A/N: Sorry for wait on publishing chapters, I had a period filled with finals, moving, and flying to Iowa (where I am currently, with my fiance) + the holidays. Will still be a bit spacey with updates but I haven't forgotten :-)
4
Laura is in her first class, the equivalent of grade eleven English. She's starting about a three to four year journey today. Kenny is not present; she is being watched by a volunteer in the daycare
center. The first time Laura has agreed to part with her in the months since her birth.
Kenny's birth. This brings about memories of the hospital Julian had forced her to go to. He'd somehow greased the wheels of admittance, and instead of the home birth Laura had been planning,
she'd lain in a hospital bed, with stirrups, and pushed when told. There had been painkillers too—which Laura couldn't admit (at the time) had worn off as soon as they hit her bloodstream.
Julian had, to his credit, remained in the delivery room. She'd suspected it was punishment to himself, a kind of 'look what you've done' thing. Whatever the reason, he was present when Kenny was
born, and had been the first to hold her. Laura had watched through drooping, exhausted eyelids as her ex-client carefully hoisted the alien being that had chewed its way out of her; she couldn't
tell if he liked it or was repulsed by it. Kenny was pretty odd-looking, at birth, her head all squished and her eyes too big. It wasn't till later that she'd filled out and become this picturesque infant
that drew positive, cuddly responses from all that viewed her.
"Laura Kinney?" the English teacher repeats.
"Oh. Present," Laura says. Roll call.
At lunch, she wanders around the cafeteria, thinking about visiting Kenny. She picks a jello desert, and a chicken salad thing; she marvels at the free food. She then begins to look for a seat in the crowded
cafeteria, but it's difficult.
Her eyes accidentally scan Julian's table and notes there is a seat free, beside him. She tries to look away but is not fast enough; he's seen her, and is standing up. "Over here," he calls.
Sighing, Laura heads for the table. She had been dreading sitting with his friends. Soon she'll have to meet the girl he does like, and she guesses that she will probably feel friendly towards her—because she
won't be able to help it. Julian would pick a nice girl. And, right now, she is comfortable and happy with her burning hatred for this other being.
Laura sits down, then lifts her fork and begins to push her salad around.
"This is Laura," Julian says dutifully. It's clear he's doing this because his friends found it odd that he hadn't invited her before. Maybe he was too embarrassed to admit the baby was the only reason he still spoke to her.
"Nice to meet you," a dark-skinned guy seated across says. "I'm Brian."
"Santo," a very large guy says. He has bushy eyebrows and a craggy, chiseled face; his mouth looks petulant because his lower lip hangs, like a monkey's.
"Kevin," another man says. He's very covered up, and has long brown hair, tied back in a kind of ponytail.
"I am Sooraya," a girl says, quite obviously of Persian decent. She has brown, almond-shaped eyes, dark, glossy hair, and a kind face. She is very beautiful. Laura analyzes her, trying to see if this is
The One. Probably not, based on Julian's regular heartbeat and relaxed breathing. He is at home amongst these people, which, regretfully, includes herself.
Cessily smiles at her from the end. "You already know me," she says brightly.
"Yeah. Hi," Laura says, between bites.
"Hi." Cessily pauses. "These two have the cutest daughter ever."
"Oh, yeah," Santo grunts. Julian looks at his plate for a while. Then the topic changes.
A lot of discussion flies past. Classes that Laura does not attend, people that Laura does not know, events she has not been present for. Eventually everyone stands up to go; she lingers.
She doesn't want to walk with them.
"Aren't you coming?" Cessily asks her.
"I'm going to eat a bit more," Laura says.
Julian and the group has stopped, too; the former backtracks and bends at the waist, kisses her forehead. "I'll see you later," he says. Cessily appears satisfied and they leave. Oddly, Laura feels like
crying into her jello. What's so special about these people? Just that their lives had less misfortune?
…
Kenny is ecstatic when Laura retrieves her. She takes the girl on a walk, and introduces her to a fuzzy caterpillar (which Kenny decides is a 'Capiah'). When they return to their suite, it is dark, and Julian is
lying on the bed, reading. He looks up when the door opens.
"Hey," he says.
"Hey yourself." Laura carries in the pink-cheeked Kenny.
"Did you take her for a walk?"
"Yes."
"But I wanted to come," Julian complains. "Seriously, why don't you ever text me? I would've jogged out to meet you."
"I don't have a phone," Laura points out.
"…oh," he says. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Not important." Laura takes Kenny to her grip and deposits her gently.
"It's the weekend tomorrow. We'll go get you one."
"I don't have money." Laura bends over and picks up the elephant Kenny has flung out of her crib, then gives it to her. The shopping trip had come and gone, and Laura had a few new outfits, as well as Kenny;
but they were by no means extravagant. Laura had had difficult receiving charity, and so had stuck to the bare minimum required.
"I do," Julian says.
"Oh. Kenny needs new shoes, then. She ripped hers the other day."
"Alright." Julian feigns to read.
"Wait, it's the weekend? Why aren't you out with you little friends?" Laura asks, unable to help the sarcasm.
"This is more important. Priorities, woman."
"Oh."
Nothing more is said for the night. Laura reads her work for a bit, then crawls into the bed and closes her eyes.
…
They get off the bus the next morning and head towards the mall strip, Kenny in a good mood and constantly pointing at things. Often, she points at Julian and cries 'POO!' which they both affect to ignore.
At the phone store, Julian helps her pick a phone that will be easy to use. It has a flip-open keyboard, and is pink in color. When he signs the contract, the nice clerk who has been helping them stops and stares at Julian's signature.
"The Kellers?" he asks, turning white like a sheet.
"No," Julian says, grinning, but he's also pale. Laura, observant, zeros in on something she'd never thought of before. Wasn't Keller a multi-billion-dollar pharmacy chain? His reaction had been subtle but
there. Perhaps he was of relation, but trying to hide it.
Laura decides to let it drop, as now it is Kenny's turn. After about half an hour—because Julian wants something special—they find a pair of elephant runners that make Kenny kick her feet and squeal with
delight. Julian cracks up watching her, then goes to pay, seemingly satisfied and feeling he is getting his money's worth.
…
"Do you need anything?" he asks suddenly, as they are about to go.
"No." Laura makes for the doors.
"Come on, there's got to be something. I'd like to get you something."
Laura pauses. "Why?"
"You never get anything for yourself."
"I got a phone." Laura presses on the door.
"No! Come on!" Julian seems to think he's had a really good idea; he drags her back into the mall, and orders her to find something. He even takes Kenny from her so she can look freely. Finally Laura decides
he won't drop it, so she picks out a small locket necklace, where she can put a picture of Kenny. It has a little diamond or something on the front.
He seems happy with her choice, and when he leaves the store she finds there is also a pair of somewhat-matching earrings. She raises her eyebrows, still not understanding his insistence behind this
idea. On the bus ride home they are silent, but as they walk up Greymalkin lane from the stop to the school, he mentions that he feels bad, because he's burdened her with a kid when she can't even take
care of herself, and that he wants to make up for it.
Laura stops. "Kenny's not a burden," she says, surprised.
Julian eyes them.
"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm not alone anymore," Laura says simply.
He hesitates, then steps forward and pecks her on the cheek. They then continue up to the school, and Laura realizes things are slowly returning to how they used to be, before she'd had issues with
him. Maybe they're even better. Both are starting to understand a little more about each other, and where each one is coming from. The reasoning behind their thoughts and actions.
…
"HEY," Julian says as he bursts through the door. He looks out of breath. "Do you want to come for dinner with us?"
"No thanks," Laura says, finishing the tie on Kenny's shoe. They are about to go for a walk.
"Bring her! Soo and Cess want to see her again," he says.
Laura straightens. "Are you sure?" she asks, her eyebrow raised. This is unusual.
"Yeah. I'll help get her ready. What does she need?"
…
Laura finds it surreal to be sitting in a restaurant again. The last time she's been in one was over a year and a half ago, with a rich client who had 'wined, dined and 69'ed' her. Now here she is, with a baby
girl who is waiting expectantly for her next mouthful of micro minced spaghetti, sauce dripping down her chin and on her hands. Laura's salad awaits, but she's more concerned that Kenny not be fussy.
The other girls, Sooraya and Cessily, have been so nuts about Kenny that she hasn't felt too out of place, while the other ones—the guys—are occasionally interested in the little girl, but have drifted off
into their own conversations. Julian's eyes often reroute towards Kenny; he likes to look at the baby a lot. Laura thought that these glances were becoming increasingly positive as he got more involved.
"So—how did you two meet?" Cessily asks. Obviously, she thinks they are more together than they are.
Both Julian and Laura freeze, each wondering what the other will want them to say.
"She was a, uh, waitress," Julian starts.
"He was having a bad night—a friend of his had died," Laura finishes. As a child, she'd been trained to lie at the drop of a hat. "I was just coming off my shift so I stayed with him, and we talked. He needed
someone to listen." Not so much, but they didn't need to know what had actually happened.
"That is so sweet," Cessily coos. In the background, she notices Julian looking at her, somewhat relieved. Thankful? She'd smoothed over his unhappy memory quite nicely.
"And how the heck did you deal when you realized you were going to have her?" Cessily asks.
Laura shrugs.
"We just took things as they came," Julian says for her.
"You're lucky it turned out so well. Kenny's such a pretty baby," Sooraya says, obviously enchanted with the little girl. "When is her birthday, Laura?"
"About two months," Laura says. She'd been a winter baby; early November.
"BIRTHDAY PARTY!" Cessily says, looking excited. "It'll be her first. Oh, Laura, we have to. Can we?"
"Everyone could bring a present," Sooraya comments smartly. She's going into business courses.
"Okay," Laura says. This is actually a really good idea. Kenny needs more toys.
…
"Thanks," Julian says later, in the room.
Laura doesn't look over her book. She knows what he means. "You're welcome," she says, her fingers on the element Ad in her chemistry book.
Adamantium: a metalloid element, discovered in 1976 by Dr. Kenji Oyama of Japan. At first it was thought to be triple-bonded steel; now it has been made public that it is a combination of several materials
including (but not limited to) steel, mercury, and diamond. It is a patented process that creates a metal able to cut through any known material. One mole of adamantium is currently worth 2.6 million on
today's market.
Stupid bitch…now you'll have claws too, just like a real animal.
No one knows what lies between Laura's fingers and toes. No one cares; but they might if they would realize just how dangerous she can potentially be. And valuable. In her forearms and shins lay thin
coated blades of adamantium, a material one-atom thick at the edge. It can cut through anything, at a molecular level, by severing the bonds between the particles. She can cut flesh, bone, hair, glass,
10-inch-steel…with a flick of her wrist.
With her claws—and her superb martial arts training, eight different kinds—she is probably worth about a billion dollars, as a weapon. That was the last estimated price, ten years ago.
She will never tell.
"I mean, I really appreciate it," Julian says. The bed depresses; he's sat down on it, his back to her. "I know I'm a jerk for asking you to lie about it."
"You're not a jerk," Laura says absently. She's moved on to a description of Mercury, Hg. There's a few properties, mostly talk of its liquid properties and freezing point. She isn't quite as interested in this
metal. "It's not something that a lot of people would understand."
"Exactly," Julian says. He looks down at his hands. "Do you like it here?" he asks, to change the subject.
"Yes." Laura puts down her book. He wants to talk. She figures that the more she encourages this, the closer they will become, and therefore she should make an effort to listen whenever he has something
to say. So far, it seems to be working.
"How are your courses?" He's now lying down, about two feet or so apart from her.
"Good." Laura thinks of something to say about them. "I like English. And history is pretty interesting."
"I loved it. Thought about going into history, but I want to be involved in making the law." He turns to look at her. "Things could get real bad in the future…for us who are different. Maybe having well-trained
people who are wound up in politics already will help."
"No doubt," Laura says. Kenny makes a coughing sound; Laura sits up, but the girl continues to sleep, undisturbed.
"You heal, right?" he asks suddenly.
"Yes." Laura studies him, as he studies her.
"How did you find out? What was it like?"
Laura closes her eyes. It's right behind her eyelids, the hands grabbing her small chicken-wing arms, snapping them. Screams, her own. The metal brace she'd been strapped to; the doctors lowering
lead-shield-masks over their eyes, pushing buttons; receding from view.
The machine. She'd been bombarded by radiation, in a giant microwave. It was the most painful thing in her life, being torn apart at the molecular level. Child birth later was nothing. She'd vomited in her
own mouth and swallowed it, over and over. Her hair had fallen out, smoking; her skin bled and dried, the layer of fat under the epidermis evaporating. The smell of burning hair, human fat and excrement
had been overwhelming.
The two-hour process had started her healing factor though. She'd recovered in five minutes. Physically.
She opens her eyes. "I cut myself with a knife while preparing dinner."
"That's kind of tame," Julian grins.
"I guess. I got hit by a bus later," she offers. This had happened. Along with thousands of deaths by machine-gun fire, knife wounds, decapitations, amputations, disembowelments, mutilations. She knows
every kind of torture by the book—how to deal it, and how it feels to receive it.
This is something she's sure as hell not telling Julian.
"That's pretty heavy," he says admiringly. "What's it feel like?"
"Not very nice." She pauses. "Childbirth is almost as painful though."
"You had painkillers," he points out.
"They didn't work." Laura notes he winces slightly.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I couldn't. I didn't want you to clue in that I heal." Laura closes her eyes. "Besides, there are worse things than pain."
"True," Julian says. They've both lost people.
"I should get to bed. I have class, early." Laura puts her book on the floor. "Tonight was…nice."
"Yeah." He pauses. "We should do it again."
"Yeah," she says. They go to bed.