Chapter Three: Brother Nicholas's last day

Thick fog and torches between the trees. Men shout and plod through the night. But not Brother Nicholas.

Brother Nicholas the Brave. Brother Nicholas the Inquisitive. Brother Nicholas the Cursed.

And the noise repeated again. BAMF, Bamf, bamf...

The villagers surged foreword but to no avail. A demons eyes can see better in the dark. A demon is one with the night. But in the demons path the dogs could smell him, and every time they would, they would turn away and try to balk.

But the mob surged on and the dogs would loose their inhibitions to the will of the crowd until that scent was upon them, a smell like the fires of hell below.

And the occasional three towed footprint left in the mud or tracked on to the surrounding trees at odd angles always managed to inspire a terror and dread in the heart of the mob.

Soon the noise had slowed in to the great distance where occasionally a pfft, pfft, pfft... could be heard if one held ones breath. And the crowd had began its trek back to town after realizing that its quarry had escaped in to the night.

But in the mind of Brother Nicholas only one phrase repeated itself. It was the voice of Brother Aldolpho who had cared for Nicholas and kept him well, raised him in secret and taught him of the world. Aldolpho.

Aldolpho who told him not to go to town. Who told him not to risk it. Who got so mad when he was going anyway. Aldolpho, who lost his temper. Who said not to return if anyone saw him in town.

Aldolpho, a man in tears for the lost temper that lost him a son.

In many realities this decision prompted Kurt Wagner, The Nightcrawler, to reconsider his life. In most realities he went on to be an X-Man and then to lead the British eXcalibur. In this reality however, and this reality alone, Kurt ran for his life that night and did not return to the monastery.

In this reality Kurt broke down. And became, in his mind, all those things he had so long been called, all those things he had called himself and all those things he had been afraid he would become if form dictated content.

Because Kurt was, in his own mind, a demon.

He lived a much smaller life, traveling Europe quietly by night with a few trusted, well paid for, attendants.

At first he would steal from anyone, then only from the rich, and finally, only from the Evil. He would steal from the most corrupt and vile of people. Wipe them out financially, scare them horribly and torment them relentlessly until he destroyed them financially and mentally beyond the point of continuing on.

It was no challenge to destroy the good people anymore, no challenge in destroying anyone but the most evil of men. An observation made only after discovering that cooperation with evil men leads to complacency and weakness.

And there was nothing that The Nightcrawler despised more than his own weakness.

He despised his need to belong. His longing for the company of others. His desire to be touched. He loathed them all.

Until he found someone just as evil as he was, to share his life with. Her name was Emma Frost.

He found her bloody in the snow, a victim of her own powers, a telepath who was perusing the minds of business men and diplomats at fancy parties and then using that information to profit.

She would later tell a friend that Kurt was the only honest man alive, that they were all evil and at the very least, Kurt properly looked the part.

The two fell madly in love and she adopted his philosophy that goodness can be achieved by exploring the realm of evil and rising above it through power, will and experience.

They destroyed the Hellfire Club. Fought Omega Red to a standstill so the x- men could capture him, and were instrumental in stopping Magneto from constructing his orbital station known as Asteroid M.

There existed a total sense of trust between the two.

Then, last night, Kurt slid up behind Emma and surprised her as she turned around.

"Tell me something my Angel" He said, producing a small velvet box. "Would you like to be married?"

"Oh, Kurt!" She opened the box "Yes, oh, I would." And they embraced.

The knife slid in between his ribs and pierced his heart. Kurt never felt a thing. He fell back and watched in awe as Emma looked lovingly at her ring. "Who do you think the lucky guy will be?" She asked.

Then she laughed and her voice changed. "I won't even get in to the Edipal issues." She shimmered and shifted, her skin darkening to match his.

"Mystique..." Kurt gasped and collapsed, dead.

Mystique shook out her long red hair. She knew she had just a few moments before the real Emma returned.

She set on Kurt with her knife and mauled him. She shimmered twice and took the form of Cable, then ran past the surveillance camera she had so carefully avoided on her way in.