Hope
"Okay, so when he wakes up, we'll have this party for him and invite
everyone and --"
"Bad idea, said Jean. "Nice try, Evan, but we can't really trust any
outsiders."
"Someone might touch him," said Scott. "It'll blow our cover."
"Maybe we could make it a costume party," said Jean.
"Don't be insultin'," said Rogue. "An' if it's just us, won't that
defeat the point?"
Evan sighed, looking down. "I thought K-man was doing okay," he said.
"This whole thing's a big shock."
"Yeah," said Scott.
Kitty phased through them, carrying an enormous wodge of paper. "Like,
excuse me," she said. "I gotta like, get this stuff to the Professor."
"Is that it?" said Rogue. "Whoah."
"No, this is like, *half* of it," said Kitty. "Who knew this guy had
like, verbal diarrhoea?"
"Ew," said Evan.
"I *mean*," said Kitty as she vanished down the hall, "that he
*writes* a lot!"
"Still," said Scott. "*Ew*."
"Good *grief*," said the Professor.
Logan whistled backwards.
"I'm still like, printing the rest," said Kitty.
"There's *more*?" boggled Logan.
"Like, an entire sheaf's worth," Kitty complained. "There's like,
three *tonnes* of like, chapters. And it's still like, unfinished? It's
gotta like, go on for like, *ever*!"
"This is the story Kurt's been reading?"
"*Just* that story," said Kitty. "If you like, want a _Gargoyles_
primer, I can like, print out an FAQ..."
"No, I - sort of follow the show." He began reading. "They pulled
this?"
"Yeah, 'cause it's like, totally porn."
"Hardly," said Xavier. He turned a page, then another, speed-reading
the text. "This story hovers on the borderline of art... I can see why
Kurt wanted to keep this from us. Given what I've found, he needed
something he could relate to. Someone who'd been there."
"On _Gargoyles_?" said Logan. "I mean, I can see the similarity,
*sometimes*, but them and the Elf?"
"He said it," murmured Kitty. "He said they looked like his
relatives." She looked to Logan. "I like, shrugged it off."
"We shrug a lot of things off, Half-pint," said Logan. "Maybe we
aughta stop."
"I thought this was pulled from the internet," said Xavier. "How did
you get your hands on it?"
"Someone's like, hosting it for Internetmadguy," she explained. "I
just found it and like, started printing."
"Thank heavens for freedom of information," said Xavier. "Kurt can
have his hope back. And a plethora of people he can talk to."
"He don't think we can relate, Chuck."
"*I* can *always* relate," said the Professor. "If he'll let me."
"Okay, so when he wakes up, we'll have this party for him and invite
everyone and --"
"Bad idea, said Jean. "Nice try, Evan, but we can't really trust any
outsiders."
"Someone might touch him," said Scott. "It'll blow our cover."
"Maybe we could make it a costume party," said Jean.
"Don't be insultin'," said Rogue. "An' if it's just us, won't that
defeat the point?"
Evan sighed, looking down. "I thought K-man was doing okay," he said.
"This whole thing's a big shock."
"Yeah," said Scott.
Kitty phased through them, carrying an enormous wodge of paper. "Like,
excuse me," she said. "I gotta like, get this stuff to the Professor."
"Is that it?" said Rogue. "Whoah."
"No, this is like, *half* of it," said Kitty. "Who knew this guy had
like, verbal diarrhoea?"
"Ew," said Evan.
"I *mean*," said Kitty as she vanished down the hall, "that he
*writes* a lot!"
"Still," said Scott. "*Ew*."
"Good *grief*," said the Professor.
Logan whistled backwards.
"I'm still like, printing the rest," said Kitty.
"There's *more*?" boggled Logan.
"Like, an entire sheaf's worth," Kitty complained. "There's like,
three *tonnes* of like, chapters. And it's still like, unfinished? It's
gotta like, go on for like, *ever*!"
"This is the story Kurt's been reading?"
"*Just* that story," said Kitty. "If you like, want a _Gargoyles_
primer, I can like, print out an FAQ..."
"No, I - sort of follow the show." He began reading. "They pulled
this?"
"Yeah, 'cause it's like, totally porn."
"Hardly," said Xavier. He turned a page, then another, speed-reading
the text. "This story hovers on the borderline of art... I can see why
Kurt wanted to keep this from us. Given what I've found, he needed
something he could relate to. Someone who'd been there."
"On _Gargoyles_?" said Logan. "I mean, I can see the similarity,
*sometimes*, but them and the Elf?"
"He said it," murmured Kitty. "He said they looked like his
relatives." She looked to Logan. "I like, shrugged it off."
"We shrug a lot of things off, Half-pint," said Logan. "Maybe we
aughta stop."
"I thought this was pulled from the internet," said Xavier. "How did
you get your hands on it?"
"Someone's like, hosting it for Internetmadguy," she explained. "I
just found it and like, started printing."
"Thank heavens for freedom of information," said Xavier. "Kurt can
have his hope back. And a plethora of people he can talk to."
"He don't think we can relate, Chuck."
"*I* can *always* relate," said the Professor. "If he'll let me."