Authors Note: I'm afraid I've let my German get rusty over the past year,
so if any German speakers see any mistakes in what I've written, just try
and ignore them. :P
MizzMarvel - yeah, I know that Irene seemed pretty OC in the last chapter,
but she'll be appearing in later chapters, so hopefully I'll get the
characterisation better then. Thanks for the input!
Kurt awoke to darkness.
It took him a moment to realise that this was because his eyes were closed.
He didn't open them however. If he opened his eyes, that would mean that he was awake, and if he was awake then that would mean that he would have to confront what had happened. He wasn't ready for that.
He wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready for that.
He shifted on the bed, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. Funny, but he didn't remember going to bed. Then again, he didn't remember much of last night.
Oh, Rogue could be his sister. Yeah, he remembered that bit clearly enough.
He squeezed his eyelids tightly together, swallowing. The bitter memory of Mystique's revelation stung anew, casting black shadows over his thoughts. His pain hadn't lessened ------ if anything, in cold reality of morning, it seemed worse. A phantom weight pressed down on his chest and raw despair swelled inside of him.
------ and the Lord replied: My son, my precious child, I love you and would never leave you -------
There was a time when Kurt believed that. No matter how unhappy he was, his faith had always helped him through it. He had trusted in God ----- as he had later trusted in Rogue. Both had rejected him, and for the first time in his life, Kurt was truly alone.
Or was he?
He frowned, not opening his eyes. He didn't need to. Beyond the darkness of his closed eyelids he could sense her. She didn't say anything --- didn't move ---- but he knew she was there nonetheless. Her presence filled the room like a subtle shadow. He realised that she must have been there all night.
Tentatively, he opened one eye - a narrow slit of pale blue against his midnight coloured fur.
Mystique stared back at him, motionless and unspeaking. The bedroom was shrouded in black shade - the only light coming from the number of tall candles placed on the table beside him. She was sat in a chair next to the window, only the faintest flickering of candlelight dancing over her azure skin.
"Wo bin ich?"
At the sound of his voice, she rose to her feet. He noticed that she was wearing the same brown robes that she had last night. Against the darkness around her, only her milky coloured eyes showed clearly ------ the family resemblance didn't escape him.
"Du bist in der Brüderschaft Fremdenheim," she murmured softly.
Kurt looked at the woman. "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"
She nodded. "Es ist meine Muttersprache."
He didn't say anything to that ---- just sniffed despondently. Despite the heavy blanket covering his lithe body, he was shivering.
Mystique noticed. "You have a slight fever," she informed him quietly, shifting easily back into English.
Both eyes were open now, staring sadly up at her. Her voice was lowered to a gentle query ---- he had never heard her talk like that before.
He didn't answer her.
Silently, she moved to stand by the bedside table and poured a cup of tea. Then, seating herself of the edge of the bed, she held out the cup for Kurt to take. He watched her closely, but didn't move.
"Was is das?" he croaked faintly.
A candle flickered uncertainly, casting pooling shadows over her face. "Herbal tea - an old German recipe. It will make you feel better. Drink it."
He remained motionless, curled up tightly under the coverlet. Undaunted, Mystique pulled up the pillow from under his head, resting it against the sideboard. Then after setting the tea down on the table, she lifted the young mutant up by the shoulders and forced him into a sitting position. To her surprise, he offered no resistance, body sagging slightly in her arms.
"Drink it," she repeated, gesturing to the steaming cup.
Again, he was surprisingly obedient. He nursed the tea weakly in his three fingered hands, taking a cautious sip. The liquid was bitter, hot and pungent, but not, as he had feared, drugged. In fact, it made him feel a little better. His eyelids suddenly seemed very heavy.
Mystique let her hand linger on his slim shoulder for a moment before drawing away. She hadn't been this close to him in almost sixteen years --- -- to suddenly have him so near ----- to be able to touch him -----
She breathed in slowly. How could she have ever let him go? Mystique had done many things in her life that she regretted, but leaving Kurt and Rogue behind was the one thing that she wished that she could change. So many years had passed ---- so much loneliness -----
Kurt finished his tea, silently passing her the cup. She woke from her thoughts.
The young mutant stared up at her, pale eyes having problems focusing.
"I want to know the truth."
The words were spoken weakly, but there was an unmistakable force behind them. Kurt may have looked frail, but was strong. Much stronger than people gave him credit for.
Mystique tilted her head to one side, watching him sadly. "Are you sure that you are ready?"
He swallowed, then nodded.
"I'm ready."
Time passed.
Kurt drifted in and out of consciousness, the line between the two becoming blurred and uncertain. He shivered, but was not cold. He supposed he was simply feverish - like Mystique had said - or maybe she really had drugged him with that strange tasting tea. He didn't care. Whatever the reason, his sickness made him feel pleasantly distant from his body. Floating somewhere between the darkness and the bed, he knew nothing but the sound of her voice.
"You were not born looking as you do now."
"What did I look like?" he asked, dry throat making him rasp unnaturally.
Mystique smiled fondly with the memory. Until yesterday, memories were all that she had had. "The same as any other child, I suppose. Pink skin ---- blue eyes ---- five fingers, five toes. You were very beautiful."
Beautiful. No one had ever called Kurt beautiful.
He leaned weakly against the pillow. "What happened?"
Her smile faded, replaced by a look of deep thought. "Those were dangerous days for me, Kurt. I was on the run from some very powerful people. They would have stopped at nothing to destroy me. I needed help, and Erik was the only one who offered."
"Erik?"
"Magneto."
The blue furred boy blinked wearily. "Oh."
"He owned a castle in Germany where he let me stay. It was remote ---- in the middle of a forest ----- I was safe there. I couldn't leave you behind, so I took you with me. We stayed there, and for a while, everything seemed to go well. You were such a wonderful child and you looked more like your father every day that passed, but you were quite sickly --- always very underweight --- and you were forever catching sicknesses. Even so, I don't think that there was ever a time in my life when I've been happier."
She paused, flaming candles reflected in her milky blue pupils. "I should have seen the signs earlier. Erik was always very ---- interested in mutant genetics. He believed that it was possible to accelerate a person's mutant DNA ---- bring out dormant genes, or even create new ones. It had been an idea of his for years ---- I suppose I had learnt just to ignore him. And then he started talking about performing the procedure on humans ------"
Clammy dread made Kurt shudder. He closed his eyes, now knowing whether he wanted to here what was going to be said. He was still dressed in his X Men uniform, gloved hands curling into shaking fists.
Mystique looked to her son, dark brows pulled together in genuine grief. "You have to understand, Kurt ---- I didn't know what he was planning. All he told me was that he would give you small injections ----- to make you strong. You were such a sickly baby ---- I thought that it would help you. And for a time, it did. You grew healthier. And when Erik suggested that he could help you even more, I agreed."
Another time, Kurt would have been angry. He had left the X Men for less - the Professor might not have told him about Rogue, but he had never done genetic experiments on him. But now ----- he couldn't summon the energy to be upset. He was simply content to sit, and listen. Nothing mattered anymore.
"I swear, I had no idea what he was doing until it was too late. I woke up one night ------ I heard you crying ---- screaming, and when I ran down to the lab ---- " she trembled with still raw pain, lowering her head till a curtain of scarlet hair shielded her from his stare. She couldn't bear to have him looking at her. Not while she was telling him this. "You were on the table. I still don't know fully what he did to you --- he never explained it to me. From what I understand, he forced your DNA to bring out your dormant mutant genes. Your genetic structure was altered in some way - to make you more powerful-----"
Kurt shook his head slowly. He was starting to feel sleepy again. "To make me a freak."
Mystique turned to look at him. "We're all freaks, Kurt. Every mutant out there. Only the strong ones will survive, and I wanted you to be one of them."
The young boy frowned, trying to order his thoughts, but found that he could not. He swayed uncertainly, vision blurring. He didn't want to argue.
"I knew you were my son, even with fur and a tail. If I had stayed --- talked to Erik --- maybe things would have been different. All I knew was that you were in pain, and that he was the one who had caused it to you. I panicked ---- I ran away."
"Then what?"
She grew thoughtful, as though remembering a dream. She closed her eyes and lifted her head heavenward.
"There was a bridge over a river --- in the forest. I---- I tripped ----- and you fell. You fell into the water, and I couldn't catch you. And I wanted to, Kurt. I wanted to save you, but I was just --- just too late."
There was a silence.
"I'm sorry Kurt."
The dim candlelight illuminated the two mutants, and made the darkness seem all the darker by comparison. They were alone, together, as they had been all those years earlier in the ancient German castle. In that place of shadow, nobody else mattered.
Kurt had fallen asleep ---- or maybe he didn't. It was hard to tell. He was aware of opening his eyes slowly and feeling like he had just woken up. Mystique was still sitting on the edge of his bed, still and unmoving, a statue of azure. His mother.
"How does Rogue fit into all this?" he asked quietly.
She blinked and turned slowly to look at him. "Hm?"
His head was pounding. He could feel it hammering against the front of his skull. It made him feel slightly sick - he wondered what had been in that tea.
"Rogue. You said that she was my sister. How?"
The scarlet haired mutant watched him closely. "Does it matter?"
"I think so."
A sad smile lifted the corners of her painted mouth. She nodded thoughtfully. "You care about her, don't you?"
He stared into the flame of a nearby candle, gaze unfocused and wavering. His head was killing him. "She's my best friend," he murmured simply, "I've never had a friend like that before."
"You seemed close."
His eyes glazed over, shining with an unnatural brilliance. "I was in love with her" he told her quietly, turning to look at her, "Do you think I'm crazy?"
She paused. "No."
He sniffed miserably. "I tried to kiss her you know."
"I'd guessed as much."
Kurt frowned uncertainly, shivering. "You did?" he whispered.
The older mutant gave a low chuckle. "Why else would you be here? I knew how you felt about her even before I told you that she was your sister. I also knew that there was no chance of it going too far. Even if Rogue did feel the same way, she is incapable to having a relationship with anyone."
"How did you know how I felt?"
She shook her head, smiling. "You're a teenage boy with a crush. I've seen it a thousand times over."
He coughed, lithe body convulsing with the action. "It wasn't a crush," he croaked bitterly "I love her."
Mystique paused, then sighed. She looked at her young son, unfamiliar stirrings of sympathy making her gentle. "Think," she told him softly, "Of how you love your family back in Germany. You care about them deeply, and you'd do anything for them. You love them with all your heart and soul, and you would do anything to protect them." She raised her eyebrows. "Does that sound familiar?"
Kurt paused uncertainly, resolve wavering. He sagged against the pillow. "I-I don't know."
"I think that you do."
He trembled. "I didn't mean to make her angry."
"She'll get over it, in time. Deep down, she loves you too. You are her brother, after all."
"You wouldn't say that if you saw her last night."
Mystique sat as still as marble. "You frightened her. Rogue is not accustomed to physical contact ------ and I'm afraid that finding out that I am her mother would have been a devastating blow to her. You're timing wasn't exactly helpful." She fixed her gaze at the floor. "But she will come around in the end. She needs you Kurt, more than I think even she knows. Then I will explain everything, I promise." She smiled softly, "Perhaps we could learn to be a family again."
Kurt slumped down in the bed. The pain in his head made his skull feel like it was going to explode. It made him sleepy; he could already feel himself slipping back into unconsciousness. When he spoke, his voice sounded faraway, even to his own ears.
"Family? I don't even know what that means anymore."
Mystique looked at him sadly; blue skin cast gold in the candlelight. "What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.
He stared dully into space. "My parents in Germany." He blinked. "Do you think that the Professor will tell them? That I'm gone?"
She nodded. "I imagine so."
"I don't want them to worry about me."
The flame haired mutant didn't say anything, but continued to watch him closely. "There is a telephone, if you need it."
He coughed weakly. "Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Kurt closed his eyes and sank back down onto the bed. He was tired ---- very tried ---- and all he wanted to do was sleep.
He sighed. "I'm tired."
Mystique remained motionless. "Then sleep."
His long hair splayed around the pillow like a dark halo. "Will you still be here when I wake up?"
"I will not leave you."
Kurt slipped back into a welcome darkness. His sleep was fitful, disturbed, and haunted by visions of rushing water and the howls of wolves. But he didn't dream of Rogue, and for that he was thankful.
Mystique kept her word, and stayed with her son as he slept. The glow of candles illuminated his furred face, softening the look of pain on his face. Even in sleep it seemed that he could not find peace. She was sorry for that. The last thing that she had wanted was to hurt him. But Kurt had to know, as did Rogue. It was the only way that she would be able to get her children back.
His eyelids flickered, and she knew that he was dreaming. She hoped that they were pleasant, whatever they were. The worst was not yet over for Kurt, and he deserved this time of rest.
As she watched, he shifted so that he was laid on his back, mumbling quietly. One fist was resting on his pillow, fingers gently curling in to his palm. His blanketed chest rose and fell, breathing soft and measured. Mystique watched the sleeping boy in silence, a strange feeling coming over her. He looked so venerable --- so helpless --- and she knew that she would rather die than see the boy hurt. No matter what had happened in the past, she was still his mother, and she still loved more than anything else in the world.
Hesitantly, she reached out an azure hand to touch his skin, long fingers brushing against his cheek. He was soft, velvety. She trembled. How often had she dreamed of this? Her son, living, breathing, and close enough for her to touch. It was beyond a dream. Just for that single moment, all the years of pain meant nothing. Kurt was here, now, and that was all that mattered.
He frowned in his sleep and turned back onto his side. Mystique quickly withdrew her hand, fearing that she would wake him up. She softly stepped backwards, retreating back into the shadows. Like the Cheshire cat, she melted into darkness, only the faint glow of her eyes remaining against the gloom.
Sitting in the chair, she watched him sleep.
Kurt awoke to darkness.
It took him a moment to realise that this was because his eyes were closed.
He didn't open them however. If he opened his eyes, that would mean that he was awake, and if he was awake then that would mean that he would have to confront what had happened. He wasn't ready for that.
He wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready for that.
He shifted on the bed, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. Funny, but he didn't remember going to bed. Then again, he didn't remember much of last night.
Oh, Rogue could be his sister. Yeah, he remembered that bit clearly enough.
He squeezed his eyelids tightly together, swallowing. The bitter memory of Mystique's revelation stung anew, casting black shadows over his thoughts. His pain hadn't lessened ------ if anything, in cold reality of morning, it seemed worse. A phantom weight pressed down on his chest and raw despair swelled inside of him.
------ and the Lord replied: My son, my precious child, I love you and would never leave you -------
There was a time when Kurt believed that. No matter how unhappy he was, his faith had always helped him through it. He had trusted in God ----- as he had later trusted in Rogue. Both had rejected him, and for the first time in his life, Kurt was truly alone.
Or was he?
He frowned, not opening his eyes. He didn't need to. Beyond the darkness of his closed eyelids he could sense her. She didn't say anything --- didn't move ---- but he knew she was there nonetheless. Her presence filled the room like a subtle shadow. He realised that she must have been there all night.
Tentatively, he opened one eye - a narrow slit of pale blue against his midnight coloured fur.
Mystique stared back at him, motionless and unspeaking. The bedroom was shrouded in black shade - the only light coming from the number of tall candles placed on the table beside him. She was sat in a chair next to the window, only the faintest flickering of candlelight dancing over her azure skin.
"Wo bin ich?"
At the sound of his voice, she rose to her feet. He noticed that she was wearing the same brown robes that she had last night. Against the darkness around her, only her milky coloured eyes showed clearly ------ the family resemblance didn't escape him.
"Du bist in der Brüderschaft Fremdenheim," she murmured softly.
Kurt looked at the woman. "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"
She nodded. "Es ist meine Muttersprache."
He didn't say anything to that ---- just sniffed despondently. Despite the heavy blanket covering his lithe body, he was shivering.
Mystique noticed. "You have a slight fever," she informed him quietly, shifting easily back into English.
Both eyes were open now, staring sadly up at her. Her voice was lowered to a gentle query ---- he had never heard her talk like that before.
He didn't answer her.
Silently, she moved to stand by the bedside table and poured a cup of tea. Then, seating herself of the edge of the bed, she held out the cup for Kurt to take. He watched her closely, but didn't move.
"Was is das?" he croaked faintly.
A candle flickered uncertainly, casting pooling shadows over her face. "Herbal tea - an old German recipe. It will make you feel better. Drink it."
He remained motionless, curled up tightly under the coverlet. Undaunted, Mystique pulled up the pillow from under his head, resting it against the sideboard. Then after setting the tea down on the table, she lifted the young mutant up by the shoulders and forced him into a sitting position. To her surprise, he offered no resistance, body sagging slightly in her arms.
"Drink it," she repeated, gesturing to the steaming cup.
Again, he was surprisingly obedient. He nursed the tea weakly in his three fingered hands, taking a cautious sip. The liquid was bitter, hot and pungent, but not, as he had feared, drugged. In fact, it made him feel a little better. His eyelids suddenly seemed very heavy.
Mystique let her hand linger on his slim shoulder for a moment before drawing away. She hadn't been this close to him in almost sixteen years --- -- to suddenly have him so near ----- to be able to touch him -----
She breathed in slowly. How could she have ever let him go? Mystique had done many things in her life that she regretted, but leaving Kurt and Rogue behind was the one thing that she wished that she could change. So many years had passed ---- so much loneliness -----
Kurt finished his tea, silently passing her the cup. She woke from her thoughts.
The young mutant stared up at her, pale eyes having problems focusing.
"I want to know the truth."
The words were spoken weakly, but there was an unmistakable force behind them. Kurt may have looked frail, but was strong. Much stronger than people gave him credit for.
Mystique tilted her head to one side, watching him sadly. "Are you sure that you are ready?"
He swallowed, then nodded.
"I'm ready."
Time passed.
Kurt drifted in and out of consciousness, the line between the two becoming blurred and uncertain. He shivered, but was not cold. He supposed he was simply feverish - like Mystique had said - or maybe she really had drugged him with that strange tasting tea. He didn't care. Whatever the reason, his sickness made him feel pleasantly distant from his body. Floating somewhere between the darkness and the bed, he knew nothing but the sound of her voice.
"You were not born looking as you do now."
"What did I look like?" he asked, dry throat making him rasp unnaturally.
Mystique smiled fondly with the memory. Until yesterday, memories were all that she had had. "The same as any other child, I suppose. Pink skin ---- blue eyes ---- five fingers, five toes. You were very beautiful."
Beautiful. No one had ever called Kurt beautiful.
He leaned weakly against the pillow. "What happened?"
Her smile faded, replaced by a look of deep thought. "Those were dangerous days for me, Kurt. I was on the run from some very powerful people. They would have stopped at nothing to destroy me. I needed help, and Erik was the only one who offered."
"Erik?"
"Magneto."
The blue furred boy blinked wearily. "Oh."
"He owned a castle in Germany where he let me stay. It was remote ---- in the middle of a forest ----- I was safe there. I couldn't leave you behind, so I took you with me. We stayed there, and for a while, everything seemed to go well. You were such a wonderful child and you looked more like your father every day that passed, but you were quite sickly --- always very underweight --- and you were forever catching sicknesses. Even so, I don't think that there was ever a time in my life when I've been happier."
She paused, flaming candles reflected in her milky blue pupils. "I should have seen the signs earlier. Erik was always very ---- interested in mutant genetics. He believed that it was possible to accelerate a person's mutant DNA ---- bring out dormant genes, or even create new ones. It had been an idea of his for years ---- I suppose I had learnt just to ignore him. And then he started talking about performing the procedure on humans ------"
Clammy dread made Kurt shudder. He closed his eyes, now knowing whether he wanted to here what was going to be said. He was still dressed in his X Men uniform, gloved hands curling into shaking fists.
Mystique looked to her son, dark brows pulled together in genuine grief. "You have to understand, Kurt ---- I didn't know what he was planning. All he told me was that he would give you small injections ----- to make you strong. You were such a sickly baby ---- I thought that it would help you. And for a time, it did. You grew healthier. And when Erik suggested that he could help you even more, I agreed."
Another time, Kurt would have been angry. He had left the X Men for less - the Professor might not have told him about Rogue, but he had never done genetic experiments on him. But now ----- he couldn't summon the energy to be upset. He was simply content to sit, and listen. Nothing mattered anymore.
"I swear, I had no idea what he was doing until it was too late. I woke up one night ------ I heard you crying ---- screaming, and when I ran down to the lab ---- " she trembled with still raw pain, lowering her head till a curtain of scarlet hair shielded her from his stare. She couldn't bear to have him looking at her. Not while she was telling him this. "You were on the table. I still don't know fully what he did to you --- he never explained it to me. From what I understand, he forced your DNA to bring out your dormant mutant genes. Your genetic structure was altered in some way - to make you more powerful-----"
Kurt shook his head slowly. He was starting to feel sleepy again. "To make me a freak."
Mystique turned to look at him. "We're all freaks, Kurt. Every mutant out there. Only the strong ones will survive, and I wanted you to be one of them."
The young boy frowned, trying to order his thoughts, but found that he could not. He swayed uncertainly, vision blurring. He didn't want to argue.
"I knew you were my son, even with fur and a tail. If I had stayed --- talked to Erik --- maybe things would have been different. All I knew was that you were in pain, and that he was the one who had caused it to you. I panicked ---- I ran away."
"Then what?"
She grew thoughtful, as though remembering a dream. She closed her eyes and lifted her head heavenward.
"There was a bridge over a river --- in the forest. I---- I tripped ----- and you fell. You fell into the water, and I couldn't catch you. And I wanted to, Kurt. I wanted to save you, but I was just --- just too late."
There was a silence.
"I'm sorry Kurt."
The dim candlelight illuminated the two mutants, and made the darkness seem all the darker by comparison. They were alone, together, as they had been all those years earlier in the ancient German castle. In that place of shadow, nobody else mattered.
Kurt had fallen asleep ---- or maybe he didn't. It was hard to tell. He was aware of opening his eyes slowly and feeling like he had just woken up. Mystique was still sitting on the edge of his bed, still and unmoving, a statue of azure. His mother.
"How does Rogue fit into all this?" he asked quietly.
She blinked and turned slowly to look at him. "Hm?"
His head was pounding. He could feel it hammering against the front of his skull. It made him feel slightly sick - he wondered what had been in that tea.
"Rogue. You said that she was my sister. How?"
The scarlet haired mutant watched him closely. "Does it matter?"
"I think so."
A sad smile lifted the corners of her painted mouth. She nodded thoughtfully. "You care about her, don't you?"
He stared into the flame of a nearby candle, gaze unfocused and wavering. His head was killing him. "She's my best friend," he murmured simply, "I've never had a friend like that before."
"You seemed close."
His eyes glazed over, shining with an unnatural brilliance. "I was in love with her" he told her quietly, turning to look at her, "Do you think I'm crazy?"
She paused. "No."
He sniffed miserably. "I tried to kiss her you know."
"I'd guessed as much."
Kurt frowned uncertainly, shivering. "You did?" he whispered.
The older mutant gave a low chuckle. "Why else would you be here? I knew how you felt about her even before I told you that she was your sister. I also knew that there was no chance of it going too far. Even if Rogue did feel the same way, she is incapable to having a relationship with anyone."
"How did you know how I felt?"
She shook her head, smiling. "You're a teenage boy with a crush. I've seen it a thousand times over."
He coughed, lithe body convulsing with the action. "It wasn't a crush," he croaked bitterly "I love her."
Mystique paused, then sighed. She looked at her young son, unfamiliar stirrings of sympathy making her gentle. "Think," she told him softly, "Of how you love your family back in Germany. You care about them deeply, and you'd do anything for them. You love them with all your heart and soul, and you would do anything to protect them." She raised her eyebrows. "Does that sound familiar?"
Kurt paused uncertainly, resolve wavering. He sagged against the pillow. "I-I don't know."
"I think that you do."
He trembled. "I didn't mean to make her angry."
"She'll get over it, in time. Deep down, she loves you too. You are her brother, after all."
"You wouldn't say that if you saw her last night."
Mystique sat as still as marble. "You frightened her. Rogue is not accustomed to physical contact ------ and I'm afraid that finding out that I am her mother would have been a devastating blow to her. You're timing wasn't exactly helpful." She fixed her gaze at the floor. "But she will come around in the end. She needs you Kurt, more than I think even she knows. Then I will explain everything, I promise." She smiled softly, "Perhaps we could learn to be a family again."
Kurt slumped down in the bed. The pain in his head made his skull feel like it was going to explode. It made him sleepy; he could already feel himself slipping back into unconsciousness. When he spoke, his voice sounded faraway, even to his own ears.
"Family? I don't even know what that means anymore."
Mystique looked at him sadly; blue skin cast gold in the candlelight. "What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.
He stared dully into space. "My parents in Germany." He blinked. "Do you think that the Professor will tell them? That I'm gone?"
She nodded. "I imagine so."
"I don't want them to worry about me."
The flame haired mutant didn't say anything, but continued to watch him closely. "There is a telephone, if you need it."
He coughed weakly. "Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Kurt closed his eyes and sank back down onto the bed. He was tired ---- very tried ---- and all he wanted to do was sleep.
He sighed. "I'm tired."
Mystique remained motionless. "Then sleep."
His long hair splayed around the pillow like a dark halo. "Will you still be here when I wake up?"
"I will not leave you."
Kurt slipped back into a welcome darkness. His sleep was fitful, disturbed, and haunted by visions of rushing water and the howls of wolves. But he didn't dream of Rogue, and for that he was thankful.
Mystique kept her word, and stayed with her son as he slept. The glow of candles illuminated his furred face, softening the look of pain on his face. Even in sleep it seemed that he could not find peace. She was sorry for that. The last thing that she had wanted was to hurt him. But Kurt had to know, as did Rogue. It was the only way that she would be able to get her children back.
His eyelids flickered, and she knew that he was dreaming. She hoped that they were pleasant, whatever they were. The worst was not yet over for Kurt, and he deserved this time of rest.
As she watched, he shifted so that he was laid on his back, mumbling quietly. One fist was resting on his pillow, fingers gently curling in to his palm. His blanketed chest rose and fell, breathing soft and measured. Mystique watched the sleeping boy in silence, a strange feeling coming over her. He looked so venerable --- so helpless --- and she knew that she would rather die than see the boy hurt. No matter what had happened in the past, she was still his mother, and she still loved more than anything else in the world.
Hesitantly, she reached out an azure hand to touch his skin, long fingers brushing against his cheek. He was soft, velvety. She trembled. How often had she dreamed of this? Her son, living, breathing, and close enough for her to touch. It was beyond a dream. Just for that single moment, all the years of pain meant nothing. Kurt was here, now, and that was all that mattered.
He frowned in his sleep and turned back onto his side. Mystique quickly withdrew her hand, fearing that she would wake him up. She softly stepped backwards, retreating back into the shadows. Like the Cheshire cat, she melted into darkness, only the faint glow of her eyes remaining against the gloom.
Sitting in the chair, she watched him sleep.