(A/N): Strap in, you guys. After that pretty awful chapter last time, we're going to give you diabetes with the fluff. We swear. Ophelia Claire does the BEST Kurt Wagner, bar none.

Thanks as always to our writers who have reviewed, and thanks especially to our steady reviewers of awesomeness. :) Slim Summers2002, we tend to like Alfred ourselves; he should so run things! Pelirroja2012, your wish is our command! We bring you... another (sort of) redhead chapter! And TheRaspberryVigilante41... oh yes. Pie is always the best possible idea. We had to throw some Alfred goodness in there with all that evil, after all!

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Vögelchen

Kurt Wagner, Formerly of District Nine

Howlett Estate, District Seven

Written by Ophelia Claire

"Together again,

Now we're here and there's no need remembering when

'Cause no feeling feels like that feeling

Together again."

-The Muppets, The Muppets Take Manhattan

One visit before everything had blown up in their face — literally.

Kurt had gotten one visit with Kate, and he couldn't even call it fully wonderful, the way Kate had reacted to him at first.

Which had been terrifying and devastating, to say the least. The way she'd been scared to come close, how she'd backed away every time he took a step forward, like she was some kind of cornered animal. How she'd begged him not to come closer because she didn't want to hurt him, even though he knew she wouldn't.

But the way she'd fallen into his arms had felt so right. She still fit perfectly into his embrace like she used to. They were two halves of a whole — certainly broken, a little chipped in some places, but they still fit together.

And then the base had fallen under attack and they'd been forced to evacuate.

With the (eventual) positive reaction to Kurt entering the room, Charles had opted to let Kurt just sit with Kate for as long as time-sensitive issues would allow, and Kurt was absolutely thrilled to simply sit on the floor with Kate in his arms.

She clung to him, her head tucked into the curve of his neck — he'd gotten taller than her while they'd been apart — and he let his arms stay draped around her. Not holding on tight, in case she felt the need to move away, but an embrace that hopefully still felt safe and friendly.

Just when Kate was starting to relax; when her arms were starting to cling a little less tightly, the first alarm had wailed. She'd immediately tensed up again; her head had snapped up from his neck, and her eyes were full of fear.

"Kate, it's okay, liebling. It's going to be okay." Kurt could feel Kate shaking slightly against him, and he carded a hand through her hair. The door opened behind him, and Charles entered with a doctor in tow.

"I'm afraid we're going to be forced to revisit this session elsewhere," Charles said, then paused, honestly looking unhappy with the options he had available. "I truly wish there was another way, but we are rather pressed for time."

A pair of men rushed by Charles and went right for Kate. It was clear they intended to get a solid hold on her before she could truly start to fight, and before she could get more than a decent swing or two in against them, one had managed to put a hypodermic needle in her arm and depress the plunger.

In the short time it took the sedative to take effect, it was obvious Kate was terrified, trying to pull away from the men, to kick at them or hit them, but this stuff was clearly fast-acting — and honestly spoke to the fact that they'd had to use it before to keep her from hurting anyone, herself included.

Kurt scooped Kate up as she went limp against him and hurried after Charles. "I wish we didn't have to do that," he said, shifting his arm so Kate's head didn't loll backward. "She's going to be terrified when she wakes up somewhere new, especially after going under during chaos like this."

Charles shook his head. "I know, Kurt. It wasn't my favorite option, but I don't know how she would otherwise react in a crisis situation. She could try and bolt and get herself into even more danger, or she could lose sight of who's friend and who's foe. You've just seen how she reacts to even a small threat." He let out a sigh. "I can only hope we haven't lost too much of her trust with this."

Kurt followed Mrs. O'Malley through Logan's house — Logan's house, not his Victor's Village place — with Kate in his arms once more.

Not that Kurt was complaining — he had a long time to make up for — but he wished the circumstances were a bit better.

Mrs. O'Malley led them to a room at the end of a long hallway. "It's set for two, and this wing should be very quiet," she said before going down a quick list of the ins and outs of the house. "Let us know if you need anything else, dear."

"Thank you," Kurt replied. "For the room, and for letting us all into your home on such short notice."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Mrs. O'Malley said firmly. "Any friend of our James is a friend of ours and more than welcome here. Besides, It's long past time he came home," she said, with a raise of one eyebrow that offered no room for argument.

"It's a little strange to hear him called that," Kurt said as he entered the room. It was small and cozy, with two beds, two dressers, a squashy-looking chair by the window, and a nightstand placed between the beds. Kurt laid Kate down gently on the closer bed. She stirred slightly as he did, mumbling something that Kurt couldn't make out. "He's been 'Logan' to me for as long as I've known him."

Mrs. O'Malley seemed to puff up a bit at the name. "That certainly might be what he's been going by these days, but to us, he'll always be our James." It took her a moment to gather her composure, fiddling with her aprons. "At any rate, I do hope he stays here for more than just a little while. We've missed him terribly," Mrs. O'Malley said, clasping her hands in front of her. "We were all frankly frightened for him during those Games. You did him quite a bit of good, I think, Mr. Wagner." She gave Kurt a kind smile. "I'll leave the two of you be. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything at all." At that, Mrs. O'Malley stepped out and headed back down the hallway.

Kurt sat down on the edge of Kate's bed as she stirred once more, her eyelids fluttering slightly. Kurt took her hand and gently brushed his thumb across her knuckles.

"Kate?" Kurt asked quietly. "Are you with me, liebling?" Kate mumbled something else before her eyes flew open and she jerked upright, panic clear on her features. Kurt kept hold of her hand and put his other hand on her arm. "Kate, everything is fine. You're safe, I promise. Everything is okay."

Kate met his gaze with her wide, panicked eyes. "Kurt?" she whispered between rapid breaths.

Kurt nodded, squeezing her hand. "The one and only. Everything's fine. We had to evacuate the base. We're in Seven. We're actually…" Kurt hesitated, unsure of how Kate would react to anything related to Logan. "We're at a safe house."

Kate didn't speak for several moments, letting her breathing slow as the cornered-animal look faded from her eyes. "They knocked me out," she said eventually.

"I know, I'm so sorry, Kate," Kurt said. He opened his arms slightly, the invitation for a hug available if Kate wanted it. She scooted forward and wrapped her arms around him. Kurt returned the hug, feeling her relax into him.

"'M tired," she mumbled.

"Too much excitement for the day, I think," Kurt said with a smile.

"Got to see you again, though," she said, and Kurt felt her smile against his collarbone.

"Kind of makes up for everything else," Kurt agreed. He turned his head to plant a kiss on her forehead. "We need to get you some black dye, I think. Red's not your color."

"Natasha can help," Kate mumbled. "But sleep first."

"I think that sounds like a plan," Kurt said. "You sleep. I'm going to go take stock of… everything. You get some rest." He kissed her head once more and released Kate before heading for the door. Kate wiggled her way under the covers as he shut the door.

Out in the hallway, someone was waiting for him: a girl about his age, with curly, dark hair and very tan skin. She wore cutoff shorts and a denim jacket, and she was leaning against the wall opposite the door to Kate and Kurt's room.

"Hi," she said casually.

"Guten Abend," Kurt replied. "I don't believe we've met." The girl took his arm and led him down the hall. "And we're walking," Kurt said, mildly surprised.

She pulled him into a room further down the hall. "My name's America Chavez." She closed the door behind them and wheeled around to face him. "What exactly are your intentions with my best friend?"

Kurt was speechless for a moment. "I — your—" Then, the name clicked in his head. Kate had talked about her around one of their campfires back in the Games. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh,' and I asked a question, chico. Katie's important to me. I thought I lost her once, and you bet your ass that now that I've got her back, I'm gonna be real careful about who I let near her."

"I promise you, America, I have nothing but the best intentions for Kate," Kurt said. "Kate means the world to me as well. She… I don't know what I would do without her. She's the best person I've ever met and I… oh." Kurt stopped as his brain caught up to what he was about to say.

And then he said it anyway. "America, I love her. I love her with everything I have to offer, and I swear to you, on my mother's name, I will do everything in my power to make her happy and keep her safe for the rest of her life."

America regarded him coolly for a minute. Kurt met her gaze, waiting for her judgement. He could feel the heat of a blush rising up his face, and he was sure his ears were turning what could at this point be called his signature shade of pink. It was terrifying. Why was this girl so terrifying? Not that it surprised Kurt that Kate's friends would be rough-and-tumble, but something about America promised absolute follow-through on any threats she might make.

Then, America grinned widely. "Yeah, I know you will. I've known since I saw the way you looked at her in the Games. But it's always fun to make people squirm a little bit." She winked at him. "Be good to my girl," she said as she practically bounced off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll know if you don't!"

Kurt stood in the room for another minute before he shook his head and headed out the door.

His meetings weren't over yet, though. Barely twenty steps down the hall, he was blindsided with a hug from behind.

Kurt staggered, then went down, unable to keep his balance. The hugger sprawled on top of him and then rolled off to the side.

"Sorry, not sorry, Kurt!" Peter said. "I didn't mean to take you down like that. So easy, though!" He scrambled to his feet and hauled Kurt up after him, an absolutely delighted grin on his face. "You got her back! Kate! And you! Finally!" he said, in a voice that was clearly holding back a shout.

"Yes, I did, and she's asleep down the hall, so keep it down, mein Freund," Kurt said with a grin, then threw his arms around Peter. "Pete, she's okay. She's going to be okay, and she's mine and I'm hers and she remembers me!"

"Well, of course she does." Peter returned the hug. "Everything's coming up Team Awesome, huh?"

Kurt frowned. "Well. Half of us, at any rate." He pulled away from Peter and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm worried about Logan. I think he's trying to stay away from me, because he knows I'm worried about him and he probably thinks I'm going to corner him for a conversation again, and you know what I did last time I cornered him for a conversation." Kurt blew out a frustrated breath. "And it definitely wouldn't go that way this time, because last time, I just had a lot of pent-up… stuff, you know? And I was angry, and this time I'm just worried about my best friend."

Peter put on an affronted look. "I thought I was your best friend!"

Kurt punched him gently on the shoulder. "I can have more than one, web-head."

Peter pretended to pout for a moment before returning to the problem. "To tell you the truth, you're not the only one. I'm a little worried about him too. It seems like he's getting more and more reckless with his missions and like he cares less and less about how he ends up, so long as he takes care of his objective."

Kurt nodded. "I don't want to corner him about it — he gets cagey — but if I don't corner him to talk, he'll find some way to slip away. It's kind of a lose-lose scenario."

Peter put a hand on his shoulder. "Here's my suggestion — from a best friend—"

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Never ever, and you brought it on yourself. Anyways, my suggestion, frankly, is to cross that bridge when you get to it. Logan isn't even available to corner right now, and you've got Kate back, and you guys have a whole year to make up for. Focus on the happy right now. Not everyone is so lucky to get that kind of happiness in the middle of all this crazy."

"How did I get lucky enough to have such a wise thinker as a best friend?" Kurt asked, pulling Peter into a brief one-armed hug.

"Best friends have best advice," Peter said. "Now go spend time with your girl. I'm gonna keep exploring. This place is insane." He bumped Kurt affectionately with his shoulder and headed off down the hallway.

Kurt had other plans while Kate was asleep, though. As he watched Peter head down the hall, clearly blown away, Kurt wandered off to find a member of the house staff. The first one he found was Mrs. Hopkins.

"Oh, hello! What can I do for you, Mr. Wagner?" she asked. Kurt was extremely impressed that she already knew his name.

"I was just wondering — I know this is a long shot — but you wouldn't happen to have any books on German, would you? It's an old language that was spoken outside of Marvel years ago."

Mrs. Hopkins placed a hand on her chin as she thought for a moment. "If we do, they would be in the library. I'm afraid it's not as grand or as full as it was before the first war, but the Howlett influence did allow us some little indiscretion." Her eyes were twinkling as she thought of how they'd managed to have a whole library under the Capitol's noses — probably because no one came to the estate anyway. "I'd be happy to show you where that is, if you'd like."

Kurt nodded. "Please, I would very much appreciate it."

Mrs. Hopkins led him to the library. It wasn't exactly massive, but the shelves were floor-to-ceiling and covered every wall in the fifty-foot room, as well as a few smaller, free-standing bookcases in the middle of the room. She showed him to a shelf in the far corner and took a long moment to make sure she had the right section. "I don't know exactly what's in the catalogue, but if we have anything on German, they'll be on this shelf here." She paused and turned his way with a warm smile. "Is there anything else you might be needing, Mr. Wagner?"

Kurt shook his head and thanked her before she left, and then he began browsing the books on the shelf. The books were the right topic, certainly; the first ones he encountered were books on etymology and grammar. His spirits lifted when he found books about other languages, and they absolutely soared when his fingers landed on a book of German basic language. How lucky was he?

Kurt had plans to start from the beginning of the book, but there were two things he needed to find. After a little bit of flipping back and forth through the pages, he found both of them with little trouble. As he continued skimming through the pages, a couple words jumped out that he knew.

A section headed "Diminutives" caught his eye as he turned a page.

Diminutive noun endings are used for a smaller version of something, such as "Katze" and "Kätzchen" ("cat" and "kitten"), but they can also be used to denote informality or affection. Remember that adding a diminutive will always make the noun neutral, it will never be plural, and, when applicable, will add an umlaut to the base word. Practice the base word by itself and with the umlaut to understand the differences in the sounds.

Kurt smiled. It was perfect.

Later, back in his and Kate's shared room, Kurt read through the book more carefully while Kate slept. He glanced over at her and smiled softly at the peaceful expression on her face.

"Ich liebe dich, mein Vögelchen," he whispered.