xp_logs | West Coast is the best coast!

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Set: Library, Sat. night, sometime after Kitty talks to Lorna.

The library was quiet this late at night except for the soft snores coming from a table near the back. With his head pillowed on an outstretched arm Alex was asleep, a physics book Alison had recommended lying open in front of him. His chair was pushed back as he was hunched over the table, in a position in which his back and neck would ache when he awoke.

Mentally cursing her darling suitemate for a sneaky wench and nervously practicing what she was going to say, Lorna slips into the library where she had been informed by Alex's roommates he had been studying. She is holding a notebook and philosophy text, having been doing some work of her own before Alison mentioned that Alex was looking to talk to her. Which is why she is creeping about the library at nearly 11 pm, looking for a surfer boy she has been studiously avoiding both thought of and interaction with for a week.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, it takes Lorna a long moment to realise that the object of her search is slumped over several books, sleeping quite soundly. She hesitates, nearly giving in to the urge to retreat when her conscience gets a stranglehold on her embarrassment and urges her to wake Alex up so that he doesn't end up in chiropractic care for the rest of his natural life. Temporarily growing a spine, she gives Alex a shake on the shoulder and calls his name tentatively.

Being shaken awake suddenly does have its side effects. "No Scott, I swear, it wasn't me ...I...I..." That's when Alex realized his eyes were open and he was awake. Rubbing the crick out of his neck, he looked around the room blinking. This certainly wasn't his dorm room...then a glance at the Physic books in front of him reminded him of where he was and why. And that somebody had woken him up. Seeing Lorna, Alex smiled bashfully up at her. "umm...hi."

Lorna offers him a similarly shy smile back, "Hi. I, uh, Alison said you were looking for me?" She can still feel the soft cotton of his t-shirt lingering like a ghost on her palm. She grips the notebook and texts tightly enough for her knuckles to go white and hopes that will keep her hands from shaking.

Alex looks away for a moment, trying to think through the haze that still covered his mind after just waking up. His face scrunches up in concentration, and then he looks back up at her with shrug. "I don't think I was looking for you earlier...and if I was, I can't remember…sorry"

"Oh," Lorna struggles not to let her disappointment show, "Well, no big deal." She shifts indecisively, "Well, then, I'm sorry I woke you up, um..." She trails off, clearly about to bolt.

"Wait!" Alex reaches up quickly, and grabbed her hand. He smiles up at her, since she had suddenly become uneasy, though Alex had no clue. "You're here now, so sit and talk." He closes the book in front of him and pushes it away. "I totally don't think my mind can stand any more science. Dude, It's already let me down once. Plus I haven't seen you around much since Sunday...how ya been?" He gives her big puppy dog eyes, hoping they would be enough to get her to sit down and talk to him.

Lorna sits by instinct rather than actual thought, her brain having frozen in an endless cycle of panicked but ecstatic shrieking. She makes no move to pull her hand back from his even though it requires some odd manoeuvres with the books in her other hand. "I've been okay. Just working, really. Training and all that." She is fairly sure that sentence made sense so she smiles and tries another, "How are you settling in?"

Alex shrugs at the last statement. "Eh, it's been interesting. It's hard coming in to such a close knit community. And I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I have family here...honest to god family." He smiles to himself as he thinks about how great it is to know he's in the same building as his brother. Then he turns his attention back to something she had said, almost forgetting his hand was still holding hers. "Working? What on?"

"On? That's right; you weren't here. Grad students usually pick up a class to teach and I'm teaching a philosophy course this next term. I've been putting together my lesson plan and finishing up the syllabus so that I can get it vetted by one of the regular staff." She twists a strand of hair around her finger in an absent gesture, "It's just an elective, of course but I'm looking forward to it." Talking about it seems to have relaxed her. "Do you know what your class schedule is going to be like?"

Alex leans his head on his other hand, elbow resting on the table. "Philosophy huh? That's shibby. I was actually thinking about taking that course...as far as the rest of my schedule, the usual math, English, history, science, boring mix. But it's probably a good thing since school wasn't the first thing on my mind when I lived in Hawaii." He laughs slightly. "I was full on surfing, but now I don't think I can get away with that. Scott might get a bit bent if I even tried!"

She laughs as well, "That and have you seen what they call an ocean over here? Piffle. No wonder they call it a pond." She shakes her head at the backward ways of the east coast. "Do they have you in training with Logan yet or have you been spared the thrice weekly beating? I'm thinking of adding a whole section on the phil of violence after all this 'training'. Sometimes I'm convinced my bruises have bruises."

While laughing at what Lorna had said, Alex manages to shake his head. "No word on that yet, though I think Scott wants to save my training for himself. He has years of "good natured" brotherly beatings to make up." He pauses to breathe from all the laughing. "I guess me and you will have to make some excuse to hitch a ride to the west coast for some high riding fun, since the good ole' Atlantic has nothing offer."

Lorna can't help the blush that creeps across her cheeks at "me and you" and simply nods and tugs on the strand of hair still wrapped around her fingers. "That sounds like it would be fun. We'll have to devise a sneaky and underhanded plan. I miss California when I'm out here. How they can think 79 degrees counts as summer weather baffles me. But then, if this was Cali, I'd been sleeping on a futon in my dad's office so it's a fifty-fifty thing." She shakes her head, determined to put it out of her mind, "How did you and Scott end up all the way across the country from each other anyway?"

"79 degrees for summer? Man, I have forgotten what it's like on the main land..." His smile slightly fades at her last question. Finally, he pulls his hand away from hers and plays with his fingernails. "Well...it's kind of one of those long sad stories that no one really ever wants to hear, but would probably make a great movie some day..."He smiles slightly at his little joke, then Alex glances over at her. "Are you sure you wanna hear it?"

Lorna's hand closes instinctively as he pulls away and she glances down at it, vaguely surprised to find that it was still holding his and feeling a little lost now that it's not. She pulls it back into her lap, still fisted. "Yes." She says firmly and leans in, "If you don't mind telling me."

He smiles weakly, staring at his hands. "Scott's to proud to tell anyone, I bet no one even knew he had a brother until I showed up, but now I guess people will want to know." He takes a deep breath and looks at Lorna, realizing that would be the first time he had ever told anyone. And deep down inside, he is glad it is her. Alex licks his lips and begins in a soft voice.

Sensing how much this story meant to him, Lorna gathers her courage and reaches out taking both of his hands in hers, listening quietly but intently.

"Our father was in the Air Force and had just received new orders that required him to move from the West to the East coast. We had our own small plane and were flying cross country, over Nevada, when something happened...something awful that made the plane catch on fire," He paused to glance at Lorna, "I was eight at the time so I don't remember all the details, but my parents strapped Scott and me to a parachute and pushed us out of the plane, but it exploded before they themselves could escape. While we were falling, something happened that caused Scott's power to manifest themselves and apparently, damaged them in the process too. People had seen the plane explode and we were found and taken to a hospital. When I woke up, I was told that my parents were dead, but when I asked about my brother, they told me that he was a mutant and had been dealt with. It didn't occur to them that I might be a mutant too..." He laughed softly. "So I was sent to a "normal" home."

"Well, that lasted for about 4 years when my own powers manifested and I blew up half the living room of our house. My parents were great about it, well as great as adoptive parents can be when they find out the son they took in is a mutant, but the neighbors...well..."Alex pauses to shrug. "They were a bit much."

Lorna blinks and then smiles wryly, nodding. She's fully familiar with the experience.

"I couldn't take the abuse to myself and my adoptive family so I ran away. Being pre 9-11, it was easy to sneak on a fairly empty plane at the nearest airport. Which happened to be going to Hawaii..." Alex looks up at her. "I lived on my own, going to school, working as a lifeguard, surfing...it was a nice life for a teenage boy like myself. Until I blew up again on a crowded beach..." This part was always hard to talk about so he left it at that. "Thankfully, Xavier was kind enough to take me in, though it was a bit of a shock to realize that one of the people who had come to pick me up was the brother who I had begun to think of as dead." Now Alex has a slight smirk on his face. "Of course, I'm sure Hawaii was the last place he expected to find me." Finished with all he wanted to say, Alex leans back in his chair, hands still in hers, waiting for her to say something.

Lorna squeezes his hands then leans forward even further and hugs him before pulling back, blushing only a little bit. "Sounds rough. I know from experience that having the neighborhood you grew up with turn on you sucks. Just went through that myself. I can't imagine what it took for you to leave though. It must have been awful." She drags a hand through her hair, frustrated with her inability to get out her ache for the little boy he had been. "For what it's worth, I'm glad that you're here now. They're good people here and if anyone can teach control of these powers we've got, it's the profs."

Alex looks at his hands as if they disgust him. "I hope so. These powers have made me move on twice and I don't want to move on again." He took a deep breath and smiled at Lorna. "And I'm beginning to like this place to much." Their eyes hold each for a moment and Alex opens his mouth to say something, but yawns instead, ruining the moment for anything else.

Lorna covers his hands with her own again and smiles. "You look exhausted. Why don't you head up to bed? Being tired never helps anyone stay in control and you can't solve everything tonight." She stands and tugs him to his feet as well. "Come on. We'll talk another day."

Grabbing a couple of the books, with one hand, the other he leaves clasped with hers. It amazed even him sometimes how quickly his moods change. "Yes mother dear." Playfully he winks at her and begins to pull her out of the library. Once they are out in the hall, Alex realizes something and turns to Lorna, quite serious "You won't tell anyone what I just told you tonight will you?"

She mimes crossing her heart, "May winged monkeys drop me on a field of sharp rocks if I lie." She smiles then sobers, "Not a chance, hon. I may gossip but I don't share secrets. Privacy is sacred. Not a word of this passes my lips until you say so."

Alex blushes. "Thanks, it's more for Scott really. I haven't even told him yet and I don't think he'd want anyone else to know before him."

"Either way, I'm a lock box. If you ever need someone to talk to, well, don't hesitate, okay?" She tugs his hand to get him moving down the hallway. "But now is the time when all good boys and girls are in bed so off with you."

Alex couldn't help but smile. "Thanks and likewise." He pretends to drag his feet. "But mommy, I don't want to go to bed...!"

She laughs, "But how will you ever become big and strong like your brother if you don't sleep?" She grins, "I would offer to sing you a lullaby but well, I shouldn't inflict that on anyone."

He can't help but laugh also. "And I don't think my roommates will appreciate...and if sleep means becoming like Scott...then I'm staying up all night!"

"Now now, Professor Summers is a fine educator and excellent leader, you should be proud to be like him," Lorna struggles with her serious adult face and fails miserably, dissolving into giggles, "Just, you know, with a sense of humor please."

That made him stop and double over laughing. When he could breathe again, he had to stop himself from erupting into giggles again. "I think I can manage the sense of humor part...poor Scott...I think I got it for the two of us."

Lorna continues giggling even as she pulls him up the stairs, "That must be a terrible burden but I'm sure you'll carry it well."

"Well, I certainly try." He laughs again but quieter, since they were coming up to rooms where people were sleeping. They stop in front of Alex's room. "Well...good night. and thanks." He smiles sincerely, for he genuinely meant that.

"My pleasure," Lorna replies with equal sincerity. "Any time." She looks down at their linked hands and reluctantly pulls hers away, "So...good night, Alex."

Always smiling, Alex turns and opens his door, quietly entering the room so as not to wake his roommates and with a small wave to Lorna, shuts the door behind him.

Lorna waves back then turns and walks back down the stairs to the kitchen to get some coffee and gloat to herself til morning. Certainly she isn't going back to her room tonight, not with the vague recollection she has of Sam heading to see Alison as she was leaving.