Disclaimers: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.
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"Kurt!"
Kurt groaned and rolled over in his bed. "I vas having a good dream..." he complained.
"Kurt, wake up!"
"Ugh... Scott, vhat is it?"
"We gotta move, there's something at the factory nearby that the Prof wants us to check out."
"...Vhat time is it?"
"4:53 am. And 26 seconds. 27. 28. 29."
"So early?"
Scott shrugged. "He says it's important. And you know the Professor- never question his word. Come on, we gotta hit the road now!"
"Five more minutes..."
Scott dragged Kurt off the bed. Kurt let out a little yelp and rubbed his head.
"Fine, fine. Give me a few secs."
"You mean it?"
"Ja, ja."
Scott glared through his visor and left the room, leaving the door open. Kurt looked around, made sure no one was watching him, and collapsed back into bed.
"Hey, I saw that, Elf!"
Kurt groaned.
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"Alright, we're, like, here, what do we do now?" Shadowcat tapped her foot impatiently.
"We go about just like we practiced," Cyclops said. "Shadowcat, you take the west wing. Spyke, the south. Rogue, you take the west, and Nightcrawler, the north."
"Yes, sir!" Nightcrawler saluted. Cyclops rolled his eyes.
"Just do it."
"SOMEBODY'S been watching waaaaay too many Nike commercials." Shadowcat rolled her eyes.
"Just go! The rest of us will see what the problem is," Cyclops said.
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"Nighty night!" Nightcrawler said as the gaurd hit the floor with a thud. "Zis is Nightcrawler... north end secure," he said into his radio. "Vow, zat vas easy... I'll go check up on Shadowcat."
BAMF!
"Ooooh! Nightcrawler! I, like, totally almost had him! I should, like, use this on YOU!" Shadowcat waved the sleeping gas in front of Kurt's face.
Nightcrawler laughed nervously. "Sorry."
The gaurd looked from Nightcrawler to Shadowcat and then back to Nightcrawler. He backed away nervously and reached for his radio-
"Not so fast, buddy!"
Shadowcat sprayed the gas in the gaurd's face. He hit the floor, unconcious.
"This is Shadowcat. West side secure. And, like, totally no thanks to Nightcrawler..." Shadowcat glared.
Kurt laughed nervously. "Sorry!"
"Alright, this is the Rogue. I'm done here."
"007 reporting in!"
"Spyke!"
"Err, sorry Cyke. Spyke reporting in, blah blah. All taken care of in the south side."
"Alright. There seems to be no problem here anyway. Meet at west point, since so many people seem to be there already," came Cyclops's voice over the radio.
Nightcrawler looked helplessly at Shadowcat, who glared.
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Nightcrawler looked up from the ground as Cyclops approached, with the group in tow, and a limp figure in his arms.
"Hey. vhat's zat?"
"All we found in there was this girl, unconcious on the floor. Nothing was taken, nothing disturbed. No alarms had been tripped, nothing. Really weird."
"And ze girl? Is she alright?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine. She just suffered a brutal blow to the head. We'll drop her off at the hospital, just to make sure."
"Is she..." Shadowcat asked.
"A mutant? No."
"Is she someone we know?"
"No, not that I know of. At least, I haven't seen her around anywhere."
"Really? Let me see."
Cyclops shifted so that the girl's face showed in the dim light.
Long black hair framed a pretty face. Small nose, blood red lips. And Kurt knew, underneath the closed eyelids, were ocean blue eyes, flecked with green.
Kurt gasped and backed away, remembering that fateful day.
"Sofia..."
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(AN: Just assume that all the dialogue is in German. I can only translate so much, just like you!)
"Mommy?" Kurt glanced up at his mother with wide golden eyes. "Do I hafta go to practice today?"
"Yes, Kurt. You know that," his mother said. She cleared away the kitchen table, as Kurt just sat in his chair.
"But I don't wanna!"
"Kurt, you have a responsibility in this circus, just like I do, as well as your father. You need to practice!"
"But you and Daddy aren't practicing today!"
"Kurt, we have to run some special errands today. We told you this all week!"
Kurt looked down. "I'm sorry. I don't wanna practice alone!"
Kurt's mother smiled as she handed him a lunch box. "It'll be alright, sweetheart. Here, I packed your lunch for you. I gave you a little present... Don't open it until you've finished your sandwich!"
Kurt grinned. "Okay!"
"Now, go! I don't want you to be late! You know how we treat timing around here."
"Okay. I love you!"
"How much?"
"Bigger than the sky!" Kurt threw open his arms to show how much. His mother laughed and gave him a hug.
"And how much do I love you?"
"Bigger than the sky!" Kurt laughed.
"Have a good time, sweetheart," Kurt's mother smiled.
"Okay. I'll try. I'll be lonely, but I'll just think of you and Daddy."
"Aww, that's sweet, Kurt. Be careful walking across the field! Already the summer rains have begun to strike." Kurt's mother glanced out the window at the dark clouds obscuring the golden sun.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'll be careful, Mommy, I promise. Bye!"
Kurt walked out the door with his lunchbox in hand. He started to skip along his way to the practice area.
The other circus performers were already out doing their chores, and paid no attention to their "freak." Kurt dodged out of the way of someone struggling with a giant pole.
"Hey, watch out Kurt! Careful!"
Kurt hoppped over the pole with ease.
"Kurt! Get outta here, you're gettin' in trouble already!"
Kurt gracefully slipped in the mud and fell flat on his bottom. The circus members laughed.
"Go on, get outta here. Get on... Go!"
One person made a shooing motion with his hands. Kurt pouted and ran off, leaving the laughter behind him.
He didn't care where he ran. He didn't even want to practice today. Wasn't in the mood. Maybe he could play hookie for one day, just this once... even though, at the age of nine, he didn't know what the term "hookie" meant.
Sooner than later Kurt entered the town. Immediately the people in the streets reacted. Some froze, some huddled together in fear, and some stared.
The usual.
Kurt looked around, and at once his skip reduced to a small shuffle, his eyes focused on the ground.
"Hey, it's the freak!"
"Hey, freak!"
Kurt winced. He hated it when the kids did that. He wasn't a freak... at least, according to his parents.
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
The boys began running around him, chanting. Kurt looked up to see one girl, Sofia, who was the lion trainer's niece. Sofia and her little gang all had their backpacks on, ready to go to school. Kurt wished to go to school as much as he wanted to make friends... but his mother taught him at home. He never had any reason to leave the circus.
"Uhh... He-Hey, Sofia," he said shyly.
Sofia blinked her blue eyes and tossed her head, her long straight black pigtails swishing as she did so.
"Wow! The freak can talk!" she exclaimed. "Does he know how to say 'freak?'"
"Gee, I dunno, let's find out!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Stop it!" Kurt cried out. "Stop it, I'm not a freak!"
Sofia laughed. "Oh yeah? Then why do you have freaky blue fur?"
"And freaky eyes?"
"And a freaky tail?"
"And freaky elf ears?"
"And freaky hands and feet?"
"And freaky-"
"I don't know!" Kurt wailed. "Leave me alone!"
All at once the clouds opened up, and a heavy drizzle of rain fell upon the earth. The little critters paid the bad weather no heed.
"Hey, let's see what the freak has to eat!"
"Gotta be freaky stuff, like worms!"
"Bug eyes!"
"Cat brains!"
Sofia grabbed for Kurt's lunch box, but he hugged it close to his chest.
"Leave me alone!"
Kurt took off straight ahead for the woods bordering the small town, not noticing the downpour of rain beginning to fall from the dark clouds above.
"Come on, let's get him!"
"Demon!"
"Freak!"
Sofia and her little gang ran after poor Kurt.
"Look, he runs like a animal!"
"Like a demon!"
"Devil spirit!" Sofia called out to Kurt.
Kurt dodged left and right, in zigzags and in criss crosses, trying to lose the bullies. Soon the boys got winded, and stopped to pant for breath.
"Babies!" Sofia called behind her and then focused on hunting down the freakish demon running for his life.
Suddenly, Kurt saw ahead of him a giant ravine. He tried to change his course, but slipped on some wet leaves, and fell over the brink.
"Woah... Woah... Waaaaah!" Sofia quickly fell behind him. She screamed as she landed on something furry.
"Ack.. get off me!" Kurt pushed Sofia off to the side of a small part of the cliff that jutted out. There was a small overhang, leaving enough room for two to avoid the rain.
Kurt looked up and glanced back at Sofia, who was hugging her knees with an unreadable expression on her face.
"If you promise not to bully me anymore, I'll get us outta here."
"No deal, freak," Sofia said coldly. "I can't trust demons."
"But I'm not a freak!" Kurt said emotionally. "I'm just a kid like you!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yeah huh!"
"Nuh uh times two!"
"Yeah huh times three!"
"Nuh uh times ten!"
"Yeah huh times a hundred!"
"Nuh uh times a... a thousand!"
"Yeah huh times... uhh, I dunno."
Sofia shrugged. "Neither do I."
After a while of nothing, Kurt shrugged and began to climb the cliff. "Okay, *you* can sit here in the rain. By yourself. Hope ya don't catch the flu."
Sofia watched silently, as Kurt reached out with his three fingered hand.
"Aaah... Hey!" Kurt lost his grip. He reached out with his tail, but of course that couldn't help much. He fell back to the landing with a smack.
"Ohhh... Ow! Ow, my arm!" Kurt began to cry as he cradled his forearm. "Ohh, I shoulda landed right, I never get those landings right, Daddy woulda caught me and taught me how ta do it right... Owwww!"
Sofia crawled over to Kurt cautiously on her hands and knees and knelt next to him.
"Here, let me look, you big baby. My daddy's the doctor, I know what to do."
Kurt sniffed and let go of his arm with a wince. Sofia gasped as Kurt's blood dripped to the ground amongst the rain.
"You have red blood!"
"Yeah, what'd you think it was? Green?"
"No. Blue."
"Oh. Well, well it isn't. I'm not a alium, I'm not a freak, I'm not a demon. I'm just a little kid, and I wanna go home!" Kurt wailed.
Sofia sighed. "Whatever. Hey, I can clean that up for you."
"Yeah? How?"
"First of all, let's get outta the rain. I don't wanna get a cold," Sofia said. She and Kurt scooted over to underneath the overhang. It was a tight fit, but they had to manage.
"Ya got a napkin or somethin' like that?"
Kurt opened his lunchbox and got out his napkin, leaving the box half open. He handed it to Sofia.
Sofia solemnly pressed the napkin to Kurt's scrape. He winced, but didn't yell.
Sofia glanced up. "Sheesh, you're good. If I were you, I'd be screaming."
"If you were me, you wouldn't be in this mess, would ya?"
"I dunno," Sofia shrugged. "Do ya gots any tape or somethin' like that?"
"No."
"Anything?"
"Why don't you check your backpack?"
Sofia shrugged. "Here, you hold this on there."
Sofia rummagged through her backpack, throwing various objects to the ground, while Kurt held the napkin in place on his arm. Then Sofia let out a yell and held up an object.
"I got glue!"
"That won't work!"
"Uhh... I got reinforcements!"
"You're a geek. They'll do."
Sofia glared at Kurt, then searched through her backpack to find the small white sticky circles. What were usually used to fix broken paper holes were now used as an adhesive. Sofia put as many as she could to connect the napkin to Kurt's furry skin.
"I don't got anythin' to clean it with, so you can just ask your mommy to clean it up and put a regular bandaid on it when you get home." She looked at his eyes. "You do got a home, right? A mommy too?"
"Yeah! I live at the circus, remember? You've seen me when you visit your uncle. And my mommy's a regular mommy, not a freak mommy. Well, my usual mommy. I dunno about my real mommy," Kurt shrugged.
"Oh. And, it might hurt when ya take 'em off, but that's okay."
"Just as long as no fur comes off. It'd look kinda weird."
"But you already look weird!" Sofia laughed. "Hey... you're kinda cool. I like your hair. Just don't call me geek."
"Okay. Really?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Does this mean we're friends?"
"No."
"Oh," Kurt said sadly, and focused his gaze on the ground. "I don't got many friends... Just my mommy and daddy."
Sofia didn't reply.
Kurt looked around. "Maybe when it stops raining, I could try again."
Sofia suddenly began to cry. "I wanna get outta here!"
Kurt looked over at Sofia and petted her shoulder softly. "It's okay, Sofia, we're gonna go home. Ya know, school HAD to start already, and they'd notice you missing."
Sofia continued to bawl, ignoring our cute little elf here, which could be pratically impossible, but maybe not to a nine year old.
Kurt shifted nervously and hugged Sofia closer. "And then they'd call your daddy, and then my mommy, and then they'd come look for us and then we'd be found-"
"How do *you* know?"
Kurt shrugged. "I just do. And then they'd come and rescue us and then we'd go home and have somethin' to eat and then we'd get dry and then we'd-"
"Get into trouble by our mommies," Sofia said softly.
Kurt shrugged. "Not really. My mommy would be happy that I'm home. Even though I didn't go to practice..."
Sofia shook her head. "No, my mommy would get out her paddle."
"And do what?"
"Hit me with it."
"Why would she do that?"
"It's my punishment."
"Oh. Does it hurt?"
Sofia nodded rapidly. "Yeah, alot."
"Where does she hit ya?"
Sofia slowly flipped back her hair and lifted the back of her shirt so Kurt could see the red welts.
"Wow. Do they still hurt?"
Sofia lowered her shirt. "Not really. But I better not get into trouble." Sofia then glared at Kurt. "You better not tell anybody! Or I'll... I'll lock you up in jail! And then, I'll- I'll... I'll claw out your eyeballs! Got it, freak?"
Kurt nodded. "I promise, I won't tell anybody."
"Thanks."
Kurt shrugged. "No problem."
Sofia sniffed "I still wanna get outta here. I don't like dark clouds."
Kurt looked at her and hugged her closer. "It's okay, Sofia, I'll protect you." He then began to sing a familiar song to both of them, trying to comfort the scared little girl. "On the corner stands a hurdy-gurdy man. With his stiffened fingers he grinds as best he can. Barefoot on the ice he stumbles to and fro. Empty is cup, and always will be so..."
Sofia looked at Kurt strangely, but sang along anyway. "No one has stopped to hear him, since he first began. And the dogs are growling at the ancient man. But he lets it all go on as go it will. He keeps the handle turning, it is never still..."
Then Kurt and Sofia's voices were joined together in soft song. "Wonderful old man, shall I go with you? Will you have your organ play my songs too..."
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"Kurt?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm hungry."
"Then eat your lunch."
"I buy lunch."
"Oh." Kurt opened up his lunchbox all the way and handed Sofia half a sandwich. "I'll have the other half."
Sofia took it cautiously and opened it up. "Ham and cheese? I love this stuff!"
"Really? Me too!"
Sofia half-smiled at Kurt. "Wow, you do?"
"Yeah! My mommy makes it for me all the time!" Kurt grinned and searched through his lunchbox. He took out a small square of aluminum foil. Confused, he opened it. His face lit up as he held a piece of fudge, with a smiley face on it written in frosting, in his hand. A note fluttered to the floor. Kurt picked it up and read it out loud slowly and carefully.
"'Dear Kurt, I hope you are having a good day. I love you! Love, Mommy.' Hey... That's what Mommy was talking about!"
Sofia's eyes widened and she edged a little closer when she saw the fudge.
"Can I have a little?" she asked in a small voice.
Kurt looked at Sofia kindly. "Of course! My mommy makes the best fudge in the whole world!" He broke off half and handed it to Sofia. She grinned and looked at Kurt, shocked.
"Thanks a lot, Kurt!"
"No problem, Sofia."
The rain continued to pour down as the two children ate their lunches together. They were so consumed with their food that they didn't notice the pitter patter of rain slowly fade.
Once done, Kurt looked out and at last realized that the rain had stopped.
"Hey, look! The rain's gone!"
Sofia looked up and grinned. "Ready to try again?"
"Only if you come with me!"
Sofia climbed onto Kurt's back as she held her backpack and Kurt's lunchbox in her hands.
"Going up?"
Sofia glanced nervously down at the steep incline and the sharp rocks at the bottom. "I hope so!"
Kurt slowly climbed the few feet to the top, cautiously pulling himself up inch by inch. At last Kurt pulled himself and rolled onto the edge. He helped Sofia up and grinned.
"Woo hoo!"
"We did it!"
Sofia and Kurt jumped for joy. Almost as quickly Sofia stopped and poshly dusted her skirt.
"Umm... Anyway, we'd better get back to school."
"School? I'm going home!"
"Home?"
"You can come with me, if you want. My mommy won't mind- she'll give us more fudge!"
Sofia looked skeptical. "Nah, that's okay. I'll just..."
Kurt looked in the direction of the village. "Oh. I get it. I think."
"Bye, Kurt."
Sofia ran off, leaving Kurt with his lunchbox, all alone. He looked around and slowly walked home.
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"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Hey, Freak! Where were you today?"
"Were you sick?"
"Nah, silly, freaks don't get sick!"
Kurt stared at Sofia, not sure what to do. Minutes ago she was talking to him like a human, calling him Kurt... Now she was back with her friends, taunting him as always. He was once again a "freak."
"Sofia..."
"Why don't you go back to where you came from, freak?"
"Yeah, we don't want you here!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Demon!"
"Devil spirit!" Sofia shouted.
Tears welled up in Kurt's eyes as he ran all the way home, leaving the laughing bullies behind.
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"Mommy?"
Kurt's mother looked up from cleaning Kurt's scrape. "Yes, Kurt?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"You didn't listen to me, Kurt. You will be punished. But I'm not mad at you."
"What's my punishment?" Kurt asked, the fright apparent in his voice. "Are you gonna hit me with a paddle?"
Kurt's mother looked up, shocked. "Of course not! What makes you think that?"
"Sofia's mom-" Kurt suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth. All the bandages came loose. Kurt's mother made a face as she took hold of his arm and sighed as she tried again.
"Fine, I won't bother to force it from you, you stubborn mule. Punishment is no playing outside for a week."
Kurt pouted. "Okay... Mommy? Why is Sofia all mean again?"
"That's just the way she is. She isn't brave enough to try and be your friend with her other friends there. People are sometimes mean to things... or other people they don't understand."
"Why?"
"I don't know, Kurt." Kurt's mother sighed.
"Mommy? I don't understand. Does that mean I have to be mean and bad?"
"Of course not, Kurt! You be who you are, it doesn't matter what people think. It's alright to not understand, Kurt. You will when you're older."
Kurt pouted. "I mean, why can't she be my friend? We have the same color blood and everythin'..."
"Everyone has the same color blood, Kurt, and don't you forget that." Kurt's mother glanced up at her son, then hugged him tightly.
"My poor little boy tries so hard, my wonderful, amazing boy..."
"I'm not poor, Mommy! I ain't little, either! I'm growing up to be a big boy!"
"Yes, you are." Kurt's mother smiled to herself and returned to cleaning Kurt's scrape.
At that moment, the door could be heard opening and closing. Kurt looked up as Kurt's father entered the room.
"Hello there, kiddo! How's my big acrobat doing today?" Kurt's father ruffled Kurt's hair playfully. Kurt laughed.
Kurt's mother looked up. "It seems your big acrobat ran off today. No playing outside for a week."
Kurt's father nodded, then grinned slyly. "And what's this? Mrs. Wagner training to be a nurse?"
"Not quite, Mr. Wagner." Kurt's mother grinned and kissed Kurt's father. Kurt grimaced.
"Eeeew!"
Kurt's parents laughed. "Kurt, sweetheart, no matter what people do to you, never change."
"Okay."
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"Sofia..."
"Nightcrawler, you know this girl?" Cyclops asked.
Kurt came out of his reverie and stared at Sofia's limp body.
"Sofia..."
"I'm guessing her name's Sofia," Spyke said.
Sofia stirred in Cyclops's arms.
"Sofia!"
Nightcrawler took Sofia from Cyclops and hugged her close to his chest.
"Sofia... Wachen Sie bitte auf. Bitte!"
"Nightcrawler?" Shadowcat went to place a hand on Nightcrawler's shoulder...
... and touched only a cloud of sulfur.
"Nightcrawler!"
Cyclops looked around. "Come on guys, he's going back to the Institute."
The X-Men team got into the van and drove away.
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Nightcrawler gently laid Sofia down on his bed. He carefully placed an ice pack behind her head and worried.
"Sofia... please vake up... Please!"
Sofia stirred, but her eyelids remained closed.
"Come on, Sofia, I vant to see zose pretty blue eyes again..."
No response.
Nightcrawler paced back and forth, glancing at Sofia once in a while.
Suddenly a knock sounded. Without waiting for a response, Jean opened the door and slowly walked in halfway.
"Nightcrawler? It's almost time for school," she said quietly.
Nightcrawler looked at Jean hopelessly.
"Call me in sick for today, Jean."
"You know I can't do that..."
Nightcrawler continued to stare at Sofia.
"How do you know her?" Jean continued to talk quietly.
"... Ve grew up together."
Jean entered the room proper with a pity look on her face, and placed a comforting hand on Nightcrawler's shoulder.
"You really need to go to school, Kurt. The Prof, and Logan, and Ororo will be here to watch her."
"Zat's not enough. *I* need to vatch her!"
"Kurt... I'm sure they'd do as much as you could."
"Vhat if she vakes up and I'm not zere? I'm not sure if she speaks any English..."
"You know the Professor. He'd find a way to reach her, and you, when she wakes up. Trust me, everything is under control."
Nightcrawler sighed.
"Fine. I'll go change."
Jean smiled and, with one last look at Sofia, left the room.
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Kurt stood in front of his mirror, staring at himself.
*Freak!*
*Freak!*
*Freak!*
He shook his head and pressed the button on his watch. Automatically his holograph appeared, hiding the freak inside. He looked over at Sofia and walked over to sit near her side.
"Sofia. I need to leave..." he said in German.
No response. Kurt choked back a sob.
He continued to talk in German. "I remember when you and your father moved away, leaving your mother behind... Why'd you leave, Sofia? Wow, you're here. Why? Where is your father?"
Kurt sighed.
"Don't make me do this, Sofia. I've never sung for anybody else, especially not this song."
Silence.
Kurt took a deep breath. He started out shaky, but then gained force, surprised that his young soprano singing voice had changed to a low alto.
"Drüben hinter'm dorfe steht ein Leiermann. Und mit starren Fingern dreht er was err kann. Barfuss auf dem Eise wankt er hin und her. Und sien kleiner Teller bleibt ihm immer leer."
Sofia began to stir, and her eyelids flickered. They remained closed, but she took a deep breath. Slowly her lips moved, singing along in a soft, breathless voice.
"Keiner mag ihn hören, keiner sieht ihn an. Und die Hunde knurren um den alten Mann. Und er lässt es gehen alles wie es will. Dreht, und seine Leier steht ihm nimmer still."
Kurt's voice faded away. He stared at Sofia as she finished the song.
"Wunderlicher Alter, soll ich mit dir geh'n? Willst zu meinen Liedern deine Leier dreh'n?"
"Sofia?"
Sofia's eyes slowly opened. Kurt smiled.
"Sofia! You're awake!"
"Who... How..."
"Huh? Oh, Sofia, it's me, Kurt!"
"I know a thousand Kurts."
"Kurt Wagner."
"At least a hundred of those. And you don't look familiar. None of this does. Where am I?"
"The Xavier Institute. Bayville, New York. America. And... I think you'll recognize me if I do this." Kurt took a deep breath and pressed the button on his watch.
Sofia gasped at sat up with a start, soon regretfully. "Freak!" She winced as she put a hand to her head. "Ohh..."
Kurt glared. "You lie back down, Sofia. Keep that ice on it. And I'm not a freak. I'm a mutant. There is a difference now."
Sofia blinked and did as told. "A... mutant? You have... powers?"
"Yes. I can teleport. Like this."
Kurt BAMFed to the other side of the room, then BAMFed back to Sofia's side.
Sofia's mouth dropped. "All this time... You've could've teleported away..."
Kurt shrugged. "I didn't have it back then."
"Oh. I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, Sofia. Wasn't your fault."
Sofia blinked back the tears. "But it was, Kurt. It was all my fault... I'm sorry I didn't stop, I'm sorry I didn't know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I should've learned, should've been a better person..."
"If only the whole town could've been like you."
"They were, Kurt! They drove you away!"
"But you don't see any of them apologizing, do you?"
Sofia let the tears take control silently. "Kurt... I'm sorry for what I did to you..."
Kurt looked away for a moment.
"What you, and the whole town did, Sofia, will never be erased from my memory... And, if so, never erased from ME. It's part of me, Sofia. Part of my soul. And I've learned a lot of things about people because of it." He looked back at her and smiled. "But now the roles have reversed. I'm taking care of you, now, instead of you taking care of me."
Sofia laughed. "I remember. Oh, the irony..."
"So what happened to your father? I remember, I was thirteen. You left your mother behind. One day you both just up and left..."
Sofia's face turned to stone. "The beatings got worse... My mother beat me, remember? My father caught her. He took me away..."
"... I'm sorry to tell you this... I don't know how you'll react, Sofia, but... she died later on. Deadly virus."
"I know. My father could've probably treated it."
"He probably could've. How do you know?"
"I went back, after Dad died... And you were gone."
"Your father died too?"
"Stupid political riots don't know what they're doin' anymore. Funny, it was about mutants. We were always against them..."
"I'm sorry to hear. I hope you've changed your mind!"
Sofia smiled. "Of course I have. You haven't changed at all... Kurt. Oh, and your parents are wonderful people."
"I know that!"
Sofia smiled. "They took me in, until I decided to come to America."
"It seems to be the craze with them, nowadays."
Sofia laughed softly. "Kurt... you didn't need to rescue me."
"Oh, but I did! I could never leave you or anyone else there, all alone... besides, you need medical attention."
Sofia smiled softly. "This just proves it... You *are* a good person."
"What were you doing in there? The factory?"
"... Hey, what's your nickname now? I bet nobody calls you freak here."
Kurt noticed that she avoided the question, but didn't press the matter. There'd be more time later on for questions like those.
"Not even demon, or alien. Remember that?" Kurt smiled. "And I've missed 'devil spirit' for quite a while now. I've a few new ones, though. I've been called 'squirrel,' as well as 'fuzzy gecko.'"
Sofia gave Kurt a questioning look. Kurt just shrugged.
"My usual ones, though, are Fuzzy, Elf, Fuzzy Elf, Blue Fuzzy Elf, Blue Fuzzy Elf Dude, Blue Boy... and Nightcrawler. That one *I* made up," he said proudly.
"How original."
Kurt shrugged. "It's me. Anyway, now I'm the class clown instead of the class freak. Which reminds me... I need to get to school! One more tardy and it's detention for me... Stay here, alright Sofia? My teachers... Professor Xavier, and Logan and Ororo, they'll watch over you. I promise, I'll come straight home."
"Kurt... let me tell you a few things about yourself. You're kind, you're funny, and you have a very low self esteem. I think that's partly my fault BUT ANYWAY Let me clue you in on a little secret. You are the best, Kurt. The best. You're a much better person than I am." Sofia took a deep breath. "You deserve a lot better."
"I like the way I look! Chicks around here dig the fuzz! It's the other people who don't."
"The other people can suffer through more hell than what I put you through."
"Come on, Sofia. You didn't do much, we were just kids."
Sofia smiled. "Come here, Kurt..."
Kurt, puzzled, knelt next to Sofia so they were eye to eye.
Sofia leaned in closer. "I don't know much, Kurt. But I do know this. You are going to have a great life. I promise you. I hope this makes up for what I did. I hope you can find in your heart a place to forgive me. Even the best people like you could possibly never forgive me, and I understand."
Without giving Kurt a chance to say anything back, Sofia gave him a quick peck on the mouth.
Sofia smiled and closed her eyes blissfully, not noticing Kurt's look of shock. "Kurt... Can you get me a glass of water before you go?"
Kurt grinned. "Uhh, yeah! Sure! Be right back!"
Kurt BAMFed to the kitchen and got some water, carefully avoiding Logan. He wasn't ready to be yelled at again just yet. Kurt 'ported back to his room.
"Hey, Sofia, you're-"
Kurt stopped, his face turned to stone, his opaque eyes never moving. The glass of water fell to floor, spilling it's contents. Broken glass flew everywhere.
All that remained on his bed were crumpled sheets. The open window let a gentle breeze blow through the room, softly ruffling the curtains, and Kurt's blue hair. The sound of the wind echoed through Kurt's ears.
"... gone..."
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"Kurt!"
Kurt groaned and rolled over in his bed. "I vas having a good dream..." he complained.
"Kurt, wake up!"
"Ugh... Scott, vhat is it?"
"We gotta move, there's something at the factory nearby that the Prof wants us to check out."
"...Vhat time is it?"
"4:53 am. And 26 seconds. 27. 28. 29."
"So early?"
Scott shrugged. "He says it's important. And you know the Professor- never question his word. Come on, we gotta hit the road now!"
"Five more minutes..."
Scott dragged Kurt off the bed. Kurt let out a little yelp and rubbed his head.
"Fine, fine. Give me a few secs."
"You mean it?"
"Ja, ja."
Scott glared through his visor and left the room, leaving the door open. Kurt looked around, made sure no one was watching him, and collapsed back into bed.
"Hey, I saw that, Elf!"
Kurt groaned.
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"Alright, we're, like, here, what do we do now?" Shadowcat tapped her foot impatiently.
"We go about just like we practiced," Cyclops said. "Shadowcat, you take the west wing. Spyke, the south. Rogue, you take the west, and Nightcrawler, the north."
"Yes, sir!" Nightcrawler saluted. Cyclops rolled his eyes.
"Just do it."
"SOMEBODY'S been watching waaaaay too many Nike commercials." Shadowcat rolled her eyes.
"Just go! The rest of us will see what the problem is," Cyclops said.
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"Nighty night!" Nightcrawler said as the gaurd hit the floor with a thud. "Zis is Nightcrawler... north end secure," he said into his radio. "Vow, zat vas easy... I'll go check up on Shadowcat."
BAMF!
"Ooooh! Nightcrawler! I, like, totally almost had him! I should, like, use this on YOU!" Shadowcat waved the sleeping gas in front of Kurt's face.
Nightcrawler laughed nervously. "Sorry."
The gaurd looked from Nightcrawler to Shadowcat and then back to Nightcrawler. He backed away nervously and reached for his radio-
"Not so fast, buddy!"
Shadowcat sprayed the gas in the gaurd's face. He hit the floor, unconcious.
"This is Shadowcat. West side secure. And, like, totally no thanks to Nightcrawler..." Shadowcat glared.
Kurt laughed nervously. "Sorry!"
"Alright, this is the Rogue. I'm done here."
"007 reporting in!"
"Spyke!"
"Err, sorry Cyke. Spyke reporting in, blah blah. All taken care of in the south side."
"Alright. There seems to be no problem here anyway. Meet at west point, since so many people seem to be there already," came Cyclops's voice over the radio.
Nightcrawler looked helplessly at Shadowcat, who glared.
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Nightcrawler looked up from the ground as Cyclops approached, with the group in tow, and a limp figure in his arms.
"Hey. vhat's zat?"
"All we found in there was this girl, unconcious on the floor. Nothing was taken, nothing disturbed. No alarms had been tripped, nothing. Really weird."
"And ze girl? Is she alright?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine. She just suffered a brutal blow to the head. We'll drop her off at the hospital, just to make sure."
"Is she..." Shadowcat asked.
"A mutant? No."
"Is she someone we know?"
"No, not that I know of. At least, I haven't seen her around anywhere."
"Really? Let me see."
Cyclops shifted so that the girl's face showed in the dim light.
Long black hair framed a pretty face. Small nose, blood red lips. And Kurt knew, underneath the closed eyelids, were ocean blue eyes, flecked with green.
Kurt gasped and backed away, remembering that fateful day.
"Sofia..."
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(AN: Just assume that all the dialogue is in German. I can only translate so much, just like you!)
"Mommy?" Kurt glanced up at his mother with wide golden eyes. "Do I hafta go to practice today?"
"Yes, Kurt. You know that," his mother said. She cleared away the kitchen table, as Kurt just sat in his chair.
"But I don't wanna!"
"Kurt, you have a responsibility in this circus, just like I do, as well as your father. You need to practice!"
"But you and Daddy aren't practicing today!"
"Kurt, we have to run some special errands today. We told you this all week!"
Kurt looked down. "I'm sorry. I don't wanna practice alone!"
Kurt's mother smiled as she handed him a lunch box. "It'll be alright, sweetheart. Here, I packed your lunch for you. I gave you a little present... Don't open it until you've finished your sandwich!"
Kurt grinned. "Okay!"
"Now, go! I don't want you to be late! You know how we treat timing around here."
"Okay. I love you!"
"How much?"
"Bigger than the sky!" Kurt threw open his arms to show how much. His mother laughed and gave him a hug.
"And how much do I love you?"
"Bigger than the sky!" Kurt laughed.
"Have a good time, sweetheart," Kurt's mother smiled.
"Okay. I'll try. I'll be lonely, but I'll just think of you and Daddy."
"Aww, that's sweet, Kurt. Be careful walking across the field! Already the summer rains have begun to strike." Kurt's mother glanced out the window at the dark clouds obscuring the golden sun.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'll be careful, Mommy, I promise. Bye!"
Kurt walked out the door with his lunchbox in hand. He started to skip along his way to the practice area.
The other circus performers were already out doing their chores, and paid no attention to their "freak." Kurt dodged out of the way of someone struggling with a giant pole.
"Hey, watch out Kurt! Careful!"
Kurt hoppped over the pole with ease.
"Kurt! Get outta here, you're gettin' in trouble already!"
Kurt gracefully slipped in the mud and fell flat on his bottom. The circus members laughed.
"Go on, get outta here. Get on... Go!"
One person made a shooing motion with his hands. Kurt pouted and ran off, leaving the laughter behind him.
He didn't care where he ran. He didn't even want to practice today. Wasn't in the mood. Maybe he could play hookie for one day, just this once... even though, at the age of nine, he didn't know what the term "hookie" meant.
Sooner than later Kurt entered the town. Immediately the people in the streets reacted. Some froze, some huddled together in fear, and some stared.
The usual.
Kurt looked around, and at once his skip reduced to a small shuffle, his eyes focused on the ground.
"Hey, it's the freak!"
"Hey, freak!"
Kurt winced. He hated it when the kids did that. He wasn't a freak... at least, according to his parents.
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
The boys began running around him, chanting. Kurt looked up to see one girl, Sofia, who was the lion trainer's niece. Sofia and her little gang all had their backpacks on, ready to go to school. Kurt wished to go to school as much as he wanted to make friends... but his mother taught him at home. He never had any reason to leave the circus.
"Uhh... He-Hey, Sofia," he said shyly.
Sofia blinked her blue eyes and tossed her head, her long straight black pigtails swishing as she did so.
"Wow! The freak can talk!" she exclaimed. "Does he know how to say 'freak?'"
"Gee, I dunno, let's find out!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Stop it!" Kurt cried out. "Stop it, I'm not a freak!"
Sofia laughed. "Oh yeah? Then why do you have freaky blue fur?"
"And freaky eyes?"
"And a freaky tail?"
"And freaky elf ears?"
"And freaky hands and feet?"
"And freaky-"
"I don't know!" Kurt wailed. "Leave me alone!"
All at once the clouds opened up, and a heavy drizzle of rain fell upon the earth. The little critters paid the bad weather no heed.
"Hey, let's see what the freak has to eat!"
"Gotta be freaky stuff, like worms!"
"Bug eyes!"
"Cat brains!"
Sofia grabbed for Kurt's lunch box, but he hugged it close to his chest.
"Leave me alone!"
Kurt took off straight ahead for the woods bordering the small town, not noticing the downpour of rain beginning to fall from the dark clouds above.
"Come on, let's get him!"
"Demon!"
"Freak!"
Sofia and her little gang ran after poor Kurt.
"Look, he runs like a animal!"
"Like a demon!"
"Devil spirit!" Sofia called out to Kurt.
Kurt dodged left and right, in zigzags and in criss crosses, trying to lose the bullies. Soon the boys got winded, and stopped to pant for breath.
"Babies!" Sofia called behind her and then focused on hunting down the freakish demon running for his life.
Suddenly, Kurt saw ahead of him a giant ravine. He tried to change his course, but slipped on some wet leaves, and fell over the brink.
"Woah... Woah... Waaaaah!" Sofia quickly fell behind him. She screamed as she landed on something furry.
"Ack.. get off me!" Kurt pushed Sofia off to the side of a small part of the cliff that jutted out. There was a small overhang, leaving enough room for two to avoid the rain.
Kurt looked up and glanced back at Sofia, who was hugging her knees with an unreadable expression on her face.
"If you promise not to bully me anymore, I'll get us outta here."
"No deal, freak," Sofia said coldly. "I can't trust demons."
"But I'm not a freak!" Kurt said emotionally. "I'm just a kid like you!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yeah huh!"
"Nuh uh times two!"
"Yeah huh times three!"
"Nuh uh times ten!"
"Yeah huh times a hundred!"
"Nuh uh times a... a thousand!"
"Yeah huh times... uhh, I dunno."
Sofia shrugged. "Neither do I."
After a while of nothing, Kurt shrugged and began to climb the cliff. "Okay, *you* can sit here in the rain. By yourself. Hope ya don't catch the flu."
Sofia watched silently, as Kurt reached out with his three fingered hand.
"Aaah... Hey!" Kurt lost his grip. He reached out with his tail, but of course that couldn't help much. He fell back to the landing with a smack.
"Ohhh... Ow! Ow, my arm!" Kurt began to cry as he cradled his forearm. "Ohh, I shoulda landed right, I never get those landings right, Daddy woulda caught me and taught me how ta do it right... Owwww!"
Sofia crawled over to Kurt cautiously on her hands and knees and knelt next to him.
"Here, let me look, you big baby. My daddy's the doctor, I know what to do."
Kurt sniffed and let go of his arm with a wince. Sofia gasped as Kurt's blood dripped to the ground amongst the rain.
"You have red blood!"
"Yeah, what'd you think it was? Green?"
"No. Blue."
"Oh. Well, well it isn't. I'm not a alium, I'm not a freak, I'm not a demon. I'm just a little kid, and I wanna go home!" Kurt wailed.
Sofia sighed. "Whatever. Hey, I can clean that up for you."
"Yeah? How?"
"First of all, let's get outta the rain. I don't wanna get a cold," Sofia said. She and Kurt scooted over to underneath the overhang. It was a tight fit, but they had to manage.
"Ya got a napkin or somethin' like that?"
Kurt opened his lunchbox and got out his napkin, leaving the box half open. He handed it to Sofia.
Sofia solemnly pressed the napkin to Kurt's scrape. He winced, but didn't yell.
Sofia glanced up. "Sheesh, you're good. If I were you, I'd be screaming."
"If you were me, you wouldn't be in this mess, would ya?"
"I dunno," Sofia shrugged. "Do ya gots any tape or somethin' like that?"
"No."
"Anything?"
"Why don't you check your backpack?"
Sofia shrugged. "Here, you hold this on there."
Sofia rummagged through her backpack, throwing various objects to the ground, while Kurt held the napkin in place on his arm. Then Sofia let out a yell and held up an object.
"I got glue!"
"That won't work!"
"Uhh... I got reinforcements!"
"You're a geek. They'll do."
Sofia glared at Kurt, then searched through her backpack to find the small white sticky circles. What were usually used to fix broken paper holes were now used as an adhesive. Sofia put as many as she could to connect the napkin to Kurt's furry skin.
"I don't got anythin' to clean it with, so you can just ask your mommy to clean it up and put a regular bandaid on it when you get home." She looked at his eyes. "You do got a home, right? A mommy too?"
"Yeah! I live at the circus, remember? You've seen me when you visit your uncle. And my mommy's a regular mommy, not a freak mommy. Well, my usual mommy. I dunno about my real mommy," Kurt shrugged.
"Oh. And, it might hurt when ya take 'em off, but that's okay."
"Just as long as no fur comes off. It'd look kinda weird."
"But you already look weird!" Sofia laughed. "Hey... you're kinda cool. I like your hair. Just don't call me geek."
"Okay. Really?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Does this mean we're friends?"
"No."
"Oh," Kurt said sadly, and focused his gaze on the ground. "I don't got many friends... Just my mommy and daddy."
Sofia didn't reply.
Kurt looked around. "Maybe when it stops raining, I could try again."
Sofia suddenly began to cry. "I wanna get outta here!"
Kurt looked over at Sofia and petted her shoulder softly. "It's okay, Sofia, we're gonna go home. Ya know, school HAD to start already, and they'd notice you missing."
Sofia continued to bawl, ignoring our cute little elf here, which could be pratically impossible, but maybe not to a nine year old.
Kurt shifted nervously and hugged Sofia closer. "And then they'd call your daddy, and then my mommy, and then they'd come look for us and then we'd be found-"
"How do *you* know?"
Kurt shrugged. "I just do. And then they'd come and rescue us and then we'd go home and have somethin' to eat and then we'd get dry and then we'd-"
"Get into trouble by our mommies," Sofia said softly.
Kurt shrugged. "Not really. My mommy would be happy that I'm home. Even though I didn't go to practice..."
Sofia shook her head. "No, my mommy would get out her paddle."
"And do what?"
"Hit me with it."
"Why would she do that?"
"It's my punishment."
"Oh. Does it hurt?"
Sofia nodded rapidly. "Yeah, alot."
"Where does she hit ya?"
Sofia slowly flipped back her hair and lifted the back of her shirt so Kurt could see the red welts.
"Wow. Do they still hurt?"
Sofia lowered her shirt. "Not really. But I better not get into trouble." Sofia then glared at Kurt. "You better not tell anybody! Or I'll... I'll lock you up in jail! And then, I'll- I'll... I'll claw out your eyeballs! Got it, freak?"
Kurt nodded. "I promise, I won't tell anybody."
"Thanks."
Kurt shrugged. "No problem."
Sofia sniffed "I still wanna get outta here. I don't like dark clouds."
Kurt looked at her and hugged her closer. "It's okay, Sofia, I'll protect you." He then began to sing a familiar song to both of them, trying to comfort the scared little girl. "On the corner stands a hurdy-gurdy man. With his stiffened fingers he grinds as best he can. Barefoot on the ice he stumbles to and fro. Empty is cup, and always will be so..."
Sofia looked at Kurt strangely, but sang along anyway. "No one has stopped to hear him, since he first began. And the dogs are growling at the ancient man. But he lets it all go on as go it will. He keeps the handle turning, it is never still..."
Then Kurt and Sofia's voices were joined together in soft song. "Wonderful old man, shall I go with you? Will you have your organ play my songs too..."
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"Kurt?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm hungry."
"Then eat your lunch."
"I buy lunch."
"Oh." Kurt opened up his lunchbox all the way and handed Sofia half a sandwich. "I'll have the other half."
Sofia took it cautiously and opened it up. "Ham and cheese? I love this stuff!"
"Really? Me too!"
Sofia half-smiled at Kurt. "Wow, you do?"
"Yeah! My mommy makes it for me all the time!" Kurt grinned and searched through his lunchbox. He took out a small square of aluminum foil. Confused, he opened it. His face lit up as he held a piece of fudge, with a smiley face on it written in frosting, in his hand. A note fluttered to the floor. Kurt picked it up and read it out loud slowly and carefully.
"'Dear Kurt, I hope you are having a good day. I love you! Love, Mommy.' Hey... That's what Mommy was talking about!"
Sofia's eyes widened and she edged a little closer when she saw the fudge.
"Can I have a little?" she asked in a small voice.
Kurt looked at Sofia kindly. "Of course! My mommy makes the best fudge in the whole world!" He broke off half and handed it to Sofia. She grinned and looked at Kurt, shocked.
"Thanks a lot, Kurt!"
"No problem, Sofia."
The rain continued to pour down as the two children ate their lunches together. They were so consumed with their food that they didn't notice the pitter patter of rain slowly fade.
Once done, Kurt looked out and at last realized that the rain had stopped.
"Hey, look! The rain's gone!"
Sofia looked up and grinned. "Ready to try again?"
"Only if you come with me!"
Sofia climbed onto Kurt's back as she held her backpack and Kurt's lunchbox in her hands.
"Going up?"
Sofia glanced nervously down at the steep incline and the sharp rocks at the bottom. "I hope so!"
Kurt slowly climbed the few feet to the top, cautiously pulling himself up inch by inch. At last Kurt pulled himself and rolled onto the edge. He helped Sofia up and grinned.
"Woo hoo!"
"We did it!"
Sofia and Kurt jumped for joy. Almost as quickly Sofia stopped and poshly dusted her skirt.
"Umm... Anyway, we'd better get back to school."
"School? I'm going home!"
"Home?"
"You can come with me, if you want. My mommy won't mind- she'll give us more fudge!"
Sofia looked skeptical. "Nah, that's okay. I'll just..."
Kurt looked in the direction of the village. "Oh. I get it. I think."
"Bye, Kurt."
Sofia ran off, leaving Kurt with his lunchbox, all alone. He looked around and slowly walked home.
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"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Hey, Freak! Where were you today?"
"Were you sick?"
"Nah, silly, freaks don't get sick!"
Kurt stared at Sofia, not sure what to do. Minutes ago she was talking to him like a human, calling him Kurt... Now she was back with her friends, taunting him as always. He was once again a "freak."
"Sofia..."
"Why don't you go back to where you came from, freak?"
"Yeah, we don't want you here!"
"Freak!"
"Freak!"
"Demon!"
"Devil spirit!" Sofia shouted.
Tears welled up in Kurt's eyes as he ran all the way home, leaving the laughing bullies behind.
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"Mommy?"
Kurt's mother looked up from cleaning Kurt's scrape. "Yes, Kurt?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"You didn't listen to me, Kurt. You will be punished. But I'm not mad at you."
"What's my punishment?" Kurt asked, the fright apparent in his voice. "Are you gonna hit me with a paddle?"
Kurt's mother looked up, shocked. "Of course not! What makes you think that?"
"Sofia's mom-" Kurt suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth. All the bandages came loose. Kurt's mother made a face as she took hold of his arm and sighed as she tried again.
"Fine, I won't bother to force it from you, you stubborn mule. Punishment is no playing outside for a week."
Kurt pouted. "Okay... Mommy? Why is Sofia all mean again?"
"That's just the way she is. She isn't brave enough to try and be your friend with her other friends there. People are sometimes mean to things... or other people they don't understand."
"Why?"
"I don't know, Kurt." Kurt's mother sighed.
"Mommy? I don't understand. Does that mean I have to be mean and bad?"
"Of course not, Kurt! You be who you are, it doesn't matter what people think. It's alright to not understand, Kurt. You will when you're older."
Kurt pouted. "I mean, why can't she be my friend? We have the same color blood and everythin'..."
"Everyone has the same color blood, Kurt, and don't you forget that." Kurt's mother glanced up at her son, then hugged him tightly.
"My poor little boy tries so hard, my wonderful, amazing boy..."
"I'm not poor, Mommy! I ain't little, either! I'm growing up to be a big boy!"
"Yes, you are." Kurt's mother smiled to herself and returned to cleaning Kurt's scrape.
At that moment, the door could be heard opening and closing. Kurt looked up as Kurt's father entered the room.
"Hello there, kiddo! How's my big acrobat doing today?" Kurt's father ruffled Kurt's hair playfully. Kurt laughed.
Kurt's mother looked up. "It seems your big acrobat ran off today. No playing outside for a week."
Kurt's father nodded, then grinned slyly. "And what's this? Mrs. Wagner training to be a nurse?"
"Not quite, Mr. Wagner." Kurt's mother grinned and kissed Kurt's father. Kurt grimaced.
"Eeeew!"
Kurt's parents laughed. "Kurt, sweetheart, no matter what people do to you, never change."
"Okay."
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"Sofia..."
"Nightcrawler, you know this girl?" Cyclops asked.
Kurt came out of his reverie and stared at Sofia's limp body.
"Sofia..."
"I'm guessing her name's Sofia," Spyke said.
Sofia stirred in Cyclops's arms.
"Sofia!"
Nightcrawler took Sofia from Cyclops and hugged her close to his chest.
"Sofia... Wachen Sie bitte auf. Bitte!"
"Nightcrawler?" Shadowcat went to place a hand on Nightcrawler's shoulder...
... and touched only a cloud of sulfur.
"Nightcrawler!"
Cyclops looked around. "Come on guys, he's going back to the Institute."
The X-Men team got into the van and drove away.
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Nightcrawler gently laid Sofia down on his bed. He carefully placed an ice pack behind her head and worried.
"Sofia... please vake up... Please!"
Sofia stirred, but her eyelids remained closed.
"Come on, Sofia, I vant to see zose pretty blue eyes again..."
No response.
Nightcrawler paced back and forth, glancing at Sofia once in a while.
Suddenly a knock sounded. Without waiting for a response, Jean opened the door and slowly walked in halfway.
"Nightcrawler? It's almost time for school," she said quietly.
Nightcrawler looked at Jean hopelessly.
"Call me in sick for today, Jean."
"You know I can't do that..."
Nightcrawler continued to stare at Sofia.
"How do you know her?" Jean continued to talk quietly.
"... Ve grew up together."
Jean entered the room proper with a pity look on her face, and placed a comforting hand on Nightcrawler's shoulder.
"You really need to go to school, Kurt. The Prof, and Logan, and Ororo will be here to watch her."
"Zat's not enough. *I* need to vatch her!"
"Kurt... I'm sure they'd do as much as you could."
"Vhat if she vakes up and I'm not zere? I'm not sure if she speaks any English..."
"You know the Professor. He'd find a way to reach her, and you, when she wakes up. Trust me, everything is under control."
Nightcrawler sighed.
"Fine. I'll go change."
Jean smiled and, with one last look at Sofia, left the room.
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Kurt stood in front of his mirror, staring at himself.
*Freak!*
*Freak!*
*Freak!*
He shook his head and pressed the button on his watch. Automatically his holograph appeared, hiding the freak inside. He looked over at Sofia and walked over to sit near her side.
"Sofia. I need to leave..." he said in German.
No response. Kurt choked back a sob.
He continued to talk in German. "I remember when you and your father moved away, leaving your mother behind... Why'd you leave, Sofia? Wow, you're here. Why? Where is your father?"
Kurt sighed.
"Don't make me do this, Sofia. I've never sung for anybody else, especially not this song."
Silence.
Kurt took a deep breath. He started out shaky, but then gained force, surprised that his young soprano singing voice had changed to a low alto.
"Drüben hinter'm dorfe steht ein Leiermann. Und mit starren Fingern dreht er was err kann. Barfuss auf dem Eise wankt er hin und her. Und sien kleiner Teller bleibt ihm immer leer."
Sofia began to stir, and her eyelids flickered. They remained closed, but she took a deep breath. Slowly her lips moved, singing along in a soft, breathless voice.
"Keiner mag ihn hören, keiner sieht ihn an. Und die Hunde knurren um den alten Mann. Und er lässt es gehen alles wie es will. Dreht, und seine Leier steht ihm nimmer still."
Kurt's voice faded away. He stared at Sofia as she finished the song.
"Wunderlicher Alter, soll ich mit dir geh'n? Willst zu meinen Liedern deine Leier dreh'n?"
"Sofia?"
Sofia's eyes slowly opened. Kurt smiled.
"Sofia! You're awake!"
"Who... How..."
"Huh? Oh, Sofia, it's me, Kurt!"
"I know a thousand Kurts."
"Kurt Wagner."
"At least a hundred of those. And you don't look familiar. None of this does. Where am I?"
"The Xavier Institute. Bayville, New York. America. And... I think you'll recognize me if I do this." Kurt took a deep breath and pressed the button on his watch.
Sofia gasped at sat up with a start, soon regretfully. "Freak!" She winced as she put a hand to her head. "Ohh..."
Kurt glared. "You lie back down, Sofia. Keep that ice on it. And I'm not a freak. I'm a mutant. There is a difference now."
Sofia blinked and did as told. "A... mutant? You have... powers?"
"Yes. I can teleport. Like this."
Kurt BAMFed to the other side of the room, then BAMFed back to Sofia's side.
Sofia's mouth dropped. "All this time... You've could've teleported away..."
Kurt shrugged. "I didn't have it back then."
"Oh. I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, Sofia. Wasn't your fault."
Sofia blinked back the tears. "But it was, Kurt. It was all my fault... I'm sorry I didn't stop, I'm sorry I didn't know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I should've learned, should've been a better person..."
"If only the whole town could've been like you."
"They were, Kurt! They drove you away!"
"But you don't see any of them apologizing, do you?"
Sofia let the tears take control silently. "Kurt... I'm sorry for what I did to you..."
Kurt looked away for a moment.
"What you, and the whole town did, Sofia, will never be erased from my memory... And, if so, never erased from ME. It's part of me, Sofia. Part of my soul. And I've learned a lot of things about people because of it." He looked back at her and smiled. "But now the roles have reversed. I'm taking care of you, now, instead of you taking care of me."
Sofia laughed. "I remember. Oh, the irony..."
"So what happened to your father? I remember, I was thirteen. You left your mother behind. One day you both just up and left..."
Sofia's face turned to stone. "The beatings got worse... My mother beat me, remember? My father caught her. He took me away..."
"... I'm sorry to tell you this... I don't know how you'll react, Sofia, but... she died later on. Deadly virus."
"I know. My father could've probably treated it."
"He probably could've. How do you know?"
"I went back, after Dad died... And you were gone."
"Your father died too?"
"Stupid political riots don't know what they're doin' anymore. Funny, it was about mutants. We were always against them..."
"I'm sorry to hear. I hope you've changed your mind!"
Sofia smiled. "Of course I have. You haven't changed at all... Kurt. Oh, and your parents are wonderful people."
"I know that!"
Sofia smiled. "They took me in, until I decided to come to America."
"It seems to be the craze with them, nowadays."
Sofia laughed softly. "Kurt... you didn't need to rescue me."
"Oh, but I did! I could never leave you or anyone else there, all alone... besides, you need medical attention."
Sofia smiled softly. "This just proves it... You *are* a good person."
"What were you doing in there? The factory?"
"... Hey, what's your nickname now? I bet nobody calls you freak here."
Kurt noticed that she avoided the question, but didn't press the matter. There'd be more time later on for questions like those.
"Not even demon, or alien. Remember that?" Kurt smiled. "And I've missed 'devil spirit' for quite a while now. I've a few new ones, though. I've been called 'squirrel,' as well as 'fuzzy gecko.'"
Sofia gave Kurt a questioning look. Kurt just shrugged.
"My usual ones, though, are Fuzzy, Elf, Fuzzy Elf, Blue Fuzzy Elf, Blue Fuzzy Elf Dude, Blue Boy... and Nightcrawler. That one *I* made up," he said proudly.
"How original."
Kurt shrugged. "It's me. Anyway, now I'm the class clown instead of the class freak. Which reminds me... I need to get to school! One more tardy and it's detention for me... Stay here, alright Sofia? My teachers... Professor Xavier, and Logan and Ororo, they'll watch over you. I promise, I'll come straight home."
"Kurt... let me tell you a few things about yourself. You're kind, you're funny, and you have a very low self esteem. I think that's partly my fault BUT ANYWAY Let me clue you in on a little secret. You are the best, Kurt. The best. You're a much better person than I am." Sofia took a deep breath. "You deserve a lot better."
"I like the way I look! Chicks around here dig the fuzz! It's the other people who don't."
"The other people can suffer through more hell than what I put you through."
"Come on, Sofia. You didn't do much, we were just kids."
Sofia smiled. "Come here, Kurt..."
Kurt, puzzled, knelt next to Sofia so they were eye to eye.
Sofia leaned in closer. "I don't know much, Kurt. But I do know this. You are going to have a great life. I promise you. I hope this makes up for what I did. I hope you can find in your heart a place to forgive me. Even the best people like you could possibly never forgive me, and I understand."
Without giving Kurt a chance to say anything back, Sofia gave him a quick peck on the mouth.
Sofia smiled and closed her eyes blissfully, not noticing Kurt's look of shock. "Kurt... Can you get me a glass of water before you go?"
Kurt grinned. "Uhh, yeah! Sure! Be right back!"
Kurt BAMFed to the kitchen and got some water, carefully avoiding Logan. He wasn't ready to be yelled at again just yet. Kurt 'ported back to his room.
"Hey, Sofia, you're-"
Kurt stopped, his face turned to stone, his opaque eyes never moving. The glass of water fell to floor, spilling it's contents. Broken glass flew everywhere.
All that remained on his bed were crumpled sheets. The open window let a gentle breeze blow through the room, softly ruffling the curtains, and Kurt's blue hair. The sound of the wind echoed through Kurt's ears.
"... gone..."