Skye: Chapter six. This one should hopefully be better. I hope…I'm losing track of what I'm doing. . but never mind…as long as I stick to the plan of this story…everything will be OK…right? Also, I've decided to change the name of this story to Diamond in the Rough. In this chapter, we see the relationship between Logan and Elska bloom…but guess who comes in and messes it all up? Well, THAT will be revealed in the next chapter. XD

Chapter 6: Midnight Stroll

It was cold outside, yet the sun was shining high a bright as the afternoon wore on. Elska was bored. She had decided to try and forget about Sabretooth but so far she wasn't having much luck. And the reason she was bored was because everyone was gone. Logan had disappeared off to somewhere called Alkali Lake, Rogue and Kitty were in classes meaning the rest of the kids were in classes too also meaning that all the teachers were teaching. Teachers…she had had to work hard to try and keep her thoughts blocked off from Jean and Professor Xavier, both of whom could tell that something was bothering her. But she wouldn't give in. She had managed a week without having to tell anyone, so she could manage the rest of her life too, couldn't she?

Because she had other people to think about, not just herself. And for the past few weeks, she had bonded so strongly with everyone. Rogue was her best friend, hands down. She could tell Rogue anything…well, almost anything. (She wasn't going to tell her about Sabretooth knowing that she would then tell Logan who would go nuts and also it would endanger her life). She knew a lot about Rogue and her life from all of her childhood memories and plans, her disastrous first kiss and her meeting Logan then the Magneto incident. There was also Kitty. Kitty was likeable but she wasn't the same as Rogue. Kitty liked popularity and boyfriends but Elska did not. And little Siryn. Elska loved the little girl and enjoyed her company. It seemed selfish, but playing with Siryn reminded her of her childhood with Láska. And she missed Láska terribly. Sometimes she felt that if she just reached high enough…or even looked around fast enough…or maybe even ran fast enough, she could get Láska back. But even if she could bring her little sister back, she wouldn't. The angels belonged with the angels. And it was Láska's decision to take her own life…and as long as it was what she wanted, Elska would be happier.

(Back to friends). She liked Jean…she really did. And Scott and Storm and her cousin John. And the professor had been like a father to her. Not HER father…but a proper father figure. And Logan…she couldn't even describe…he was a dark and dangerous man, she knew that. It was probably what attracted her to him. But he also had a soft, gentle side which he kept around her. She loved Logan…like, really loved him. She had never felt the feeling before…being in love. But that was just silly! He was like a hundred and God-knows how many years old and she was only nineteen! It wasn't possible…was it?

She shook her head out of her daydream and glanced down at what she had started to read. Great Expectations. What the hell was she doing, trying to read that? It was one of the single most boring books she had ever read and here she was about to read it AGAIN? What, was she on drugs or something?

She tossed the book down onto the little coffee table in the library and stood up. She had to find SOMETHING to do before she went insane with boredom. Going to bed sounded okay at that point…but it was the middle of the afternoon. She went up to her room anyway and pulled out a sketchpad. Grabbing some pencils, she headed back downstairs and out into the garden. It was cold but the sun was bright. She hugged herself as she trudged towards a large willow tree. She had already drawn the willow tree itself and she knew that there were birds living in it. So, sketchpad and pencils in one hand, she climbed the tree. It took her a little longer than it normally would have if she didn't have the sketchpad with her, but she eventually managed to get to one of the top branches. Several of the branches were quite close together so she sat on them, her feet splayed right out in front of her, and leaned against the tree trunk. It really was a large willow.

She looked at the birds nest opposite her. There was a fat brown bird sitting in a nest with three little chicks around her. The bird kept moving it's head to stare at her.

"Stay still, please," she asked it.

It tilted it's head slightly, blinked then sat motionless. She smiled. She had always guessed that her slight ability to communicate with animals had something to do with her mutation because (like her ability to morph into some sort of Hybrid form of a 'mythological' animal) it didn't always work.

She flipped open the sketchpad and drew roughly. Watching her hand dart around the paper, she saw that what she was drawing wasn't perfect, but it would have to do for Kitty's birthday….which was today! After about half an hour, she reached the last baby bird. But suddenly, the mother bird gave a high pitched shriek, picked up the nest with her feet and flew off. Elska sighed and began to close the book.

"Nice drawing."

Elska squeaked in fright. It was Sabretooth. She knew it was. She was going to die now!

"Relax, kid, it's only me!"

Elska glanced behind her. It was Logan. She quickly tried to hide her terror but he could probably hear her heart pounding away a mile a minute. And he had sounded so much like Sabretooth.

"I'm not a kid," Elska insisted, trying to distract his attention from her rapidly beating heart.

"Until you're twenty, you're a kid."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

Elska grinned a little.

"So…what are you doing up here in a tree?" she asked him.

"I heard you humming," he said, sitting down on a branch next to her.

"I was humming?" she asked, going red.

He laughed.

"What's the picture for?" he asked her.

"It's for Kitty's birthday."

"I thought you went into town to get her something," Logan said, brow slightly furrowed.

She quickly thought up something in her head and was inwardly relieved when it sounded convincing.

"There was nothing I thought she would have liked; all the clothes pre-owned."

Logan laughed. They both knew that Kitty would hate the thought of being bought pre-owned clothes…and she would probably know they were pre-owned instantly. It was like she had some sort of detector in her that could tell when something was cheap.

She looked into his eyes. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him. She wanted to tell him everything. But she couldn't…after all, she was just a kid to him. Just a stupid kid who happened to have some problems, who happened to trust him, who happened to love him.

No! She couldn't let herself think like that at all. Because there was no chance with him at all. After all, who would want someone like her anyway? She wasn't even a virgin, probably considered spoiled.

But then he surprised her by leaning forward. And it was almost instinctive; she leaned towards him. This kiss was different. Soft and gentle, not forced and hard. Not painful. She didn't want to pull away from this one. She could stay locked in it forever, never having to worry about anything. But then he pulled away. He was worried in case he was making her uncomfortable.

"I thought I was just a kid?" she asked.

"In that case, you're my kid," he said endearingly.

She smiled.

Skye: Argh! What a lame ending to the chapter! Yes, it is a little boring but I swear deep down that the next chapter will be better! Action and all that crap? Hell yes!