Chapter 25
The first thing Kurt was aware of was a collective gasp going up through the crowd. Despite everything they had shouted out at him, the students clearly hadn't been expecting him to actually turn his image inducer off.
Kurt's eyes went to the back of the crowd where the rest of the Institute was sitting in the bleachers as the crowd of students suddenly erupted into several different conversations. One girl in the crowd distinctly said, "What is he doing?! Who would want to look like that?!"
It should have stung, but amazingly it didn't. Kurt didn't care what these people thought about him anymore. What right did they have to even judge him.
The only people Kurt cared about were the ones he lived with.
Scott looked completely stunned by the turn of events, but actually impressed. Jean and Ororo were both grinning from ear to ear. Bobby, Sam, and Ray were all laughing their heads off at the buzz going through the crowd. Logan had a very self-satisfied smile on his face while Remy, sitting right next to Logan, didn't show any outward reaction but to nod his head at Kurt.
And then there was the Professor and his parents. His parents actually had tears in their eyes, and the Professor ... he had never looked more impressed.
Tabitha gave Kurt the thumbs up sign from where she was sitting and Rogue actually came out of her stupor long enough to give a tiny smile to Kurt.
But Kitty's reaction spoke volumes. She was positively beaming at Kurt, and it looked like she was trying very hard not to run up to Kurt and kiss him.
Smiling back at Kitty, Kurt turned his back on the still startled crowd and made his way up onto the platform.
Principal Kelly had gone sheet white and another man was standing at the podium holding out Kurt's diploma, but he remained frozen. Resisting the urge to either burst out laughing or snap his furry fingers in the man's face, Kurt simply reached out and plucked his diploma from the man's hands.
"Danke," Kurt said as he turned back around and headed back to his seat. Kurt's short word seemed enough to wake the man at the podium up because a few seconds later he continued calling the remaining students up, but his voice was now very shaky.
Kurt didn't bother going back to his seat. He'd gotten what he'd come for. He'd not only gotten his diploma, he'd got his pride back.
Ignoring the empty chair he'd been seated in, Kurt made his way to the bleachers where the rest of the Institute was seated.
Silently, Kitty, Rogue, and Tabitha all got up from their seats and followed Kurt. No one tried to stop them.
"Kurt," Rogue started as she walked up beside him, "what do I owe you for snapping me out of my boredom? At least something interesting happened today."
"Yeah Blue! That was great!" Tabitha remarked.
Kurt shrugged as Kitty walked up and put an arm around Kurt's waist. "Just invite me to the next fight you and Remy have scheduled Rogue. That's the one thing that can keep me amused these days."
Kitty and Tabitha both burst into laughter as Rogue lightly swatted Kurt on the shoulder. "Hey watch it Kurt! Being my brother and pregnant won't stop you from getting beaten up yah know."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Sure Rogue."
By this time they had reached the bleachers, but both Kurt and Kitty's parents had walked a little ahead.
"Now that took courage," Mr. Pryde said directly to Kurt.
Kurt smiled at him. "Danke Herr Pryde, but you should really be congratulating your daughter. She graduated at the top of the class a year early."
"Oh I am proud of her," Mr. Pryde said as Kitty blushed at both Kurt and her father's words.
While Kitty was congratulated by both of her parents, Elisabeth came up and hugged Kurt. "No matter vhat anyone says you're beautiful and you're loved."
Johannes also came up and hugged Kurt. "And we've never been more proud of you Kurt," he said, finishing what his wife was saying.
Kurt felt tears fill his eyes. He knew what his parents were saying and didn't understand why it had taken so long for him to believe what everyone had been telling him.
"Danke Vati und Mutti."
"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff!" Bobby exclaimed as the rest of the X-men came walking up.
Logan growled at Bobby before turning to Kurt. "Way to go Elf. I don't think I'll ever forget the look Kelly had on his face when you turned off your image inducer."
Kurt grinned. "I missed that look."
"You would have loved it buddy," Scott said before turning to Jean, "tell me you got a picture of that."
Jean, who was holding a camera, shook her head no. "Sorry, I didn't even think about it."
The Professor then turned to Jean. "Well, why don't you snap one now Jean? This is truly a moment I think we should remember."
Jean got the camera ready as everyone, but Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Tabitha backed up. Suddenly from the crowd of students, a roar went up and all the students threw their tassels into the air.
"Vell, I suppose that's the announcement of graduation," Kurt replied.
Tabitha shrugged as the four of them put their own tassals back on, "Who cares. We can have our own celebration."
Tabitha stood on Kurt's left side while Rogue stood on his right. Kitty, being shorter than the others, stood in front of Kurt with one hand braced lightly on his chest. Both of them felt warmth at the light touch and smiled nervously while Jean finished adjusting the camerea.
"Everyone ready?" Jean asked.
All four of them nodded. They were all grinning broadly when Jean pressed the button and the light flashed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What exactly is Hank doing today that he couldn't do a checkup on me himself?" Kurt asked Jean about an two hours later.
Jean shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure Kurt. The Professor just said something about Hank doing some kind of computer program today. But I think he really wanted me to get some practice with a patient."
Kurt grinned up at her from the bed in the infirmary where he was laying. "So, ... does that make me your guinea pig?"
Jean put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. "Yes, but ... don't tell anyone. I'm trying to give the impression that I actually know what I'm doing."
Kurt completely burst into laughter at that comment. "I'm not exactly sure how zhat makes me feel Jean, except ... I think I want to get up and run."
Jean swatted a giggling Kurt on his shoulder. "Don't make fun of me ... I was just kidding!"
"Yeah sure," Kurt replied, as Jean welled the sonogram machine over. "Does zhis mean it's gel time?"
"Sorry Kurt. It does," Jean replied as she applied some gel to the end of the device, "although you seem to be in a remarkably good mood today."
Kurt shrugged. "Must be having a mood swing."
Jean gave Kurt an inquisitive look as she continued to get the machine ready. "It must have been quite a mood swing for you to turn off your image inducer ... considering the fact that you never had the guts to do it all through high school."
Kurt turned his head to stare at Jean. All trace of humor had vanished and he was completely serious now. "I guess ... I just didn't want to hide anymore Jean. I felt I shouldn't have to be ashamed of myself anymore. At least not if I want to set a good example for my child."
Jean stared at Kurt, wondering exactly how many more surprises he had in store for her today. "First you turn off your image inducer in front of the entire school and their parents, then you start sounding like a parent on me. Kurt you're really growing up."
Kurt gave a weak smile. "I don't really have much of a choice do I?"
Jean couldn't come up with an answer because she had to admit that Kurt had a point. He might not have acting the way he was because of any conscious decision but because he had been through so many changes that he was, in a way, simply forced to grow up. And in five months, Kurt was going to be facing probably the biggest responsibility of his life. It wasn't surprising that this bit of information had made Kurt start to look at life quite differently than he had only a couple months ago.
Sighing, Jean placed the gelled device on Kurt's bare stomach. Kurt squirmed slightly at the gel, but other than that he didn't complain.
"For what it's worth Kurt," Jean started, "I'm actually really impressed with how well you're handling everything."
"Danke Jean."
After that there was no more need for words because the sound of a steady heartbeat suddenly filled the infirmary.
Kurt's tired and melancholy look vanished to be replaced by a look of pure joy that parents all around the world wore when faced with having a child.
It also occurred to Jean at that moment, that this had been the first time she'd heard the child's heartbeat since it was discovered that Kurt was actually pregnant. All of Kurt's checkups in the past three or four months had been handled completely by Hank.
Kitty had accompanied Kurt a couple times, the Professor had been with him before, and even Logan had been with Kurt once. However, everyone else at the mansion had seemed to keep their distance from the infirmary when Kurt was getting a checkup. Mainly because they probably figured that Kurt was completely embarrassed by the whole thing and wanted his privacy.
However, as Jean looked at the look on Kurt's face she had to conclude that Kurt wasn't that embarrassed anymore. Or if he was he was doing a remarkable job of hiding it.
"So Jean ... how is the kid?" Kurt asked nervously.
Jean gazed at the picture on the sonogram. Nothing looked amiss and the child seemed to be growing fairly well even if it was a little small.
"Well," Jean started, "it's a little small, but that's probably just a result of your protesting muscles. The baby is not too small or undernourished. It actually appears completely healthy."
Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Das ist gut. I was kind of afraid that all the stress and maybe even teleporting would hurt the child."
Jean wasn't paying attention to Kurt though. She was actually so focused on the screen that Kurt worried that she might have found some new problem.
"Jean, ... vhat is it?" Kurt asked with a gulp.
Jean shook her head at Kurt. "It's nothing to worry about Kurt. I just find it kind of cool all the things you can find out from this machine."
Kurt stared at Jean completely confused. "Vhat do you mean?"
Jean suddenly avoided Kurt's eyes. She wasn't sure how to explain this without unintentionally revealing anything that Kurt didn't want to know yet.
"Well Kurt, ... sometimes we can see ... I mean the doctors will be able to tell ... that is if the parent wants to know ... and if the baby is in the right position ...."
Kurt raised an eyebrow at Jean. "Um, ... Jean you're not making any sense."
"I know," Jean said with a little laugh. "And what I should really be doing is asking you if you would like to know the baby's gender?"
Kurt stared up at Jean stunned. "You can tell?"
Jean nodded. "If the baby is in the right position the gender can be determined from a sonogram. And that seems to be the case here."
Kurt grinned up at Jean. "So, ... that means you know vhat I'm having?"
"Sure does," Jean said with a grin, "but some people want to be surprised so I didn't want to say anything unless you wanted me to."
Kurt laid there in silence for a moment as he considered Jean's words. On one hand, he did kind of want to wait to see what gender the child was when it was born. But he also would kind of like to start planning for the child's arrival by picking out a name and getting a nursery ready. Bobby and Sam, who had originally had their room next door to Kurt, had graciously agreed to move to a room down the hall so Kurt could use the one next door for the baby. Logan and Scott had also already agreed to help with setting the room up for Kurt.
In the end, Kurt's curiosity got the better of him and he decided he'd had enough surprises lately. Might as well ruin one.
"Vhat is it Jean?" Kurt asked tentatively.
Jean looked at Kurt with a nervous look. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Kurt nodded, still not completely sure, but somehow needing to know since he could.
Jean removed the gelled device from Kurt's abdomen and flipped off the sonogram machine before turning to answer Kurt.
"It's a girl Kurt," Jean said, "you're gonna have a daughter."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Okay, sorry if I ruined a surprise for everyone, but wanted Kurt to find out the gender fairly early. Hope you're not all too mad at me.
If anyone is ... sorry! Can't please everyone.
Anyway. No real news or things I can think of, so reviews:
Arch-Mage Amidon: Okay, first of all ... I like you! Second, thanks for that observation. I know that in the comics the Professor gave Kurt an image inducer, but Kurt (feeling like he was hiding) didn't use it very long. Since I plan on making this into a series I knew I wanted to get Kurt to a state of being unashamed of himself by the end of my first story. So, ... glad you liked it.
Mayzon: I never intended for this story to turn out the way it is right now. Originally I was just going to write a fic about Kurt's role in Apocalypse's destruction. (Completely ignoring the series in this respect, including that whole Lancitty thing at the end of the last episode ... Yuck!). But gradually I started putting more thought into it ... and well this is what came of it. Not sure exactly where the whole series is going to go though.
Stay tuned!
InterNutter: This is too true. For some reason people like being mean to their favorite characters. Oh well.
~C~ : You would find Rogue's power cool just so you could shut someone up whenever they were annoying you. Let me now if you get your internet back.
ShadowJax: I wasn't every exactly sure how to write the audiences reaction except with shock. After all, most of them are too afraid to attack a mutant and the ones who would ... well, they're in front of witnesses. Hope this chapter was okay.
Raskolian Phoenix: I always figure I'm doing my job if I surprise people. And it's okay because I'm not scared of flames. I usually just laugh at them. Especially since flamers seem to think they know everything.
Pilar Sama: So, ... you're all little brats huh? hee hee. I like you're sense of humor.
Anyone, keep reviewing. I always love it!
~Ice~
The first thing Kurt was aware of was a collective gasp going up through the crowd. Despite everything they had shouted out at him, the students clearly hadn't been expecting him to actually turn his image inducer off.
Kurt's eyes went to the back of the crowd where the rest of the Institute was sitting in the bleachers as the crowd of students suddenly erupted into several different conversations. One girl in the crowd distinctly said, "What is he doing?! Who would want to look like that?!"
It should have stung, but amazingly it didn't. Kurt didn't care what these people thought about him anymore. What right did they have to even judge him.
The only people Kurt cared about were the ones he lived with.
Scott looked completely stunned by the turn of events, but actually impressed. Jean and Ororo were both grinning from ear to ear. Bobby, Sam, and Ray were all laughing their heads off at the buzz going through the crowd. Logan had a very self-satisfied smile on his face while Remy, sitting right next to Logan, didn't show any outward reaction but to nod his head at Kurt.
And then there was the Professor and his parents. His parents actually had tears in their eyes, and the Professor ... he had never looked more impressed.
Tabitha gave Kurt the thumbs up sign from where she was sitting and Rogue actually came out of her stupor long enough to give a tiny smile to Kurt.
But Kitty's reaction spoke volumes. She was positively beaming at Kurt, and it looked like she was trying very hard not to run up to Kurt and kiss him.
Smiling back at Kitty, Kurt turned his back on the still startled crowd and made his way up onto the platform.
Principal Kelly had gone sheet white and another man was standing at the podium holding out Kurt's diploma, but he remained frozen. Resisting the urge to either burst out laughing or snap his furry fingers in the man's face, Kurt simply reached out and plucked his diploma from the man's hands.
"Danke," Kurt said as he turned back around and headed back to his seat. Kurt's short word seemed enough to wake the man at the podium up because a few seconds later he continued calling the remaining students up, but his voice was now very shaky.
Kurt didn't bother going back to his seat. He'd gotten what he'd come for. He'd not only gotten his diploma, he'd got his pride back.
Ignoring the empty chair he'd been seated in, Kurt made his way to the bleachers where the rest of the Institute was seated.
Silently, Kitty, Rogue, and Tabitha all got up from their seats and followed Kurt. No one tried to stop them.
"Kurt," Rogue started as she walked up beside him, "what do I owe you for snapping me out of my boredom? At least something interesting happened today."
"Yeah Blue! That was great!" Tabitha remarked.
Kurt shrugged as Kitty walked up and put an arm around Kurt's waist. "Just invite me to the next fight you and Remy have scheduled Rogue. That's the one thing that can keep me amused these days."
Kitty and Tabitha both burst into laughter as Rogue lightly swatted Kurt on the shoulder. "Hey watch it Kurt! Being my brother and pregnant won't stop you from getting beaten up yah know."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Sure Rogue."
By this time they had reached the bleachers, but both Kurt and Kitty's parents had walked a little ahead.
"Now that took courage," Mr. Pryde said directly to Kurt.
Kurt smiled at him. "Danke Herr Pryde, but you should really be congratulating your daughter. She graduated at the top of the class a year early."
"Oh I am proud of her," Mr. Pryde said as Kitty blushed at both Kurt and her father's words.
While Kitty was congratulated by both of her parents, Elisabeth came up and hugged Kurt. "No matter vhat anyone says you're beautiful and you're loved."
Johannes also came up and hugged Kurt. "And we've never been more proud of you Kurt," he said, finishing what his wife was saying.
Kurt felt tears fill his eyes. He knew what his parents were saying and didn't understand why it had taken so long for him to believe what everyone had been telling him.
"Danke Vati und Mutti."
"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff!" Bobby exclaimed as the rest of the X-men came walking up.
Logan growled at Bobby before turning to Kurt. "Way to go Elf. I don't think I'll ever forget the look Kelly had on his face when you turned off your image inducer."
Kurt grinned. "I missed that look."
"You would have loved it buddy," Scott said before turning to Jean, "tell me you got a picture of that."
Jean, who was holding a camera, shook her head no. "Sorry, I didn't even think about it."
The Professor then turned to Jean. "Well, why don't you snap one now Jean? This is truly a moment I think we should remember."
Jean got the camera ready as everyone, but Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Tabitha backed up. Suddenly from the crowd of students, a roar went up and all the students threw their tassels into the air.
"Vell, I suppose that's the announcement of graduation," Kurt replied.
Tabitha shrugged as the four of them put their own tassals back on, "Who cares. We can have our own celebration."
Tabitha stood on Kurt's left side while Rogue stood on his right. Kitty, being shorter than the others, stood in front of Kurt with one hand braced lightly on his chest. Both of them felt warmth at the light touch and smiled nervously while Jean finished adjusting the camerea.
"Everyone ready?" Jean asked.
All four of them nodded. They were all grinning broadly when Jean pressed the button and the light flashed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What exactly is Hank doing today that he couldn't do a checkup on me himself?" Kurt asked Jean about an two hours later.
Jean shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure Kurt. The Professor just said something about Hank doing some kind of computer program today. But I think he really wanted me to get some practice with a patient."
Kurt grinned up at her from the bed in the infirmary where he was laying. "So, ... does that make me your guinea pig?"
Jean put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. "Yes, but ... don't tell anyone. I'm trying to give the impression that I actually know what I'm doing."
Kurt completely burst into laughter at that comment. "I'm not exactly sure how zhat makes me feel Jean, except ... I think I want to get up and run."
Jean swatted a giggling Kurt on his shoulder. "Don't make fun of me ... I was just kidding!"
"Yeah sure," Kurt replied, as Jean welled the sonogram machine over. "Does zhis mean it's gel time?"
"Sorry Kurt. It does," Jean replied as she applied some gel to the end of the device, "although you seem to be in a remarkably good mood today."
Kurt shrugged. "Must be having a mood swing."
Jean gave Kurt an inquisitive look as she continued to get the machine ready. "It must have been quite a mood swing for you to turn off your image inducer ... considering the fact that you never had the guts to do it all through high school."
Kurt turned his head to stare at Jean. All trace of humor had vanished and he was completely serious now. "I guess ... I just didn't want to hide anymore Jean. I felt I shouldn't have to be ashamed of myself anymore. At least not if I want to set a good example for my child."
Jean stared at Kurt, wondering exactly how many more surprises he had in store for her today. "First you turn off your image inducer in front of the entire school and their parents, then you start sounding like a parent on me. Kurt you're really growing up."
Kurt gave a weak smile. "I don't really have much of a choice do I?"
Jean couldn't come up with an answer because she had to admit that Kurt had a point. He might not have acting the way he was because of any conscious decision but because he had been through so many changes that he was, in a way, simply forced to grow up. And in five months, Kurt was going to be facing probably the biggest responsibility of his life. It wasn't surprising that this bit of information had made Kurt start to look at life quite differently than he had only a couple months ago.
Sighing, Jean placed the gelled device on Kurt's bare stomach. Kurt squirmed slightly at the gel, but other than that he didn't complain.
"For what it's worth Kurt," Jean started, "I'm actually really impressed with how well you're handling everything."
"Danke Jean."
After that there was no more need for words because the sound of a steady heartbeat suddenly filled the infirmary.
Kurt's tired and melancholy look vanished to be replaced by a look of pure joy that parents all around the world wore when faced with having a child.
It also occurred to Jean at that moment, that this had been the first time she'd heard the child's heartbeat since it was discovered that Kurt was actually pregnant. All of Kurt's checkups in the past three or four months had been handled completely by Hank.
Kitty had accompanied Kurt a couple times, the Professor had been with him before, and even Logan had been with Kurt once. However, everyone else at the mansion had seemed to keep their distance from the infirmary when Kurt was getting a checkup. Mainly because they probably figured that Kurt was completely embarrassed by the whole thing and wanted his privacy.
However, as Jean looked at the look on Kurt's face she had to conclude that Kurt wasn't that embarrassed anymore. Or if he was he was doing a remarkable job of hiding it.
"So Jean ... how is the kid?" Kurt asked nervously.
Jean gazed at the picture on the sonogram. Nothing looked amiss and the child seemed to be growing fairly well even if it was a little small.
"Well," Jean started, "it's a little small, but that's probably just a result of your protesting muscles. The baby is not too small or undernourished. It actually appears completely healthy."
Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Das ist gut. I was kind of afraid that all the stress and maybe even teleporting would hurt the child."
Jean wasn't paying attention to Kurt though. She was actually so focused on the screen that Kurt worried that she might have found some new problem.
"Jean, ... vhat is it?" Kurt asked with a gulp.
Jean shook her head at Kurt. "It's nothing to worry about Kurt. I just find it kind of cool all the things you can find out from this machine."
Kurt stared at Jean completely confused. "Vhat do you mean?"
Jean suddenly avoided Kurt's eyes. She wasn't sure how to explain this without unintentionally revealing anything that Kurt didn't want to know yet.
"Well Kurt, ... sometimes we can see ... I mean the doctors will be able to tell ... that is if the parent wants to know ... and if the baby is in the right position ...."
Kurt raised an eyebrow at Jean. "Um, ... Jean you're not making any sense."
"I know," Jean said with a little laugh. "And what I should really be doing is asking you if you would like to know the baby's gender?"
Kurt stared up at Jean stunned. "You can tell?"
Jean nodded. "If the baby is in the right position the gender can be determined from a sonogram. And that seems to be the case here."
Kurt grinned up at Jean. "So, ... that means you know vhat I'm having?"
"Sure does," Jean said with a grin, "but some people want to be surprised so I didn't want to say anything unless you wanted me to."
Kurt laid there in silence for a moment as he considered Jean's words. On one hand, he did kind of want to wait to see what gender the child was when it was born. But he also would kind of like to start planning for the child's arrival by picking out a name and getting a nursery ready. Bobby and Sam, who had originally had their room next door to Kurt, had graciously agreed to move to a room down the hall so Kurt could use the one next door for the baby. Logan and Scott had also already agreed to help with setting the room up for Kurt.
In the end, Kurt's curiosity got the better of him and he decided he'd had enough surprises lately. Might as well ruin one.
"Vhat is it Jean?" Kurt asked tentatively.
Jean looked at Kurt with a nervous look. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Kurt nodded, still not completely sure, but somehow needing to know since he could.
Jean removed the gelled device from Kurt's abdomen and flipped off the sonogram machine before turning to answer Kurt.
"It's a girl Kurt," Jean said, "you're gonna have a daughter."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Okay, sorry if I ruined a surprise for everyone, but wanted Kurt to find out the gender fairly early. Hope you're not all too mad at me.
If anyone is ... sorry! Can't please everyone.
Anyway. No real news or things I can think of, so reviews:
Arch-Mage Amidon: Okay, first of all ... I like you! Second, thanks for that observation. I know that in the comics the Professor gave Kurt an image inducer, but Kurt (feeling like he was hiding) didn't use it very long. Since I plan on making this into a series I knew I wanted to get Kurt to a state of being unashamed of himself by the end of my first story. So, ... glad you liked it.
Mayzon: I never intended for this story to turn out the way it is right now. Originally I was just going to write a fic about Kurt's role in Apocalypse's destruction. (Completely ignoring the series in this respect, including that whole Lancitty thing at the end of the last episode ... Yuck!). But gradually I started putting more thought into it ... and well this is what came of it. Not sure exactly where the whole series is going to go though.
Stay tuned!
InterNutter: This is too true. For some reason people like being mean to their favorite characters. Oh well.
~C~ : You would find Rogue's power cool just so you could shut someone up whenever they were annoying you. Let me now if you get your internet back.
ShadowJax: I wasn't every exactly sure how to write the audiences reaction except with shock. After all, most of them are too afraid to attack a mutant and the ones who would ... well, they're in front of witnesses. Hope this chapter was okay.
Raskolian Phoenix: I always figure I'm doing my job if I surprise people. And it's okay because I'm not scared of flames. I usually just laugh at them. Especially since flamers seem to think they know everything.
Pilar Sama: So, ... you're all little brats huh? hee hee. I like you're sense of humor.
Anyone, keep reviewing. I always love it!
~Ice~