ORORO

As soon as the Professor had told her where Kurt was she had taken off running. She feared for him and of course Rogue but Rogue could easily take care of Mystique with literally a touch of the finger. Then a nagging voice arose in the back of her head that whispered, but Mystique was holding on to Rogue's neck and she wasn't losing her powers. Ororo shoved the thought that Mystique might have strangled Rogue, out of her mind. No, she thought with tears burning behind her eyes, they are not dead, the Professor would've told me to expect that. As Ororo was rounding the last corner to get to Kurt's room she sprinted as fast as she could trying to prepare herself what to expect but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Kurt was hugging Mystique and Rogue, who had obviously been crying was smiling at them. Ororo was about to scream bloody murder but Mystique was too quick. She released Nightcrawler and grabbed Ororo's head. She clamped one hand over Ororo's mouth and she motioned the other like she was going to strike her to knock her unconscious. Ororo closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow but it never came. She opened one eye to see Nightcrawler holding on to Mystique's wrist. He was talking quickly in German and Mystique answered harshly. She stared at the pair of them, she didn't know Mystique could speak German, and why wasn't Rogue running to get help? She was just staring at the pair with a strange expression on her face. Finally, they switched back to English and Ororo began to understand what was going on.

"Mother, please, do not hurt her!"

"Kurt, what choice do I have? If I take my hand away she will scream and I will be caught!"

"Why can't you stay with us?"

Rogue interjected. She looked like she was going to cry again.

"Are you going to abandon both of us again?!"

Her voice was high pitched and tears glistened in her eyes.

At this Mystique also had tears in her bright yellow eyes and she answered, "What do...do you think?! Of course not! Do you know how much I risked coming here?" Ororo, who had been forgotten, wiggled out of Mystique's grip and ran to Kurt and asked him if he was alright.

"Yes, mein liebe, I found out that I have a family." His expression looked happy.

Ororo glanced at Mystique who was smiling proudly at her son. Ororo could not believe this how could he believe her?! She finally blurted out, "How can you be sure? Are you going to just take her word for it? And you, Rogue, how could you possibly trust her? She tried to kill you!" Was she the only one who saw the absurdity in this? She could understand Nightcrawler being her son, I mean who couldn't, matching blue skin and shining yellow eyes, but Rogue? Mystique strode over to Storm and her body went rigid but Kurt slid his arm around her waist and stepped forward.

"I don't care what you say, mother. I cannot allow you to hurt my Ororo."

His face looked defiant but she knew Mystique better than him, when she wanted to do something she did it.

But Mystique did something that surprised her; she simply nodded her head and said, "I will see you soon, my children." She then turned towards the bathroom to retrieve an unconscious Pyro before turning into Logan and striding out the door. Rogue looked at Kurt then dashed out the door to stop her mother. Kurt simply walked three steps backwards and fell onto his bed. Ororo motioned to leave but Kurt caught her arm.

"Sturmliebe, please, stay with me..." She looked at him and nodded her head. He pulled her onto the bed next to him and he held her in his arms as they both drifted off to sleep.

KURT

What seemed like 5 minutes later both Kurt and Ororo awoke with Xavier's voice literally ringing in their heads. Come to my office; that is an order! Uh-oh, Kurt thought, this is not going to be pretty. Ororo, who had stared to stir immediately when Xavier's voice had entered their minds, motioned to sit up but Kurt wouldn't let her. He hung on to her waist and she turned over to face him.

"Kurt, we have to go see Xavier. He sounds pretty pissed..."

"All the more reason to delay the inevitable. I can teleport us there in a second so let's just wait for a bit."

He was so comfortable and this was probably the last time Ororo would let him hold her after he told her what had happened between Mystique and himself. Ororo snuggled closer, which Kurt had thought was almost impossible. She was so close, mein Gott; he was going to go crazy if he didn't kiss her. He moved his head forward just slightly so their lips touched, soft and light like a feather. To Kurt's surprise she didn't pull away; on the contrary she wrapped her arms around his neck and made the kiss deeper. Kurt had forgotten briefly about Xavier until he broke into both their minds again and this time he sounded like he was ready to scream. Either you come now under your own steam or I shall force you. Kurt cringed; he knew what he was going to hear. He held onto Ororo and with a quick bamf they were in the Professor's office upright, holding each other so tight it was hard to tell where she stopped and he began.

ORORO

Ororo had never seen Xavier this mad, even when she had stolen his wallet when she was a little pickpocket in Cairo. He was always a calm, rational man who knew that getting mad just frustrated everyone, not today apparently. After Kurt had relayed his story to him and Ororo filled in the parts that she had witnessed Ororo felt like she was on the verge of tears. She didn't want the Professor to be mad at her or Kurt. What was worse she feared that the Professor might ask Kurt to leave and not come back. He would never do that, she thought as the tears slipped down her face, he would never send away a troubled soul that he had sheltered. But Kurt had endangered lives and that could be reason enough to make him leave. Well if Kurt had to leave she would go with him, after all isn't that what you are supposed to do for the one you loved? Wait, she loved him?

The Professor, who had been obviously reading her mind, said quickly, "Ororo, I would never force Kurt to leave the mansion. You should know better than that." But at this Ororo unhinged completely. She fell to the floor and her body shook violently from the sobs that were tearing through her. She felt Kurt's arms around her, whispering in fluent German to her. The Professor wheeled his wheelchair in front of her and put his hands on her head. She looked up at him, her face was red and swollen but the tears were starting to diminish. When he spoke both mutants gave him their attention.

"Kurt, you must understand what you did was foolish. You cannot trust the fact that Mystique was telling the truth. I do not have an explanation why she would make up a lie like that but I am almost a hundred percent sure that she did lie to you."

At this Kurt hung his head and now it was his turn to cry. Ororo was doing her best to comfort him but she had absolutely no idea what to do. Her family had been taken from her almost all at once but Kurt got his back finally only to have it taken away again.

"Could we do a DNA test, for Rogue and my sake's?"

Xavier obvious understood that he needed proof before he could accept his fate; he was alone and was meant to be. Xavier nodded his head and said "Of course, I understand it is difficult for you to comprehend all of this. Ororo can take blood samples in the morning but right now I want you both to go and get some sleep." They both just nodded he could tell just by looking at them that the two people were very distraught. Kurt moved as if he was going to exit through the door but Ororo caught him and hugged him close and whispered in his ear. He nodded and they both disappeared in a cloud of foul-smelling blue smoke with a quiet bamf.

KURT

They were in Ororo's room in an instant. He wished that this night had never happened, well, maybe that the dance happened but not all the other stuff. He knew that she knew from first-hand experience that it was hard not having family to fall back on. The best anyone could do when that family had been stripped from you was offer their sympathy and it helped....a little bit. Kurt was still holding on to her and they had been in her room for a while now. Not that either of them cared, but it was hard and obviously the most devastating thing he could have ever gone through.

"Kurt?"

She whispered in his ear. She didn't get a real response, just a muffled sob.

"Oh my, Kurt. Come sit down."

She tried to pull away but he farthest he would allow her, or better put his tail would allow her, was so she could see his face. As she looked up into his golden eyes and he knew they were clouded with tears. His eyes were puffy and they had turned purple around the edges. There were so many tears running down his face and he could feel her body shaking against his own. She kissed him on both cheeks and pulled him towards her bed.

"It's alright Kurt. You don't have to be brave for me. You don't have to bottle up your emotions. I'll be here for you."

La Fin