Chapter 26

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord...Kurt concentrated, but it was really hard to say the rosary when he wasn't holding one. And I gave my favorite one to...he opened his eyes, blinking hard. He wanted to cry, but couldn't summon any more tears. He had already cried so much in the last hour since he teleported away from Clarice that he felt dehydrated.

In retrospect, it all made sense: Azazel, his father. Kurt always thought it had to be more than just coincidence they both could teleport, had spaded tails, and tapered ears. He always felt they had to be related somehow - distant cousins maybe, or a shared branch of some unknown family tree - their similarities were just too uncanny. But my father? Kurt reeled at the thought. He certainly never anticipated that close of a relation.

And, while Clarice hadn't confirmed it, something deep in Kurt's heart just knew that if Azazel was indeed his father, then it was Raven who had to be his mother.

When Clarice told Kurt the story her own rescue, she mentioned both Azazel and Raven as her saviors. This put the two colorful mutant together the same year Kurt was born. And, Kurt reasoned, what really are the odds of one person having Azazel's tail, ears, and mutation, but Raven's blue skin and golden eyes? The more he thought about the combination, the more everything fit neatly together: Raven showing up at that awful club to rescue him, not even looking twice at the angel. Azazel taking them to Latvia, but Raven fleeing without telling him, and then the red mutant randomly showing up at the Xavier School, looking for Kurt? And in Latvia, Raven knew exactly how old Kurt was, before he had even told them. All of their tension and fighting, and so much of it seeming to suspiciously revolve around Kurt. Clearly they were divorced or something, probably never even married. Fantastic, Kurt sighed, putting a hand over his face. I'm probably a bastard as well as a mutant. And why am I still the only one with fangs? Kurt ran his tongue over his teeth, frowning hard.

The only thing that didn't make sense is why they would keep this a secret from him. That hurt more than anything else. All Kurt wanted his whole life was to meet his real parents and know where he came from. Now, here they were interacting with him on a daily basis but lying to his face. Why would they do that? Why did they not raise him in the first place? Why would his father keep Clarice, but not him? And where was his mother this whole time? Why did they not want me? Did they not love me? Kurt could feel his lower lip trembling again at these thoughts.

It was also upsetting that Clarice knew Azazel was his father but lied to him; he was starting wonder if the Professor knew if Raven was his mother. He wondered how many other people in his life were lying to him, and how he was supposed to trust anyone after today. He buried his face in both his hands; he was made of questions, and wondering where he could possibly go from here.

"Kurt?" He startled at the lilting voice saying his name. He glanced up, surprised to see Wanda standing just few feet away, her arms lightly crossed as she smiled sadly at him.

"How...what are you doing here?" Kurt scrambled to his feet, quickly wiping stray tears from his eyes. He hoped he didn't look as terrible as he felt.

"I asked Peter to help me find you," Wanda thumbed over her shoulder. Peter stood a short distance away, fussing with his Walkman. He looked agitated, which was unusual for the happy-go-lucky speedster.

"I thought maybe we could talk?" She shrugged, biting her lip. "I mean, if you want to."

"Ja, I guess?" Kurt scratched his neck awkwardly, looking at the ground. "I mean, sure."

"Wandanaconda!" Peter yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth. "Do you need anything else...?"

"How about some privacy?" Wanda rolled her eyes, motioning for Peter to scoot. Peter popped his headphones on and caught Kurt's eye. The speedster frowned and pointed at his own silver eyes with two fingers before pointing the same fingers at Kurt in the international 'I'm watching you' gesture. In a blur, Peter was gone.

"Sorry about that," Wanda blushed as she turned back towards Kurt. "Peter can be a little...um, over-protective, at times."

"It must be nice," Kurt mumbled, retaking his seat on the ground. "Having family that cares about you."

"Are you Ok?" She frowned, gracefully sitting next to him.

"I'm...," he sighed; he didn't have the energy left to even try to pretend. "Nein, I'm not Ok. Every time I close my eyes, I keep seeing those images in my head, or when I teleport, I feel like I am falling."

"Today was kinda crazy, right?" Wanda agreed, twisting a curl nervously. "I didn't expect to see anything like that."

"I don't think anyone did," Kurt offered, unsure of what else to say. He looked at her bashfully. "I'm sorry I ruined our date."

"You didn't ruin it," Wanda shrugged. "You just postponed it, that's all."

"You..." The indigo boy looked at her in surprise. "You still want to go out with me? Even after today?"

"Yeah I do," She grinned. "Do you still want to go out with me?"

"Of course!" Kurt smiled back weakly. "I just thought maybe, after seeing that stuff with Azazel, you'd reconsider."

"That was Azazel," Wanda dismissed, "Not you."

"Ja, but he is my fa..." the word father almost slipped out, but Kurt caught it on the tip of his tongue,"...fa-riend! Friend. I thought maybe you wouldn't want to go out with me anymore, if my friends were like that."

"Well, we can't control our friends' actions. It'd be pretty unfair if I blamed you for that."

They sat in silence for few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

"You know, I was twelve when my mutation started," Wanda started, holding up her hand and letting small red sparks burst from her fingertips. "I could sorta control it at first, but eventually, I couldn't hide what was happening. Just after my fourteenth birthday, my dad left us. He could barely handle Peter being a mutant, and then when he found out his biological daughter was a freak too..." Wanda took a deep breath. "He blamed our mom for Peter and I, and he left us. I thank God that my mom never turned her back on us. She never treated Peter any differently because of his speed, or because he was her son from a failed relationship. She was happy for me when I asked to come to the Xavier School. My dad has no idea I'm even here. I haven't spoken to him in over two years."

"Why are you sharing this with me?" There was a gentle curiosity in his voice, and Kurt put his hand over Wanda's in comfort. She smiled, curling her fingers around his.

"Because I think people can change, for good or for bad, depending on the circumstances."

It was the second time that afternoon that Kurt heard this concept: people can change. Wanda certainly had no reason to defend Azazel or rationalize his actions; not like Clarice had. Kurt pondered the notion; part of him was starting to wonder if it had more merit than he original gave credit.

"My dad was a good dad - well, at least to me," she continued, "right up until he decided that I wasn't good enough to be his kid anymore. And Peter? He used to be kinda a jerk: stealing stuff, failing school, always getting in trouble with the cops, even having screaming matches with our mom for no reason. But now? Now Peter's the best older brother anyone could ask for, even if he's super annoying sometimes."

"Hey, I heard that!"

"Peter go away!" Wanda frowned, pulling her hand away from Kurt's as she yelled over her shoulder. Kurt looked up, and suddenly the speedster was standing not to far away, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot, regarded the two. He held up his hands in an 'I'm innocent' gesture.

"Dude, I was just stopping by to check on..." Wanda huffed, giving her brother a sharp look. He took the hint and zipped away. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turned back to Kurt.

"You heard Azazel say earlier that what we saw happened a really long time ago, right?"

"Ja, I did," he nodded.

"Well, I started thinking about what he said, and you know what I realized?" Wanda took Kurt's hand again. "Before Mystique appeared on TV and saved President Nixon, America wasn't really a good place for mutants. The military used to hunt them, sometimes even kill and experiment on them, according to my Mutant Studies class. Older mutants like the Professor, Mystique, Dr. McCoy, and Azazel didn't have anything like the Xavier School when they were our age. They had to survive anyway they could. I can't begin imagine the hardships someone like Azazel must have faced, growing up how he looks in a time when mutants were total outcasts." Wanda paused, looking at Kurt earnestly. "I mean, you've told me stories about some of the prejudice you faced outside the circus just because of how you look. What if you didn't have your circus family to support you? What if you faced that prejudice, but like, alone?"

"I don't..." Kurt swallowed hard. He always had Mama Margali, Jamaine, and Stefan to help him the few times things got really scary or dangerous. Without them... "I don't know what I would have done."

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe what we saw today in The Danger Room - Azazel kinda working with that tornado guy and the other man with the helmet - maybe he was just surviving in a way we'll never have to. I mean, he's been really nice since you've been friends. I just think maybe he is different now, you know?"

Except, he still lied to me about being my dad, Kurt thought glumly. It's not my friend - it's my father - who did those horrible things in his past, and I am part of that by blood whether I want to be or not. Kinda like...just as Kurt had this dark thought, it dawned on him that the villain Magento was supposedly Peter's real dad, but Peter was a kind, generous soul. Kurt didn't know Magneto personally, but he knew of the terrible things Magneto had done. Peter shared blood with Magneto, but he wasn't a terrible person because of it. Kurt knew in his heart he was a good person, even if his own father had done terrible things. And Wanda was right; Azazel had been kind - loving and protective, even - since the day Kurt landed in his life. He had certainly been more like the Azazel Clarice described an hour earlier than the Azazel Kurt saw in The Danger Room.

And, Kurt remembered suddenly, when I was trapped in that cage with guns pointed at me, I had to hurt that angel or they would have killed me. I didn't want to, but I fought back because I had to survive. Kurt had an epiphany, almost as if a light bulb illuminated over his head.

Maybe Azazel had changed.

Maybe Kurt had really only seen shadows of his past - actions performed by mutants banding together to survive in a cruel world - and not the man he knew today. It was a far-fetched and desperate thought, but it did bring Kurt a little comfort. He had so few things in his life he could rely on. He really wanted Azazel to be one of those, and Raven as well. He made up his mind; as soon as possible, he would sit down and talk with both his mom and dad about what the real story was.

Mom and dad, Kurt mulled over the thought. He was still hurt and angry, and not ready to forgive them for lying, but for the first time in his life, Kurt had a real mom and dad to even consider forgiving. Their titles suddenly didn't seem as scary.

"Um, Kurt?" Wanda whispered, interrupting his private thoughts. Her pale eyes shimmered in the late afternoon sun, and Kurt was lost, thinking how much she looked the part of the angel he first remembered the day she toured the Xavier School. Before he could answer, Wanda leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

For a second, time stood still.

Fireworks went off in Kurt's head as her lips moved gracefully against his. He felt awkward and clumsy and practically fainted when her tongue brushed the inside of his lips. Kurt cupped her face with both his hands, opening his mouth slightly to reciprocate, hoping his fangs cooperated for once. He hoped he was doing this right. It felt really, really nice, like he maybe was.

Then all too soon, Wanda pulled back, giggling quietly. Kurt opened his eyes, grinning at her like he had drank a whole bottle of medicine by himself. My first kiss! That was...amazing! Suddenly feeling brave, Kurt grabbed Wanda's hands and leaned forward for a second kiss, and...

"I don't hear any talking!" Peter's voice called out from across the roof.

Both teens jumped back as if Peter had actually caught them kissing. When they realized they were still alone, they burst out laughing.

"So," Wanda cleared her throat, blushing. "Last I checked, Jean and Scott haven't left for the mall. Maybe, if you still want, we could meet up with them, forget about everything for a little while, at least?"

"I would like that," Kurt took her hand, helping her to her feet. Wanda started fixing her hair, but Kurt stopped her, boldly reaching out and tucking a wayward curl behind her ear like he always wanted to do. Smiling and holding hands, they walked away together to find Peter.

Kurt supposed things could be worse.

Moscow, Russia (U.S.S.R.) - Safe House

Things could not be worse, Azazel thought as he struggled to restrain Raven. The blue woman was presently slung over his shoulder, thrashing against him, demanding that he put her down that instant. In his panic to leave The Danger Room, Azazel jumped to the first place that cross his mind - and old, standby safe house in Moscow. His emotions were running too high for him to realize that Raven had latched onto him until they appeared and she slammed him into a wall to disorient him, less he teleport her immediately back to Westchester. Which, as soon as possible, was his plan.

This is the last goddamn thing I need today, he seethed, blocking a knee to his face as one of her legs slipped out of his grip. At least he managed to bind her wrists with his tail, although that didn't stop her from jerking her arms up, yanking against his tail to try to throw him off-balance as well as bringing her bound fists down hard on his back. It also didn't help that she was flipping her scales rapidly, making her skin hard to hold on to. He was happy she couldn't change her physical weight as he dragged her towards the bathroom.

The situation in The Danger Room certainly damaged things with Kurt. Azazel knew he'd have to give the boy time and space to cool down first before he could remotely attempt to explain the situation. He considered enlisting Clarice's help to talk to Kurt; the boy was rather fond of her, and it would be helpful if she could explain things from her perspective so he didn't seem like a...monster. Azazel shuddered, remembering the anger in Kurt's voice as the boy spit the word at him. Yes, getting Clarice to help talk to Kurt will be the first thing I'll do, Azazel thought, right after breaking all of Dr. McCoy fingers and face...He sighed, seizing Raven's ankle as she tried to drive her foot into his stomach. As much as Azazel wanted to hurt Dr. McCoy for that little stunt - accident or not - it probably wouldn't help his stance with Kurt if Azazel attacked one of the boy's favorite teachers. It certainly wouldn't help him stay on Charles's good side either, especially not with his unexpected passenger making his life extremely difficult right now. Azazel wasn't in the mood to be blamed for Charles's sister getting killed on some some stupid quest that he unwilling provided transportation for.

From the second they appeared, Raven dropped her weapons bag and led him on a wild chase around the safe house, taking him far too much time and too many teleports to finally catch her. By the time he was able to pin her to the ground, he was was panting hard, his shirt sticking to his skin from exertion. It was only when he saw Raven smirking that he realized what she had really done: too many teleports in too short of time would exhaust him, making it impossible for him to jump long distances. Right now, Azazel reasoned could probably only move Raven a few miles at most. He was angry at himself for not thinking clearly and falling for her little game.

He fought to keep Raven relatively immobilized as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet. He knew Clarice always kept a few shots of Thorazine in their safe houses for when her nightmares got the best of her. Azazel figured he'd give Raven a shot to safely knock her out. After she was asleep, he could rest for a bit and recoup some strength to make the jump to back to Westchester, and then...

"Oww!" Azazel yelped at an unexpected burst of pain. It was just enough that he loosened his grip and Raven wrenched herself free, slipping off his shoulder and landing on the bathroom floor. He grabbed his tail with both hands; there were clear imprints of teeth on its spade.

She bit me! He turned to yell at her, but the woman had already vanished. She got as far as the living room before he tackled her around her legs, forcing Raven to fall forward. She landed hard on the ground, but rolled quickly to her side, seizing her weapons bag in the process. He grabbed for her waist but landed short as she scrambled back, and he almost got clipped in face by a swift kick. When she rolled onto her back, Azazel lunged again, only to suddenly find himself staring down the barrel of a gun. He looked at Raven, breathing hard, his pale eyes going wide.

She cocked the gun.

"Oh Christ, Raven. Really?" Azazel yelled in Russian, taking a step back and holding out his arms wide as if to make himself a better target. Raven scrambled to her feet, her gun trained on him. Azazel crossed his arms, glaring at her.

"What a fucked up family this is!"

"You leave me here," Raven panted, exhausted from their fight.

"No," Azazel sighed loudly, rubbing his face. "You cannot stay here. It's far too dangerous. And put the goddamn gun down; we both know you're not going to shoot me."

She held the gun defiantly for a moment longer before biting her lip, her eyes dropping in guilt. Azazel saw the gun barrel dip slightly.

It was just the opening he needed.

Before Raven could blink, the red mutant was on her, his tail whipping around her ankles and jerking her forward, knocking her clear off her feet. As she fell, he seized her wrists, forcing her arms wide apart. Raven fought back hard, baring her teeth at him like an animal. He teleported them to a far wall, pinning her against it. Azazel slammed her wrist hard against the wall until she cried out, dropping her gun. As the weapon fell, Raven twisted her other arm out of his grasp. Suddenly, her hand darted forward, clamped down hard on the back of his neck and...

...it wasn't until he felt her tongue slide into his mouth that he realized Raven was kissing him.

Azazel pulled away quickly, looking at her in shock and disbelief. Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that.

I should teleport her somewhere now, while I have the chance, Azazel thought as he assessed his current predicament. Raven continued to gaze up at him, breathing hard as she shifted her scales to her natural colors. He suddenly became acutely aware of so many things at once: how warm her skin was, slightly damp with sweat from their struggle; the fire burning in her golden eyes; the familiar weight of her body in his arms; the rapid pounding of her heart, like a hummingbird in a cage...

And, almost embarrassingly, how incredibly turned on he was getting thinking about all of these things. A coy smile played on Raven's face as she bit her lip suggestively, raising her eyebrow.

Oh, fuck it, Azazel relaxed his grip, pulling Raven into his arms. Who am I kidding?

As he kissed her, she reciprocated, tangling her hands in his hair as she pulled his mouth eagerly against hers, with a passion he hadn't felt since the day she was torn from his life. After a moment, Raven wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed her against the wall, his hands sliding away from her face and tracing familiar patterns of her body. He marveled at how badly he missed something as simple as the taste and the texture and heat of her skin. As her mouth trailed away from his and down his neck, Azazel's brain vaguely registered the sound of buttons clattered on the floor as she torn open his shirt.

"My love..." he whispered, feeling her nails dig into his back. "...Down the hall...bedroom...we should..." He gasped and clutched her tighter as her hands moved to the front, finding their mark. On second thought, Azazel slid down to his knees taking Raven with him, the floor is right here.

She pushed him onto his back, grinning madly as she leaned over him, running her hands down the length of his exposed chest, stopping only when she reached his belt. He pulled her face back to his, kissing her deeply, his tail wrapping itself around her left thigh. He felt her unlatch his belt, her hands tugging his pants down before drawing him out. She straddled his hips, and then...

Honestly, it was probably the best 27 seconds of his life.

Afterwards, Raven gazed down at him, a forgiving smile on her face as he grinned up at her like an idiot, gasping for breath.

"So," she leaned forward, tracing her finger lightly down the scar cutting across his face. "You said this place has bedroom, right?"

A/N: Raven and Azazel should look into marriage counseling for real. However exciting, that is technically not healthy conflict resolution.

PS. Their little gun stand-off was inspired by a scene from the actual comics :)