Disclaimer: This is applied to the first chapter as well as all the chapters that precede it; I do not own the X-men and they are the property of Marvel comics...although I would like to own Nightcrawler....

Well all you cheap readers, why didn't you review? I don't care if you review and say I should be ashamed and go into hiding just review!!! Flames, advice, anything I don't care I want to know what you think!

ORORO

Ororo found herself wandering the halls aimlessly one night. She caught a few students out of bed and she gave them the usual motherly scolding and shooed them off to bed. She had been so restless and could not figure out why; it has been since the day of the meeting she thought Suddenly the pain sliced through her heart like a cold knife, she knew why she couldn't sleep; she couldn't bear the fact that the Professor wanted to have the children celebrate so soon after the loss of Jean. Storm could feel the burning tears building up behind her eyes; she quickly made her way to her room before anyone could see her. Unfortunately, she was caught.

"Fräuliene Sturm, what is wrong?"

The lithe, blue Nightcrawler had just cut her off from exiting one of the adjoining hallways. She looked him in eye with a cold glare that she tried to make and threatening and menacing as possible as she answered.

"Nothing is wrong. I am just going to bed." She moved to go around him but he caught her wrists. She tried to pull away but he held fast.

"I am sorry for upsetting you, Sturmliebe, but I can tell when something is wrong."

He pulled her towards him and she fought to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks. He can't see me like this, she thought to herself, I am strong and I must stay that way. She looked up once more at Kurt and she had intended to glare at him until he backed down but as soon as she set eyes on his face and saw his genuine look of concern her shield fell and she started to cry.

Kurt nodded mutely and pulled her close, hugging her close to him. He lead her back to his room which was just around the corner, he must have known how much it meant to her to have a reputation of being strong and fearless and crying in front of wandering students would not help that. He got the door open with just using his tail and she managed to give him a weak smile. She collapsed of the bed beside him and finally, after what had seemed an eternity, her tears dried and she told him how she felt.

"...and I couldn't bear the fact that we could celebrate so soon after Jean..." a sob choked off the rest of her words and she couldn't tell him anything else. She managed not to tell him the fact that she couldn't get him out of her head but she opened up about everything else. He looked at her mutely, his shining yellow eyes found hers and he spoke with care.

"I know how you feel, the loss of a close friend is difficult to bear but it is easier if you share your feelings."

He squeezed her hand in reassurance and continued to speak.

"Bottling up emotions is not the way to deal with them, Ororo. You act brave for everyone else, thinking that you must hide your pain to help them, but by coming to me tonight you proved that you want to deal with your emotions not ignore them anymore."

Ororo could so anything but just stare at Kurt in amazement after he had finished speaking. No one, not even Xavier, had been able to understand her and get inside her head like Kurt was doing now. She felt like an overwhelming weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

She managed a smile before saying "Well, you just have me all figured out, don't you?"

She had expected him to laugh but he just looked down and a pain expression crossed his face, his next words nearly broke her heart.

"I understand what it feels like to lose someone you love dearly, for I lost the woman that I loved."

He paused and smiled meekly at her before continuing.

"My adoptive family was wonderful to me. I had a mother, a father and a sister who accepted me even though I looked like a demon. They loved me and I loved them and that was more than I could ever want, but as I grew older my feelings changed. I realised that Amanda meant more to me than any sister, I was in love with her."

He stopped as if the story was too painful to recall. Ororo held his hand and stroked his cheeks and murmured, "Please, go on."

He drew a shuddered breath and continued. "I realised that...I loved her and I admitted it to myself. I could not possibly think of admitting it to her, it was out of the question! I knew she could never love me...no matter how much tolerance she had, I was her brother, nothing more.

"When I left for America and I was taken by Stryker's men they beat me unconscious and when I woke up Amanda was with me. Well, you can imagine how happy I was, the woman I loved came to my aid, and she came to stay by my side! I worked up the courage to tell her how I felt and she told me that she loved me too. Then the next day I find out that Amanda was never there. It was and illusion created by Stryker to keep me happy."

He stopped his story to pause and look at Ororo. She looked like she was on the verge of tears once more.

"That is such a sad story, you must have been devastated." She crept closer to him, still clutching his hand. "How did you manage to survive something so horrible like that?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. He looked at her, pain shining in his eyes and continued

"Yes, to say the least I was devastated and so very, very hurt. I remember becoming violent after that, I would ask to see her again because I didn't understand. In the end I am still dealing with those emotions and I know the hurt, the pain and the suffering you feel."

He slipped his hand around her waist and buried his face in her neck. She could barely speak, how awful for Kurt! She realised that she was causing him to go through this all again. She stroked his hair as she said slowly.

"That is such a sad story I'm truly sorry I brought back such painful memories for you. I hate to see you suffer..." she trailed off as he brought up his head to look her in the eye.

He stared right at her and almost through her and said, "It is not your fault, if anyone is to blame it is Stryker for causing that....but it has been so much easier to deal with these emotions with you at my side."

He stopped abruptly and dropped his gaze to the floor, he must have realised what he had just said. He quickly added, "Look at the time; we have nearly talked the entire night! Would you like me to take you back to your room?"

Ororo smiled and looked at him, she never felt more comfortable in her entire life. She never wanted this night to end. She was about to protest when Nightcrawler bamfed and let go of her. She was in her room, she was about to ask if he wanted to stay for a while but he simply bowed and placed a soft kiss on her hand before bamfing away again in a cloud of blue smoke. She changed hastily and crawled between the covers of her quilt and sighed remembering how secure she felt in his arms. Well, Herr Wagner, she thought, I'm not going to be able to get you out of my head for a long time now, but at the moment I don't mind. She grinned to herself as she peacefully drifted off to sleep.