Authors notes: I have not included Kurt Darkholme in this fic. I have not really read enough on the charter to do him justice. Plus if I had him here there would be no way I could not have the two Kurt's meet and I just don't feel like telling that story right now. Special thanks to: Dreadloc, Beanie McChimp and Ebony58 for following. Also thank you to all who took the time to check out the first chapter hope you come back for the seconded. Please, please leave reviews. I'm sure I will improve more the more I do this. But feedback always helps and motives.

Chapter two: Let's make a deal!

While not technically the devil, Mephisto certainly liked playing the part. Tall, red and muscular, the immortal being was never seen without a cape or cane. His smile was never warm or friendly but always creepy and unnerving. In love with no one but himself, Mephisto had a flare for the flamboyant and dramatic. His favorite pastime was making trades, deals and wagers. Although he had once punched the demon in the jaw, Kurt knew above all he should tread very lightly where Mephisto was concerned.

"Mephisto, what are you doing here? What am I doing here?" Taking a moment to look around the vast black empty space they were in Kurt asked, "Where on earth is here, for that matter?"

"Not earth, for sure. It has lots of names - Purgatory, Limbo, and the Void to name a few. The name of this place or where it is does not matter. What matters now is where you'll go next?"

"Which is?"

"Well my dear boy, that's entirely up to you."

"How could that be? I died. I am pretty sure I don't get a say in the matter."

"Sure you do, that is, with help from me of course" Mephisto winked at him.

"Why would you help me and who said I wanted it? I lived a good life. I had friends love. I like to think I did good in the world. Why shouldn't I take my place at the Lord's side and be happy? Instead of whatever twisted offer you have? Besides, don't you remember me not being very receptive the last time you tried to offer me a deal?"

"That was different my dear boy. At the time I was asking you to step aside so the fate of your world could be decided, and I would spare all you cared about. I still think you're a fool for not taking that deal by the way. This time all I'm asking is that you help me out with a little wager I've got going with a friend. You wouldn't have to do anything you don't want to do already, I assure you. Plus, I guarantee no matter the outcome, there is no big consequence to you. And the fate of your world will not be affected by it. Also let's not play coy shall we? We both know exactly why you would want to go back."

Mephisto waved his hand and suddenly an image of Ororo appeared next to where Kurt was standing. "You want go back for her! And this," Mephisto waved his hand again, the imaged changing to a scene of Kurt and Ororo in bed together. "Last but certainly not least." The image changed once more, turning to himself and Ororo holding a small child. Maybe about one year old with pointed ears, indigo blue skin, puffy checks, white curls and sapphire eyes. Kurt had never thought of his own features as beautiful before, but there was no denying that the babe was exquisite. The three looked as happy as any family could ever be. He found himself smiling at them despite his better judgment.

"Come on Kurt, I know you're miffed with me for letting you play in this delicious illusion for a while and then taking it away, but you shouldn't hold it against yourself or her."

Kurt had forgotten about that till just then. When he thought about Ororo fading in his arms he started to growl.

Waving a hand like he was scolding a naughty puppy, Mephisto scoffed. "Oh stop that, I'm sure the ladies find it very sexy. I assure you, it does nothing for me. Come on, I only did it to show you how good things could be."

"Ja, so I would be more open to taking your offer." Kurt sneered.

"You know I didn't just make up these illusions out of nowhere Kurt. She was in your thoughts as you passed. True, you had many thoughts running through your head, but this little beauty popped up more then once. You know what feeling came to you when you saw her - regret. It's funny, because I looked back and I can't find a single thing you did to her to be regretful about, unless you may regret something you didn't do or say?"

"I have no response. All that you say is true. I do love her, and I will always regret not telling her, but so?" Kurt shrugged at the immortal.

"So!" Mephisto shouted hitting the bottom of cane to the ground. " I'm offering you the chance to go back and say the things you never got to say. To see if she feels the same."

"Thank you for the offer, but the frau is married. I may not be the best Catholic, but I am certainly no home wrecker, no matter what the gain. So if you will please release my spirit so that I may move on, I will bid you good eternity."

"I guess being dead and all, you would be out of the loop. Relax my blue Romeo, your ladylove is a free agent once again."

"What?"

"Yup, T'Challe dropped her like a hot potato, without any warning."

Kurt shook his head; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He suspected they might be having problems even though Ororo never talked about it. "Mein Gott, I had no idea things were that bad."

Mephisto chuckled "Yeah well, a lot can happen in three years. What was once a chink in the armor can turn into a continental drift. You don't need to act like you're so broken up about it."

"Nein, I never... I was hurt. I was jealous even though I had no right to be, but I put that aside. I just wanted her to be happy, even with someone else. On her wedding day she looked so happy and he could give her everything. Now you tell me my dear friend... and yes, the woman I am in love with has been hurt. More so, she is probably still somewhere hurting. Nein sir, that doesn't make me happy."

"Which is exactly why you need to consider my deal!"

"And what, I just rise up from the ground? That would go over well with everyone I'm sure." Kurt laughed out loud.

"Why? It wouldn't be the first time." Mephisto shrugged. "Besides, I'm not talking about you being a zombie or something. I'm going to change the time line a bit so that you never died."

Kurt threw his hands in the air. "Forget it! I am not having you messing with everyone else's past and future just to bring me back. Who knows what havoc it will bring."

"While that would be true in most cases, unfortunately, not so in this one. But it would have been a sweet bonus for me, I must confess."

Kurt just stared at Mephisto marveling at the twisted demented creature he was.

"There you go looking confused again. Let me explain. See, when I send you back, I will make it so that when you fused with Bastion's arm, and it didn't hit anything too vital. "It won't take too much for that. Maybe I'll just move you over to the side a little. Then I'll have you teleport somewhere more useful than the front lawn, like med bay. You still needed surgery; you survived, but maybe because of the drugs or the trauma you never woke up. You will have been in a coma all this time; about three years give or take. Anything that would have happened with you dead pretty much still happens."

"Won't I start to change things when I wake up?"

"Oh come on Kurt, grow up a bit. Who in this universe ever stays dead? Even if you leave now to go sit on a cloud, I guarantee you would be back one way or the other someday. I suggest you go back now before a more grittier, edgier version of you comes from another reality or timeline to replace you. Believe me, no one really wants that."

"Wait… you're saying there is-"

"Just trust me when I say no one ever stays dead around here, well expect for Gwen and Uncle Ben."

"Uh...?"

"Anyway, here is the deal. Maybe that's not the right word for it - more of a test or experiment really. Should you except, I will send you back and you will wake up in a hospital bed on Utopia. You will be free to woo your ladylove for exactly 30 days. If you wish to stay alive, all you have to do is get Ororo to declare her love for you. And just so we are perfectly clear, I don't mean you're my long time friend-slash-teammate-slash-family sort of love. If you don't, it will turn out that the doctors missed a clot in your brain that will leak and kill you."

"After which my soul will belong to you," Kurt sighed.

Mephisto roared with laughter. "Please, you can keep your precious soul and be taken right up with to your precious lord. It's no fun torturing a soul who will take the punishment without complaint."

"Then what do you want?"

"All I want is to prove a point and have some fun."

"Prove a point to who?"

"That's info you don't need to concern yourself with. I was having a chat about how utterly foolish and hopeless your little world is. For all you try, you are simply incapable of change. Don't get me wrong; I love you guys for it. I get my biggest kicks from it actually. It's like watching a hamster run a wheel. My companion didn't agree with me. They said that given the right wake up call, anyone could change and overcome the thing that was holding them back, yada, yada. Lucky for you we were looking for someone to place the bet on right when you were dying."

Rolling his eyes, Kurt replied "Oh ja, I feel so blessed to be dying just in time to be a pawn in your game."

"As you should be. We had millions of regretful souls to choose from. When I showed my guest your little tale, I knew it was perfect. You see my dear boy, I believe that even if I send you back, by the end of your time you still won't have told the weather witch how you feel, knowing that you'll just go to heaven. There is no pressure for you to say it - no gun to your head, so to speak. You have to just get over yourself and do it. Even if you do, that's no guarantee she will love you back. Heck, even if she could or would, she has been burned so many times that she won't admit it. I will have proven my point that you haven't learned jack from your death and she didn't learn diddle from her divorce. It will be so delicious," the demon giggled. "I was going to make so she would have to tell you first before you could say it to her, but heck, I don't even need that. She is an ice princess on a good day."

"Watch your mouth Mephisto!"

"Yeah, prove me wrong. Take the deal and go back." Beside Mephisto a hospital bed appeared in the otherwise black nothingness that surrounded them.

Kurt felt like he had a million things going through his head at once. He died. He knew the right thing to do would be to move on. Mephisto was probably right anyway. He had all the time in the world before and never told Ororo how he felt. Why would now be any different? Also, if he did, could she ever love him? Surely it was too soon after her heart had been broken, and it wouldn't be fair to make her try. As much as he knew that, saying no would be the right and easiest thing to do. There was a much bigger part of him that wanted to try, wanted a second chance. Even just to spend more time with friends and love ones… Ok, to spend more time with her.

Kurt sighed, "Like it was ever really a choice. Where do I sign?"

"Paper and pen is so yesterday, just hop on the bed and I'll take that as a yes."

Kurt walked over to the bed thinking long and hard. Trying to see all the possible twist and turns in doing this. What other angles could Mephisto have? Then he realized it was pointless. Even if he were as smart as Reed, who could possibly see through all the plans of an immortal practical omnipotent being. Either he was going to do this and accept all the consequences that might go along with it, or he wasn't going to do it.

Kurt sat on the bed and said, "Here goes nothing."

"Very good!" Mephisto began clapping his hands excitedly. "Now, before I send you off, one little rule. You're allowed to tell only one person of our little deal, and of course it can't be Ororo. Do you understand?"

"Ja, what do I have to do now?"

"Oh nothing. I've got it from here, the sending you back part anyway. You just lay back and close your eyes."

Kurt took one more look around the black nothingness surrounding them before putting his feet up on the bed, laying his head on the pillow, and closing his eyes.

Almost instantly he heard the beep of a machine and a dripping sound. That made sense - Mephisto said he would be waking up in the hospital on Utopia. But then he smelled... fresh flowers? It was a familiar scent, her scent. Was she in the room right now? He did the worst possible thing he could as someone waking up from a three-year sleep - he opened his eyes right into the lighting above his head and quickly sat up. He immediately felt dizzy, his eyes hurt and he thought his head was going to split open from the pain. To him, the whole room was spinning. He stuck out his an arm to try to keep balance and someone grabbed it. "Ororo?" Kurt managed to slur out. Apparently his mouth hadn't quite woken up yet either.

"Ororo? No, sorry ami."

As the room slowly stopped spinning, he turned to see who had his arm.

"Kurt, are you ok? Remy is going to call the nurse."

"No…wait a minute. Let me look around a sec." Kurt looked over at his Cajun friend. Ever the dashing rogue, it wasn't the face Kurt wanted to greet him, but it was a familiar and welcoming one. For that he was grateful. Remy's auburn hair was tied up and fell past his shoulders. I guess he decided to let it grow again, Kurt mused. He almost chuckled when he remembered a slip Ororo had once made. Apparently Remy enjoyed having Ororo brush his hair while they watched the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy. Remy's signature red eyes smiled down at Kurt and he was grinning like he knew something Kurt didn't. "Did I miss the joke mein freund?"

"Oh nothing mes amis, Remy just happy to see you finally awake. We all starting to get worried you never wake up." Giving Kurt a casual shrug, he continued, "So you wake up and your first word is my Stormy's name uh? Remy file that one away for a rainy day."

Mein Gott, he noticed. Could that be a problem? Kurt wondered. His denial instinct kicked in. Honed from years of trying to fool himself and everyone else he was not in love. "It's just I thought I smelled her when I was waking up."

"You smelled her?" Remy's brow shout up as he mulled that over a second. "Oh, yeah right! That girl always does smell like a field of flowers. Well, mystery solved ami, you were smelling these." Remy turned around to the nightstand and grabbed a vase of flowers.

Kurt recognized some of them. "Are those from? "

His playful friend winked at him. "Yup, one get-well-soon Ororo special. It's got a little bit of every sweet smelling thing she grows."

"Ja, I remember she would make one of these whenever anyone was sick."

"Correct, and you, my luckily elf, have been getting one of these at least once a week since you been in here."

"Every week, how long have I been out?" Kurt already had an idea of the answer, but knew it would look weird if he didn't ask.

"Uh…maybe Remy should be getting one of those pretty nurses now, non?"

"It's ok Remy, please just tell me."

"I'm sorry Kurt, but it's been about three years."

"Mein Gott, that is a while" So Mephisto had done what he said. "Remy, do you mind if I?" Kurt pointed over to the flowers.

"But of course, no problem chere."

Kurt took the vase from Remy and deeply inhaled the scent of the flowers. The smell of them brought back so much. Before, Kurt had been afraid that the illusion Mephisto put him under made his feelings for Ororo seem more than what they really were. Somehow taking in her scent confirmed that though their romantic relationship had been false, his feelings for her were not. Kurt lost count of the number of times he'd catch this scent on the wind right before she would make an appearance. At first sniff his tail would go stiff, then relax a bit to swing back and forth as he inhaled deeper in anticipation of her arrival.

"So, are you always the one who delivers them?"

"No sir, Ororo usually deliver these herself when she comes to visit. She was just about to come over with these when Hank called and asked her to help with something he was doing, which is the second reason Remy be here today. Hank said he was getting something off of your machine over there while he was leaving. He asked me to check in with the docs here since I was coming anyway. Don't think he ever really thought you be up. Can't wait to hear what old Hank is going to say when I tell him." Remy reached into his pocket to get his phone.

"Wait please, I am not ready to deal with a bunch of people or doctors right this second."

"Remy understand Kurt, but you going need to see them all sooner or later. Only reason they aren't in here right now is cause a new nurse tripped over the cord. I was going plug it back in, but apparently there is a form someone needs to fill out for that."

"Ok, but for now, just sit and talk to me some more."

"Sure thing ami." Remy took the seat next to Kurt's bed.

Not wanting to seem overly eager to talk about Ororo, he decided to ask about Hope. "Remy, did Hope… I mean, is she all right?"

"Oh, she be fine. You were amazing that day. You saved her. Though her life hasn't been a piece of cake since then, I think you'll find the fille has really come into her own."

This was a huge relief to Kurt's ears. It filled him with great joy to hear she was doing well. Hope was definitely near the top of his list of concerns, and of people he wanted see, but he found he couldn't help bringing the conversion back to the person on the top of both that list. "You said Ororo was with Hank?"

"Oui. Apparently Hank had to meet with some fancy pants heads of state that Ororo met a few times when she was married to what's-his-face."

"Was married?"

"Oh yeah, forgive me ami, you been awake for at least five minutes and Remy have yet to fill you in on all the gossip."

"Oh...Well I wouldn't want to gossip about Ororo."

"Of course not Chere, Remy be her best friend. You think I be spreading her business around. This just be a fact, unfortunately for others it be news." Remy leaned over and picked up a magazine from a bin and handed it over to Kurt.

Right there on the front cover was a huge picture of Ororo and T'Challa with a rip down the middle. In bold it read "Divorce! Find out the how, why and who? Could one of her sexy teammates from the X-men be to blame for the split?" On the side of the mag were three small pictures of Peter, Remy and Warren.

"It's a pretty good picture of me if I do say so myself, but it pissed Stormy off royally."

"Verdammt. So it's true, Mephisto was right!" Kurt knew he shouldn't be that surprised. Mephisto wasn't known for lying, but he sometimes withheld the whole truth.

"Mephisto? Kurt, no good could ever come out of anything that red devil says. This be coming from a man who worked for Sinister and Apocalypse."

"I agree with you mein freund, but-"

"But nothing. Come on Kurt, what's wrong? You're acting strange even for a man who just come out of a coma."

Kurt was beginning to feel stuck. He never liked lying, but Remy was on to him. If he suspected something was off about Kurt, he would surely bring it to Ororo's attention. A light clicked on inside Kurt's head. Of course I should tell Remy everything. When Mephisto said he could only tell one person, he originally thought of Logan. Now that he really thought about it, Remy was the perfect choice. He had plenty of experience with women and he knew the woman Kurt was in love with better then anyone at this point. Who better to help? In fact, Kurt found it was silly he never thought to seek Remy's advise before.

"Ok mein freund, I will tell you everything but I warn you, you're going to find it hard to believe." So Kurt told Remy everything - about dying, spending the last three years in some made-up illusion, being in love with Ororo, and the deal he made with Mephisto.

End of chapter two…

Well thanks for reading. Chapter three will be titled "No rest for cupid." Please leave reviews especially if you liked anything you read here so far. Or even if you have any ideas. I pretty much have things planed out but am open to suggestions.

Kurt to English

Ja / Yes

Mein freund / My friend (male)

Nein / No

Verdammt / Damn

Mein Gott / My God

Remy to English

Ami / Friend or buddy

Chere / Honey or dear can used for ether sex

Oui / Yes

Mes amis / my friend

Non / No

Fille / Girl

xxx