Hey readers! I am so very sorry for the long delay! Multiple excuses, but lets just say that puppy + coffee + laptop = disaster waiting to happen!

This chapter see's Kurt (and you) start to get a lot of answers, be warned, this chapter is essentially all dialogue and I apologise for that, I hope you stick with it!

As such, it generated a lot of back and forth with my AMAZING Beta Bellegenana! Writing this chapter gave me a headache and she has waved her magic wand and made sense of my nonsensical ramblings!

You'll be pleased to know that Ch4 is half way done already and there is a very definite plot line that has been developed, so hopefully it won't take as long to get future chapters out.

This chapter is rated T for language and also has a lot of medical/scientific terms. I've tried to keep it as accurate as possible even though I'm warping some of the details.

Warnings - mentions of suicide and fantasy/sci-fi themes. If that's not your cup of tea you really shouldn't read this story. :)

Disclaimer - I don't own Glee or it's characters, I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement.

Last chapter Kurt was bombarded with Brittany and Puck, both of whom had marks on their foreheads too -

Kurt looked to his doctor with questioning eyes. He saw a sadness in her eyes and he felt himself slump back onto the bed. Whatever this was, it can't be good.

Kurt felt his mind reeling, he was hoping he'd be seeing some kind of specialist about the weird mark on his forehead, instead he was watching two teens from his school, both with similar marks of their own, arguing with Dr. Pearse.

"Noah, what are you doing here?"

"Santana sent me a text and said there was another one, so I, you know, wanted to see." He finished meekly.

"How did Santana know?" Dr. Pearse asked looking stern towards her daughter.

"I told Sanny." She answered bubbly. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Brittany, how many times do I have to tell you?" Dr. Pearse asked exasperatedly. "You can't go telling anyone about a person in hospital. You know that's private. Both of us could get in a lot of trouble. You know it's not right to talk about other people like this. Did Santana talk you into this, again?"

Brittany let her head drop to her chest, how could she forget that? But Santana said…

While Brittany zoned out, Puck redirected the attention back to the matter at hand.

"Why's Britt here then?" Puck demanded.

"I got special permission from Dr. Lopez to bring Brittany and yourself here. Emma flatly refused to come to the hospital until it was clear that Kurt was one. Obviously, I can't make the determination, we thought the best option available was for me to introduce him to Brittany, so that she could see. Clearlythat was a big mistake. What made you decide to come, Noah? You don't seem all that invested in this to begin with."

"The both of you tell Santana she's not to tell anyone else, right now. If she has, then you guys better make sure that everyone who knows is aware of the repercussions here. Find out who knows and tell them to keep their mouths shut. I'm going to have to call Mr. Berry now."

Kurt was beyond confused. Here was his pleasant, kind-faced doctor ripping into the teens, for a reason he couldn't work out for the life of him. He was beginning to get frustrated. What was his doctor doing talking to his classmates about his suicide attempt? What right does she have to do that to him? But he had more important questions about this stupid spot, and seeing the marks on others with his own eyes, he wasn't wasting any more time.

"Hey!" He shouted over the teens and supposed medical professional. "Would someone care to explain to me what the hell is going on here? What are these marks? Why do these two have them too?"

Puck and Brittany shared a sheepish look with Dr. Pearse.

"He doesn't know yet?"

"No Noah, he doesn't, which is why you two best get on to those who know. Now!"

"I'm sorry Mommy" Brittany apologised in a small voice as she let Puck lead her out the room.

"Kurt, I am so sorry. They know better than that I swear, but Brittany…" She trailed off; it is still hard for her to think about the changes in her daughter. If only she could just explain to Kurt why Brittany was the way she is now.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kurt repeated, clearly tired of the lack of information.

With a deep sigh Dr. Pearse pulled up a chair next to his bed. Her proximity and her clear reluctance to be the one telling him what is going on were additional indicators that whatever she was going to say, he wasn't going to like it.

"Kurt, this is extremely difficult to explain, and I'm really not the best person for the job. I have scheduled a consultation for you with a psychologist who knows much more about what's happening. She's been able to fit you in today, and I think it's best she explain it."

"I am NOT crazy!"

Kurt flailed as he tried to get out of bed, but her strong hands held him down as she spoke in a calm voice.

"No, you're not. I know that, believe me I do. But the consultation was arranged for both yourself and your father because, first of all, it's standard hospital practice in situations like yours. Any suicide attempt requires a 72 hour hold with psych evaluation. Now, I know that your actions were driven more by the assault, but it's still necessary. I think it would truly benefit you to talk these things out with a professional. Second, the person I've arranged has a better knowledge of what's happening to you. She can help you, I promise."

It was there, those last two sentences that got Kurt to calm down. What's happening, meaning that it was still going on, it wasn't just because he tried to kill himself. He'd trusted Dr. Pearse thus far, he'd continue to do so for now. Wanting answers more than anything, Kurt realised he would have to go by the rules. Taking a few deep breaths, Kurt tried again.

"I want to know what's going on. What are these marks? Why do those two have them as well?"

With a resigned sigh, Dr. Pearse tried to explain.

"Alright Kurt I'm going to need you to promise to remain calm and listen to me without interruption. As long as you can do that, I'll tell you what I know about the marks. You are not going to want to believe me, so it's important you just listen to me and wait until you've spoken to the psychologist beforeyou jump to any conclusions. Okay?"

Seeing Kurt's wary nod she continued.

"Okay. First of all, do you know much about genetics?"

"Sort of, I guess. I've never been very good at science." Kurt answered with a shrug.

"Do you know about Chromosome's and DNA?"

"A little, we have 23 right?"

"Yes." She answered with a nod. "But, history records show a select group of individuals are different from the general population. It's only been since the mapping of the human genome project that we've realised these differences are on the chromosomal level. The current theory surrounding these differences is that it is hereditary, but given how it presents, there is simply no way to know for sure."

"So I am a freak." Kurt spat bitterly, thinking of all the times he'd been called as such if not worse.

"No!" The doctor answered emphatically, "You are NOT a freak. It's merely that your genetic make-up is slightly different, sort of the same way as someone with Down syndrome is." She explained, hoping to make Kurt see it wasn't necessarily wrong.

"How come I only have the mark now? Why was I never tested for it earlier? If people know about it, surely they would have some way to determine who has it."

"There is no testing done at this point, it's virtually impossible to track before it presents itself." she answered sadly. "Researchers have said it needs a catalyst before it will develop, and research has shown that the people with a presented mark have already entered puberty."

"What do you mean presented? What sort of catalyst?" Kurt asked, though he had a fairly good idea given his personal circumstances.

"Any near death experiences, from what I've researched and seen myself has been associated with triggering the powers. Though, typically the patient must have actually died at some point and been revived for it to work."

"So, then what everyone has been saying is true, it's all my fault I'm a freak." Kurt quietly stated.

If he had succeeded in his suicide attempt, done it properly the first time, none of this would be happening. Kurt started panicking. Unable to comprehend anything the doctor was saying beyond her confirmation of his freakishness, Kurt was lost in his own self-hatred. He began sobbing nonsensically; about being a freak, his feelings of isolation, and his overwhelming belief that he c couldn't do anything right. The stress of the attack, his suicide attempt, the hospital stay, hell, even the loss of his mother and isolation from his father, it all built and built until he was in the midst of a full-blown panic attack. He felt as if he couldn't breath, he couldn't stop himself from flashing to the assault in his yard. As he felt hands trying to hold him down, he knew Karofsky had come back to finish what he'd started, and he lost it.

"Don't touch me! I'm a freak! Are you happy? Get back! Mommy!"

His already abused vocal chords felt as if they were breaking from the force behind his screams. He felt sharp point of pain in his arm and before he knew it the room seemed to be getting dimmer. He heard noises as though he was underwater. His last conscious thought was I'm a freak.

When Kurt opened his eyes groggily, the first thing he saw was the worried face of his father. It took him a minute for his brain to catch up to the fact that he'd been sedated. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered the conversation he had with Dr. Pearse and panic began to cloud his eyes.

"Hey now, calm down Little Jay. It's okay, you're okay. I need you to just breathe for me."

Kurt's breath hitched as he tried to breathe normally, as he felt tears welling in his eyes. Not wanting to see the sad eyes of his father, Kurt turned his head to the right and saw the smiling face of strange woman. His first thought was that someone should burn her outfit. Acid wash denim is just an affront to Versace and man.

"Kurt, this is Dr. Hudson -"

"Carole, please." She interjected.

With a small smile Burt continued. "She's here to talk to the both of us, but if you don't want to talk, I'll make her come back later. Are you okay to talk right now? Burt promised himself he would protect Kurt, and if he had to go head to head with the hospital, he would. Thankfully Kurt nodded his acceptance of Dr. Hudson.

"Can you sit up a bit? Do you want some water or anything?" Burt realised that he may be over protective at the moment, but Kurt was his baby, his Little Jay, and he was going to make sure Kurt knew he was there for him.

Unfortunately, his father's fussing irritated Kurt. Where was he when he needed him for the last three years? Grimly, Kurt used the remote on the bed to raise himself up into a sitting position and carefully arranged himself so he was comfortable. Indicating to the cup on his bedside table, he accepted the water his father passed to him and took a few long slow sips through the straw. His throat had been improving, but the panic attack clearly set him back again. It felt like he was swallowing battery acid, but felt a bit better with the moisture after finishing his drink. Kurt tried to speak but all that came out was a hoarse rasp. Clearing his throat painfully, he tried again.

"What's going on?"

"Hi Kurt, like your father said, I'm Dr. Hudson, but please call me Carole. Dr. Pearse told me she discussed this with you already, but I wanted to make sure you understand. I'm here to talk with you about what's happened with you recently. Hospital policy would have required you speak with me, since you hurt yourself, and I think it best that I speak with both you and your father. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but it's necessary to make sure that you get healthy, both physically and emotionally. It's nothing to fear, this is just to make sure that we've given you the necessary tools to stop this from happening again. I'm just here to listen to you, and offer you an outside perspective to everything. If you have any questions, or need to stop, you just let me know, although stopping doesn't mean that we're finished. It will just delay the rest of our talks."

Carol immediately came across as a professional, and he could sense her empathetic response to his situation. Burt was especially impressed at how she's explained her position in this.

"Now I know that you've been through some horrible events of late, and we will talk about them, but I can see that you have some questions so why don't we start with those," she indicated with a gentle smile to Kurt.

"Um, Dr. Pearse said that the psychologist would be able to tell me what this mark on my forehead means. What is it and what does it mean?"

With a nod and a grin Carole indicated that Burt should sit down, while she took out some papers from a file sitting on the tray table next to her.

"Now I know that Dr. Pearse tried to explain some of the basics to you, and quite understandably it lead to a severe panic attack. I think its best that I start from the beginning, as this will clear some things up for you, and it will help your father understand too. Just remember to keep breathing calmly, and if you start to panic, all you need to do is say stop. I'll stop whenever you need me to, alright? I know it's a lot to take in, but we will work through it all and I'll try to answer any questions you have. You don't have to make sense of it all right away, we can take as much time as you need. If I feel you are getting to anxious, or overwhelmed, I will stop, Kurt. It will do nobody any good if you push past your own limits. None of us want that, okay?"

Seeing the alarmed expression on Burt's face, Carole turned to address him as she began the initial explanation of Kurt's differences. As Kurt had already heard all of this from his doctor, hearing it again would allow him to process the information without the shock value.

"Mr Hummel…"

"Burt."

"Burt, simply put, there are individuals throughout the world whose DNA presents differently than that of the general population, and as such it causes various alterations to the person's mind and body. These changes vary person to person, so it's difficult to explain to you exactly what distinctive differences develop."

Burt scrunched his forehead up trying to understand what Carole was talking about, so his son was different –

"Is this because he's gay?"

Carole caught sight of the crestfallen look that passed over Kurt's face as he subtly tried to draw into himself at his father's question. Making a mental note to address the issue in later sessions she shook her head with a smile.

"Not at all. In fact researchers have not been able to find any correlation between age, race, gender or sexual preference to this genetic variation. History has shown that these transformations have been medically documented since the late 1800's, and in all that time researchers are still at a loss to explain why it is only certain individuals affected. There is a possibility that it's hereditary, but given the circumstances, it's practically impossible to plot its ancestry."

"Why?"

"Burt, as was already explained to your son, there is no definitive testing for it yet. The DNA structure appears to remain 'standard' if you will until the catalyst occurs. The research has demonstrated that everyone with a presented variation has experienced what they define as a catalyst, or a near death experience that must take place after puberty has begun. The catalyst will only trigger the variation if the individual dies momentarily.

"Now, to be clear, not all individuals who have experienced an instance of death or near death will present the genetic variation. But those with the genetic phenomenon will have died for at least a moment as I stated, it's difficult to determine if it is hereditary, as science would need to see a clear line of descendants who have been affected and short of killing and reviving family members of those with active genes, it is basically an impossible task."

"So she's saying I'm a freak, and this all my fault, dad. I was a freak before and this just proves it. If I had only killed myself properly this would never have happened, and you wouldn't have to deal with this." Kurt spat bitterly.

"No Kurt." Carole answered fiercely. "First of all, 'freak' is not a term used by anyone involved in this matter, and even if it was, you most certainly are not one. Would you call that lovely girl that Brittany spends time with, Becky, a freak? There's no difference between this and any other genetic anomaly, they are simply genetic conditions that impact the life of the person."

Kurt looked offended that Carol would even think he would say something like that about Becky, yes she was different but she was also a sweetheart who always gave a smile to him in the halls at school.

Second, I've read your medical file, I know what's happened to you, and we will get to that, really soon. However it's certainly not your fault that the world we live in happens to have too many small-minded individuals who are scared of things they don't understand. There are more people in this world than those who have bullied you, and I know that you will have the support you need to get through this.

"This change, yes it will be challenging for you, but you have the advantage of having a support system with it. You are by no means the only one like this, and there are kids who have been living with it for years. It sounds trite, but it gets better."

Kurt couldn't stop the immediate rush of affection for the woman. She knew what she was talking about, and absolutely refused to allow him to wallow in self-doubt and pity. It felt as if nobody had jumped to his defence like that since his mother died. It was strange to feel such an immediate connection, but also very comforting. It was similar to his reaction to Ruth when she was interviewing him. Yes, he could admit it; he had some serious mommy issues and an overwhelming longing for affection from anybody. Well, except his father, he thought as he carefully extracted the hand he had been squeezing. He wasn't ready to face up to that yet. There was too much hurt to just forgive and forget. The action did not go unnoticed by Carole.

"So, how about we start with all the medical mumbo jumbo, then we can work from there, hmm?" She asked with a smile, hoping to alleviate the tension.

Carole held up a picture to both men, "This is a regular DNA sequence, the Double Helix. I'm sure you've seen or heard mention of it at some point before. It's made up of 23 Chromosomes in matching pairs."

She then held up a different picture, "This is what the DNA sequence looks like after the change. As you can see, the double helix is still there, but there is a third 'arm' branching off the main helix, this one includes four additional Chromosomal pairs that are different to anything in the main DNA sequence. Those who have experienced this change now have a triple helix.

"Now, the scientists and doctors who research this haven't been able to explain what those chromosomes are or even the official names for these extra parts. In effect, all that really means is that they can't explain what their function is either. All we know is that everyone who has been through this change has exactly the same additions, though the chromosomal pairs vary between each carrier.

"While this phenomenon has been documented in the scientific community for over 100 years, it's only been in the last few decades that our science has been advanced enough to really investigate it, so new information is constantly coming forwards."

Carole paused to let all the information sink in for both Burt and Kurt.

"So is it that weird chromosome thing that's the reason behind everything that's happening to me?"

"What's happening to you Kurt?"

Carole had read his file but she wanted to hear him own up to what happened to him, and what was still happening himself. This was the first step in his recovery, acceptance.

"Well, the mark on my forehead for one. When I first woke up, I would get these freezing sharp pains, like a localized brain freeze, it hasn't been doing that much lately. And then there is...well, it's weird. It was, like I was able to predict stuff happening."

"Like what?" Carole knew where this was going from her previous experience with empowered individuals, but as Kurt hadn't told anyone about it before, she wanted to hear his thoughts on it might be.

"Well, like the other day, a nurse put the TV on and I asked her about the fire on Market Street. But while we were watching a commercial, the news interrupted and showed the fire had only just started. I sometimes know what some people say or ask before they do. It's stupid; I figured it was just probably déjà vu or they had already said it or something." He added with a wave of his hand.

Carole smiled encouragingly, but kept her voice firm. "No Kurt, that's not stupid at all, and it's not unexpected really. Please, keep in mind that everything we know about this is still technically hypothetical, and certainly not concrete. But the research has shown that those who have gone through the change all have varying degrees of ability. It's technically called precognition. It sounds like yours is only a minor ability, you can't predict the future or see winning lottery numbers," she said with a chuckle.

"But, with what you've told me, it sounds like you will get little glimpses of things that will directly relate to yourself or other people who interact with you. Usually it is inconsequential things, like knowing what someone is going to ask as you've already mentioned. Maybe going to pick up the phone before it actually rings. I know this sounds crazy, but I know it has helped others who have changed get out of sticky situations. So while this will be different for you, you could look at this ability as a positive, maybe a perk of being changed. Besides, you'll probably never lose your keys or phone again."

Carole knew from her close involvement in previous activations that this was sometimes more of a hindrance than perk, and that some with powers often tried to use it to their advantage. A negative aspect of having teenagers with the genetic anomaly, they typically tried to 'see' things like class exams, but the responsibility conversation was best left for a later date. Hopefully, without her involvement; it was so difficult to rein teenagers in anyway, but giving them this advantage, almost impossible.

"As for the mark on your forehead, well, we've discovered that only people who have been through the change can see it. That's why Dr. Pearse was initially confused when you asked about it, same for your father. I know that it must have felt like you were going crazy, but let me assure you, it's real. I can see why it's so frustrating for you not to be able to get answers. Unfortunately, we have more questions than answers about the mark, and most of the things that will happen now. We just don't know if the mark is a direct result of the DNA alteration or the changes to your brain wave activity."

Kurt felt his heart rate speed up at this new piece of knowledge. There was something wrong with his brain? Before he could even verbalise the question, Carole had continued, effectively putting him at ease.

"Now wait, this doesn't mean there is anything 'wrong' with your brain," she said with a smile as Kurt visibly relaxed back onto the bed. "As I said before, your DNA structure is the same as anyone who has gone through the change. It's just that the change commonly alters the persons' brain wave activity. Each changed person has different variation in the scans. Some will be faster than others; some have more activity or combinations of the both. The researchers have been keeping notes on the different scans in the hopes that it will enlighten us more about what it all means for you.

"They believe that it's the differences in the brain waves that are more directly responsible for the mark on your forehead. As you might have noticed earlier, your mark is different from Brittany and Noah's, just like their marks aren't identical either. It is extremely rare to find two people with exactly the same combination mark, or indicator as it's been called. In fact I think there have only been four recorded instances in the last hundred years or so."

Kurt's head was reeling and it was beginning to develop a migraine. He was desperately trying to absorb everything that Carole was saying. While the information itself sounded like it belonged in comic books, he couldn't help but trust that she knew what she was telling him was true, even though his mind was telling him she needed psychological intervention herself.

"Okay," Kurt said slowly, "so the marks, sorry indicators, are different, but both um, Brittany and Noah had similar markings. What does it mean? What are they even for?"

Carole grinned a little, happy to see that Kurt was so open and accepting about the information, usually it took a lot more convincing for those going through the change.

"Well, the indicators are just that, they indicate, first, who has been changed, and second, the image helps others know what sort of changes you have. There have been some promising correlations between the indicators form and how it affects the brain waves. With the help of individuals who are activated, researchers have been able to give us insight into the indicators classifications. They've been able to narrow down some classifications to specific abilities, which has been greatly helpful for the newly activated. Because we can't see yours, it would be very helpful if you could draw a picture of it so that we can try to determine your indicator class. Do you feel up to that?"

Kurt nodded and accepted the sheet of paper and pen from Carole and with his good hand he carefully drew the conical spiral shape inside a circle. When he turned it around he saw surprise on Carole's face, which she quickly muted with a more passive expression. A quick glance at his father showed that it was obvious that he was also struggling to catch up and understand this insane situation. Knowing his dad, he'd wait patiently until this was over and then ask Carol questions privately, not wanting to show his lack of understanding to his son. His dad was very proud, and wouldn't want to look weak in front of his son, especially since this was most affecting Kurt. Kurt saw Carole's lips twitch a little, as though she was trying to hold in a grin.

"Well, now it's clear what Brittany meant when she called you a unicorn. Though Lord knows, with that girl, it could have been anything."

Kurt just looked quizzically at her.

"Brittany is a very innocent girl, she's incredibly loveable but she has a tendency to believe in fantasy. After everything that's happening to her and the rest of those changed, why shouldn't she? This spiral shape, she has been calling it the Unicorn Horn, and she believes that anyone who has it is 'magical', like a unicorn. You probably noticed that she had this spiral pattern too?"

Kurt nodded, "Yes, but only the spiral. I have the circle with it. Noah had the circle, but inside of his there were lines, like waves."

"Yes! That's what I meant earlier, when I said it's rare to find someone who has exactly the same combined indicator. The research has only ever been able to find similar indicators; but it's always been single aspects of the indicator image, like how Brittany and you have a spiral, or Noah's matching circle.. You'd think there would be more common overlap indicators, but it's actually quite rare and usually linked with only one or more other indicators. A study on activated twins showed that their indicators were entirely different, while people with no relation can have similar markers."

"Why?"

"Well, because the main purpose of the indicator is to identify what skills or a talent a person has had activated from the change."

Kurt's eyebrows rose so high they almost became part of his hairline.

"What do you mean 'skills'?"

"Well, due to the structural changes on the genetic level, your genetic order is different than the standard human. Think about it, the standard human genome is different than that of a whale, or a monkey, and now your genome is different than, say, your dad's. This genetic structure dictates biologically what our bodies can do. Because you have a few extra pairs now, it means that you will probably be able to do extra things.

"It's been found that there are standard changes across all 'activations'. These seem to be a direct result of the changed DNA, such as the precognition and I don't know if you noticed it yet, but you have been healing much quicker than anyone else who suffered as you have recently. This is another standard change that has been seen in those who have been changed."

Kurt nodded, the bruises and injuries from the recent assault were healing much faster than when he used to be abused by the jocks. He'd just put it down to the fact that he was in a hospital and getting round the clock care. He didn't realise that his body was healing so much faster than normal. But, he reasoned, he shouldn't be that surprised, they told him his left wrist had been broken in 3 places, yet yesterday his doctor told him that they'd be able to remove it from the plaster in a couple of days. Kurt knew that it took more than a week to heal broken bones.

"Okay, I get what you mean, but what about this extra stuff? What can I do?"

"Well, as to that, I can't answer you completely. There is an individual at your school who's power basically determines what a person's abilities are, you will meet with her soon. What I can show you right now is the classification table that the researchers have generated. See, each image belongs to a certain category or field that determines the basics of what you can do. Some abilities are linked to another, mostly as a restriction on their ability."

Here Carole pulled another sheet of paper out of the folder and handed it to Kurt who eagerly read the contents. It was a basic table showing a picture of a single image and what field they related to. Kurt scanned the paper several times trying to absorb all the details –

Cloud – Relating to Meteorological manipulation

Conical Spiral – Relating to Mind

Daisy – Botany Manipulation

Flame – Heat/Fire Manipulation

Hand - Touch

Heart – Emotions

Horseshoe – Attraction

Hourglass – Manipulation of Time

Snowflake – Cold/Ice Manipulation

Interlocking Circles – Molecular Bonds, varying number of circles equates to various types of bonds

Lightning Bolt – Relates to speed

Punctuation Marks – Relates to Communication/Enhancements/Warnings.

Single Circle – Encompasses the entire body

Square – four restrictions/enhancements on ability

Star – Astrological/Astrophysical

Triangle - three restrictions/enhancements on ability

Waves, Horizontal – Physical Density

Waves, Vertical – Physical Fluidity

Circle with half shaded – Manipulation of Light and Dark

"I don't think I understand." Kurt mumbled.

"I'd be very surprised if you did," Carole smiled. "I can explain what Brittany's and Noah's abilities are as an example for you. I've known Noah for a long time, and Brittany's mom has been my best friend for years. See Noah's had these two indicators," Carole indicated to the circle and horizontal waves, "which means that Noah's ability has something to do with his physical density and it's used in conjunction with his entire body."

"Noah is actually a fantastic example, because the change has manifested itself into several different abilities, it's very unusual that a person will develop so many gifts from the change, but the theory is that all those gifts are in fact related to the person's physical density.

"So, in the case of Noah, he can move through solid objects without physical harm to himself. No matter the object; walls, cars, buildings; he just glides right through. If he didn't have the circle than perhaps he would only be able to do it with part of his body, like his hands. He would be able to push his hands into a wall, but he wouldn't be able to push any further in than his wrist. Do you understand?"

Kurt stared at the woman with wide eyes but nodded none-the-less. His superhero theory wasn't so far off base then.

"He can also make himself invisible and he can breathe underwater. Simply put, Noah can manipulate his body mass to whatever the situation calls for; he is also one of the few whose powers mean that he is untouchable by other people's powers. Of course, this isn't perfect; he may still be affected by something, just that in all of his exposure to others with abilities, he's not been affected yet. He is still in training, but as time goes on his powers will strengthen and he will have better control of them."

Kurt was gaping at the woman, what did a person say to that? There was so much in her statement that was incredible, unbelievable; he was at a loss of what to react to first. Without realising it, his mouth opened and said the last thing he was able to think about.

"What do you mean by untouchable?"

"Well, this is where we will use Brittany as an example. Brittany's symbol means that her power is solely focused within her mind, and her power is that of memory manipulation. She can make a person forget things. However, it's harder for the empowered to use their abilities against the changed. It is important that you understand, while it is rare and difficult, it's not impossible."

"Now, Noah's power means he is protected from Britt's ability. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get his mind to forget. So you can see how this can be very useful for him."

Kurt's mind was whirling with the positive possibilities of what he'd just heard and perhaps it was showing in his face because Carole shot down his train of thought immediately.

"She can't make you forget all that has happened to you." she gently spoke.

"Why not?" Kurt sounded desperate.

"This is a physiological change, there will always be reminders down to your most basic chromosomes, and she can't get rid of that."

Kurt slumped back against the bed feeling defeated, he'd give anything to pretend this was all just a dream and he'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. With a sigh, he asked his next question.

"So because mine is a mix of Brittany's and Noah's are my powers the same as theirs?"

"Probably not, like I said, these are just the basic classifications of what your power will relate to. Yours is quite unusual too, rarer than Brittany's in fact, because yours is a power that relates both to your mind and your body. I'm very interested to see what it is." She admitted with a grin.

Kurt knew that she was just trying to make him feel better, but in all honesty, he doesn't want any of this, so the fact that his is rare means nothing to him. Even amongst the 'changed' he was still an outsider, an anomaly. One thing bothering him though, was that he still didn't understand why Brittany's was so rare and asked as much.

"Well, as I said, Brittany's power is solely used by her mind. She can't make people forget just by touching them or anything. I know that there are other cases where a person's ability was a similar memory manipulation, but that ability was strengthened or restricted by the presence of a separate ability.

"For example, a person might have the conical spiral shape inside of a hand or a heart, which could mean that they could manipulate a person's memory only by touch or only in so far as their emotions. They could make them feel something for another person, or they could make them forget the hurt that was caused by another person. Do you understand?"

Kurt wanted to scream that of course he didn't fucking understand, none of this made sense. But he knew that would be counterproductive. If he accepted what Carole had told him about genetic changes, then he had to accept that these 'powers' came with it, as unbelievable as they are.

"I think so, but it's a lot of information." He admitted.

"Yes, it's very overwhelming, but once you start meeting the others it will start to make more sense. This really is more of a seeing is believing sort of thing."

"Well, a mental mind fuck can be nice." Kurt quoted.

Carole beamed at Kurt and spoke just as Burt was about to reprimand his son for language.

"You know Rocky Horror?"

"Yes?"

"It was one of my favourite movies when I was younger." Carole exclaimed.

That's when Burt realised what she was referring too. He felt a jolt in his stomach, simultaneously happy and sad. He was glad that Kurt was still quoted musicals even after all the time that he'd been silent, but sad too, because he would always have a special place in his heart for that specific movie. Rocky Horror was what he and his late wife went to see on their first date.

"It's a classic," Kurt admitted, "I do – I have some questions if that's okay?"

"I'm sure you do and we will go through them all, but I think we could all use a bit of a breather from this. I want you and your dad to be able to process what we've discussed today, and get some rest! You might be healing faster, but you still have experienced some significant physical damage. I don't want this to set back your health. I will come back later this evening, and we can continue, and I promise to answer your questions to the best of my ability. Is that okay?

Kurt understood where Dr. Hudson was coming from, but couldn't really see his father discussing this with him. Mostly because his dad hadn't talked about anything with him in so long. But, he could understand why she was forcing this break, as he could practically feel his brains start to seep from his ears. He wanted to get it all done at once, but he knew that he'd never be able to take everything in the way he should if that was to happen.

As you've noticed, Puck is referred to as 'Noah' in this chapter, because I highly doubt that Carole would call him 'Puck' in a professional sense and Kurt is simply following her lead.

The RHPS quote is because I couldn't help myself - it's my favourite movie of all time so don't be surprised if more references pop up! :D

As always,

Love it? Hate it? Review and let me know why!

Mischievous Gleek