Chapter Seven

Kurt stood in the chapel, admiring his handiwork. He'd built it with his own two hands and he was proud of how things had turned out. He couldn't wait to show Linda. She was due back in only a few weeks. Kurt's heart beat faster at the thought. It had been so long since he'd seen her and held her in his arms. There was so much he needed to make up for, but he was going to get the chance soon.

The letters she'd sent over the past year, during her absence, had been read so many times they were in tatters. He knew now that no, she may not ever know what it felt like to be a mutant, or to look as different as he did, but it didn't matter. Two people couldn't live one another's life. It was enough that she loved him because of who he was, not in spite of it. That was a rare prize for any man.

He still hadn't talked to his friends about Linda. Things had been strained since they moved to the new base, and he found he no longer felt nearly as close to them as he once did. The X-Men had ceased feeling like a family in many ways, not the least of which was Scott's insistence on an almost military atmosphere. Kurt had gotten into the habit of keeping to himself, lost in introspection. He even felt distant from Logan in many ways, which was something he never thought would happen. Kurt just couldn't fathom his friend's cold-blooded slaying of a helpless prisoner. What had Logan come to? He seemed driven since they returned from Europe, almost surrendering to his dark side. Kurt was worried about him.

No, they didn't know about Linda, but they soon would. He planned on spending a few days alone with her, then he was going to bring her here, and introduce her to everyone.

He smiled and looked at the carved sculpture of an angel that dominated the front of the little church. He thought about his own Engelchen, and silently said a little prayer, the same one he said so often. Please bring her home safely.

This will be a lovely place for a wedding, once it's finished, he thought. He imagined the chapel draped in white.

Kurt's musings were interrupted by Emma. **

"Kurt?" She sashayed in, looking around.

"Emma. Velcome to the chapel." He smiled.

"It's lovely, Kurt. I didn't know you were building it."

"The way things are these days, I thought maybe it could provide comfort. Faith isn't the kind of thing that can be inflicted, ja? Better ve have a holy place und not need it." He shifted, vaguely uncomfortable with Emma's scrutiny of his hard work.

"Scott needs you for an operation."

Kurt sighed. "Not the girl? Mit der vings und such?"

"Took off. Not ready yet. And we need a teleporter."

"Ja."


The next week

Linda pushed her way through the crowded airport, a rucksack slung over her shoulder. She hadn't even stopped long enough to change out of her fatigues. She hailed a cab outside and sat back, closing her eyes in exhaustion. She'd been on planes or in airports for the past twenty-two hours. Her tour had ended a couple of weeks early, and she was finally home. Now, she was on her way to surprise Kurt, but her efforts had been frustrated by a lack of flights into San Francisco. The airport personnel couldn't tell her anything, just that there were no flights. So, Linda was stuck in Nevada, at least for tonight. It was frustrating, but still she smiled to herself. It was only a matter of time now. She couldn't wait to see him. There was so much she wanted to say, but, more than anything, she just wanted to be in his arms again, and hear the sound of that soft, almost purring voice. Maybe he'd be willing to teleport to Nevada and meet her here.

She tried Kurt's cell again. Dammit, she thought when he still didn't answer. Guess I should get a hotel room and wash the stink off first, anyway. She felt positively grimy.

A half hour later and she was toweling her hair dry in a room at a local Best Western Inn. She tried calling Kurt again and flipped on the television while the phone rang, unanswered. She clicked it closed in disgust. Typical.

A news announcer with slicked back hair and an appropriately serious face stood and pointed to San Francisco on the map.

"The entire city of San Francisco is still trapped under a dome of unknown origin. The Avengers are present and working diligently to determine what has caused this strange phenomenon. It is still presumed at this time that the renegade mutant group known as the X-Men are fighting against an unknown foe, behind the dome. We've received sketchy reports that there may have been some casualties, but that can't be verified at this point. In other news, there was a minor oil spill off the coast of..."

Linda didn't hear anything else that was said. She frantically hit the redial button. "Kurt...God Kurt, pick up the phone!" Please, please, please let him be okay, she prayed.

"You've reached Kurt Vagner, the incredible, or at least semi-interesting, Nightcrawler. Leave a message und I'll call you back in a bamf."


Uncanny X-Men #502

If you haven't guessed, 'Linda' is the 616 version of the character shown in Uncanny X-Force #25