Now, I know that I said I'd load this a while ago to all of my Nighty fans, but I just haven't found the time to do so. With Porcelain Girl nearing it's end, (2-4 chapters left!), I decided to start uploading this one up too. Plus, I need to buy time for the next chapter in Porcelain Girl, have readers chew on this for a little bit.

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A Bond Between Them

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or it's characters.

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Chapter 1- Discovering Fate

"Papa! Where are you?" A girl cried. She was about 9 year old. It was a stormy, cold night. Rain pounded on her with no remorse. "PAPA!" She cried again. No answer. She sobbed. She was scared half to death. Alone in a huge city, she didn't recognize anyones face. They passed her without taking notice to her obvious distress.

"Would you help me?" She tugged on a mans coat. He hurried along without even glancing at her. "Help me please! I can't find my Papa!" She tried a woman, the woman just pushed her away.

"What did I do? Why is everyone being so mean?" The little girl sat against a wall, still sobbing. 'What will happen to me? Will Papa ever find me?' She wondered. 'Will I ever have ice cream again?'

--

The little girl sobbed and sobbed, calling to her father for easily an hour. The rain continued to pour.

"Please, someone help me." She called in desperation. She shivered. Someone walked in front of her. He offered her a hand. He wasn't a human.

"If you stay in the rain too long, you'll get sick." He was grinning, his German accent didn't phase her at all.

"Who are you?" The child asked.

"It doesn't matter now. But lets find your Mama and Papa." The child's gut feeling was telling her that this guy was alright. So she took his hand and he threw her into his arms.

"What is your name little one?" He asked.

"Veronica."

"It's a nice name."

"Thank you."

"Do you see your parents anywhere?"

"No." She said as if her patience was exhausted.

"Then lets keep looking."

The two continued searching for over an hour with no luck. The stranger was beginning to worry himself. Small children weren't good for small talk, and even worse for directions. The rain had lightened to a drizzle.

"I should go the police station, maybe Veronica's parents are there waiting for her." He thought.

Veronica suddenly started squirming violently. The man set her down.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to do this anymore! I don't even know your name!"

The friendly stranger looked at her with glowing, yellow eyes. "Nightcrawler, is what they called me."

"That's a silly name."

"I know." He smiled.

"What's the real one?"

"Kurt Wager."

"Who's 'they'?"

"The people that I'm trying to protect, but they're trying to kill me."

"Why do they want to kill you?"

"A bunch of misunderstandings happened."

"So, you're all alone, like me?"

Kurt didn't think of it like that. "Ja, I guess."

"Then I'll go with you! We both need to be kept company, right?"

His heartstrings were being tugged. "You, can't. It would be too dangerous."

Her face sagged. "Then what am I supposed to do?" Tears welled up in her large, beautiful blue eyes.

"I-I don't know, Veronica."

The tears overflowed. Veronica was frustrated and tired. She definitely was scared above all else.

"Brace yourself, and take my hand." She did. And in a flash, she was in front of the police station. "Go, your parents might be waiting in there." He pushed her through the door.

"Kurt!" He disappeared in an instant.

"Are you lost little girl? Are you alright?" A police woman came to behind Veronica.

"It's Veronica and no!" She bolted out of police station and into the sidewalk. She swam through the crowd, sprinting to keep away from the police lady. 'I have to find him! I have to, have to, have to!' She thought. 'He couldn't have gone very far.' She looked around, searching for Kurt. Something was telling her that he wasn't too far away. She ran to the next street and found him, walking with his shoulders hunched over.

"Kurty!" He turned around shocked, Veronica came charging to him. "I want to be with you!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "Why can't you understand that?" She clung to his leg. He bent down to her level and grabbed her shoulders.

"I. Can't. Take. You. You'd get hurt, or maybe even die." He said in his harshest, yet softest, German.

And without skipping a beat, "I don't know what you just said, but I want to be with you!"

"What if your parents are still looking for you? Do you want them to worry over you?"

She thought a moment. "They can have another girl named Veronica!"

His heart dropped. "It's not that simple little one, parents love you more than you will ever love them." He wiped a tear away. "Them not knowing where they lost you will shatter their heart into a million pieces. They could never get over it."

Veronica bit her lip. "You're so mean!" She swatted his hand away and started crying again.

"Hey! You!" The police officer from before showed up. "What are you doing?" The scene she saw was Kurt close to Veronica, and Veronica crying like mad.

"Dammit." Kurt mumbled.

"Don't move!" The woman pulled her gun. Kurt took Veronica's arm and 'ported about 6 blocks down.

"That was close."

"But not you're not safe yet," Angel was there with Storm and Cyclops.

"What are you doing in Chicago?" Kurt demanded.

"Looking for you, what else?" Cyclops bellowed.

"Who's the kid?" Angel asked.

"She's lost, I'm trying to find her parents." The rain stopped, and the sun shone brightly. Veronica was wiping tears away. Cyclops shot at Kurt with his laser eyes! Nightcrawler quickly grabbed Veronica's hand and scaled up the wall. Cyclops shot at him again. Kurt teleported to the top of the building.

"Are those your ex-friends?"

"Ja. Cling to me." Storm and Angel flew to the top of the building to face Kurt. Night crawler was already running with Veronica squeezing to his middle. He dropped down into an alley, darted across the street, and weaved in and out of people.

"Kurt! Please just stop and explain yourself!" Storm begged.

"You might listen, the others won't." He called from behind. He bamfed from building to building, making it hard for them to keep up. He ran on top of one building and Angel close behind him.

"Nightcrawler! Stop immediately!"

"Ja, okay!" Kurt jumped backward, and Angel flew past him! Kurt chuckled. Nightcrawler then tackled Angel, pinning his mighty wings! They started falling! Just at the right moment, Kurt let go of Angel's wings as Angel crashed into a dumpster. Kurt 'ported about three blocks away, to be greeted by a laser to the chest. Veronica shrieked!

"You okay little one?" The little girl nodded. Strangely, she was still keeping a strong grip on Kurt's middle. By now, most adults would be unconscious. Kurt then focused on finding Cyclops. It wasn't hard. Scott attempted to shoot Nightcrawler again. This time, Kurt avoided it. Kurt charged Scott, shouting.

"What-?" Nightcrawler tackled Scotts middle and started teleporting erratically from building top to building top until Scott wouldn't struggled. Kurt carefully set the unconscious Cyclops on the roof of an apartment complex. Nightcrawler then quickly darted into a church.

"We seek sanctuary." Kurt quietly said, a priest was standing at the alter.

"Then you will have it." The old man smiled. Veronica detached herself from Kurt's middle.

"Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded. Kurt placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair a little.

"Hey! Don't mess with my hair." She quickly fixed it. Kurt had to laugh. 'I abused her little body so much with all that teleporting, she shouldn't be standing right now, let alone arguing. Maybe she's a mutant? No, the genes don't activate until she's a teenager.'

"What are we doing in here anyways?" Veronica asked, looking around the church.

"You come here when you need a safe place to stay in."

"Then why not stay here forever?"

It was a good question. "Because some people are crazy enough to tare down a peaceful place like this just to get to a person." Kurt stooped down to Vernoica's level. She cocked her head to the side.

"Why would they do that?"

"I just said silly, to get to the person they really want to get to. Come, it's not a good idea to linger near doorways." Kurt led the small child to a pew and the two sat there. It was peaceful and calm, warm and quiet. The smell of unscented candles filled the air.

"How long can we stay here?" Veronica whispered.

"Until you realize that you can't tag along with me." Veronica stomped her foot.

"I refuse to leave!"

Kurt shushed her, then sighed. "Do you realize, that what we just went through, is something you'll have to stand for the rest of your life? You and I could easily die."

"I don't care!"

"You should. Don't be so quick to throw your life away."

"But I-" She was cut off. The windows shattered! Kurt immediately covered Veronica from the shards.

"Kurt, please explain yourself for your actions." Storm was entering the church where one of the windows used to be.

"I can't!" He shouted back.

"But we want you back! All you have to do is explain why you did that!" She dropped to the ground, and held a hand out to Kurt.

"If I did, you'd all die." He bamfed behind the church, in an alleyway. "So much for sanctuary, I can't believe she did that!" Kurt angrily whispered. "You got a good hold on me?" His tone softened.

"Yes." Replied little Veronica. Kurt then made random teleportations from different areas in his memory. It was even making him a little tired. "You alright Veronica?" He sounded out of breath.

"I am. Are you? Should we rest?" She didn't seem phased.

"No, I'm not completely certain that they've lost us."

Kurt couldn't make his mind up; should he stay in Chicago a little longer or get the hell out? Getting out sounded good, but where? Kurt had just arrived in the US, and always wanted to see the rest of it. So why not explore a little more? After covering a total of 10 miles, Kurt stopped on the top of the John Hancock Building, overlooking the city. Veronica let go of his middle and held his hand.

"Hey Veronica, would you like to go to California?"