A/N: Okay, guys. I'm doing something a little different for this chapter. You might me hate for it, but it's going to be from Nightcrawler's point of view. I know. I'm crazy. And the next chapter might just be this one from Gypsy's point of view (complete with nightmare), but I'm not sure yet. We'll see. I just hope it isn't horrible.

Chapter 10: I Wish I Could Help

Lost Girl drifted off in my arms, her sobbing slowly quieting to sniffles, then to complete silence.

Why did this have to happen to her? Is there anything I can do? She can't always live like this. It would kill her eventually. I wish I could help her. She finally felt safe, and Magneto had to come in and ruin it all. I hope she doesn't do anything to herself. I would hate to see her depressed, she seems like such a genuinely sweet and tenderhearted girl.

I turned to the Professor. "Is it alright for me to take Lost Girl to my room?" I asked. "I want to make sure no one bothers her."

"Do as you see fit, Kurt," Professor X replied. "I'm leaving her in your care. I trust you will make sure nothing happens to her."

I nodded, picking up Lost Girl off the floor. "Nothing will happen to her, Herr Professor. I'll make sure of it."

I left the room, pulling the door shut behind me with my tail. Herr Logan and Miss Ororo had ushered everyone to their rooms, and I passed Logan in the hall. He was probably making sure everyone stayed in their rooms until all the adults figured out what to do.

We have a mutual understanding of each other, and we tend to nod in acknowledgment when we walk by each other. I knew he was obviously preoccupied, because he forgot to nod when I walked by him on the way to my room.

When I got to my room, I laid Lost Girl on my bed and covered her up, without waking her up. I'm really glad of that. Who knows what she'd do if she woke up like that. The poor girl's already going through enough, I just hope I don't make it worse.

I sat next to the bed to make sure she didn't wake up alone. And to think. So much had happened in such a shot amount of time, I'm sure I wasn't the only one that needed to sit and think in order to process what happened.

No one rejected me when we found out my mother is Mystique. Everyone was really encouraging, and they were there for me when I needed them most. I really hope they do the same thing for Lost Girl.

We hardly know her, but she's really in the same situation Herr Logan is. She can't remember who she is, where she came from, or pretty much anything about her past. She can't even remember her own name. I just hope I can do something, anything, to help her. She seems like such a sweet girl. She just has to find out who she is. Maybe I can get Logan to help us figure things out.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I realized Lost Girl was having a nightmare. She was flailing around and panting like she was running. I got up, grabbing her wrists and holding them down to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. I didn't want to wake her up for fear of having her lash out.

Scott woke me up from a nightmare once, and I bit his arm really badly when I lashed out. I ended up apologizing to him for a week before he finally got fed up and made me stop. I don't want her to feel that guilty for hurting me.

Lost Girl cried out, her eyes springing open and darting around the room for a few seconds before focusing on me. She looked afraid, almost like something was out to get her. I let go of her wrists so she could sit up. Instead she curled into a ball, with her armed around her legs and her head buried in her knees.

"You're not going to leave, are you?" she whispered, still panting slightly. "I'm really scared no one wants me around."

"I'm not going to leave," I said trying to be comforting. "I'll be here when you need me. I'm sure Herr Professor will be here too, and everyone else."

She uncurled from her ball and sat up shakily, running her hand nervously through her hair. "I... I think my name is Kaylin. Someone called me that in my... Dream." She exhaled, running her hands through her hair again in an agitated motion.

I raised my eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. "Do you remember anything else? A face? Maybe a voice?"

"No, I don't remember any voices in particular," she replied. "All I really remember is someone saying my name. And really, really intense pain. Almost like someone was jabbing me with a million swords in a dozen different places at the same time."

I sighed, falling back on the end of the bed. I dragged my hands over my face, really unsure of how to proceed.

I really should have her talk to Logan. He would know what to do about this. All my nightmares are from when I was in the circus, and that's a completely different kind of torture. These two were both lab rats. I don't know how to help with that.

"You could always ask Herr Logan or Professor Xavier for help," I sighed. "I don't have... Experience... With this sort of thing. I'm sure they could help."

"Even if I go to someone else for help, will you come with me?" Kaylin asked, running her fingers through her hair and starting to cry again. "I really don't want to do this alone, and I really want you to come with me."

I rolled over, sitting up. I pulled Kaylin into a hug, resting my cheek in her hair and rubbing her back in slow circles. She curled into my chest, her sniffles quieting.

"Don't worry, Kaylin," I whispered. "I'll be here, no matter what happens."

oOo

We ended up waiting until dinner was over to talk to Logan. Professor Xavier decided a few minutes after Kaylin woke up to let everyone out of their rooms for dinner. It was required that everyone show up for the meal, but he seemed to understand when I appeared without Kaylin.

I'm guessing that he wanted to let her recover somewhat from the whole fiasco before making her face an entire room full of people. I'm sure Kaylin was thanking her lucky stars that he didn't force her to come out of my room. Bless the Professor's heart for that.

Dinner was a very quiet and subdued affair that night, and when anyone spoke, it was simply to ask for one of the dishes of food or for one of the condiments to be passed to them. The adults had a very subdued conversation, but I'm assuming most of it was telepathic.

Etiquette was also thrown out the window a little bit too. I'm guessing one of the adults had given directions for things to be done that way. Usually, when someone is finished with their food, they ask to be excused, then leave their dishes on the table for whomever has dish duty to collect when the meal ended.

But, instead of everyone doing it the way we normally do, each person simply left the table when they were finished, not saying a word. They would take their dishes with them. I'm assuming that they were to wash their own plate and silverware before going back to their rooms.

By the time I left the table, half of the mansion's occupants had left the table. I got up to take my dishes to the kitchen, and Professor Xavier gave me a telepathic message.

I would like to speak to you and Lost Girl in the library, he requested. Please tell her that I will not force her to tell me anything she does not wish for me to know. She's rather fragile at the moment, and I would like for you to be there.

I'll tell her, I replied. If she doesn't want to, should I make her come, or should I just let her be?

If she doesn't want to come, I understand, he said. If she needs time, by all means give it to her. She needs time to figure things out, but let her know that we are here for her. The most important thing is for her to have some sort of support system.

I just hope we can help her, I thought, entering the kitchen. I could feel the Professor withdrawing from my mind, and I'm sure we had the same thought in our minds.

I did find that my hunch about the dishes was true, however. I washed my plate and silverware and left them on the rack. I noticed a plate covered in foil on the counter with a piece of paper sitting on top of it.

I walked over to it and noticed that the paper had my name on it in Ororo's handwriting. I opened it, and it was worded something like this:

Kurt,

I was told that your friend was not expected to come down to dinner, so I saved some back for her. If you could make sure she eats at least half of what I gave her (Hank's orders), that would be wonderful.

Give her my best for me (a hug would work :-)).

Ororo

I grabbed some utensils and 'ported back up to my room. I found Kaylin sitting on the floor next to the balcony doors looking out of them, with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her cheek was resting on the tops of her knees and her eyes were shut. She actually looked really relaxed and I really didn't want to bother her.

I set them plate on the nightstand, and she lifted her head up, opening her eyes to look at me. She crinkled her forehead confusedly and stood up. She walked over, looking at the plate suspiciously, almost like she expected it to explode.

"What's that?" she asked, almost like it could be a bomb.

"It's dinner," I said. "Ororo made it. It's delicious."

"I- I guess I can try it," Kaylin replied, lifting up a bit of the foil and peering underneath it cautiously. "What is it exactly?"

"Some mashed potatoes, green beans, and a few pieces of roast meat," I replied. She seems really cautious about food. I wonder why...

Kaylin looked back at me, looking slightly alarmed and slowly backing away from the plate. "Is your throat feeling... Weird at all?" she asked.

I was honestly a bit taken aback by her question. Why would my throat feel funny from eating dinner unless I was sick already or getting sick?

I shook my head, completely bewildered by the question. "Why would my throat feel funny just from eating dinner? Nothing Ororo has ever made has had anything bad in it. Not unless one of the other people here is allergic to it."

Kaylin started to look a bit uncomfortable. "The last time I ate something that I can remember," she explained, "it made my throat all scratchy and weird. I don't really eat a lot of food unless I made it myself or have seen everything that went into it."

What is she scared of? Poison? Some sort of drug?

"I can eat a bite if you want me to," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "Is that okay with you?"

"It would make me feel a little better," Kaylin replied, still definitely uneasy.

I unwrapped the plate, throwing the foil in the trash. The food made my entire room smell fantastic, but it seemed to only make Kaylin more uneasy. I took a small forkful of potatoes and green beans, savoring the flavor before swallowing.

Kaylin still looked extremely uneasy, so I held out my arm in a gesture that would suggest a hug. She willingly leaned into me in such a way that I could easily speak into her ear.

"You know, Ororo cooks all the time around here," I told her, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "She would never hurt another living soul unless she was really forced into it and was given no other choice. She was actually on the brink of quitting the X-Men for a while, until Herr Professor told her that she only had to do rescue missions. I honestly don't think anything at all malicious could ever come out of that woman. She has to be one of the kindest people I've ever met in my entire life."

Kaylin looked up at me, smiling slightly. "That was quite the speech," she said, giving me an actual hug. "I'll try to eat some of it. But if I can't finish, do you promise to eat it for me so none of it's wasted?"

I felt myself smiling. "I have a high metabolism. If you don't start eating really soon, I may wolf it down before you even get a crumbs worth." I winked at her, trying to be cheerful.

Kaylin managed a small smile. "I'll try to eat it." Her smile faded. "I have a feeling I'm supposed to do more than just eat dinner, though. Do I have to go talk to Professor Xavier?"

Dang! How does this girl catch on so fast? I was nowhere near telling her that.

I sighed, letting my head fall backwards. "Ja, we have to talk to Professor X as soon as you're done eating." I turned to her with a questioning look.

Kaylin smiled, starting before I could. "Rational reasoning," she said, answering my unasked question. "I knew I was going to have to do it eventually." She popped a green bean in her mouth with a smile. "How about we have that talk right now?"

She slipped out of my arms and was out the door before I could catch up to her.

oOo

A/N: I hope I did a good job. Please, please review. I really, really want feedback. What others think of my stories really matters, and I want to know if I should keep going. I probably will anyway, but I still want thoughts and opinions.