Disclaimer: Think about it. If I owned XME, this would be an episode and not fan fiction. Heck, the only original character in this whole fic is Cassie!

A/N: Um. Sorry about the length, I just liked the ending point. This is the shortest chapter, I promise (perhaps excluding the epilogue, mine tend to be short . . .) the next (and longer) chapter ought to be up Friday or Saturday. I simply needed to introduce the main antagonist. So, a thousand apologies about the length, and just one more tiny thing before we get started!

Plea: I really don't like the title. I have it saved on my compu as 'Liebchen', which means 'sweetheart' in German (and is what comicKurt calls almost every female-he IS a flirt). So if anyone has any ideas for a better title, HELP!!!

Advertising: These people have all contributed to this fic, whether they know it or not, so check their stuff out! Silverangel (plot - and she has new stuff up!), Nightshade (for being a fellow elfaholic), Neva (for doing when I won't), Rachel Hunt (who reads my stuff even if she doesn't get it) and Riddleguilmon, whose fan fiction is unique and trendless (he has two really cool evo fics, too!). Honorable mention to Internutter, for all her 'crisis of infinite Kurts' fics, which are funnier than anything without being trite.

Oh, yeah. I wrote a chapter. Have at thee, then!

Chapter III

Evan would have been laughing hysterically if it had been one of the New Mutants. Or Scott. Or Forge . . . But then, what was the likelihood that that guy would pull himself out of his science long enough to notice the other sex existed? But Kurt was sitting next to him, and even his hologram was white. Evan sighed. "Kurt, wouldja cut it? Your tail keeps lashing out of your hologram."

"Oh. Erm. Ja," Kurt's tail vanished as he curled it around his leg.

*

Amanda's friend Candy snuck up behind her. "Hey, girl."

"Yipe!! Candy!"

"On edge this morning, Amanda?" Candy grinned.

"Hey, bigshot Junior, just because you've got a super-rich boyfriend you only see on the weekends doesn't mean you can tease me 'cause I'm a little nervous."

"You said you had a great time," Candy pointed out.

"Yeah, but staying out till four in the morning probably earned Kurt more lectures than he needs."

"You didn't get anything from-"

"Candy, Cassie's only five years older than us. She wasn't expecting anything else. Besides, Cassie actually dug her boyfriend Steve out of that art studio of his. They saw Les Mis on Broadway, and he liked it!"

"Hmm. And you two saw . . ?"

"Candy."

"Fine! I'll go away!"

"Nonono come BACK here!" Amanda grabbed her friends arm and dragged her toward her. "I mean, I . . ."

"She's gone, isn't she, Candy? Fallen for this dude," came a laugh from behind them. Another of Amanda's friends, Lee, smiled. The girl was dazzlingly blond, hair down to her hip. Aleytis Forrester could have any boy she wanted in ten seconds flat, yet she chose a rather rugged lifestyle. She, Candy and Amanda had quite different backgrounds.

"So what if I have?" Amanda asked.

Lee sighed. "Well, you've been sighing over him for weeks. We were hoping this dance would uncover some dirt or something, and we could go back to normal."

"Dirt? On Kurt? Not likely," Amanda scoffed. Well, with the one tiny little exception . . .

"You know, that rhymes," Candy pointed out. Amanda, however, wasn't paying any attention. Scotts car had pulled up.

*

"Dude, if you go any whiter people are going to think you swallowed laudanum or something."

"I had no idea you even knew that word, Evan," Jean pointed out from the front. She was actually riding with Scott this morning. More convenient than having Duncan drive over and pick her up. Especially if he caught a glimpse of the New Mutants. Jamie was likely to be a dozen or so, and Jean was simply glad she didn't have to stay home with Bobby all day. How the New Mutants put up with him, she had no clue. "Although he is right, Kurt. And at this rate, you won't be able to speak, either."

"Jean!" Kurt protested. "Please don't look in on my head unless it's asked, fraulein."

"I couldn't help it, Kurt. You're projecting."

"Verdamnt," he muttered.

"And you're switching back to German," Rogue added.

"You're all helping sooooo much. I don't know how to thank you," Kurt growled.

"Well, it would help if y'all got out," Rogue pointed out. "Ahnother school day. Fun." Rogue sighed. At least she'd gotten help on her German from Kurt -- it was a blessing to have a native speaker in the mansion. Not that she could pronounce half of it. Her Southern twang was no blessing in foreign languages.

Kurt took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked toward the school. Jean was right behind him. It was true, he'd been projecting -- projecting wild, circular thoughts that swam and blended and vanished only to appear again. And this girl, this human who knew about him, was at the center of it all. I still don't like it . . .

*

"Kurt?" Amanda called, hoping her voice was steady. "Kurt!"

The normal-looking boy glanced up as she called him name and smiled. Most of the nerves that had been wearing them both thin vanished. He walked to her, and Amanda found herself wishing he could teleport right about now . . .

Just as he reached her the warning bell rang, and they both winced. "Escort you to your locker, my Lady?" he inquired, a gleam of mischief in his eyes that shone through the hologram. He offered her his elbow. Laughing, Amanda accepted it.

"Charmer."

"No one ever claimed I wasn't!"

Both were to enthralled in each other to notice two sets of eyes following them as they made their way to Amanda's locker.