Author's Notes: Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, glad you're still enjoying this. Dragoncat – I wanted to concentrate on friendship/fluff/Kurtty cuteness in the last chapter, rather than it being specifically romantic in tone. These two work well as a romantic couple, but they are great for friendship fics. That said, Kitty is certainly beginning to have some, er, interesting thoughts about Kurt in this chapter, which could be considered romantic if you look hard enough. Pointyearsrule – you are right about constructive criticism, it can be very useful to help an author improve. Much as it can be quite disconcerting to see a story that you thought was pretty good covered in red marks by your teacher, those comments can really help you to improve if they are both constructive and informative. Besides, there's nothing like the feeling of your teacher telling you that your story was excellent and giving you a First for it. Lilac Rose6 – Yes, those few hours do feel more like months, don't they (laughs). Although to be fair they have covered what has been happening to Kurt in a matter of months, rather than hours. Yellow-eyed-wonder – you are right, these two are so cute together, and they deserve some time to develop their friendship after all I've put poor Kurt through in the last few chapters. Now, on with the Kurtty cuteness;

Trust, Hope and Understanding

Kitty could not remember the last time she felt so content. For the last few hours, she had talked with Kurt about all manner of subjects, ranging from his greatest fear, that he would somehow inherit evil from Mystique; to the most banal, such as his favourite type of cheese. Kurt was excellent company, as he had that rare gift in that he knew when to talk and when to listen; knew when to be serious and when it was time to make jokes. In fact, if Kitty were to make a list of the ten best qualities she would look for in a friend, and a similar list of Kurt's best qualities, the two would match up almost perfectly. Kurt told her about his happy childhood, growing up with the Szardos Circus, about endless days spent exploring forests with his brother and sister, and about exciting nights filled with awestruck crowds and applause. The more Kitty heard about the Szardos Circus, the more fascinated she became about Kurt's history, and everything that he had experienced in his many travels. To Kitty's surprise, Kurt was just as interested in her own childhood as she was in his. At first she had thought that he was merely teasing her, or being polite, when he seemed to become enthusiastic about aspects of her life that she had always considered to be rather dull and uninteresting, but then she remembered that he had never experienced many aspects of her life that she had simply taken for granted, so it made sense that they would seem exotic and strange to him. Kurt had only been inside a house twice, and had never so much as stepped inside a schoolroom, so it was not really all that surprising that he would be curious about what these would involve. Plus, his enthusiasm was infectious, and gave her a new appreciation of aspects of her life that she had never given much thought to before. It made sense that Kurt would be personable and approachable, since being in a circus had doubtlessly helped to develop his talent for charming the public, but there was nothing superficial about his charm. Kitty knew for a fact that this was simply one aspect of his personality, and that he really did care for people in a very deep way. Kitty had met other people who had seemed to be as nice and charming as Kurt, only to later discover that they were often jerks, and in at least one instance, a psychopath. It was almost refreshing to realise that there really were genuinely kind and charming young men in the world.

Of course, Kurt had been so desperate for a simple conversation for so long that it made sense that he would have been willing to talk to anyone about anything by this point. It had been so long since he had simply conversed with another human being, that Kitty suspected that Kurt would have been grateful for the opportunity to talk to even the most boring person in the world, and still enjoy the company. Kitty felt so sorry for him, having spent so long alone and feared, when he had done nothing to deserve such hatred. She leaned against his chest, and sighed happily as his tail tightened ever so slightly around her waist. She stroked the tip of his tail absently as she watched in a sort of bemused amusement as Kurt somehow managed to consume yet another whole cucumber. Kitty giggled slightly as she watched him. Kurt had the biggest appetite she had ever seen, and it was a wonder how he was able to maintain the lean yet muscular physique of a professional acrobat when he could eat so much. Kurt claimed that it was because teleporting took a great deal of energy, and so this helped him to keep his athletic figure. Kitty was unsure whether or not that was true, but she supposed that it might make sense. Kitty herself had eaten so much in the last few hours that she could not manage one more bite. "How can you eat that?" she asked, watching him as he grabbed a rather large tomato.

He grinned at her. "Like this," he said, and then placed it into his mouth whole.

Kitty laughed as she watched him. "Aren't you full up yet?" she asked.

Kurt looked at her as if she had suddenly gone crazy. "What? No, of course not," he said, "this is barely a snack."

Kitty was unsure whether or not he was being serious. "Well, I can't eat another morsel more," she said, watching as he grabbed a pear from one of the bowls.

Kurt looked at her seriously for a moment. "Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. "I don't want the X-Men to think that I starved you."

Kitty laughed and smiled at him playfully. "Trust me, Fuzzy, they won't think that," she assured him, "they might be worried that you are trying to fatten me up for supper, though," she added with a grin.

Kurt grinned back at her, before taking a bite out of the pear. "Curses," he said playfully, "she finally discovers my secret evil scheme," he growled playfully, showing his fangs as he did so.

"You don't frighten me, Fuzzy," she said, realising suddenly just how true it was.

"Really?" he placed his hand over his heart in a very dramatic manner, "I am mortified to hear that!"

Kitty laughed, and a moment later, Kurt joined her. Kurt took another bite from his pear, and then gave Kitty a worried look. "Are you sure that you've had enough to eat?" he asked her.

Kitty laughed again. "Trust me, I've not had a meal this big since," she frowned, and then shrugged, "well, I can't remember when, but it was a long time ago."

"Well, if you're sure," said Kurt uncertainly, "sorry all of the food's raw. I haven't been able to cook anything ever since the incident with the fire. I can't even be in the same room as a candle flame, let alone a cooking fire, ever since I was nearly burnt to death. If you want to cook something, the kitchen's downstairs."

"Trust me, Fuzzy, you do not want me to cook anything," Kitty told him sincerely, "I could burn water."

"That's impossible," Kurt shook his head, "water's just burnt hydrogen, and you can't burn something that's already burnt."

Kitty gave him a surprised look, and Kurt grinned at her sheepishly. "What? You think that because I was home educated by Romani that I don't know things? Margali insisted that we would all have a decent education, she did not want us to be stupid."

"I know that you're not stupid," Kitty told him sincerely. She had actually been incredibly surprised by how smart and well educated Kurt seemed to be. She smiled at him playfully. "But trust me, you do not want me anywhere near the kitchen, and you certainly don't want me to try to cook anything. The last time I tried to make cakes, anyone who tried them said they were one of the worst things that they had ever tasted."

Kurt gave her a slightly concerned look. "What happened to those who insulted your cakes?" he asked, sounding ever so slightly worried.

"They ended up wearing them," Kitty replied.

Kurt gave her a thoughtful look for a moment, and then grinned. "Edible clothing," he said pensively, "there could be a market for that. Just think, you go out on a cold day, and by the afternoon, the sun comes up, and it becomes really hot. So you eat the sleeve of your coat rather than changing your clothes. It's a great idea. That way you can keep cool, and have a good meal at the same time."

Kitty laughed, then blushed furiously at the slightly disturbing and oddly rather pleasant image of Kurt dressed in nothing but food, and then slowly eating his clothes off. Kurt gave her a bemused look as she felt her cheeks heat up at the image. "Are you feeling unwell?" Kurt asked her, concern in his voice. "You are looking rather red."

Kitty coughed and choked for a moment, then gave Kurt a sheepish look. "I'm fine," she assured him quickly, looking away and suddenly feeling very embarrassed. "I was just wondering what it would look like if people wore edible clothing," she said, truthfully enough, "it was a slightly disturbing image, that's all."

"Well, if you are sure that you are not unwell," Kurt said, sounding concerned, "you did look rather red just a moment ago."

"I'm fine, don't worry," she replied rather hurriedly, "but you really don't want me in the kitchen, and you certainly don't want me making cakes," she tried desperately to get her mind off of the image of Kurt dressed in nothing but fruit and vegetables, "the last time I made rock cakes, people asked me if I put real rocks in them."

"Did you?" Kurt asked curiously.

"No," Kitty replied, "but I might as well have done. Those who tried them said that they were as hard as rocks."

"Kitty's rock cakes, hard as rocks!" Kurt said dramatically. "They could have made excellent weapons against the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. We could have thrown rock cakes at them as they tried to invade the castle." Kurt grinned at Kitty enthusiastically.

"Except that they don't know that we're here," Kitty reminded him, "but I'm serious about my cakes. Really, don't let me anywhere near the kitchen; I can't cook to save my life."

Kurt merely shrugged. "If you insist," he said, "I could use the mirror instead, see if anyone has thrown out a nice juicy steak recently, and then scavenge that for our supper.

"No thank you, I really am full," said Kitty sincerely, "and besides, I'm vegetarian."

"No wonder you're so skinny," Kurt muttered, flicking the tip of his tail towards her playfully.

"It's a wonder that you are, the amount you eat," said Kitty, poking him playfully in the stomach.

Kurt shrugged again. "I'm a growing acrobat," he told her, "I have to keep my strength up."

"I guess," Kitty replied, snuggling closer to Kurt as he put his arms around her in a gentle hug. "But I was serious earlier, about being full up and not able to eat another mouthful," she said.

"What about your edible clothing range?" Kurt asked her playfully.

Kitty blushed again, the disturbingly pleasant image of Kurt dressed in nothing but food suddenly back at the forefront of her mind. She looked away from him quickly. "I think it would attract insects, and not be very hygienic," she muttered awkwardly, hoping that Kurt did not see her blush. "Anyway, let's talk about something else," she said hurriedly, "I think I should choose a mutant name, don't you?" she said, desperately trying to change the subject, "how about Sprite, what do you think about that?"

Kurt gave her a puzzled look, and then shrugged. "No, I think that sounds like the sort of name you'd give to a child with mutant powers," he said thoughtfully, "I think you need something more adult, more X-Manish."

She nodded, and grinned at him. "How about Ariel?" she suggested.

Kurt shook his head. "No, that sounds like you should have powers relating to the air or the sea," he said, "not powers that are connected with stealth and the night."

"Well, you already have Nightcrawler," Kitty said.

"How about Shadow?" Kurt suggested. "A shadowy figure that can pass through walls as if they are not even there, a being half way between the night and the day."

Kitty smiled thoughtfully. "I like that," she said, "Shadow; it's sort of dark without being too dark. The Shadow Kitty who can walk through walls themselves."

"Shadowcat," Kurt said, grinning at her, "not Shadow Kitty, Shadowcat; that sounds sort of like a panther or something equally as impressive. A cat that can become one with the shadows."

"I like it," Kitty said sincerely, "Shadowcat. I think I'll keep it." Kitty smiled at Kurt once more, then looked down, almost shyly. "What about you?" she asked quietly. "Will you keep Nightcrawler, or will you choose a different mutant name when you come back with me?"

"What?" Kurt asked, suddenly looking uncomfortable and uncertain.

"You are coming back with me, aren't you?" Kitty asked hopefully. "I mean, you're everything that we look for in an X-Man, brave, kind, determined and resilient," she grinned at him.

Kurt gave her a quick grin. "Not to mention dashingly handsome," he added.

"Exactly," said Kitty, smiling at him sincerely, "so you are coming home with me, aren't you? You have to admit, you've been pretty lonely here all by yourself."

"Well, yes," Kurt said, then pointed to the window, "but you have to admit that it's got a great view," he added.

Kitty smiled as she and Kurt walked towards the window, and looked down at the pine trees and the waterfall. "The view's lovely," she admitted, "but we both know that pretty views are not enough for true happiness. People need to have human contact too, and you've not been getting nearly enough of that, cooped up here in this drafty castle all alone. That's why you spent so much time talking to your doll."

"It's not drafty, is it?" Kurt asked her worriedly.

Kitty gave a little laugh. "No, it's actually quite nice," she said, "it's not drafty, not now, not while the sun is shining and it's really warm. But winter is on its way, so what will you do then?" she asked him seriously. "Then this castle will get drafty and cold. Especially if you're so scared of fire that you can't even stand to be in the same room as a candle. What are you going to do then? Freeze?" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a meaningful look.

"Maybe it will be a mild winter," said Kurt awkwardly, shuffling uncomfortably, "maybe all I'll have to do is wear an extra layer of clothes and put an extra blanket upon my bed. Don't worry about me, I'm good at surviving," he gave her a reassuring smile, "I've managed to do it successfully for nearly seventeen years, so I've had a lot of practice."

"Listen, be serious for a moment," said Kitty, looking at him worriedly, "what if it isn't a mild winter? What will you do then?"

Kurt gave a huge sigh. "Then I guess I'll just have to go somewhere else," he admitted reluctantly, "maybe Holland. I hear the Hollandish are very tolerant towards mutants and people who have rather exotic lifestyles," he shrugged uncertainly, "it might be quite nice to visit Amsterdam, see all the famous windmills and tulips and things. I wonder if they make clogs for feet like mine?" he mused thoughtfully.

"Or you could join the X-Men," Kitty said hopefully, "and anyway, it's Dutch, not Hollandish," she added.

"Oh, be fair, this isn't my first language," said Kurt, "and anyway, they should be called the Hollandish, it would make a lot more sense, like the Spanish or the English. How do you get Dutch from Holland anyway?"

"Listen, that's not what's important right now," said Kitty, "it's you who are important. I want you to come back with me. I want everyone I know at the Academy to meet you, and I want you to join the X-Men," she looked down, and suddenly felt oddly shy and nervous, "I've never met anyone like you before," she admitted, "and I don't mean just physically. I think I'd like to get to know you better, I'd like us to become good friends who spend time with each other and play and laugh and even cry together, and the best way that we can do that is if you come back with me to the X-Men Mansion."

Kurt gave a huge sigh. "Look, I'd like to," he said sincerely, "I like spending time with you and talking with you and laughing with you too. But I can't do what you ask. For a start, the X-Men want me dead."

"No," Kitty corrected, "they want the Demon of Bayville dead, not you, not Kurt the harmless and heroic acrobat. They don't know about the real you. If they did, I'm sure that they would like you as much as I do," she blushed slightly, "well, maybe not quite as much as I do," she added quietly.

Kurt smiled at her sadly. "It's still the same thing," he said. "Whether they want the Demon of Bayville dead or just me, they have a spell over that place so that if I so much as set foot in there, I'll burst into flames," he shuddered, "quite a good reason not to enter, all things considered."

"Listen to me," said Kitty patiently, "the spell's there to stop a demon from entering that place, but you're not a demon, so it will not have any effect on you."

"I'd still rather not take the chance," Kurt admitted.

Kitty gave him a sad smile. "I can understand why you feel that way," she said sympathetically, "but I saw that holy water has no effect on you, so this spell will also have no effect. It's there to stop a demon, not to stop you."

"I'm sorry," Kurt admitted, "I just don't want to take that much of a risk."

Kitty took his hands in her own. "Even if you're right," she said quietly, "even if this spell will somehow have some effect on you, I won't let it hurt you. I'll phase you through the flames and make sure that they can't hurt you." She grinned at him playfully. "Sorry, Fuzzy, you're going to have to come up with a better excuse than that."

"It's not an excuse," said Kurt seriously, "and even if you're right about the spell, there's still hundreds of mutants in that place with very destructive powers, and they want me dead. So, I think that all things considered, I have a very good reason for avoiding that place if at all possible."

"There's sense in what you're saying," Kitty had to grudgingly admit, "but what if I were to take the mirror with me, show Xavier all that you've shown me so that he removes the spell, and then all the mutants were to realise that you're not a threat to anyone or anything. If, after all that, would it be acceptable for me to come back here for you, and for you to join us then?"

Kurt looked away uncertainly. "I would have to think about it," he muttered, "my last confrontation with the X-Men did not go very well," he rubbed his side where Kitty knew Wolverine had wounded him a few weeks ago.

"When they know the truth, things will be different," Kitty assured him, "and they will all want to make amends for misjudging you so badly."

Kurt sighed, and shook his head sadly. "I'll still have to think about it," he said awkwardly, "and sleep on it. You should get some sleep too, it's starting to get dark," he indicated where the sun was setting upon the horizon, "and this castle can get pretty cold at night. Besides, I'm pretty tired. One way or another, I think we've both had a very interesting day," he smiled at her uncertainly.

"Well, I can't argue with that," Kitty said with a smile, "it's certainly been nothing like I imaged it would be."

"Better I hope?" Kurt asked shyly.

She quickly kissed him on the cheek, and then gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes," she said sincerely, "much."

Kurt gave her a huge grin, before turning his attention to the window once more. "I was serious about how cold this place gets at night, and it gets really dark too," he said. "You really should get some sleep. If you need anything, I will be in the next room."

Kitty sighed, but conceded that she was rather tired. "Very well, but we'll continue this conversation tomorrow," she told him seriously, "I'm not just giving up on you without a fight."

Kurt gave a little laugh. "I would not expect you to," he said seriously, "but for now, you really should get some sleep. We can discuss this tomorrow."

"I agree," said Kitty, "and if I need anything, I just have to walk through the wall to see you, is that correct?"

Kurt merely nodded. "Sweet dreams," he said, before vanishing in a flash of yellow light, and a cloud of purple smoke.