It was a Tuesday when my life changed. I didn't know it then, sitting there on that rickety train, book in hand and completely engrossed, but change was coming as the train slowly crawled to a stop and only one man got on, looking exhausted and disheveled. He holds a duffel bag loosely and seems incredibly lonely. I spare him a glance and wonder what his deal is as he glances around. The book was suddenly not as interesting. Also, the train was already kinda full, so I press myself as far as I can on the bench and nod for him to sit next to me.

"Thanks." He says wearily, all but collapsing on the bench, settling his duffel bag between his legs. His accent is definitely English and I smile.

"No problem. Name's Rayna." I introduce.

"Christopher, but most people call me Chris." I nod, shaking Chris' proffered hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too, and thanks for letting me sit here." Chris replies, smiling easily. I shrug.

"Wouldn't be decent to leave you standing there when I could move over." I reply.

"Well, you'd be surprised how little people consider that when on a train." He muses with the slightest touch of bitterness, glancing around before sighing.

"Hey, uh, you...you okay?" I ask. He swallows.

"I will be. Let's jes' say I am happy to have gotten away." I frown. Okay, there was something off about this guy.

"Away from what?" I ask tentatively. Chris sighs.

"Everything. I was, ah, in a job I hated. Just quit." I nod.

"What kinda job?" He laughs like this was an inside joke.

"Electrical work, mostly. With a side of pain-in-the-arse coworkers." I laugh.

"I see."

"Most had anger issues and we didn't get along too well."

"Well, least you helped people with their electricity." I reply, smiling. "I could never figure out those wires and overlays and whatever the heck those green boards are." Chris laughs.

"Those green boards are called 'motherboards', and it's really easy once you get the hang of it." He assures me. I giggle and he's smiling when I stop.

"Out of pure curiosity, are you here on a trip?" I ask, pointing sheepishly to the bag. "I don't want to pry, but curiosity is a weakness of mine."

"No, no, it's fine. I, uh, am on the last leg here." I nod.

"Okay. Last question; do you have a place to stay?" Chris sighs.

"To be honest, uh, not...not really. I'm kinda winging it." I grin.

"I, uh, I have a beanbag. You're welcome to it, if you don't have anywhere else." The guy's face lights up like a Christmas tree. Is it just me, or is the room literally brighter for a second?

"Really?" He stammers. "You...you'd...do that for me?" I nod, laughing.

"Yeah. It's a trailer, so it's tiny, but...til you get your feet under you, so to speak, you're more than welcome to crash at my place." His arms twitch as if he wanted to hug me, but he doesn't, his eyes tearing up in gratitude.

"Thank you, Rayna. You...you really didn't 'ave to…"

"Of course I do." I reply easily, sweeping his concern away with a hand. "Just stay on the beanbag and we're good."

=#=#=#=#=

He didn't stay on the beanbag.

At almost three in the morning, he came to my tiny mattress and told me he'd had nightmares. I frown. What was he, twelve?

"What?" Surely, I'd heard this guy wrong.

"I...I'm really sorry, but...there are things...things I see at night, and…" I sit up, blinking.

"Like night terrors?" I ask blearily, rubbing my eyes. Chris nods.

"Something like that. I'm sorry." I shake my head.

"No, no. S'fine." I mumble, already laying back down and opening the covers for him. "C'mon."

"Thank you. Again." He mumbles sincerely as he lays down. "Do you mind- -" Anything else was drowned out by sleep overtaking me.

The morning found me in Chris' arms. He seemed a lot happier than when he came to me (not that I really remembered it clearly). I blush and try to ease my way out of his arms, but he ends up stirring.

"Sorry." I mumble awkwardly. He yawns and sits up.

"I should be saying that." He mumbles. "I'm sorry for bothering you, and for...uh…" I blush.

"Oh, no! It's fine, really! If it wasn't, trust me, I'd have sent you back to the beanbag." Chris smiles.

"Probably. Now, um, I'm gonna make breakfast to try and repay some of yer kindness." He says, standing. "...Right after I brush my teeth." I laugh.

"Okay." I yawn and start coffee while waiting for Brad to finish. Now I had a moment to think clearly, I nearly panic. I'd just invited a stranger to live with me for who knows how long and then let him sleep in my bed! What am I doing?!

Helping a man in need of a friend, that's all, I assure myself, calming a little. He seems...haunted. Obviously a grown man having nightmares is nothing to ignore or dismiss. He had to have seen or done something really horrible. And he was in my trailer, for who knows how long.

"You alright?" Chris asks, walking back into the room. I shake myself subtly. I didn't want to hurt him by bringing up the past he was so clearly trying to escape.

"Yeah. Got a cute guy in my trailer about to make me breakfast. What could be wrong?" I reply with a wink. Chris chuckles.

"Don't know about cute and breakfast is on it's way." He says, walking around to my fridge and digging out my 18-pack of eggs and quickly whipping a few into scrambled eggs. I chuckle.

"Here you go." I reply, handing him the salt and pepper and he thanks me as I drink more of my coffee. This was one weird situation, but...I'm glad he got on that train. I worked at a library, for Pete's sake! My life was honestly rather boring. Maybe that's why I invited him over; this was the most interaction at one time I'd ever had with a male, after all.

He sighs as he sits down with our eggs. "Didn't see any bread, but, uh- -"

"Chris, this is lovely. Thank you." I assure him genuinely, taking a bite. I nod appreciatively. "Nice eggs, too." He smiles.

"Thanks." I sigh, eating more eggs.

"Now, um, I gotta go to work at the library. I'll be done at around 5:00, and I'm heading straight home. Up to you if I see you." I explain, gulping the last of my coffee. Chris yawns and stands to get his own coffee.

"I'd like to see you later, if...if you want." He confesses. I nod.

"Alright. Guess I'll see you later." And on that kinda awkward note, I leave.

=#=#=#=#=

He shows up a few hours later, looking lost and bored til he spots me shelving Young Adult books. I hear him coming before I see him.

"Can I- -oh. Hey, stranger." I greet, grinning. "You okay?" He seems...off. However, he nods.

"Yeah, yeah. I just, uh, guess I got real bored wandering around town." I laugh as quietly as I can.

"Well, feel free to wander around here. There's a lot here to entertain you." He rolls his eyes. "Chris?" I ask when he starts walking away.

"Yeah?"

"Um...if you need help, let me know." He smiles.

"I will."

Thus began a strange and wonderful friendship. He ended up kinda just...staying in my trailer and we shared the bed. He was so sweet and always asked first and I always told him I didn't mind at all. Whatever he's seen has clearly made him cautious and wary and...sensitive. He always tries to consider my point of view and I like that about him. He got a job as a janitor at the library, so he'd say goodbye as I left then he'd crash later that night. Sometimes I woke up, sometimes I didn't.

Either way, he'd try to get up before me and at least make coffee before I got up.

All in all, it was a lovely routine we'd fallen into, all because a stranger got on the train and a girl got curious.

=#=#=#=#=

I didn't mean to. It was an accident!

I didn't mean to discover that my best friend, Chris, was actually a...a mutant.

All I wanted was to surprise him when he got back from that one interview he had to join a traveling carnival. The whole janitor thing was wearing him down and it meant we couldn't see much of each other.

So, I hid in our trailer, waiting to congratulate him. Then, the light over the door suddenly went on. Frowning, I try not to move as another lightbulb, just one, turned on to illuminate the room a little more. I blink a few times. What the frick? How had Chris wired those bulbs he hung up? And where was the switch? Outside?

Then the door opened and before I realize that I'm standing, Chris screams, then I scream, and the two lit light bulbs go intensely bright and then pop. In the growing silence, Brad clears his throat.

"What're you doing here, love?" He asks. I lick my lips. He started calling me 'love' and 'deary' and things like that fairly early on in our friendship and it made my heart do a funny little tap dance everytime.

"I was gonna surprise you. You know, to celebrate the interview." I mumble, remembering to respond, hand on my racing heart. "How did you- -what just- -I have so many questions." I go on, dazed.

"You weren't supposed to find out." He mumbles, shifting. "At least, not like this. I'm sorry, Rayna. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Your scream scared me more than anything." I reply breathily. "But...how did you- -"

"I'm a mutant. I control- -"

"Electricity." I finish, the pieces finally clicking. "That's why you said you did electrical work." He nods.

"Yeah. Technically, I didn't lie."

"Technically, that's awesome!" I retort, grinning and laughing. "Is that why you applied at the carnival?" He nods.

"Yeah. I wanted to keep a low profile. And you said you wanted to travel. You could be my manager or something." He teases. I laugh.

"I'm sure I can think of something. Maybe I'll sell popcorn." He nods.

"Not a bad idea. I could power the machine and my stand so we wouldn't add to the bill for the carnival." I laugh.

"Pretty sure that'd bust your low profile." He shrugs.

"Worth a shot." I laugh.

"You're insane."

"Maybe a little." I laugh, then realize something. I didn't know much about him, beyond little things you notice when you live with someone. Now I'd gotten a taste, I decide to try to fix that, at least a little. The door was already open, now I knew he was a mutant.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask suddenly. It was something that's been bugging me.

"Sure. go ahead." He replies, smiling.

"...What did you used to do? That job you said you hated when I met you; what was it?" He swallows, eyes turning haunted like they do when he asks to join me in my bed.

"I...used to think I was serving my country, but...I was only serving some psychopath's personal agenda. His name is Stryker, and he told me I would do great things for the U.S, the world for that matter, and that I wouldn't have to hide my mutation anymore. So I joined him. Seemed right at the time, but...no. It wasn't." I rub his back and guide us to the beanbag, sitting him down.

"What did you do for him?"

"Well, I wasn't on the team long. We went to Africa to find this little rock of some kind. Stryker was obsessed with it! When the village leader couldn't tell him what he wanted to know, we...were ordered to kill everyone." My hand covers my mouth in shock.

"Oh, God!" I squeak. "...Did you?" He shakes his head.

"I was too stunned and I don't know about John. But Victor and Wade...they would've done it if Logan hadn't interfered."

"I take it those guys were the coworkers with anger issues?" I ask, smirking. Chris shakily smiles.

"Yeah - well, Logan and Victor, anyway. Anyway, Logan left in a huff and I followed not too long after that." I nod.

"Well, least you realized what was going on and got out. Coulda been worse." Chris sighs.

"I hopped on that train not 24 hours later. I feel a bit better now I'm not keeping things from you." I nod.

"In a weird way, I'm glad you told me. And, honestly, you're being too hard on yourself; it's not like you continued to blindly followed him. You realized that Stryker was psycho and left. End of story." He grins.

"Yeah. That chapter's done. Now, there's a new one." I laugh.

"Oh? What this one about?" I ask coyly.

"Well, a boy and a girl." I smile.

"Oh? That's it?" He laughs.

"The chapter is barely begun. There's plenty of time left for...whatever happens next." I blush. If he was meaning what I think he's meaning...damn, he's smooth.

"What do you think happens next?" I ask.

He leans in subtly, just the tiniest little bit. "Well, I guess that depends on where you want things to go." I lean in just as subtly.

"Really? Well then…" If I was misreading him, screw it! I...yeah. He's such an amazing guy, even after everything he's seen and done. He's grown wiser for it and become a better man through his mistakes. And I find I've started to fall for him. Just hope I'm not about to screw whatever this is up.

Only...he's leaning in, too. He's not- -we're about to- -whoa! Suddenly, our lips connect and we're instantly drawn deeper into it. It feels (pun intended) electric, tingles going up and down my spine. Finally, we break apart.

"Guess I know where to go in that story now." He breathes, leaning his forehead on mine happily.

"And where's that?"

"To the part where we're dating." I laugh.

"Smooth, Chris. I like it." Chris blushes.

"Thanks. I've, uh, been meaning to, you know, make a move...fer a while." I grin.

"Glad you did."

=#=#=#=#=

The months flew by quickly, working in that carnival. True to my word, I sold popcorn to earn a few extra bucks and Chris...is surprisingly good at conning people for money.

His booth was a lightbulb you tried to turn off. Three tries for a dollar. Of course, given his powers, it never happened. It was always amusing to watch the little kids' faces, so confused, as the light switch didn't work, before their parents came and dragged them away, glaring at us over their shoulders and sometimes hurling insults, as well.

But, we persevered. We didn't raise to the insults, we simply waved them off. We accepted our pay and went back to our trailer, where we'd talk and cuddle. Eventually, we decided to just sign a marriage license and make things easier. And because we both wanted to do it, of course. We were cuddling when he suggested it. I smiled and told him it 'was about damn time'.

From that day on, it was us against the world. And we were okay with that.

That is, til one night.

Til the night a ghost of the past came knocking on our door.

HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT! MEANT TO HAVE IT UP A LOT SOONER, BUT SPACED UPLOADING IT TIL NOW!