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Scott didn’t worry too much about Laura when it came to her being the Wolverine. Laura knew what she was doing and when Scott examined her leadership he couldn’t ask for a more agreeable loose-cannon-risk-taker. However, what he had a problem with was that Laura had a terrible habit of not checking in when she went all “lone wolf” and ditched the team. It could take her anywhere from five minutes to three hours to operate on her own, or in one horrifying case three days.
“I’m not saying you have to be with the team all the time,” Scott had been livid, “I understand you need your space to take your risks, but you have to let us know you’re not dead in a ditch. Before you even start with the ‘I can’t die’ bullshit I just would like to remind you that we worry when you disappear, you stubborn jackass!”
“Laura.” He muttered while bouncing on his heels.
As he watched the building burn and start to collapse in on itself he began to become more anxious.
“Come on, come out or check in.”
The city was burning from all corners and Scott had broken the team up to contain the flames. Bobby and Idie were on one team, which was poor planning since he shouldn’t have put two ice makers on one team.. Hank and Evan were moving civilians back to a makeshift shelter. Scott and Laura were rounding up stragglers which left Warren. Well, Warren was AWOL at the moment and Scott wasn’t going to really question it.
There was a large crunching noise as the left half of the building started to implode and Scott could feel sweat beading the back of his neck. Laura was going to be okay, she did this stuff all the time. Thirty minutes had already passed by, but Laura had told Scott to wait.
Scott was halfway to tugging off his gloves and chewing his thumbnail when she finally emerged from the flaming door way. Scott began sprinting to her before he had even made up his mind to start moving. That’s when he realized Laura was carrying someone on her back.The man was easily two hundred pounds and had nearly a foot on Scott. The man’s right leg had also been broken thoroughly enough that it seemed doubtful he would ever stand on it again.
“Hank,” Scott said into his comlink, “I need you, or Evan, to get over here and pick up a straggler.”
The team scientist muttered an affirmative and Scott shut off the line to check on the Wolverine.
“You okay?” He asked Laura while he stooped to help set the unconscious man down. Laura responded by hacking and gasping while she simultaneously nodded .
“Yeah.” She finally managed, “Sorry, healing factor will regrow lungs but doesn’t do much to keep the ash out.”
She took a stuttering breath and coughed a few more times before she spat out a glob of nearly back spit and her face crinkled in disgust.
“Sorry,” she said looking, what Scott perceived to be, embarrassed.
“It’s fine,” he consented, not really knowing what else to say.
“If you need me to I can give you the kiss of life I actually did get my first aid merit badge so I’m good for it.”
Laura barked a laugh that became a hacking cough. Scott instantly regretted the joke even if she was grinning when she wiped her mouth.
“Slow your roll there, boy scout,” she teased.
Laura clasped her hands over her head and took a few deep breaths.
“Did you actually get your first aid badge?” she questioned with a curious grin.
“First aid, leather tooling, wood carving, and canoeing,” He ticked them off on his fingers as he went down the list.
“I had a few more but those were the only badges I actually got sewed onto my sash before
I went with Professor Xavier.”
Laura had nearly doubled over in laughter and Scott couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. Laura then straightened up and took a deep breath.
“Thanks, Scott, I really needed that,” she grinned and waved Hank over to the two of them to grab the man who was stirring now.
“Well that was the last building.” she muttered once Hank had left, “I was starting to get a little tired of regrowing my skin.”
She looked over expecting to see the same curled lip of disgust Warren normally shot her, or worse, the same pity. Instead Scott was pulling out a bag of jelly beans.
“Here,” he offered, pouring a few into her hand and grinning, “Something tells me you need the calories.”
“Always prepared,” Laura teased as she took a handful and popped them into her mouth.
Scott laughed as they started on their way to the shelter. He could think of worse ways to end a mission.