Kurt stood in the doorway and looked into the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table, sipping at a cup of coffee. He took a deep breath and looked over at Amanda. She gave him a bright smile and clasped his hand. Kurt nodded and walked into the room, his steps unsteady. When he was inside the room he said;

"Vatti? Do you haf minute?"

"Of course," Azazel said, putting down his coffee gesturing to the seat at the table opposite of him, "Have seat."

Kurt swallowed and did so across from him. Amanda sat next to him, clasping his hand reassuringly. He wasn't sure just why he felt so nervous. This was good news, news that had to be shared. Yet, he was still nervous and the fact that he felt it at all had his heart doing flips in his chest.

"We need more coffee," Azazel said, "Coffee is fuel of life. Do nyet forget it."

"Vhatever vatti,"sighed Kurt.

"What do you mean whatever?" asked Azazel.

Amanda smiled.

"It's just that yesterday you said wine was the fuel of life," Amanda said.

His father tilted his head, considering his words.

"Da, it is too. They can both be fuel of life," he said.

"You contradict yourself vatti," Kurt sighed.

"Perhaps, perhaps," shrugged Azazel carelessly, "But I do not think you come to table to criticize father."

"Oh, nein, nein," Kurt said.

He swallowed and looked down.

"I haf been talking to Amanda-"

"Really?" asked Azazel, his eyes wide in mock-surprise, "I would have never guessed. It is last thing I would have thought. The two of you never do anything together."

Amanda gave another smile. Kurt wondered if it was her way with dealing with the nerves. His father's words just made him exasperated though.

"Vatti," Kurt said.

Azazel laughed and took another sip of coffee.

"Come come Kurt," he said, "Usually you would laugh. Usually you might have made joke yourself."

His father was right. Kurt ran a three-fingered hand through his hair. Azazel frowned and tilted his head.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh…I…vell…"

Azazel's eyebrows shot up as Amanda put a hand on his arm

"Did something happen to brother Amanda?" asked Azazel, "Brother or perhaps friends in circus?"

"Oh, no, no," Amanda said, "Nothing like that."

"That is good to hear," said Azazel, "I would not want anything to happen to family, even if brother is idiot."

"Um-" Kurt said.

"I know you are thinking that was not friendly," Azazel said, "And it was not. But if they are your family Amanda, that makes them ours."

Kurt blinked at him, his mouth open slightly. He'd never heard quite this type of tangent from his father before. Family had always been pretty straightforward when Azazel talked about it. He could see that Amanda was taking it in stride, but to some degree Kurt really couldn't believe it. How long had his father felt this way exactly?

"Well, family in way," said Azazel, "Perhaps not family that send Christmas cards, it would make funny photo anyway."

He gave Amanda a meaningful look. Azazel hadn't liked the fact that Amanda had brought an instant camera with her. He'd disliked it even more when she'd taken a handful of pictures with herself and Kurt. However, he had conceded her that since she'd started up a family photo album. Kurt was glad that it hadn't been a big deal.

Azazel closed his eyes and finished his cup of coffee. Amanda looked over at Kurt and gripped his hand tightly. He nodded. They had to do it now before the conversation got distracted again. Heaven knew that he was already nervous about what he was doing. If they put it off for too long he would chicken out entirely.

"Vatti," Kurt said, "Ve haf big announcement to make."

Azazel tilted his head politely but smirked.

"I wondered when you would finally tell," he said, "Now, what is it?"

Kurt took a deep breath.

"I am going to be vatti myself."

His father's eyes grew big and he dropped the coffee mug onto the table. It landed hard but didn't break. Kurt swallowed and continued.

"Amanda hast told me zat she is few veeks along, ja?"

"More like three months," Amanda said, "It shouldn't start showing for another month or two, but I used a lot of tests. It's a pretty definite thing."

Kurt nodded and breathed deeply.

"I vanted you to know zat you vould be grandfather."

There was a long pause and Kurt cleared his throat.

"Vatti, vhat do you zink of zis?"

Azazel stared at him, his mouth slightly open and his face frozen. In that moment Kurt would have given anything to know what he was thinking.

Azazel felt his eyes glaze over in shock. How had it come to this? How had it ever come to this? Had it really been twenty-one years ago that he'd held a baby in his arms, delicate and vulnerable to everything around him? And now, that same baby was grown up and having children of his own.

In the back of his mind Azazel could still remember the day that his son had been born. After the panic and confusion of the hospital he'd teleported them back to the Brotherhood main headquarters. It had been his longest teleportation yet, but he hadn't dared to make more than one jump. Mystique and Kurt were so delicate, Kurt the most delicate at all.

Mystique wasn't walking on her feet when they arrived. Azazel had had to carry her while she'd wrapped her arms around Kurt. Luckily Magneto and Angel had been there to help. Emma and Janos had cleared the area rather tidily. Janos was never one for babies and Emma simply didn't do domestic.

It hadn't surprised him that Angel would be interested in the new arrival. He hadn't known the reason for it until much later though. Angel had apparently had a baby sister at one point. The child had died of a small childhood malady at four months and Angel had left the grave behind when she'd run away from home.

Throughout their time as members of the Brotherhood he'd seen clues that she had a particular fondness for children; babies especially. She had been on hand during Mystique's pregnancy, reassuring the mother-to-be. Angel had been promised the title of godmother and she'd burst into tears when it was first offered. It was a title that she would take seriously, letting herself die to protect their child.

That was far in the future though. On the night Kurt had been born she'd been there to help the small family, although they knew that Mystique only needed rest. The birth had been normal except for the part where the doctors had tried to turn on the infant. While Azazel took Mystique to their rooms to rest from her ordeal Angel had held the squalling infant and whispered songs to him.

Azazel himself had been emotionally drained. After seeing to Mystique he'd stumbled down the stairs, having the vague idea that as a father he should be with his son. He'd fallen down on the couch, his body shaking from the exertion of long distance teleportation with others after nearly seeing his baby son murdered.

Magneto had noticed that something had gone wrong as soon as they walked through the door. He'd respectfully stood aside as Mystique and Kurt were tended to though. Once Azazel was settled Magneto asked what had happened. He listened quietly to the tale and then brushed it aside like it didn't matter.

"Humans will always be like that," Magneto said, "it happens every day. But it is not every day that one of our own becomes a parent. Since his mother is too exhausted to come down here, then I believe we should toast the boy's father."

Azazel had given him a shaky look.

"Forget it Azazel," said Magneto kindly, "Think only of your son and the happiness you feel at his birth. He's a healthy and safe now."

Weakly Azazel had nodded. Magneto had poured him a glass of vodka, the good stuff from Moscow. He'd felt relieved for having it there. In the end Azazel had drunk two glasses with Magneto's quiet congratulations. Even Angel, who disliked drinking for the memories it brought, had a glass.

Two days later Magneto would take him back to the hospital where, together, they would hunt down the doctors who had nearly destroyed his family. Mystique had wanted to come too, but she was still too weak. No one was killed; he hadn't wanted to start his son's life in bloodshed. However, they would never be able to do thier jobs again once they were done with them.

However, it wasn't until a day before Kurt's christening that Azazel had asked Magneto to be his godfather. He'd seen the man's eyes soften as he accepted the title. There were no tears like Angel had shed, no loud proclamations of devotion. However, he could see that all his emotion was deeply soaked in his eyes.

Often times Azazel had wondered if the man regretted not having a family of his own. He and Xavier were far too devoted to their cause, it would seem, to have a family. In many ways Azazel pitied them. They could have been devoted and have had children, but Azazel knew better than anyone the sacrifices that would have to be made to be a parent.

That night though, that night was peaceful. The violence was behind them with Mystique's screams during the birth. No sacrifices had been made, not yet. When Azazel had finished with his drinks Angel had quietly walked up. She'd put a now-sleeping Kurt into his arms. Azazel had stroked the few hairs on his head, letting his hands trace his pointed ears in reverence.

"He's a perfect mix of the two of you," Angel had proclaimed.

He'd been inclined to agree with her. Azazel believed that, in that moment, he'd never seen anything more perfect than his son. Kurt was a promise of a future; not a perfect future, but a future. To Azazel, to whom every day had been a struggle when he was younger, that promise was nothing short of a miracle.

Who was he to be given a son after all? Azazel had never really had a future. He was the boy whose family had rejected him, seeing the only man he respected in his childhood murdered. Azazel was the child soldier, a strange creature whose masters saw him as a rabid dog to sic on their enemies. Even Shaw had seen him as a soldier and a killer, nothing more.

It was only with the Brotherhood that he'd seen that he was more than that. Azazel had become a lover as well as a fighter. Now he had a son, his crowning glory. Kurt was his future. No matter what he was going to have a son. Azazel wasn't going to let anyone take this perfect promise of the future form him.

He'd take that memory of perfection and promises with him when he gently took him from a dying Angel's arms. It was that perfection, that promise that had made him leave the same Brotherhood that had allowed him to have Kurt. Magneto had understood while Emma and Janos had scoffed at him. It really was too bad that Magneto hadn't had children. Azazel could see that he would have been a decent parent.

With that small child he'd run from city to city before settling in a weather-beaten corner of the Alps. It wasn't the life that Azazel had wanted for his child, but he knew that the one he really wanted was out of reach. Their life would have to do as a distant second to his dream that his son would be able to walk down a street unencumbered.

Then his son had married a woman he obviously loved dearly. Amanda would stay with him; she wasn't like Mystique, burdened by what she thought she should do rather than what she felt she should do. Now the two of them were going to have a child together. Then he would be a grandfather. This was the future he'd been promised; it had come.

In that moment he felt a burst of pity for a woman he'd regarded with bitterness for so many years. After all, Mystique was never going to be a grandmother just like she'd never been a mother. She'd forfeited that role and instead traded it for a position in the Brotherhood fighting an endless war. She had never been there for Kurt's childhood and she wouldn't be there for her grandchild's either.

Azazel knew that, without a doubt, he'd made the right choice when he'd picked his son. Of course he had. He was going to have the family that he never thought possible, the miracle. It was all his. His son truly was the gift that kept on giving. The promise of a future was being renewed by him and would continue to be renewed.

Setting his coffee mug upright he looked up at Kurt and Amanda. He let his expression soften and he smiled.

"Syn, nevetska," he said, "That sounds yzumitelno."

Their faces lit up, and the future began.