The Long Flight Home

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or Evolution.

This story takes place right after the events of the "Cajun Spice" episode

I'm really bad at accents so forgive me in advance for not even trying.

I like many on the Animation Insider Boards was looking for some resolution to the last scene of Impact. When I didn't get the level of resolution I wanted, I decided to take my attempt at it. Kurt fans will say that he is way out of character in my story and I agree - but if you went through what he did you'd be a little out of character too.

:used to indicate private thoughts:

Chapter Four: Kurt's reflections

Ororo flew up into the night sky, knowing where to look for Kurt first. He had been spending a lot of time near at the gazebo - unless he knew Rogue was there with the professor or that he suspected Ororo was on the hunt for him.

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Kurt stood by the metal footlocker he had transported from the mansion garage that fateful night; it was close to but hidden from the gazebo. Inside it he had hidden the various pieces of Mystique he had been able to recover. He was afraid to bring the pieces into the Institute since it was clear how the New Mutants felt about his mother - if it wasn't for Scott they all would have been dead from her programmed actions during the Sentinel attack downtown.

Kurt's hand ran over the top of the box - he thought of how he had come to forgive her for all she had done to him - for letting Magneto experiment on him, for giving him up as an infant, for not seeking him out as he grew older.

He knew the others would be amazed to hear him say that. That he could forgive her. He remembered what his father had taught him.

When he was eight years old, Kurt once asked his parents when were they going to get divorced. He still remembered the surprised look on their faces when he had asked that. "Whatever gave you that idea?" his mother asked him. He explained how most of the other kids he knew had parents that lived in two different houses in the village or some had a parent in a nearby town. He felt odd that he lived with both parents. What he didn't tell them was he was afraid of the fighting between them. He heard them argue about things around the house - chores not done, money issues - but always feared that his mutation was the real cause. If they split up, it would allow one of them to have a short vacation from the shame of having a blue furry son around as he spent time with the other parent.

His father took his mother's hands in his and said, "Kurt, I know it scares you when your mother and I argue. But it's how we talk to one another. I guess what you miss out on is my little ritual at night. Before we go to sleep, I think of all the nasty things I did or said to your mom during the day and I beg her for forgiveness. I am a very lucky man to have a woman who puts up with my short temper and always allows me back into her heart. It has worked so long with just the two of us that I guess we didn't consider the affect it would have on you seeing us fight but not make up. How about I promise to apologize right away to your mom when I'm a jerk and you promise not to talk of divorce again?"

He learned a lot about anger and love from his father in the following years. :Apparently I forgot some of those things recently,: Kurt chastised himself.

He was exhausted - the angry demon that lived inside him was now in control and had shed the shell that was Kurt Wagner. He was a monster who had injured his best friend over a slip of the tongue - Kurt felt Scott had not meant to insult him.

He thought of Rogue. Her confession still raced around his head - she had pushed the statue off the gazebo to protect him. He felt a rush of the anger well up again - it wasn't Rogue's decision to make, he knew what Mystique was like, he knew the danger he was getting into. He felt he could talk to Mystique as a statue, get her to see how her actions had affected him and his sister. Rogue should have said something to him, talked to him about how dangerous she thought Mystique was, warn him first.

Kurt was confused by the thoughts racing around in his head when his dad's voice calmed him. The four questions - the anger management technique his father taught him.

One - what are you angry about? That was simple - Kurt hated the mysteries that kept him from understanding how he fit in with Mystique and Rogue. Why couldn't his biological mom just leave Rogue alone and let them resolve some of the questions the teens had? The other students had families and knew where they came from - some like Tabitha were from broken homes but she at least knew what happened to make it that way. He wasn't looking for a family reunion and picnic every year - just some simple answers to a few questions.

Two - who really is the source of your anger? Kurt opened the footlocker and the terrified face of Mystique looked up at him. What was the last thing in her mind as she became frozen - was it that she would not see her children again or was it the fact Mesmero had betrayed her in her quest for power? It became obvious to Kurt he had not really forgiven her, as he had been trying to convince himself. For the past events in his life - yes he could overlook those. But what of the destruction of the mansion and the Risty betrayal? If his mother was capable of such things, did that mean he could be, given the wrong circumstances? Was that as deeply ingrained in him as was her blue skin color?

The thought of Risty brought him to Three - who are you taking the anger out on? Rogue. He was angry at her because she could take it. She was strong and she was conveniently there. It was wrong of him to use her as his punching bag despite what his sister had done. He had forced Rogue into talking to a statue when she knew it was senseless. Whether they had saved Mystique that night at the gazebo or not, the end result was the same - the teens' questions and pleas would have fallen on deaf ears. If they had released Mystique, would she run back to Apocalypse to do his bidding once again?

And then Four - what are you going to do about it? Kurt realized he had sacrificed his relationship with Rogue over the chance, not guarantee but chance, he could get some answers from his real mom. Is that really a gamble worth taking?

:No, it wasn't.: Kurt thought as he closed the footlocker and walked away.

Kurt returned to what happened on the X-plane tonight. Scott's point rang true - Scott would have done the same for Alex. What if Kurt's and Rogue's places were reversed? What if Mystique had been torturing and manipulating her biological son and then set her sights on Rogue? What would he have done? Would he push the statue off the cliff? Or could he reason his way out of it and talk to Rogue? It was easy for him to judge her from the safety of the gazebo this night - but what of then?

Then Kurt thought of Scott. The older teen had been a friend from his first day at the Institute. They had gotten past their personality clash and bonded strongly. Especially when they discovered their mutual love of science fiction shows on TV. Kurt smiled as he thought of how Scott had pulled the wool over his eyes in the X-Jet. He had actually believed for a while that Scott had programmed a "computer" to keep him in the same room as Rogue. But it had done the trick - the brother and sister had talked - angry works were exchanged but they had been together. Kurt somehow felt better after getting some things off his chest. The word 'murderer' no longer buzzed in his head all the time.

Kurt thought of the time he and Rogue talked about the road ahead of them on the balcony when they first learned of their new found bond and how they would be there for each other. Mystique had brought them together and now she was tearing them apart. The road they recently traveled had very rocky and Kurt knew it would be a long time his relationship with his sister would get close to the way it was before - if it ever did at all. There was no easy solution to what happened here - but avoiding it like they had been was not the answer, he was sure. They had tried it long enough to know it didn't work and now this went beyond him and Rogue.

Kurt took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. All the anger he had been storing up was gone. He had lectured Rogue on what the anger was doing to her but was blind to his own. Had the demon taken him over or had it been released tonight never to return?

Kurt remembered what he said about leaving the mansion - and knew it was said in haste. There was no other place he'd rather be - this is where his friends were, his family outside his parents. There was a big battle looming on the horizon and he intended to be here to give it his all. This is what they trained for, the kind of battle the teens talked about in the hallways late Friday nights when the adults thought they were asleep.

But for Kurt to stay, he would have to ask forgiveness from his sister and his friend. He saw Ororo land near the gazebo and walk slowly towards him. He added her to his list of people to ask to pardon him after he had avoided all her attempts to help him over the past weeks. He might as well line everybody up in the front foyer of the mansion and just work his way down the ranks asking them to excuse his behavior since that night.

Ororo walked up to Kurt formulating a plan to get him back to the mansion. Kurt smiled as he asked, "Do you know where Scott and Rogue are? I need to see them."

She considered the teen in front of her carefully - a small glimpse of the Kurt she knew before this mess. She was glad to see part of him return knowing he was changed that terrible night forever, and the joy was tempered by the knowledge of coming events in the near future.

She replied, "Scott is in the MedLab, I believe." Kurt reached out and teleported the two of them to the mansion basement.

Please read and review. This is fourth of ten - a quick chapter flows this.