7
With a bamf and a cloud of smoke, Kurt appeared in a park near the Sefton house, hidden from sight by some trees. He had met Amanda here many times before, but tonight instead of her coming to him, he was going to her. And her family. In the house he once destroyed in a fight with Toad, exposing himself as a mutant, and one that only vaguely looked human at that.
"Hi," a voice softly called out to him from the trees, causing him to jump yet again that night.
"Will people stop doing zhat!" he said in an exasperated voice. He turned to the sound of the giggling and saw Amanda standing at the edge of the trees. She was wearing a black turtleneck with a beige skirt, large belt and matching high boot. "Wow, you look amazing!"
"Thank you," she said, sashaying up to him and kissing him deeply. "Who scared you earlier?" she asked when the kiss had finished some time later.
"Rogue when I was getting ready, Kitty falling zhrough zhe ceiling when I was about to leave."
"Through the ceiling?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged. "She gets impatient with stairs when she's in a hurry." He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, a sensation she always loved due the softness of the fur on his hands. "Not zhat I'm complaining, but what are you doing out here, Liebchen?"
She leaned ever so slightly into his touch before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. "I wanted to see you before everything. No matter what happens tonight, I love you, and I'm not giving you up."
"I love you too Amanda, but what if..."
"Don't. Don't worry, just be your charming self and let me do the yelling and fighting if I have to."
"Do you zhink zhere vill be fighting?
"Always a chance I guess, but it'll be worth it. They'll understand. I'll make them."
"Do zhey suspect it's me yet?"
"If they do they're being very good at hiding it." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "You won them over last time, even though you were a nervous wreck."
"Zhat was before zhey found out what I was."
"That won't matter Kurt. Not in the end. We'll make them see that." She kissed him again before he could reply. "I'm going to sneak back in, give me a few minutes before you follow me." She slipped out of his grasp and out of sight.
He paced while giving her enough time to get back home. Could he do this? 'You're an X-Man,' he told himself, in a voice much like Bobby used when trying build up their courage. He ignored the part of his mind that reminded him Bobby said this usually when trying to work up the courage to do something stupid. With a deep breath and a quick prayer, he straightened out his suit and stepped out of the trees onto the sidewalk.
The house was only a few doors down from the park, but it seemed like miles as Kurt made his way down the street to the well kept house his girlfriend lived in with her family. Flowers for her mother in hand, he steeled himself as he pressed the doorbell.
"Amanda honey!" a voice called out from inside, "You're boyfriend is here."
"Coming Daddy!" Kurt heard Amanda answer from upstairs as her father opened the door.
There was a moment of silence for both of them as Mr. Sefton's mind paused at the unexpected sight of Kurt standing on the front step.
"H-Hello Mr. Sefton," he said with what he prayed was a charming smile on his face. "Lovely to see you again!"
Logan pushed the button on the panel to open the Danger Room door. It was generally recommended that people not open the Room without first checking to see who, if anyone, was inside and what program they were running. The Professor generally frowned upon missiles and debris littering the basement corridors. Sure enough, the light on the panel beeped and flashed red, indicating a potentially hazardous program was running and entrance was barred until the program had finished. Logan scoffed at this and entered in his override command. Hovering over the final button for a split second, he pushed it and immediately flattened himself against the wall next to the door, narrowly missing the smoldering remains of a training drone that flew out of the opening doors.
He ducked into the archway, hitting the close button as he did and positioned himself against the inner wall as he surveyed the situation. The holographic simulators weren't running, but waves upon waves of drones attacked a whirling figure in the center of the room. Rogue hadn't bothered changing into her uniform, instead fighting in the tattered remains of her street clothes. Her tank top remained in one piece, but her jeans were cut in multiple places and the only the tattered remains of her fishnet top hung by a few shredded strips around her neck and shoulders.
She was a dervish fighting against the hordes of enemies, spinning and twirling with kicks and punches. Occasionally she would grab onto a loose limb of one of the drones and use it as an impromptu club, and when it wore down her eyes would glow red with energy, and she would fling the limb into the nearest mass of enemies to explode, sending bodies and shrapnel flying. She hardly seemed to notice though, as she had moved on to another.
Logan waited, watching her technique. Having been her primary sensei past the basic training she had come to the mansion with, he could immediately see the influences of Remy's memories and essence in her fighting. While always graceful, Rogue had a tendency to be a straight forward fighter, preferring to attack directly that dismantled an opponent quickly. Remy, on the other hand, fought similar to the way Logan had trained Kitty. He moved far with more finesse, the type of fighter to focus on speed rather than power and worked specific body parts, redirect enemies into one another, and generally implemented the circular motions Rogue used now against the drones. Remy also fought with a cocky flair that Logan was happy to see Rogue had not adapted. The last thing Logan needed was residual muscle memory to train out of her.
Logan was content to sit back and watch Rogue until she pinned a drone beneath her and began wailing on it with unrestrained rage. "Computer, end program!" he called out. The remaining drones stopped their advance and returned to their maintenance bays while repair robots began their sweep of the room. Still wearing the gloves from his nightly ride down to Harry's, he reached out and gripped her shoulder to pull her away from the drone that even now repair bots were trying in vain to reach as Rogue smacked them away. "Come on darlin', that's enough."
"Stay out of it Logan!" Rogue surprised him by reaching up and grabbing his wrist, lifting her body to create the leverage needed to flip him onto his back. She let go while he was still in the air, using his momentum to send him flying away from her despite the enormous weight advantage he had over her.
He shook the momentary vertigo from being flipped upside down from his head and pulled himself to his feet. "Not going to happen while you're putting people in the infirmary. He's going to be fine, in case you were wondering."
"Ah'm not. You here to give me a spanking Logan? Tell me Ah done wrong and set me right?" she asked with a scowl on her face. She pulled herself up to her full height and faced him, and he could see right away the casual ready stance she had moved into. Her arms weren't on guard, but her feet were positioned to burst into motion.
"Tell you the truth, I don't care what you do to the Cajun. He's been nothing but a pain in the ass since he got here. But I do care about you. And going off the deep end like this ain't good for you."
"Ah'm perfectly fahne Logan."
"Sure you are, this is a typical workout for you," he said with a wave of his hand at the mess around him. "Half-Pint thinks maybe you're in love with the idiot. That what this is all about?"
"She said what?" Rogue's face contorted with fury, the black and red eye color as a result of absorbing Remy intensifying the look. "Ah'll kill her."
"No, you're not," Logan said, blocking Rogue's exit from the Danger Room. "We're going to work out what's wrong with you before you get to leave."
With a snarl she launched a kick at Logan's midsection. He pivoted slightly back and to his right, raising a forearm to parry the teen's foot away and quickly moved to block her follow up attack.
Michael Sefton stared at the boy standing on his doorstep. He looked plain enough, standing there in a suit just a hint too large for him and wearing a wavering grin on his face. But Michael knew what was really there. Underneath the façade, hidden behind some sort of hologram made with the watch he could see peaking out of the kid's sleeve as he nervously ran his hand through his hair, was something inhuman. Blue, fur, fangs, misshaped appendages, a tail. He knew the boy was more than just his outer appearance, he had seen the intelligence and fear in the boy's eyes before he fled last time he had visited. But standing right there on the doorstep of his home was a young man he had banned his daughter from seeing; a young man who could only lead Amanda to a life of hardship, ridicule and danger.
Kurt bit on his lip for a moment, before realizing how that must look. He gathered his courage and began to speak again. "Mr. Sefton, I understand—"
Michael turned back into his house, the door briskly slamming shut behind him. "Amanda!" Kurt could hear through the wooden barrier.
"Daddy, what are you doing?" Amanda's voice rang out, along with loud steps down the staircase.
"Why is there a boy I distinctly remember telling you never to see again standing at the door?"
"You told me to bring my boyfriend for dinner."
"I also told you not to date him!"
"Well you were being stupid!"
"Don't talk to me that way young lady!" There was a shuffling on the other side of the door, and a thump against it. "No, you're not opening that door!"
"Daddy!"
"No, I'm not going to have you endangering yourself again!"
"Kurt is not dangerous!"
"Maybe he isn't, but have you seen the news? The videos from that Magneto? Things are getting worse and those mutants at that school are in the middle of it. I don't want you involved with it!"
"Kurt and I have been dating for over a year and he's done nothing but make sure I'm safe from whatever problems the X-Men face."
"A year..? You mean to tell me you never stopped seeing him?"
"Of course I didn't! Did you stop when Grandpa Harris told you to stop dating Mom?"
"That's something completely different!"
"You said he was chasing after you with a shotgun. Did you lie?"
"No but..."
"No mutant has ever tried to hurt me Daddy, and Kurt and his friends would never let that happen when I'm with them."
"Why can't you understand the danger you're in Amanda?"
"I understand Daddy, better than you do. I know what Magneto's might do, and way more about what the government is planning than I should. And you know what? Kurt is worth the risk."
"Amanda..."
"Move Daddy, my boyfriend is here for dinner."
The door opened to reveal a grinning Amanda. Kurt could see the faint tracks of hastily wiped tears but didn't have the chance to say anything. "Hi sweetie!" she said with a perky voice, hugging him and placing a kiss on his lips. "You heard all of that right?" she whispered in his ear.
"Ja, most of zhe neighbors too," he whispered back.
"Come on in, dinner should be ready soon," Amanda continued at a normal volume.
Kurt passed the threshold of the house an Amanda shut the door behind him. Mr. Sefton continued to glare the entire time, but Kurt was distracted by the entrance of Amanda's mother.
"Michael, what is all the yell—oh!" she came to a halt and stared at Kurt with a look of shock. He felt a little relieved to see that there wasn't any anger in her eyes, but then again he figured she might not be over the surprise of seeing him. Her stupor didn't last long though, and she turned a neutral gaze at Amanda. "And I suppose this has been going on all this time?"
Amanda offered a nervous shrug and nod.
"I figured as much."
"You knew about this?" Mr. Sefton asked incredulously.
"I suspected. You told your teenage daughter not to date a certain boy, of course she was going to go right out and do that. I did it to my father after all." She gave Kurt a small smile. "Hello again Kurt."
"Um, hello Mrs. Sefton."
"Dinner is ready, why don't we sit down?"
Even with Rogue fighting with her head clogged with rage, Logan had a hard time getting strikes in. She had yet to hit him with anything particularly painful or damaging, but she was using her height and reach advantage to keep him at a distance. And considering he didn't plan on doing any real harm to her, he hadn't pushed too hard to break through her guard, content to defend and occasionally keep her on her toes as she physically worked out her emotions.
"Stop holding back, fight me!" Rogue said as she began a series of kicks directed to various points on his body. He easily batted them away. She moved in close to punch at his face, but he grabbed her wrist and swept her leg out from under her, sending her tumbling onto the ground. He kept hold of her arm, pinning it against the side of his other leg in an arm lock.
"Are you ready to calm down and talk?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Rogue struggled to pull her arm free, but Logan applied more pressure on it, forcing her elbow to bend farther in the wrong direction. She cried out in pain, but the moment he let his hold slacken she rolled backwards, hooked her free arm around his knee and kicked up, both feet catching him under the jaw and sending him reeling. Her grip on his leg caused him to loose his balance.
Before he could recover she quickly turned over and scrambled up his body to pin his neck down with her forearm. During the fight he had kept his riding gloves and jacket on, but the skin of his neck was exposed, and her fishnet top was all but in pieces, leaving her arm exposed.
Logan felt the drain on his body from Rogue's power immediately and threw her off him, sending her crashing into a pile of destroyed drones that the repair bots had been attempting to clear out of the Danger Room while the two had been fighting. Logan pulled himself back to his feet, shaking off the wooziness that Rogue had left him with.
She flipped back up and gave him a smirk. Already the cuts from her earlier exertions where healing now that she had taken Logan's ability. She popped her elbow and cracked her neck. "Now we're evened up so stop holding back," she yelled, flinging a handful of glowing bits of scrapped robot that exploded in his face like tiny firecrackers.
Darting forward before Logan could recover, Rogue slammed her fist into his jaw.
The first five minutes of dinner were quiet and awkward. Mr. Sefton was tearing into the slice of roast on his plate, using a steak knife with the same ferocity that Logan might have clawed at Sabretooth. Amanda had spent the first minute happily piling food onto Kurt's plate before helping herself. Mrs. Sefton had served herself and was quietly eating, keeping her eye on Kurt and Amanda hoping to see just how deep the connection between them ran. Kurt had spent the majority of the time nervously watching everyone else at the table before forcing himself to eat.
"This is delicious Mrs. Sefton," he said after a few bites.
"Thank you Kurt, it's an old recipe of my mother's."
Mr. Sefton dropped his utensils. "You should not be dating my daughter."
"Daddy!" Amanda spat across the table at him.
"No Amanda. You don't know what they get up to in that Institute and you refuse to recognize just how much trouble you're inviting into all our lives by being around them."
"I know more than you do, having been there so many times!" she yelled over him.
"Both of you stop yelling!" Mrs. Sefton cut in, her own voice raised just as loud.
"Mr. Sefton," Kurt began softly. He steeled himself when the man in question turned his smoldering eyes onto Kurt. "I understand why you feel zhe way you do. I worry for Amanda's safety just as much as you do."
"That's obviously a lie or you would have stayed away from her to begin with."
"I'm not in any danger!" Amanda said.
"You aren't thinking straight!"
Kurt decided to ignore the two and continued in a firm voice. "Despite what you zhink, zhe X-Men are a group dedicated to peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants."
"Peace?" Mr. Sefton exploded. "I've seen the footage of that training room, the hidden weapons on the institute grounds. Combine that with the threats that Magneto character has been releasing and it's pretty clear peace is the farthest thing from your minds!"
"Daddy! That is not true. Everyone at the Xavier Institute is trying to stop that!" Amanda jumped in.
"By building an army to counter them? How is that peaceful?"
"You would stereotype us all zhat way sir?" Kurt asked with disappointment in his voice. "Zhe Xavier Institute isn't a training ground for a mutant army. It's a school, a safe haven, and hopefully an example zhat not all mutants are bad. But we aren't stupid. We know zhat zhere are zhose who would hurt us, especially with Magneto agitating everyone. We have a right to protect ourselves."
He stopped and took a drink of water, hoping his hand was not noticeably shaking. He swallowed and continued, "Professor Xavier's dream is a world where mutant and humans coexist, where there is never any hate or fear because someone is different than you. Everyzhing the Institute does and stands for is to get us closer to zhat as reality."
Mrs. Sefton placed a hand on her husband's arm to stop him before he began yelling again and turned to Kurt. "Why are the X-Men training to fight then?" she asked in a much calmer voice.
Kurt smiled slightly at her, thankful she was taking charge and trying to keep things civil. "We don't always train to fight. In fact, most of zhe training we do at the Institute is to help us control our powers. It's not easy getting used to the idea you can teleport or read minds. Ozher training is how we can use zhose powers to help ozhers. We have abilities beyond zhe average human, we can't deny zhat. It shouldn't go to waste when we could be doing somezhing with it. For example, I can get to zhe top of a burning building and rescue people before a firefighter, or maybe where zhey couldn't even get to. If I can help, I will.
"But zhe X-Men are trained to fight, yes, because zhe world is not safe yet. We may one day have to fight, to protect ourselves, or more likely to protect zhose mutants who can't protect zhemselves. What happens if we have to rescue a little girl from a mob hunting her because she looks different? We know how to step in and help her wizhout anyone getting hurt.
"And what if zhere is a mutant abusing zhere powers, who zhe police can't stop? You saw zhat when we fought zhe Juggernaut. He is too powerful to be stopped with normal means." Kurt frowned slightly at this, reminded that Juggernaut was not only loose again, but working for Magneto. "If Magneto or ozhers like him attack, we will do our best to stop zhem."
"Do you know anything about Magneto? Will he attack?" she asked with a quaver in her voice.
"I don't know zhe whole story. I know zhat at one point he and Professor Xavier where friends. Zhey both have zhe same goal in zhe end, a world safe for mutants. But Magneto doesn't believe it can be achieved peacefully."
"Why?"
"I zhink he's ruled by fear. His family was killed in a Nazi concentration camp. He survived long enough for zhe camp to be liberated by zhe Allies, but he's never forgotten. He's convinced zhat zhe same zhing will happen to mutants if we don't fight back. I don't know if will start some sort of a war, but I don't see him doing nozhing if things start getting worse for mutants.
"Honestly, I understand his zhinking," Kurt admitted after a pause. "I lived most of my life afraid because of how I looked. Zhe village I grew up in eventually came to accept me some, but I was always shunned and always needed to hide my appearance so I wouldn't remind zhem too much just how different I was. Growing up like zhat, always afraid that today would be zhe day zhey decided zhey had tolerated me long enough, it takes its toll. For someone like him, who lived through zhe worst already..." Kurt trailed off. He shook his head a bit before continuing. "But coming here to Xavier's was a Godsend for me. Zhis watch," he gestured to his wrist, "lets me be normal some. Or at least, let's me pretend enough to go to school, have friends... meet a girl like Amanda. For ozhers, like my sister Rogue, it's a place to learn how to control zheir powers.
"And one day, hopefully, zhat is all zhe Institute will be for, and people like me can walk down zhe street wizhout hiding under a robe or a hologram," he said, pressing a button on his watch to let the image fade away. "One day we won't be ashamed of how we look, and we will feel safe regardless."
He looked Mr. Sefton in the eye. "We are not monsters, no matter how some of us might look. We want our place in zhe world just like everyone else. I would like mine to be with your daughter. She is one of zhe kindest, most open and caring individuals I have ever met. She is amazing in ways I can only hope to be. I wish my life was less dangerous for her, but I will die trying to keep her safe."
Amanda took Kurt's hand, smiled at him before turning her gaze to her parents. "I know the risks, and they're worth it. He's worth it. Their fight is worth it. If I can help I will, even if it's just to remind them that not every regular human hates them. I love him, and I'm not giving him up, no matter what you say. So I suggest you learn to accept that."
The two fighters were slumped against the wall of the Danger Room, each sipping a bottle of water and letting their healing factors clean up the various types of injuries sustained in the fight.
"Thanks Logan, Ah needed that." Rogue said with a sigh.
"I know kid. Might not have been the healthiest thing to do but whatever works," he added, cracking his neck. "Now what's got you so worked up? See something in the Cajun's head?"
"He's not lying to me," she muttered. "He lahkes me."
Logan grunted a non response.
"Ah know, Ah don't like hearing it either."
"I might regret this later," he started slowly, "but I think you need to get stuff off your chest a lot more than I need to not hear it."
"Ah don't know what Ah'm feeling. Ah have no problem getting him out of mah life, but..."
"But you like him too. Things like this remind me why coming back here was the worst decision I ever made."
"Sorry, Ah know you don't care."
"It's bothering you so I'll make myself care. Though I think I'm heading back to Harry's once this is over."
"If you can get them to give me a beer we can go right now," she said with a smile.
Logan barked out a laugh. "Tempting, but I don't want to deal with Chuck being disappointed in me on top of everything."
When Rogue didn't say anything else, Logan spoke up again. "You need to talk to someone about this or you're just going to be back down here again. I'll call Charles if you want."
"No!" she said, straightening up against the wall. "No, Ah don't want to talk to him about this. Always feels lahke a therapy session when Ah talk to him." She went quiet again.
"So...?" he started for her.
"You ever just... just... WANTED someone? But also wanted to kill them at the same time?"
Logan let out another laugh. "Yeah, sounds like when I first met your mother. That was a long decade."
"My mother... Mysti— AHH!" She quickly stood up and backed farther away from Logan shaking her head and grabbing her hair. "Ah don't need to... that's just... guyahhh!" She shivered.
He shrugged. "It was a long time ago; most of the time we pretend it never happened. We were both doing black ops back then. One thing lead to—"
"Shut up!" she yelled at him. "Just for that, Ah'm going into detail about all the urges Ah'm getting around the Swamp Rat."
"Probably should just get going," he tried to stand but she planted a foot on his chest and kicked him back down against the wall.
"No, you have to stay and listen after scarring meh for lahfe!"
She started to pace back and forth, not saying anything for some time. Logan was about to say something again when she stopped and turned to him, crossing her arms. "Ah can't make up my mind about anything. Ah hate these little lectures he's giving me on how Ah need to lighten up and not block myself off from everyone. Ah hate to admit it but he's making a lot of sense and getting through to meh a lot more than most people. After Apocalypse used meh, Ah shut down. And just as Ah was starting to get over that, along comes the dirty thief and whatya know, he's using meh too! But now he's making sense and pointing out thing Ah'm to afraid to admit to myself..."
She took a deep breath. "Ah know he's interested in meh because it's a challenge and Ah hate him for that, but he does really lahke meh, who Ah am. He can be sweet and funny and caring but he does it all while being the biggest ass in the world! And the worst part is that no matter what Ah decide, Ah still can't touch him!" She kicked a repair bot that was moving the last bit of debris away, shattering it against the far wall.
Logan was about to speak when she kept going, resuming her pacing. "Ah've had crushes before, plenty of them. Gawd knows my fascination with Scott Summers went on way too long. The thing about him though was that Ah always felt lahke with him it would be real. If Jean wasn't in the picture and Ah got his attention, it would work even if Ah never could touch him. He's the type that would never love meh less for it. But of course he never looked away from the Princess so nothing ever happened there," she grumbled.
"This about Cyke or the Cajun?" Logan asked.
"This is about meh," she replied. "Thing is with the... with Remy... Ah don't feel that way. Whatever would happen, it would be intense, yeah, but it wouldn't last. Not some epic love or nothing, just a flash in the pan, ya know? He just ain't the type. And since Ah can't touch... what would be the point?" She slumped back down next to Logan.
"I've had them both you know?" he told her. "I've had the short and intense relationships, a lot of them actually. And full out love."
"You were in love?"
"Spent the early Sixties trying to put myself back together after Weapon X," he started. "The rest and the Seventies was work for S.H.I.E.L.D., sometime the CIA, Department H up in Canada. All of it the nasty stuff governments don't like admitting to themselves that they have to do. Like I said, long decade. Spent the Eighties trying to put myself back together after all that. Ended up in Japan. Met a woman, fell in love."
"What happened, who was she?"
"Mariko was, well, she helped me through a very dark time. We were engaged. She died though."
"How?"
"I... her family was involved with the Yakuza. Just leave it at that. Point is, fling or real thing, everything can be fleeting. You gotta take what you can, because you might not get that shot again."
"So what, go give Remy another kiss?"
"If that helps get whatever this out of your system, sure. I don't see what the hell you see in him."
"Ah don't get it either. Still have to worry about touching him though."
"I know I'm not Mr. Optimistic around here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "but maybe it's time you stop thinking you'll never get control over your powers. Everyone else has gotten some control, why can't you, right?"
"Scott doesn't," she pointed out.
"Scott has brain damage, otherwise he would. If Laura can control her temper long enough to survive a day of school without popping her claws, you can figure out your powers."
"Wildthing's temper and mah powers aren't the same thing Logan. Ah can't just concentrate really hard or meditate and let it pass."
"Couldn't hurt you know. Charles is always saying that if you can control your powers, which he does think you can, don't get me wrong, then it's some mental block stopping you. Maybe some of those exercises Mariko taught me could help you."
"Maybe," Rogue said without much enthusiasm.
"You need to stop accepting that this is the way it'll always be and start working to fix it. And when it's time to test yourself, well, I can handle it."
"Logan, Ah," she took a breath. "Thanks. For everything."
"Don't thank me yet." He stood and flashed her a feral grin. "Not everything she taught me is about sitting around and contemplating your navel. Get some rest, we start in the morning."
Michael cleared away the last of the plates and joined his wife in the kitchen as she rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. The rest of the dinner had been a silent affair as everyone let what had been said sink in. "So what are we going to do?" he asked at last.
Margali sighed as she dried her hands. Turning to her husband she folded her arms across her chest. "I don't think there's anything we can do. Or even if we should."
"Don't tell me you're okay with this."
"I'm not. But honestly I'm more comfortable about this than I was before. The boy is far more level headed than I thought he was. And I believe him when he says he's doing everything he can do to protect her. He does seem like a good boy."
"You didn't say that last time."
"He had just destroyed most of the house. He's made a slightly better impression this time. What's really bothering you Michael? Don't tell me it's because he's a mutant. I thought you were a better man than that."
"I am, you know that. Yes his appearance is a bit jarring, but he's just as human as the rest of us, they all are. It's not what he is, it's that he belongs to that group. Things are only going to get worse for mutants and whatever happens he'll be right there on the front line. If it was just him without any of the baggage that came with him..." Michael paused rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "We always said things would be different for our daughter, she'd be safer than we were growing up."
"It's not going to be safe no matter who she's dating now. The world is a lot more dangerous and there's nothing we can do about it."
"It's worse the closer she is to him. We should be trying to keep her as far away from that as possible."
"How? She's already kept it from us for this long, and the only reason we know now is because she told us. She wanted us to know and is giving us the chance to accept her choice, but she knew nothing we could say or do would stop her. Look at her Michael," she said, pointing through the doorway. From where they stood, they could see through the dining room and into the den where Kurt and Amanda were curled up together on the couch, oblivious to the adults in the kitchen. They were talking too quietly to be heard, but the amusement on Amanda's face shone like a beacon. "Has she ever been happier? We always said we'd make sure she was happy too. How can we take that away from her?"
He sighed and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. "She's really in love, isn't she?"
"Completely. And you can see he feels the same about her. She's in love with him and she's probably friends with most of the kids up at that school. Even if we could somehow stop her from seeing him, she'd never just walk away from all of them. She cares too much."
"That's what I'm afraid of." He slipped his hand into his wife's and led her into the other room where they sat down opposite of Kurt and Amanda.
Noticing the adults again, Kurt tried to pull away some from Amanda to brace for another round. Amanda was having none of that and grabbed onto his arm and refused to let go, shooting her parents a defiant look.
Letting the awkward pause hang for a minute, Michael finally spoke. "So Kurt, tell us a bit more about this village you grew up in. It was in Germany right?"
And with a small smile forming on his face, Kurt began to tell them the wonders of his home town. He knew not all the problems were settled with Amanda's parents. Maybe they never would be. But at least for now, things were looking up.
