Flickering Souls
An X-Men Evolution Fanfic by Remedy=Chill
Chapter One: Christmas Eve and the Gift of Charity
Kurt pulled his jacket tight around him as he walked through the snow-covered streets of Bayville. He was wrapped against the cold, but today – he wore no holographic disguise.
A part of him was flush with excitement – the possibility of getting caught, the steady insights of the last week that led him here – and of course, the spirit of the holiday. After all, it was Christmas Eve.
He held his hat to his head as the wind blew, stirring up the lightly fallen snow in to tiny dancing whirlpools.
Somehow he knew she would be here, again.
At the end of the block by the back door of the red building. He told himself.
He turned the corner and saw her footprints in the snow, tracing the side of the building, and he followed them down in to the darkness.
And soon there was movement in the shadows, and he knew – she was now aware of him.
"You're Misty." He called in to the shadows, knowing she was not. "Rogue's friend, right?"
The darkness shifted and swayed for a moment before she stepped out of the shadows. "Right." She said over the wind, hugging herself. "You're Kurt, aren't you?" She looked hesitantly at his undisguised face.
Kurt smiled. And the dance begins …
"Ja." He told her, stepping up closer so as to be heard. "Rogue told me … about your parents." He began, watching her face carefully. "And I'm sorry to hear it." He smiled shyly but didn't let her speak.
She looked slightly confused. Parents …
"I thought I could tell you something – about my mother." He said softly, setting the trap.
The girl looked torn. She was solid and stoic but something inside wouldn't let her walk away.
"What is it?" She said softly raising one eyebrow – quickly – as she said the word 'it'.
Kurt leaned his head toward the doorway. "Out of the cold." He told her, and after eyeing him cautiously, she stepped in to the doorway with him, out of the wind.
"My mother and I have major political differences." He told her. "Like most people, she stumbled a few steps down a dark path, but … she never recovered. It's been her path ever since."
The girl looked hard and cold.
"And I don't care." He said. "Not about that and almost not at all."
She blinked twice, surprised.
"We may fight, and hurt each other, and for good reason sometimes too." He smiled at her. "And that wont change until she does." He told her plainly. "But if that were to happen, and the effort were to be made, she would discover that she had a world beyond the one she knows. She would discover a son, and maybe more."
The girls eyes were large and round. She wore a look of puzzlement and curiosity. A part of her felt unmasked, as though he had seen through her, but another part – rather than unmasked, felt discovered.
"The point is, I love her." He said softly. "No matter what she's done." He smiled. "I was born with this love, and I will die with it." He touched his chest over his heart.
He smirked at her. "Remember what I've said." He told her. "Because it's important to understand that when it comes to children and parents – when they're dealing with each other – the rules of the outside world don't apply. Hearts and Souls are all that matter."
"Hearts can change. And Souls can grow." He said. "They're mutants, like us – me and my mother, that is."
He smiled at her, seeing that she had relaxed despite herself.
"Merry Christmas." He told her softly. "I hope things with your family all work out, so that you can all be together again someday."
The statement seemed to send a chill through her.
"Thank you." She said quickly, before turning away, and not looking back as she departed.
Kurt smiled to himself as she turned the corner out of sight.
She rounded the corner and let her shape revert to normal. She stepped in to her car and turned the ignition, then turned on the heat.
He knew. She told herself. He knew it was you.
How could he? How could he see through me? And how would he know I was here?
She cursed herself.
And then, slowly, and unexpectedly, as the heat began to warm her, his words began to sink in.
"The point is, I love her." He said softly in the back of her mind.
She sank slowly in to the soft leather seat. The car was getting warm now and she was feeling far more comfortable.
And the thought came again, this time without the fear or the worry.
He knew. She thought again. He knew it was you and …
She fought the desire to mistrust his motives. But lost. She turned the wheel and rolled out on to the road.
The lights in front of her turned green and she let the car gain some speed. The further away she got, the safer she felt.
And she gave herself over to the distraction of driving home.
When she finally reached her house and stepped out of the car she had a perfect moment of understanding.
He did know. She realized. He's clever... He made me take Misty's shape so that he could say what he wanted.
And all that prattle about her 'parents' …But why? Why …
She shook her head and sat back down in the car and closed the door.
"He loves me." She said softly, and then … she smiled.