every day at school.
"Yes, and so far, I'm impressed," she answered, turning to face him with an almost guilty look on her pretty face. "But the only one I'm not impressed with is myself, not what after what I've done."
Kurt looked at her. "What are you talking about, Melanie?" he asked her. He saw tears creeping to the British girl's eyes. "What do you mean, after what you've done?" He reached a hand to her face.
She recoiled slowly until she was against the pole. "Kurt, it's my fault your mother went over the cliff," she said, letting the tears fall from her eyelashes and down her cheeks. "I should have done something sooner… if only… if I had only…" She felt a finger sliding across her cheeks, causing her to look at his face, which didn't look angry or anything of the sort.
"It's not your fault," he answered. "You didn't know it was going to happen, Melanie." He saw her eyes look away from his. "I didn't even know it was going to happen, either."
She looked into Kurt's eyes again, sniffling. "Can you forgive me?" Without another thought, she laid her head on his shoulder.
He ran his hand through her hair while he felt the girl of his dreams trembling in his arms. "Melanie, what's done is done," he answered. "It's not your fault, and it never will be, but to ease your mind, I forgive you." He rocked her slowly, trying not to scare her while stroking her hair. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."
Sniffling, she sat up, drying her eyes while looking into his eyes. She hoped that he wasn't lying about what he said. "Same here," she answered him, wrapping one arm around the pole again.
Both Kurt and Melanie's hearts were beating out of control. Melanie swallowed slowly, bracing herself for the truth. Kurt, on the other hand, slid next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I know someone's going to be telling you this, but I want you to hear it from me," he said, turning around and stepping back inside the gazebo. He took a deep breath and looked back at Melanie, who had turned around and was facing him. "I'm in love with you, Melanie."
Her face grew into shock, so much in fact that the tears that came back to her eyes fell down her face, but this time she didn't try to hide it. She stood to her feet and walked up to almost where Kurt was standing. Her lips moved to say the words, but her voice was stuck deep in her throat. Finally, after a minute, she finally gathered her voice back. "Kurt…" was all that she could get out before her voice choked with emotion again.
"It's true, Melanie," he answered, grabbing her shoulders gently. "I thought that after everything that had happened, I wouldn't get the picture, but now I do." He looked into her misted green eyes and smiled. "I really love you."
From the bushes, Bobby muttered a hushed "Yes!" under his breath into the camcorder. "Kurt's finally got a girlfriend, but what will Melanie answer with?"
Melanie now had started to bite her bottom lip, letting the truth sink in. Kurt had finally told her that he loved her. She kept feeling like she couldn't say anything. Finally, she swallowed and, with a shaky voice, said, "I love you, too." She smiled, although she felt like crying. Her voice getting a little stronger, she said, "I love you, too, Kurt Wagner."
Before he could say anything in return, his inducer went crazy again. "Oh, man, what a bad way to end a romantic thought," he said to himself, still holding her but with his normal blue skin and three-fingered hands.
She looked into his now-yellow eyes and laughed. "Don't be silly, Kurt," she answered him, wrapping her arms around his furry shoulders. "The way I see it, we've only just begun." She stood up to him and gave him a kiss on his lips.
From the common room in the mansion, thanks to Bobby hooking up Evan's camcorder to the cable link, the others were watching all the love magic in the room. Scott and Ray both started cheering for them, shouts of "Go, Kurt!" came from several of the older students, and in a rare display of emotion, Rogue smiled.
Amara sighed. "Now, this is better than a soap opera," she said, only to have the guys looking at her. "Oh, I guess Melanie's rubbing off on me."
Kitty nodded. "I haven't seen Kurt this happy since, like, Amanda left town," she agreed. "I mean, when she left Kurt, that, like, really hurt him."
"Yeah, and now he's got himself a new girlfriend," Jean agreed with her, smiling that there was another romance going on in the mansion.
Amara nodded, looking to the other girls. "And Melanie won't hurt him like Amanda did," she said. She looked at the TV. "They look so cute together."
Back on the gazebo, they let go of each other. Kurt had slipped his arms to her waist, but Melanie didn't seem to mind. In fact, despite her tear-stained cheeks, she smiled brightly as if she hadn't smiled for most of her life, which was true. The movie escaped their minds; it was as if to them the movie didn't matter.
"Well, there's only one thing that would make this night better," Melanie said, drying her eyes.
Kurt raised his eyebrow. "What would that be?" he asked her, his spaded tail wrapping around her waist.
The smile remained on her face. "To find the guy who taped this and kick his butt," she answered.
"What makes you so sure that someone taped it?" Kurt asked her, ruffling her hair with his fuzzy hand.
Her eyes darted to one of the bushes near them, which was rustling. She looked back at Kurt. "Oh, call it a hunch," she answered. She stepped back as Kurt 'ported out and returned with Bobby, who was holding a camcorder. She crossed her arms against her chest. "Bobby, why were you taping us?"
Bobby shrugged. "Oh, hi, Melanie," he answered. "Glad to see you and Kurt are getting along well."
"Don't change the subject," she said. "Now, tell us the truth or I'll tell Kitty what you thought of her muffins this morning."
Kurt laughed, shaking his head. He leaned next to Melanie. "You are so bad," he said in her ear.
"I'm glad to hear it from you," she whispered back. Aloud to Bobby, she said, "So, what's it going to be?"
"Okay, Scott wanted me to tape it, so he could show it to Amara to blackmail me," Bobby answered, shrugging off Kurt's hand on his shoulder. "Well, now that I'm busted, I guess I should show the Professor what you two were doing in the dark." Laughing, he ran off.
Melanie was about to run after him when Kurt grabbed her arm. "Oh, let's let him live through the night," he said. He looked at his watch. "Oh, man, the movie's almost over."
"Well, I got the movie "Anger Management" on DVD back in my room," she answered. "You up for a late movie?"
Smiling, Kurt nodded. He grabbed Melanie by her waist and 'ported them into the common room, where they were greeted with the older students cheering for them. After watching Melanie blush, he 'ported them to her room, where they watched "Anger Management."
During the movie, however, Melanie had laid her head on Kurt's shoulder. She snuggled up to the fuzzy elf and closed her eyes.
After a few minutes, he looked down at her. Seeing that she was asleep, he shrugged, lying in bed with her. He ruffled her hair a little, only to feel her arms go around his waist. She mumbled something about loving Kurt the way he is and not for what he is, making him blush deeper than he thought possible.
"Melanie?" he asked her. "Are you all right?"
She squeezed her arms gently around his ribs, indicating that she was fine.
Before the movie was over, Kurt closed his eyes as well. "Good night, Melanie," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before going to sleep. "I love you, fraulein."
Now that they finally said the hard to say three words, they felt better and closer to each other than they had originally thought.
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((Please R&R this and my other stories as well. Melanie's not a Mary Sue-type person, but if she does sound that way, please let me know. Thanks!))