Thank you, for all of your reviews. As it stands, the count is two for the
car ride, and one for the actual visit. So, I decided to integrate them.
I hope you like it, and I hope it didn't take too long to update.
Disclaimer: Guess what? I own zilch. Nada. Absolutely nothing.
~thought~
emphasis
SUNDAY:
"You are sure he vill come?"
"Sure, Kurt."
"Vhen did he say he vill come?"
"'Bout eleven. He said that he and his parents would pick us up after they go to church." Rogue checked her watch. "Anyway, it's only ten forty- five."
Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his Sunday clothes. "Sorry Rogue. I'm just not used to going to ze early service at my church. It feels like much later."
"Well, it's not." Rogue tucked a stray lock of white hair behind her ear. "Ya sure ya want ta go?"
Kurt stopped fidgeting to look at his friend directly. Even though the image inducer was supposed to mask his appearance completely, Rogue could have sworn that she saw the glint of his yellow eyes. "In all seriousness, no. I don't vant to go. I have to." He peered intently at Rogue. She bit her lip and continued to play with the same lock of hair. "You're ze one who invited me. Are you having second thoughts, Rogue?"
Rogue's glance darted around in order not to meet Kurt's eyes. "Well."
A loud honk interrupted her mid-sentence. Both teens looked in the direction of the sound. Truman waved from the backseat of a station wagon as it pulled up in front of the gate. Kurt grinned self-consciously and gave a sort of half-wave back. "Who is this, again?" he asked Rogue through gritted teeth.
Rogue glared at him. Was Kurt just fooling around, or did he honestly forget names so quickly? She held up the little pen-communicator thing to her mouth and said, "Professah? Truman's family is outside tha gate. We're leavin' now." She turned to Kurt. "Ya mind? Ah think they already know that ya're a mutant."
Kurt put his hand to his forehead in exasperation. "Oh, ja! Just teleport in front of their faces! I have manners, you know! Have ze provessor open ze gate."
**
Truman sat contentedly in the backseat of his family's station wagon, watching the little argument between Rogue and Kurt. He opened his book, figuring that he'd be there a while.
"Honey," Truman's mom asked him, "are they going to come out here anytime this week?"
He turned the page of his book. "Yeah, mom. Just a few more minutes, okay? Then I'll go to the gate and yell."
**
"For just the two of us? C'mon, Kurt," she coaxed. "Please?" Finally, tired of the stalling, she said, "Fahne! Ah'll do it!" She started to take off her glove. Kurt saw this and quickly grabbed her shoulder, teleporting them behind the station wagon.
"Happy?!" Kurt demanded. He then realized that three people in the station wagon had very much seen the teleportation. "Oh, scheiss."
Truman hopped out of the car. Judging from the look on his face, he had gotten over his surprise. "Rogue! Great to see you could make it! And, Kurt, is it?" He held his hand out to Kurt, ready to shake hands. "Nice to meetcha."
Kurt slowly reached for Truman's hand. Rogue began to panic a bit. Despite all her brave talk, she still didn't know how Truman might respond to Kurt's- ahem, condition. She balanced on her toes, ready to run interference. Just as the two boys were about to shake hands, Kurt broke off the handshake by reaching up to smooth his hair.
Truman was left with his hand in mid-air, still trying to figure out what had happened.
Kurt saw this, and quickly made amends. "Sorry. I don't know when to stop joking. Hit me vhen I annoy you, everyone else does." He rested his hand on Truman's shoulder, long enough to convey no hard feelings, but short enough that he didn't feel three fingers.
Rogue didn't know she had been holding her breath until Truman said, "Nah, that's okay. I'll have to try that type of handshake sometime soon." He opened the car door. "You guys can get in. I'll sit in the jumper seat."
Rogue released her breath and stepped into the car, sliding over so that Kurt could seat himself. She twisted around when the hatch was opened and Truman clambered in, seating himself in a backwards-facing seat. He leaned back so that his head was in between the other two. They both moved their heads a bit away, afraid of touching him on accident. "Um, Kurt? You know where we're going, right?"
"Ja. A residence for disabled children." ~I hope that's right.~
Truman shrugged. "Among others. It's kind of a permanent hospital. Millie and the other kids in the unit live in a homey ICU, I guess."
"Ya guess?" Rogue asked. ~Gee, this is reassuring.~
Truman's dad looked back at the mutants from the passenger seat. "Millie was born when he was three. He's grown up with the kids, and we visit at least every other day. Truman's pretty much got the concept."
Kurt turned towards Rogue, and she would have given anything for Jean's power, just to know what he felt about this somewhat sketchy description. Kurt must have been able to understand her look, and shrugged, grinning sheepishly.
"So," Truman's mom suggested, "Should we turn on the radio?" When all three kids nodded, she turned the dial to an oldies station, and "Yesterday" began halfway through. Rogue's lip curled slightly in disgust, but she didn't think the rest of the car would appreciate the grating music she preferred.
"Iiiee zaaaid somezing wrong, now I long for yesterdaaaa-aa-aa-ay." Kurt's accented voice warbled along with the music. Rogue settled back in her seat, getting ready for the upcoming visit.
**
They had parked, and the two mutant teens stood staring at the building. They were entering from the back, but the ambiance still screamed, "HOSPITAL!" Truman jogged forward, and turned back to face them.
"Race you to the stairs!" he shouted, and took off running towards the building.
"Where're those?" Rogue muttered to Kurt, who shrugged.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" he replied, sprinting off. Midway through one of his strides, he ported in front of Truman. Rogue shook her head at the laughter that emanated from the two boys and jogged behind them.
Truman paused a bit before going through the slow sliding glass doors. Kurt bamfed next to him and, once he had seen the hallway inside, teleported himself a good meter in. This demented form of racing continued until Truman swerved left into a door halfway down the hall. His outstretched hands thudded against the door, and opened it to reveal the stairwell.
"The unit's on the second floor," he panted, before racing up the stairs, taking two or three at a time. A faint bamf told him that Kurt had already made his own way up the stairs.
Rogue trotted up the stairs, not quite at the breakneck pace the guys were setting, but it got her to the top of the stairs before the door slammed on her. She ran out the door into a hall very similar to the one she had just left. Truman was shouting directions a few steps before each turn.
"Right!" He and Kurt swerved right, their bodies forty-five degrees from the floor. Kurt had given up porting for the home stretch in case someone caught them running. Rogue used the time they wasted skidding to catch up.
"Left! Straight ahead!" Rogue was now even with the two guys, all of them sprinting for the last few yards. Truman and Kurt began falling behind, their energy depleted from the sprinting done earlier. Rogue pulled ahead, utilizing her spare reserves. However, those weren't enough.
Bamf! Kurt reappeared directly in front of the target door.
"Cheatah!" Rogue slowed down, panting a bit.
"Ja? Tell me you vouldn't do ze same."
"Only if Ah could. An' then, yah'd be passed out." She walked to the door, a few paces ahead of Truman.
He smiled, and commented, "I guess they changed the decorations." He pointed at the holiday cutout on the door. He grunted slightly as he opened it. Suddenly, he appeared to gain more strength.
Truman ran into the room and made a beeline to one of the girls. Rogue headed to the doorway after him, and froze in her tracks. She couldn't have been prepared for the smell of medicine and the sight of about ten kids in wheelchairs.
Kurt stepped up next to her, took a deep breath, and walked past her. He maneuvered his way through the wheelchairs, carefully looking at each child's face before heading to where Truman was. Kurt's expression softened as he looked at how Truman was bugging Millie. Kurt turned and waved Rogue over.
~One foot in front o' th' othah. Don't be afraid.~ Rogue picked her way past the children, averting her face. One boy lifted his head up and made a wordless sound at her passing.
Kurt placed his disguised hand on Millie's sweet face. Impulsively, he quoted, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." He rubbed his furry nose against Millie's cheek. She smiled and giggled.
A/N: Well, this fic will continue, but probably at the same speed I'm doing it now. It has become doubly important to me now, because with the Governor cutting costs in our state and such, my brother's home is going to be closed in about two years. By the way, if you can't tell, my brother is in the same situation as Millie.
Thank you to all of you who reviewed favorably. This story has received my most reviews. I'll write more soon.
Disclaimer: Guess what? I own zilch. Nada. Absolutely nothing.
~thought~
emphasis
SUNDAY:
"You are sure he vill come?"
"Sure, Kurt."
"Vhen did he say he vill come?"
"'Bout eleven. He said that he and his parents would pick us up after they go to church." Rogue checked her watch. "Anyway, it's only ten forty- five."
Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his Sunday clothes. "Sorry Rogue. I'm just not used to going to ze early service at my church. It feels like much later."
"Well, it's not." Rogue tucked a stray lock of white hair behind her ear. "Ya sure ya want ta go?"
Kurt stopped fidgeting to look at his friend directly. Even though the image inducer was supposed to mask his appearance completely, Rogue could have sworn that she saw the glint of his yellow eyes. "In all seriousness, no. I don't vant to go. I have to." He peered intently at Rogue. She bit her lip and continued to play with the same lock of hair. "You're ze one who invited me. Are you having second thoughts, Rogue?"
Rogue's glance darted around in order not to meet Kurt's eyes. "Well."
A loud honk interrupted her mid-sentence. Both teens looked in the direction of the sound. Truman waved from the backseat of a station wagon as it pulled up in front of the gate. Kurt grinned self-consciously and gave a sort of half-wave back. "Who is this, again?" he asked Rogue through gritted teeth.
Rogue glared at him. Was Kurt just fooling around, or did he honestly forget names so quickly? She held up the little pen-communicator thing to her mouth and said, "Professah? Truman's family is outside tha gate. We're leavin' now." She turned to Kurt. "Ya mind? Ah think they already know that ya're a mutant."
Kurt put his hand to his forehead in exasperation. "Oh, ja! Just teleport in front of their faces! I have manners, you know! Have ze provessor open ze gate."
**
Truman sat contentedly in the backseat of his family's station wagon, watching the little argument between Rogue and Kurt. He opened his book, figuring that he'd be there a while.
"Honey," Truman's mom asked him, "are they going to come out here anytime this week?"
He turned the page of his book. "Yeah, mom. Just a few more minutes, okay? Then I'll go to the gate and yell."
**
"For just the two of us? C'mon, Kurt," she coaxed. "Please?" Finally, tired of the stalling, she said, "Fahne! Ah'll do it!" She started to take off her glove. Kurt saw this and quickly grabbed her shoulder, teleporting them behind the station wagon.
"Happy?!" Kurt demanded. He then realized that three people in the station wagon had very much seen the teleportation. "Oh, scheiss."
Truman hopped out of the car. Judging from the look on his face, he had gotten over his surprise. "Rogue! Great to see you could make it! And, Kurt, is it?" He held his hand out to Kurt, ready to shake hands. "Nice to meetcha."
Kurt slowly reached for Truman's hand. Rogue began to panic a bit. Despite all her brave talk, she still didn't know how Truman might respond to Kurt's- ahem, condition. She balanced on her toes, ready to run interference. Just as the two boys were about to shake hands, Kurt broke off the handshake by reaching up to smooth his hair.
Truman was left with his hand in mid-air, still trying to figure out what had happened.
Kurt saw this, and quickly made amends. "Sorry. I don't know when to stop joking. Hit me vhen I annoy you, everyone else does." He rested his hand on Truman's shoulder, long enough to convey no hard feelings, but short enough that he didn't feel three fingers.
Rogue didn't know she had been holding her breath until Truman said, "Nah, that's okay. I'll have to try that type of handshake sometime soon." He opened the car door. "You guys can get in. I'll sit in the jumper seat."
Rogue released her breath and stepped into the car, sliding over so that Kurt could seat himself. She twisted around when the hatch was opened and Truman clambered in, seating himself in a backwards-facing seat. He leaned back so that his head was in between the other two. They both moved their heads a bit away, afraid of touching him on accident. "Um, Kurt? You know where we're going, right?"
"Ja. A residence for disabled children." ~I hope that's right.~
Truman shrugged. "Among others. It's kind of a permanent hospital. Millie and the other kids in the unit live in a homey ICU, I guess."
"Ya guess?" Rogue asked. ~Gee, this is reassuring.~
Truman's dad looked back at the mutants from the passenger seat. "Millie was born when he was three. He's grown up with the kids, and we visit at least every other day. Truman's pretty much got the concept."
Kurt turned towards Rogue, and she would have given anything for Jean's power, just to know what he felt about this somewhat sketchy description. Kurt must have been able to understand her look, and shrugged, grinning sheepishly.
"So," Truman's mom suggested, "Should we turn on the radio?" When all three kids nodded, she turned the dial to an oldies station, and "Yesterday" began halfway through. Rogue's lip curled slightly in disgust, but she didn't think the rest of the car would appreciate the grating music she preferred.
"Iiiee zaaaid somezing wrong, now I long for yesterdaaaa-aa-aa-ay." Kurt's accented voice warbled along with the music. Rogue settled back in her seat, getting ready for the upcoming visit.
**
They had parked, and the two mutant teens stood staring at the building. They were entering from the back, but the ambiance still screamed, "HOSPITAL!" Truman jogged forward, and turned back to face them.
"Race you to the stairs!" he shouted, and took off running towards the building.
"Where're those?" Rogue muttered to Kurt, who shrugged.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" he replied, sprinting off. Midway through one of his strides, he ported in front of Truman. Rogue shook her head at the laughter that emanated from the two boys and jogged behind them.
Truman paused a bit before going through the slow sliding glass doors. Kurt bamfed next to him and, once he had seen the hallway inside, teleported himself a good meter in. This demented form of racing continued until Truman swerved left into a door halfway down the hall. His outstretched hands thudded against the door, and opened it to reveal the stairwell.
"The unit's on the second floor," he panted, before racing up the stairs, taking two or three at a time. A faint bamf told him that Kurt had already made his own way up the stairs.
Rogue trotted up the stairs, not quite at the breakneck pace the guys were setting, but it got her to the top of the stairs before the door slammed on her. She ran out the door into a hall very similar to the one she had just left. Truman was shouting directions a few steps before each turn.
"Right!" He and Kurt swerved right, their bodies forty-five degrees from the floor. Kurt had given up porting for the home stretch in case someone caught them running. Rogue used the time they wasted skidding to catch up.
"Left! Straight ahead!" Rogue was now even with the two guys, all of them sprinting for the last few yards. Truman and Kurt began falling behind, their energy depleted from the sprinting done earlier. Rogue pulled ahead, utilizing her spare reserves. However, those weren't enough.
Bamf! Kurt reappeared directly in front of the target door.
"Cheatah!" Rogue slowed down, panting a bit.
"Ja? Tell me you vouldn't do ze same."
"Only if Ah could. An' then, yah'd be passed out." She walked to the door, a few paces ahead of Truman.
He smiled, and commented, "I guess they changed the decorations." He pointed at the holiday cutout on the door. He grunted slightly as he opened it. Suddenly, he appeared to gain more strength.
Truman ran into the room and made a beeline to one of the girls. Rogue headed to the doorway after him, and froze in her tracks. She couldn't have been prepared for the smell of medicine and the sight of about ten kids in wheelchairs.
Kurt stepped up next to her, took a deep breath, and walked past her. He maneuvered his way through the wheelchairs, carefully looking at each child's face before heading to where Truman was. Kurt's expression softened as he looked at how Truman was bugging Millie. Kurt turned and waved Rogue over.
~One foot in front o' th' othah. Don't be afraid.~ Rogue picked her way past the children, averting her face. One boy lifted his head up and made a wordless sound at her passing.
Kurt placed his disguised hand on Millie's sweet face. Impulsively, he quoted, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." He rubbed his furry nose against Millie's cheek. She smiled and giggled.
A/N: Well, this fic will continue, but probably at the same speed I'm doing it now. It has become doubly important to me now, because with the Governor cutting costs in our state and such, my brother's home is going to be closed in about two years. By the way, if you can't tell, my brother is in the same situation as Millie.
Thank you to all of you who reviewed favorably. This story has received my most reviews. I'll write more soon.