Notes: I wrote and re-wrote this chapter several times and I am still not pleased with it. *cringes*

Chapter 7: Reflection

Siobhan continued trembling until she could not hear the footsteps of Barry and Kurt. Only then could she move, the sudden shock of what had happened had rooted her to the spot. She then tore off her clothes, feeling extremely dirty, imagining and reliving the terrifying moments when Gonzo's hands were upon her. Shivering again, mainly because of the cold, she found the bag with her new clothes, got changed and wiped her mouth, still feeling the tinny taste of Gonzo's blood from when she had bitten him. Then she looked around for something else to do, something to take her mind off her thoughts. Nothing. So she sat down, fidgeted as she waited for Kurt. Still nothing. Got up, took a Berlitz German to English phrasebook from the bookcase, read it for about an hour, discovered Kurt's surname didn't begin with the letter V after all. Still absolutely nothing. She washed Kurt's cup out, still no sign of him. Siobhan wanted to go find Kurt, but at the same time felt so unsafe, she didn't have the courage to walk out the door.

She picked up the phrasebook again, tried saying some phrases out loud, felt fortunate Kurt wasn't there, she got the feeling she was getting the pronunciation wrong. Then she wanted to ask Kurt how. It felt like hours had passed when she finally couldn't bear to be alone for much longer, but in truth, it was just a few minutes.

--

The dark figure at the altar would have been invisible, if it weren't for the candles reflecting off the shining dark hair. Siobhan approached Kurt cautiously, right now she felt she didn't want to be seen, or touched by any man. He was mumbling a prayer in a voice so low, that even if she could speak the language, she wouldn't have been able to hear a word.

Kurt crouched on his knees, his hands around them, his head bowed. He didn't acknowledge the presence of Siobhan at all. Siobhan, on the other hand, noticed a knife in front of him and picked it up. She wasn't aware of its significance, as there was no blood on it, but had the suspicion Kurt intended to use it.

Surely he didn't mean to use it on her? Siobhan dismissed this notion as soon as it entered her head, Kurt had protected her, had brought her clothes and the fact he didn't even berate her when she chose the most expensive brands had gained Siobhan's utter devotion. Not that he'd looked at the prices, but that little reminder passed Siobhan by.

Siobhan lightly touched him on the shoulder to gain his attention. Startled, Kurt spun round and at first saw only the knife. He almost hit her, until he realised just in time he was about to attack someone half his size.

Siobhan fell back; her eyes wide open as she stared up at him, astonished. He stared back at her and started speaking in a rapid mixture of German and English, the only word Siobhan could make out was 'sorry'. She noticed his eyes were red. Grown men aren't supposed to cry, are they?

"You're hurt." She said simply.

"I failed." Kurt whispered, miserably.

"Huh?"

"I failed to protect you, I, I... Ah, you could have been killed!"

Siobhan dropped the knife. "We could have been killed." She corrected. "But you done that teleporting thing and you were there. Ain't that what counts?"

Kurt refused to be consoled. "You do not understand."

"I'm 9 years old, not a baby. Try me!"

Kurt would have hugged her then. She was so resilient; he wondered how tragic her life had been so far for her to be able to bounce back from such horror. He held his ground instead, directed his gaze heavenward and once again Siobhan couldn't understand what he was saying. Then his eyes met hers once more. She had forgiven him, however undeserving he was, now he could do what he knew had to be done with a clear conscious.

"I cannot look after you. I have already failed. The polizei, they will take care of you."

"NO!" Siobhan's scream of protest echoed throughout the building. "YOU don't understand! The police will send me away!

Kurt looked confused. "Is that not better than being here?"

"They're mean and horrible, they put daddy away for weeks sometimes and I have to live with Aunt Rosa and if she's in jail, they put me in a home! Once they had me go live with stupid people, they wanted me to call them aunty and uncle! And, and."

Now Kurt drew her to him. It was preferable to seeing her so unhappy. Siobhan's now muffled voice continued to speak in between sobs. "They sent mommy away. They're nasty!"

"Your mother is not dead?"

"Course not! I'm no orphan Annie!"

Kurt was completely confused now, but before he could even think of a response, Siobhan picked up the knife again.

"Isn't suicide supposed to be a sin?" If a degree in changing the subject existed, Siobhan wouldn't just have the degree, she would be the class tutor.

"Ja little one. You... You didn't think I was going to do that? Did you?" Kurt realised now that he might have added to Siobhan's fears by trying to add another tattoo to his collection. Now he felt more idiotic than depressed.

"Please don't leave me... They won't let Mommy take care of me, I don't want to say goodbye to you too!"

Siobhan started crying again and Kurt didn't get another word out of her. She merely sighed and rested her head against his chest if he tried to pry any more information out of her.

It was then, with startling clarity, that Kurt had a revelation. He could work this out, he knew. It would take days to coax Siobhan into telling him about her mother, he wouldn't have to say goodbye to her and cruelly leave her at a place she had no desire to visit. He had failed to protect her, yes, but perhaps it was all just a part of a bigger picture. 'But then, are we not all part of some higher plan?' Kurt asked himself. He knew the answer.

As he held Siobhan, everything became clearer. How could Kurt have been so blind? Even Barry was part of this, the man could go home guilt free to his daughter and free of any influences but his own, now he had saved them.

"You can stay with me for as long as you like. I promise." Kurt said as he wiped a tear from her eye.

--

Kurt carried her upstairs. When he laid her into her makeshift bed, she looked up at him and whispered "Self pity doesn't suit you. I heard that in a cartoon once." He responded with a tired smile and finally collapsed into his own bed.

It was well into morning now as Siobhan said with a smile "Goodnight, Mr Wagner." Only this time, she pronounced his surname as it was spelled.

Kurt was too exhausted to correct her pronunciation, he was already asleep.

--

Notes: *prances about idiotically* I reached the 50+ mark in reviews! Mange tak!

This will not be an AU fic. It is a great pity that a lot of very good stories here could be changed to AU if/when X3 comes to our screens in a few years time. I try and write fics that will stand the test of time and won't be outdated, fiction that could fit into whatever great plan the official writers for the characters us fan fic authors borrow.

Chapter 8 might take twice as long than usual, because it's the weekend, with warm weather and I intend to make the most of it. *prances again*