Ok, my sincere apologies for even mentioning Britney in chapter 8. My weekend was ruined by my ever so nice neighbours playing her songs 24/7. I couldn't concentrate, or think, with that crap blaring in my ears.

Chapter 9: Coming out.

Siobhan held her locket in much the same way Kurt may have held his rosary. She opened and closed the locket several times and it occurred to Kurt that Siobhan did have faith after all, her faith was held in her locket and without it the young girl did feel truly lost.

"I feel like an idiot." Siobhan said, "This church stuff is really getting to me, y'know?"

"You see the church as a bad influence?" Kurt replied, amused.

Siobhan shrugged, she couldn't think of a response, but at the same time wanted to stall on saying anything about her mother. She was sceptical. Its not like Kurt could help her, could he?

"Siobhan, you hold in your hands right now, a symbol of the Catholic faith. Could it be your mother gave you that locket because she believes as I do?"

Now Siobhan was more intrigued than sceptical. If mommy believed in all this God stuff too, then perhaps it was ok after all. "So what you're saying is I do believe but I just didn't know it?"

"Ja, something like that." Kurt wasn't about to pressure the girl.

"Mommy gave me this the last time she was in America. She was only allowed to stay for a week. It's not fair... Do you know what they did, Kurt? The social workers wouldn't let me open my present! It was like they were checking it for drugs!"

Kurt now wondered if Siobhan's mother was a criminal. He had to ask. Siobhan very firmly said no and continued.

"She's like you in a way." Siobhan said and Kurt fought back a burst of laughter. "Not in looks, but she's an immigrant. Well, was. Daddy got in with a bad crowd and Mommy couldn't stick it anymore, cos he used to get real violent when drunk. When my parents divorced, her visa ran out. Because I was born here, she wasn't allowed to take me with her."

"That is terrible!" Kurt empathised. He couldn't understand why Siobhan had been left in the care of a man with criminal convictions, just because she was American and her mother was not. "Surely it makes more sense for you to be with your mother?"

"Try telling them that! Mommy tried appealing, but they said because I'd started school and dad had met Carlotta, it was a stable environment for a child or some other shit like that!

Kurt looked appalled. "Siobhan, don't swear, not here and not in front of me."

"Ok, ok, but it gets me so angry!" Siobhan thumped the table, as if to confirm the feeling.

"That is obvious." Kurt said dryly "Why were so you scared to tell me about your mother before?"

Siobhan opened her locket and stared at her mother's photograph. "When I was six, my dad allowed me to go on holiday with my mom, to visit my grandparents in Ireland. This was the first time daddy didn't come too and mommy... I didn't want to go home; I wanted to stay with her..."

A tear started to run down Siobhan's cheek and it took her a few minutes to compose herself. "Are you sure you want to talk about it?" Kurt asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah sure." Siobhan wiped her face with her sleeve. "Anyway, we fled to a caravan park in Wales. It was fun! Mommy took me sightseeing; we saw a huge old ruined castle! There was a beach too and it was so great! I wanted to stay there forever. But then the police come. I hate the police! They broke into our caravan and they were so scary, I thought they were going to hit Mommy! I wasn't allowed to see her after that; they said she was being charged with kidnapping when I asked. She's my Mommy, how could they charge her with kidnapping?!"

Kurt gathered her up in his arms as Siobhan broke down crying. She sat on his knee and wept "It was the most horrible thing ever, worse than when Daddy died." Kurt had realised Siobhan had been left traumatised by some event that made her scared to even mention her mother, but if he had known how bad, he might have let her keep it to herself. A memory of a happier time marred so quickly by the authorities, it was no small wonder Siobhan hated them. He felt he had made great progress in finding out more about her, but at the same time felt guilty for forcing her to relive a moment she had tried to forget.

He looked at the clock and realising the time, rocked her gently to sleep.

--

In the morning, Siobhan asked for a continental breakfast. "I've been here for nearly two weeks and not once have you done any foreign food! They do have foreign food in Germany, right?"

Kurt laughed. "Indeed they do. Germany is infamous for its sausages. Oh and they have the best beer in the world, of course." He added, feeling a sudden surge of national pride.

"That's not breakfast food!"

Kurt didn't reply immediately. Instead he started looking for something and eventually found a box. Siobhan couldn't see the contents. "Ah, but neither is this! Kurt said, producing a bar of authentic Belgian chocolate. "Not very Deutsch, but very foreign, ja?"

Siobhan declared it the best breakfast ever and better than a Hershey's bar. Kurt made a mental note to hide the key to the box, an old quote came to him 'Once bitten, forever smitten.' Considering the glazed look in Siobhan's eyes as she munched the chocolate, that old saying was very appropriate.

"Do you miss your country, Kurt?" Siobhan asked after polishing off the chocolate, crumbs and all.

"Sometimes. But when I came here, I didn't want to go back so soon. Two weeks was not enough time to do sightseeing. I sold my ticket instead."

"You're right there." Siobhan agreed, thinking about her short time with her mother. "So that makes you an illegal immigrant, right?"

"Ja, but the authorities do not know that. I doubt they even know I exist."

"It's a pity Mommy can't teleport. Then the immigration officers couldn't find her and she could be an illegal immigrant too."

"Where is your mother? With your father dead, they would allow you to go back to her." Kurt wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to get Siobhan to open up a little, especially as she brought the subject up.

"No they won't! When they forced me back over here, I asked them if daddy died, could I go back to Mommy and they said I'd probably go into a home or be adopted, just cos I'm an American citizen!"

Kurt shook his head in disgust. "That is very stupid."

"You said it! Hey, can you teleport anywhere? Any country in the world?"

"If I could, I would not need a plane ticket." Kurt smiled, though he hated to disappoint her.

"I'll never see Mommy..." In contrast to Kurt's ready smile, Siobhan looked glum.

"Siobhan, don't look so sad! If you tell me where she lives, I will do my best to help."

"Mommy lives in Wales. She must have really liked it to stay there."

"Do you have an address?"

"She sends me letters sometimes, Daddy never let me reply to them, but they're all back home!"

'Yes!' thought Kurt. 'Finally some answers. If I can find an address, it will be difficult, but I will find her home.'

"Siobhan, I promise you, if an address can be found, I will re-unite you with your mother." He said with complete conviction.

"But the apartment might have been sold! Anyway, if you don't know where you're going how can we get there? Oh sure, we could take a bus, but how when you look like THAT?"

Kurt ignored the implied insult, as he usually did when a comment was made on his appearance. "There are ways around that, dear Siobhan. Wait till night and you will find out." He said mysteriously and left it at that.

--

After dark, Kurt and Siobhan went shopping again. Siobhan was very surprised when Kurt led her to a counter displaying make-up products. But she soon guessed why. "You need it to disguise yourself, don't you?"

"Unfortunately society is not ready for blue mutants with tails, Siobhan. Not even with the good publicity pointy ears have got recently. Ah woe is me, to have these superstar looks and no fans!" Kurt playfully replied.

"I'm a fan! I'm your biggest fan! You should have been an elf in Lord of the Rings!"

Kurt affectionately tussled her brown curls. "For that, I appoint you the president of my fan club." He remembered why he had brought Siobhan along, though the girl always refused to be left behind anyhow. She knew more about fashion and style than he did and Kurt needed her help in trying to look what is accepted as 'normal'. "You will have to be my chief stylist and makeup artist too, I must admit, the different brands are... Confusing."

Siobhan was in her element. She always read Carlotta's fashion magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, after her arch-nemesis was done with them and therefore had a better idea on what to get. "Hmm, well you don't need mascara... You've got really long girlish lashes, do you know that?"

"Siobhan it's bad enough I have to.." Kurt was cut off as Siobhan continued. "I dunno, a guy wearing makeup, its kinda gay."

"It looks like a certain little girl will be getting her fizzy drink privileges cut." Kurt replied indignantly.

Siobhan immediately changed her stance and behaved herself, while Kurt tried to hide a grin.

--

When they got back to the church, they waited till morning to apply the new look. Kurt locked Siobhan out of the room. She was banging at the door still and although Kurt realised he would have to step out anyway, he just wasn't ready to face whatever taunts she might throw his way. "I hate this." He said as he looked into the mirror.

Kurt was wearing very baggy trousers, the sort of trousers so called 'gansta rappers' wear, a hat to cover his ears with, a very ordinary white t-shirt and a black leather trench coat that Siobhan assured would make him look like someone called Spike out of a television programme she used to watch called Buffy. He had no idea what she meant by that and as long as the whole ensemble hid his tail, he didn't care. He was glad it wasn't raining as he didn't want to test out the durability of the supposed waterproof makeup. Now for the finishing touch. With great difficulty, he took out the brown tinted contact lenses and applied them onto his eyes. Another suggestion of Siobhan's and perhaps her most sensible, as wearing sunglasses in the middle of winter would be moronic.

He took one last look in the mirror. "Don't be so silly, you have had to do this before. Think of this as a performance." Kurt scolded himself and opened the door.

Siobhan was impressed. "Wow." As he looked at her anxiously, awaiting her approval, she had to admit, he did look very mundane, the very result they had aimed for. "You look like a skater boy!"

"Is that good?"

"Good? Its cool!"

"Ah, danke." Kurt blinked, for some reason Siobhan and the whole room seemed to spin and blur before him. "Die kontaktlinsen, they are very strong. I cannot see where I am going!"

Siobhan had to help Kurt downstairs and in the end, he removed the lenses. They both looked at the main door to the church, never before had it looked so ominous.

"Are we going or not?" Siobhan said impatiently as Kurt stood there.

Kurt now wondered if this was wise. He looked at Siobhan and made up his mind. Holding her hand in his, he took a deep breath and to avoid opening the door, he teleported.

--

Yeah, yeah, minor cliffhanger. Next chapter will deal with Kurt walking amongst 'normal' people, I wanted to keep that a separate chapter.

Don't worry folks, chapter 10 will be appearing soon.