Part Four

Ororo was well aware of Kurt's acute sense of spatial perception. She even knew that, using that unique sense, he could probably drive a car safely while blindfolded. But, that understanding did not keep her from clutching desperately at her seat as Kurt sped down the sharply winding road.

"You are aware that the speed limit on this road is thirty-five, right?" Ororo asked, her voice tight with anxiety.

Kurt glanced at her.

"I see you have never driven on the Autobahn, Liebling," he laughed. "On that road many cars would be passing me right now, annoyed I was going so slowly!"

"Yeah, well, we're not on the Autobahn right now," Ororo squeaked as they tore around a curve. "And there's still plenty of time before the mass starts. Do you think you could slow down just a little?"

Kurt, who had clearly been enjoying the exhilaration of handling the Professor's very expensive sports car, turned to her with a smile.

"You know I can refuse you nothing," he said, breaking slightly and allowing the car to roll its way down to thirty-five. "There," he said, leaning back in his seat. "We are now moving along at a turtle's pace. Are you more comfortable now?"

Ororo shook her head.

"Sometimes you worry me, Kurt Wagner," she said. "I'm starting to dread what might happen once Scott approves your piloting license."

Kurt looked slightly upset.

"You were never in any danger," he said. "You know that, don't you? I would never risk your life."

Ororo shook her head.

"Kurt, what do you think would happen if a cop had seen us just then?"

Kurt hung his head, apparently contrite.

"We would have been pulled over," he admitted. Then he looked up with an impish grin. "But, if the cop was a lady, we would have gotten off with a warning and a wink."

Ororo smirked at him.

"Oh? And how do you figure that?"

"You've said it yourself, Liebe," Kurt said, running a hand through his indigo curls. "I'm charming."

"You," she said with an accusing point, trying to hold in her giggles, "are a show-off and a flirt."

"And, that's what you like about me!" He grinned, a roguish gleam in his eye. "Come on, Liebe, admit it!"

He reached over to tickle her with his tail, and she laughingly slapped it away.

"Keep your eyes on the road, you speed demon!"

Kurt sighed theatrically.

"Ach, that is barely necessary at this crawl," he teased. "Besides," he observed, turning into a nearly packed parking lot. "We're here."

Kurt parked Xavier's car at the far corner of the lot, then hopped out to hold the passenger side door open for Ororo.

"Thanks," Ororo said as she slid out, then she gasped.

"Kurt!" she exclaimed, her wide eyes narrowing in amazed trepidation. "That is you, isn't it?"

The man holding the car door open wore the same elegant suit with the festive green tie that Kurt had been wearing just moments before, but he was tall and tan with a classically handsome profile and dark, golden hair that reached almost to his shoulders.

"No," the man said with Kurt's voice. "It's Errol Flynn."

He closed the door, then held out his arms and did a full turn for her inspection.

"What do you think?"

Ororo smirked and took his hand, the way the four slender fingers she saw remained paired reassuring her that this truly was only an image.

"Errol Flynn has nothing on Kurt Wagner," she teased. "To tell you the honest truth, I prefer my men dark and devilishly handsome."

Kurt grinned at her, his holographically blue eyes filling with tears that he quickly blinked away.

"Then, perhaps I should have programmed an image of Basil Rathbone," he joked, trying to cover how deeply her words had touched him.

"Come on, Elf," she said and smiled, offering him her elbow. "Let's get inside. The cold doesn't affect me, but I wouldn't want you turning blue."

Kurt snickered and took her arm as they headed across the parking lot toward the large, stone cathedral.

"Oh, Kurt?" Ororo said suddenly. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

He turned to her, his blue eyes curious.

"Yes, Ororo?"

"I was just wondering," she said lightly. "Just a bit of old movie trivia. Did Errol Flynn have a tail?"

"What? Oh!"

Kurt turned to see his tail swishing behind him and quickly twined it around his waist where it vanished behind the concealing hologram.

"Thank you, Liebe."

"Any time," she said.

Kurt cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the clear, starry sky.

"I wanted to thank you for agreeing to come with me tonight," he said quickly. "I honestly don't think I could have done this if you weren't with me."

Ororo looked over to him, concerned.

"What do you mean?"

Kurt sighed, and stopped their progress.

"It has always been a dream of mine to sit in the pews during mass, to get up with everyone else and walk down the aisle to receive Communion without all the stares and gasps and shrieks. Even at my own First Communion, I was told to wait in the coat room until the other children and their families had left. It was the same with my Confirmation, only by then I could teleport so I watched the ceremony from the rafters near the ceiling."

He sighed again and turned to face her.

"This will be the first time I attend mass as a...a normal person. It is a dream come true. I just don't want my shyness, my accursed fears, to ruin it for me. I know that once I get in there, once I see all those people, I'll need to run away. And, I don't want to. I've had it with watching the ceremonies from the shadows. I want to live my life in the light. I want to keep my vow."

Ororo looked up at his anguished face, tracing her fingers along the invisible scars behind the hologram masking his elfish features.

"I know you may not believe this, Kurt, but I really do know how you're feeling."

Kurt's eyes widened incredulously.

"You! You are not afraid of anything!"

Ororo moved closer, holding his gaze with hers.

"Yes, I am. I have a terrible fear of enclosed spaces, of being trapped in the dark. I've had it ever since I was a child. My parents died in a terrorist explosion when I was four, and I was trapped alone in the ruined building for days. It was the worst experience I've ever had. Even now, I can't go into an elevator or even enter the basement of the mansion without this horrible fear seizing me, trying to force me to turn back. Once, during a mission in a cave, it got so bad I froze and Scott had to come and rescue me."

Kurt gazed at her with wide, understanding eyes. They were eyes of compassion rather than pity, and Ororo gave in to a sudden need to embrace him.

"You see, Kurt," she said, resting her snowy head against his shoulder. "You're not alone."

"Neither are you, meine Liebe," Kurt whispered, resting a thick finger under her mocha chin as he looked into her crystal eyes. "As long as I am with you, you will never be lost in the dark."

"And you need never fear the light," Ororo said and smiled, wrapping her arm around his elbow and pulling him toward the thick, wooden door to the cathedral. "Come on," she said softly, a warm glow filling her heart as she watched him screw his confidence firmly in place. "Let's go inside."


Ororo had attended Christian masses before with Jean and Scott, but never had she seen a service as beautiful as the one she witnessed that night. The fluttering light of what had to be a thousand candles warmed the cathedral's interior with a cozy glow. Beautiful arrangements of potted poinsettias and decorated Christmas trees brightened the marble altar. The joyous sounds of the organ and the trumpet swelled in the incense-scented air as the congregation rose to their feet in song, celebrating the birth of the one they believed to be their savior. Ororo even joined in, singing the familiar words to the Christmas carols she had heard so often on the radio.

Kurt had chosen to sit at the outer edge of the long, wooden pew, right next to the center aisle. This placed her between him and the others who shared their pew and helped to give him a feeling of space. Even so, Ororo could feel his tension as she watched his blue eyes dart nervously around the crowded room. His hands gripped the pew's rounded edge so tightly, she could imagine his indigo knuckles turning whitish-blue beneath the hologram.

Gently, she pried his hand away from the seat, holding it in her own and stroking its scarred back. Grateful for the small comfort, Kurt glanced at her and risked a brief, covert squeeze of her shin with his tail.

Ororo looked around in a near panic, waiting for the screams to start, but Kurt just grinned, his blue eyes filled with mischief. No one had noticed.

When it came time for the congregation to rise and receive Communion, Ororo knew to remain in her seat. Kurt swallowed hard, closing his eyes as he searched for an inner strength she knew he had in abundance. Then, with a small smile and a final squeeze of her hand, he rose to his holographically shod feet and took his place in line, standing straight and tall.

Ororo didn't think she had ever felt so proud, until a young woman with short, brown hair winked suggestively at him and he winked back. She felt her jaw drop and was about to rise from her seat when she saw Kurt turn back to her with an affectionate smile while making a small gesture that firmly told the woman, "I'm with her."

The woman gave a small pout and turned back to the altar. Ororo relaxed, then straightened in surprise.

Why had she reacted like that to an innocent wink? She and Kurt were just friends, weren't they? What right had she to feel so...possessive?

Her thoughts strayed back to the beautiful cookie he had carved of her, the way he blushed when she smiled at him.

Perhaps, their feelings for each other ran deeper than she had wanted to believe...

Oh, Jean, she thought, lowering her head as a powerful wave of grief and loss washed over her. I wish you were here. You would know how to help me deal with all these confusing feelings. I miss you so much, my friend!

She looked up as Kurt returned, his wide eyes lit from deep within by an elated joy that spoke of a long-cherished wish finally, wonderfully fulfilled. He gave her hand a happy squeeze, then knelt down beside her and began to pray with a passionate sincerity she had not seen in the other church goers. Taking a shaky breath, she tried to force her grief from her mind and focus on the conclusion of the ceremony.

Only Kurt and a few older ladies genuflected as the priest and his procession walked up the aisle and out the large, double doors at the back. The remainder of the congregation remained standing, singing lustily along with the music of the organ and the chorus that stood in the balcony.

Kurt remained behind as the rest of the congregation filed out of the building, staring up at the organist and the chorus with a small smile on his face.

Ororo could only guess at the thoughts that were running through his mind.

"That was a beautiful ceremony, Kurt," she said, and he turned to her with a shy grin.

"I am very pleased you enjoyed it, meine Liebe," he said, his voice soft. Then his eyes lit up and he took her hand, leading her down the aisle toward the altar. "Come," he said. "I want to show you something."

He stopped in front of a very large, very life-like nativity scene that had been set up to the right of the altar. A small tray of tiny candles stood in front of it, and a small table-like knee rest stood before that, inviting the faithful to pray.

Ororo looked at the skillfully hand-painted ceramic figures kneeling reverently around a straw-filled manger, offering praise to the small infant who rested there. Even the sheep, donkeys, and cows bore expressions of awe.

Kurt watched her expression with an excited grin.

"Well?" he asked. "Is it not lovely? I have not seen one so beautiful since I left Germany. When I asked the priest, he said the figures had been imported from Germany!"

Ororo smiled.

"It is lovely, Kurt," she said. "Very Christmassy."

Kurt nodded, sighing with nationalistic pride and deep, inner happiness. When he turned back to her, though, his bright eyes had taken on a more somber look.

"This is not the only thing I brought you up here to see," he admitted, suddenly nervous.

"No?" Ororo said, refleting how odd it seemed to see him so fidgety without the sight of his tail twitching behind him.

"I...I know you have been missing your friend, Doktor Grey," he said softly, no longer meeting her eyes. "I thought, maybe if we lit a candle in her memory, and maybe you spoke to your Goddess about her?" He shrugged. "It might help you feel closer to her memory."

Ororo drew in a startled breath. Had she been so obvious? Or was it just that uncanny way Kurt had of picking up on the troubles of others?

"Kurt..." she said, touched beyond words. "That is so sweet!"

"Here," he said, holding a long, thin stick of wood into a candle flame and pressing it gently into her hand. "Choose a candle. I will make a donation in her honor."

As he stuffed a few bills into the collection box hanging from the wall, Ororo lit the center candle, recalling how Jean had served as the heart of the team for so long. As she doused the slender stick in the small box of white sand at the edge of the table, Ororo truly did feel closer to her friend than she had in a long, long time. Offering up a prayer for the Bright Lady to protect Jean's spirit, she turned to Kurt and threaded her hand through his arm.

"Thank you, Kurt," she said softly, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. "I really needed something like that."

Kurt smiled, tilting his head to rest his cheek against her silky hair.

"I know," he said. "Are you ready to go home, Liebe?" he asked.

Ororo grinned, looking up at him with affectionately mischievous eyes.

"Only if I drive."

Kurt laughed and dug into his pocket, handing her the keys.

"I bow to the wishes of a beautiful lady."

Ororo took the keys and started walking up the aisle, Kurt close at her heels. As she stepped out into the cold, Christmas Eve night, she looked up at the sky, where the stars had been covered by a thin layer of clouds.

Smiling softly, Ororo gave into an impulse. When Kurt came out, closing the heavy door behind him, he looked around with a delighted gasp.

"Ororo!" he exclaimed, his warm breath forming a small cloud in the freezing air. "It's snowing!"

Storm nodded, reveling in the feel of the power she held within her.

"Yes," she said, her bright, white eyes fading back to blue. "The children will wake up to a white Christmas this year."

Kurt laughed like a child himself, fixing her with an impish grin.

"And do you know the best way to spend a snowy Christmas?" he asked.

"Sitting by a fire drinking hot chocolate—"

"—and eating Christmas cookies!" he finished with a laugh.

The once crowded parking lot was now empty. Only Xavier's red BMW remained, parked in a distant corner.

Ororo looked into her companion's grinning face and stepped closer to him, reaching for his wrist.

Thinking she wanted to hold his hand, he held it out to her, but her fingers were aimed elsewhere. He gasped as the hologram that surrounded him flickered and faded out, his startled eyes darting anxiously around the parking lot.

"Kurt," Ororo said, wrapping her arms around his slender form.

He looked at her, confused and blushing.

Ororo smiled and leaned in closer.

"I just wanted to tell you..." she whispered, planting a gentle kiss on his scarred cheek, "...that I love you very, very much."#

She grinned wickedly, her sparkling eyes dancing.

"Merry Christmas."

The End


#This line was quoted directly from the comics: The Uncanny X-Men Issue 119: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are always welcome! :)

Merry Christmas! :D