Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever owned X-men Evolution and its
affiliated characters.
I wish I did though, as I would be able to then do anything I wanted with
them without fear of copyright infringement.
******************************************************************** X-23 looked up at the huge building that the people inside called home. She would soon live there too, for how long was another question altogether. She shook off the chill she was feeling, not from the fact that the building simply loomed over her but because sometime during the night the damp air had given way to showers, leaving her quite wet and cold. Nevertheless she refused to shade and shiver in front of whomever might open the door. After all, shaking because you were cold was a sign of weakness.
The girl took a deep breath before pressing her finger to the doorbell. She heard the noise reverberate through the house and waited. How late was it? She had never thought of what would happen if she woke them up. Would they be angry at her? X-23 began to shuffle her feet before she heard footsteps from inside and stopped immediately.
The door opened to reveal the tall, white-haired African woman she had used a disk on during her last "visit". Looking at the soft, fluffy robe and her disheveled hair X-23 guessed she had woken her up. The woman's eye-brows lifted as she took in X-23's wet state. "Well, come inside. We can't have you standing all night out in the rain." X-23 couldn't believe that the woman had not attacked her on the spot. After all, she had done so to the woman the last time they met.
She was lead into a large foyer which she had barely taken a second glance at before and took the time for a better look. It was huge. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want a ceiling that high if they were just going to sand on the ground. She stopped herself and, putting on her game face, looked at the woman. "I need to see Professor Xavier."
"First let's get you out of those wet clothes."
"I'm not cold, if that's what you're thinking."
"If you really feel that you must see the Professor this instant, fine. But if you're staying the night you will change into some clean clothes. Pajamas preferably since it's not yet time to be up and about."
"Fine."
"This way." The woman lead her up the stairs and down a hallway, stopping before a large oak door. "He's waiting for you inside," she reassured.
X-23 once again calmed herself before opening the door and walking inside. It wasn't a bedroom as she had expected, but instead a small study with a desk in one corner and bookshelves lining the walls. The professor sat in the middle of the room looking her over. "Didn't Ororo offer you some dry clothes?"
"She tried. I told her they could wait."
"What is it that's so important that you couldn't take the time to dry yourself off?" He handed her a towel that had been setting behind the desk. "I figured you might have been impatient," he explained. She took the towel, feeling it with her wet, wrinkled fingers before using it to dry herself off. "You want to tell me what this is about?"
"I need to know what you did to me when I was last here."
"I assure you we did nothing to you."
"Liar," she yelled. "If you did nothing to me why am I so confused? Why do I cry and feel alone or afraid. I was never like this until I came here to chase down Wolverine."
"Perhaps it's simply that you're getting older, seeing things in a different way. It's a little late for a biology lesson but I'm sure Ororo would be only too happy to fill you in. As for your own personal reasons as to why you feel the way you do you'll have to find out for yourself. But you're welcome to stay here as long as you like while you're figuring things out." She nodded. "Now, I'm sure Ororo has found you something not so wet for you to wear and a bed to sleep in. She's waiting for you in the hall. Tomorrow we can talk some more and you can meet the Institute's other residents."
"Wait."
"Yes," he asked.
"Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, if I were you I would have attacked me on the spot."
"Wolverine explained your situation to us. And I can read your thoughts, you're projecting them quite vividly you know, and they tell me you're not here for a fight." X-23 just nodded. "If that's all for now, good night, I'll see you in the morning." She forced herself to smile in return, a gesture she had often seen used as a way of reacting to something in a positive fashion without saying a word. It felt awkward on her face; foreign and not the least bit natural.
Ororo was, in fact, waiting for her outside the door, leaning against the wall, not really alert, just serene. X-23 only got to study her for a second before the woman stood up of her own accord and handed her a small pile of clothing. "Pajamas," she told her. "And some clothing for tomorrow. You'll have a room to yourself unless its absolutely necessary to place you with someone."
"You're afraid I'll hurt them."
Ororo watched her for a moment, appraising, before saying, "I just thought you'd be more comfortable if you were by yourself. If you'd prefer a roommate we can place you with one." She started on her way back down the hall, taking a left turn down another corridor. "The bathroom is here if you'd like a shower, towels are in the cupboard and..." passing another two doors," here is your room." She opened the door to reveal a medium sized room with a bed, dresser and closet."
"This is mine?"
"Yes. Don't seem so shocked. This isn't a prison you know." X-23 nodded. "Well, if that's all, goodnight."
"Goodnight," she replied, still gaping at the room. It looked like all those rooms she had seen before but knew she could never have. Spring green curtains covered the tall windows that she discovered lead out onto a balcony. The bed was soft, a flowered green comforter to match the drapes lay across it. A door, which she realized was not the one she came in through opened up to a closet. On the inside of the door hung a mirror. X- 23 gaped at herself. She was a mess. Not that it bothered her because she looked bad but a small part of her wished she could have looked half as together as Ororo had waking from a sound sleep.
Thinking about this she closed the closet door and walked down the hallway toward the bathroom. It would be nice to take a shower before changing into the soft pajamas Ororo had given her.
The water was warm and wonderfully relaxing as it beat down on her tan skin, washing away the sweat and grime from her journey. The lavender soap smelled wonderful and she even went so far as to shampoo and condition her hair. She didn't really want to leave the warm safety of the shower until she realized that her hands were once again prune-like.
X-23 gave a slight shiver as the cool air his her moistened skin but the pajamas soon warmed her up as she headed for the soft bed that had been given to her. She barely remembered her head hitting the pillow the next morning, the blankets enveloping her as she dozed.
*********************************************************************** That's it for now. Let me know what you think. As for those of you who reviewed my last chapter thanks bunches.
******************************************************************** X-23 looked up at the huge building that the people inside called home. She would soon live there too, for how long was another question altogether. She shook off the chill she was feeling, not from the fact that the building simply loomed over her but because sometime during the night the damp air had given way to showers, leaving her quite wet and cold. Nevertheless she refused to shade and shiver in front of whomever might open the door. After all, shaking because you were cold was a sign of weakness.
The girl took a deep breath before pressing her finger to the doorbell. She heard the noise reverberate through the house and waited. How late was it? She had never thought of what would happen if she woke them up. Would they be angry at her? X-23 began to shuffle her feet before she heard footsteps from inside and stopped immediately.
The door opened to reveal the tall, white-haired African woman she had used a disk on during her last "visit". Looking at the soft, fluffy robe and her disheveled hair X-23 guessed she had woken her up. The woman's eye-brows lifted as she took in X-23's wet state. "Well, come inside. We can't have you standing all night out in the rain." X-23 couldn't believe that the woman had not attacked her on the spot. After all, she had done so to the woman the last time they met.
She was lead into a large foyer which she had barely taken a second glance at before and took the time for a better look. It was huge. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want a ceiling that high if they were just going to sand on the ground. She stopped herself and, putting on her game face, looked at the woman. "I need to see Professor Xavier."
"First let's get you out of those wet clothes."
"I'm not cold, if that's what you're thinking."
"If you really feel that you must see the Professor this instant, fine. But if you're staying the night you will change into some clean clothes. Pajamas preferably since it's not yet time to be up and about."
"Fine."
"This way." The woman lead her up the stairs and down a hallway, stopping before a large oak door. "He's waiting for you inside," she reassured.
X-23 once again calmed herself before opening the door and walking inside. It wasn't a bedroom as she had expected, but instead a small study with a desk in one corner and bookshelves lining the walls. The professor sat in the middle of the room looking her over. "Didn't Ororo offer you some dry clothes?"
"She tried. I told her they could wait."
"What is it that's so important that you couldn't take the time to dry yourself off?" He handed her a towel that had been setting behind the desk. "I figured you might have been impatient," he explained. She took the towel, feeling it with her wet, wrinkled fingers before using it to dry herself off. "You want to tell me what this is about?"
"I need to know what you did to me when I was last here."
"I assure you we did nothing to you."
"Liar," she yelled. "If you did nothing to me why am I so confused? Why do I cry and feel alone or afraid. I was never like this until I came here to chase down Wolverine."
"Perhaps it's simply that you're getting older, seeing things in a different way. It's a little late for a biology lesson but I'm sure Ororo would be only too happy to fill you in. As for your own personal reasons as to why you feel the way you do you'll have to find out for yourself. But you're welcome to stay here as long as you like while you're figuring things out." She nodded. "Now, I'm sure Ororo has found you something not so wet for you to wear and a bed to sleep in. She's waiting for you in the hall. Tomorrow we can talk some more and you can meet the Institute's other residents."
"Wait."
"Yes," he asked.
"Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, if I were you I would have attacked me on the spot."
"Wolverine explained your situation to us. And I can read your thoughts, you're projecting them quite vividly you know, and they tell me you're not here for a fight." X-23 just nodded. "If that's all for now, good night, I'll see you in the morning." She forced herself to smile in return, a gesture she had often seen used as a way of reacting to something in a positive fashion without saying a word. It felt awkward on her face; foreign and not the least bit natural.
Ororo was, in fact, waiting for her outside the door, leaning against the wall, not really alert, just serene. X-23 only got to study her for a second before the woman stood up of her own accord and handed her a small pile of clothing. "Pajamas," she told her. "And some clothing for tomorrow. You'll have a room to yourself unless its absolutely necessary to place you with someone."
"You're afraid I'll hurt them."
Ororo watched her for a moment, appraising, before saying, "I just thought you'd be more comfortable if you were by yourself. If you'd prefer a roommate we can place you with one." She started on her way back down the hall, taking a left turn down another corridor. "The bathroom is here if you'd like a shower, towels are in the cupboard and..." passing another two doors," here is your room." She opened the door to reveal a medium sized room with a bed, dresser and closet."
"This is mine?"
"Yes. Don't seem so shocked. This isn't a prison you know." X-23 nodded. "Well, if that's all, goodnight."
"Goodnight," she replied, still gaping at the room. It looked like all those rooms she had seen before but knew she could never have. Spring green curtains covered the tall windows that she discovered lead out onto a balcony. The bed was soft, a flowered green comforter to match the drapes lay across it. A door, which she realized was not the one she came in through opened up to a closet. On the inside of the door hung a mirror. X- 23 gaped at herself. She was a mess. Not that it bothered her because she looked bad but a small part of her wished she could have looked half as together as Ororo had waking from a sound sleep.
Thinking about this she closed the closet door and walked down the hallway toward the bathroom. It would be nice to take a shower before changing into the soft pajamas Ororo had given her.
The water was warm and wonderfully relaxing as it beat down on her tan skin, washing away the sweat and grime from her journey. The lavender soap smelled wonderful and she even went so far as to shampoo and condition her hair. She didn't really want to leave the warm safety of the shower until she realized that her hands were once again prune-like.
X-23 gave a slight shiver as the cool air his her moistened skin but the pajamas soon warmed her up as she headed for the soft bed that had been given to her. She barely remembered her head hitting the pillow the next morning, the blankets enveloping her as she dozed.
*********************************************************************** That's it for now. Let me know what you think. As for those of you who reviewed my last chapter thanks bunches.
