Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution, or any other Marvel or WB
property.
Notes: I have to give credit where credit is due, and my vision of Kurt's family is drawn heavily from another writer. Nemain, I know you will probably never read this, but you're stories are amazing. I only hope to one day be so detailed and in depth with my writing as you are in yours. That said, I'm not using Margali or Jimaine in this story. Sorry for those of you who wanted to see them. My vision of Romany Gypsies living in Germany is based upon actual research. I actually did research. Wow. Anyhow, from now on, if you see a footnote appear in the text, it's explained at the bottom of the chapter.
As always, I'm going to continue to put the shout-out's before the chapter, so please remember that there's still story here. . .I have a lot of shout- out's.
Telle: Thanks! Hope you continue to like it.
Ice50: Yeah, I dig Kurtty too (in case no one could tell from the seven Kurtty's I've written). HEY! EVERYONE SHOULD READ "NIGHTCRAWLER'S BURDEN. I really like the story Ice50.
Anonymous: I actually like Tabby, so I'm not referring to her as an idiot so much as she's excitable about learning the language and being in a new country. Hope that doesn't ruin it for ya! Glad you like it so far.
Beboots: I'm fairly certain that it'll be a Kurtty. Can you tell me some other Kurtitha's, though? I can't find any!
Electric Russian: Sigh. Why you gotta talk 'bout my gal Tabby that way?!? Sorry about Margali not being in this story. Hope you still like it.
BoomBaby101: Awesome! I'm glad you like it, and hope you continue to do so.
Papaya: Please don't hurt me. I'm fragile. Heehee.
JDH3: You're back! Yeah, we should all be as unlucky as Kurt.
Took-Baggins: You pretty much guessed right, I'm thinking. Let the awkwardness begin!
This is getting long, so a HUGE, GINORMOUS shout-out to the following: Tainz, Mrs. Trunks' Mom, Radical-Seto, and LewsTherinInsanity. I promise to be less impersonal with you guys and gals next time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Kurt watched as the city became a town, the town became suburbs, and the suburbs became countryside. He felt good. It was great to see the old landmarks that he was so used to seeing in his childhood. During his childhood, he had traveled through most of Germany with the circus, not to mention Europe. Looking over, he saw Gunther yawn, and behind him, Kitty and Tabby were asleep. Smiling, he faced forward and continued to look out of the window.
"{Feel good to be home?}" Gunther asked.
"Jah." Kurt said, shutting off his image inducer. "{But a little strange, too.}"
"{I can imagine.}" Gunther said.
As night approached, and the moon began to take the place of the sun, the VW Bus pulled off of the main road onto a duty dirt road riddled with holdes and dips. Kitty awoke with a start, but Tabby continued to sleep through the bumpy ride. Kitty crawled forward, poking her head into the front seat. Kurt looked over at her and smiled in greeting.
"So what's up? Are we gonna make it, Captain?" Kitty asked no one in particular.
"Jah. Ve'll make it Katzchen." Kurt said. "Don't vorry. It's just an old road."
Kitty placed her hand on his shoulder while looking through the windshield at the darkening countryside. Kurt glanced briefly at her hand and then back out of the window.
"It's beautiful here, Kurt." she said.
Kurt nodded. Slowly, he brought his hand up to hers and placed it on top. She squeezed his shoulder as he enfolded her hands in his. Smiling, both continued to look out of the window while a tired Gunther continued to drive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------
Finally the VW Bus pulled off of the road and onto the earth. The drive became bumpier, and Tabby finally woke up.
"What's up? Are we there yet?" she asked.
"Not yet." Kurt said. "A moment or two, and ve'll be zhere."
"Um, Kurt?" Kitty asked.
"Yes, Liebes?" Kurt replied, making Gunther glance at him for his use of the word.
"Where exactly are we going?" Kitty asked.
Tabby's ears perked up.
"Vell, ve're heading toward my home. Sort of." Kurt replied.
"What do you mean by sort of?" Tabby asked.
"Vell, zis is our home vhen ve're not touring. You see, ve're not only a circus, but ve're a circus of Romany gypsies." Kurt said.
"What does that mean?" Tabby wondered.
"It means zat ve roam." Gunther said and then laughed.
Kurt rolled his eyes.
"{Nice joke. Too bad it's about a billion years old.}" Kurt said, and then turned to Kitty and Tabby. "Romany humor. Vhat it means is zat ve make our home vhere ve can find one."
Kitty turned to Tabby.
"You taking notes here, Genius?" she asked.
"Go to hell." Tabby said in an annoyed voice.
"Hey. Stop." Kurt said, becoming serious.
The two girls nodded an apology and became silent again.
"Vhere ve are now is countryside zat is our home right before ve begin to tour. I grew up in zis place." Kurt said, motioning to the countryside.
"Where?" Kitty asked.
"Zhere." Gunther replied to her question, pointing forward through the windshield.
Both girls barely contained their gasps. In the center of a large clearing was what Kitty could only describe as a town,, and Tabby could only describe as a "good time." It wasn't really a town so much as it was a settlement, or a camp. Covered wagons, busses, vans, and R.V.'s were everywhere. Each had been painted and repainted, until they all looked strange, covered with pictures of animals or circus acts. Campfires dotted the landscape, each with people eating, drinking and talking around them. Children chased each other through clotheslines draped between covered wagons. Music was playing from somewhere, and a couple was dancing to it. Warmth, laughter, and merriment seemed to permeate the entire scene. Kurt's smile became positively radiant. (1)
"Ladies, zis is mein home." Kurt said.
Kitty and Tabby both smiled. Gunther turned and grinned at them.
"Stick close to me, ladies. I haff a strange feeling zat if you stay too close to Kurti here, you may be crushed by ze stampede." Gunther said, parking the VW Bus and killing the ignition.
"What stampede?" Kitty asked, and then yelped.
Kurt's door was wrenched open by a man Kitty could only describe as "ginormous." He reached one muscle-bound arm into the bus and pulled Kurt out, gripping him by the scruff of his neck.
"Manni! Nein!" Kurt yelped, trying not to laugh.
"{He has returned to us!}" Manni yelled, embracing Kurt in a bear hug. "Ha ha ha haaaa!"
What seemed like dozens and dozens of people were crowding around Kurt, each speaking excitedly to him in German, each trying to embrace him or shake his hand. Kitty and Tabby waited until the crowd cleared away from the bus to get out. Tabby and Kitty watched as the crowd pulled Kurt closer to the camp. Gunther came around to open the back of the bus.
"I didn't know Blue was so popular." Tabby said.
"Kurti? Ach. Yes. Very popular." Gunther teased. "Everyone is excited to see him again. Not many people leave us. In ze past couple of years, only two of our young ones left to go to school."
"You don't go to school?" Tabby asked.
"Ve are. . .self educated. You vill not find an imbecile at our camp. Ve are a very curious people, and our elders pass on knowledge and education to our young ones. Ve are schooled in mazth, science and history just like you."
"That's cool." Kitty said, taking her bag from Gunther.
"Nein, nein, Kitty. Don't vorry about zat. You are Kurt's guest, and our guest as vell. Manni!"
The large man who had "liberated" Kurt from the bus turned around.
"{Will you help the ladies with their bags?}" Gunther asked.
"{Of course!}" Manni said, picking up Tabby's and Kitty's bags with one large arm.
"Thank you." Kitty said softly, smiling at Manni, somewhat intimidated by the large man.
Manni laughed, and then reached out toward Kitty, making her yelp again. With one swift motion, he settled her so that she was sitting on his shoulder and he began to walk toward the camp. Gunther laughed.
"Vould you like a ride as vell?" Gunther asked.
"No thanks." Tabby said, laughing. "I can walk."
Kitty looked back at them, bemused with her own precarious situation. From her vantage on top of Manni's shoulder, she could see the throngs of people were still surrounding Kurt. Kurt looked over at her and laughed, wagging his fingers at her. Kitty smiled and waved back. Behind her, Gunther held Kurt's bags as he led Tabby to the camp.
Once Manni set her down, she smiled at him.
"Thanks. . .I guess." She said.
"You are velcome, fraulein!" Manni said in a deep voice. "A friend of Kurt's is a friend of mine."
Manni set the bags down next to a wagon and walked toward Kurt. Kitty followed. Gunther set Kurt's bags down next to the others, and led Tabby toward Kurt as well.
"Don't vorry. Your luggage is safer here zan anyvhere in all of Germany." Gunther said when Tabby cast a look back.
"Oh. Okay."
Once Tabby caught up with Kitty, Kurt looked over at them and motioned for them to come closer. They walked closer, and Kurt met them halfway.
"{Everyone. . .}" Kurt said to the people, motioning toward Kitty and Tabby. "{. . .these are my friends, Kitty and Tabby.}"
Everyone turned toward them, and to Kitty and Tabby's great surprise, rushed toward them, extending their hands. Some of the gypsy women and children even embraced them. A chorus of "welcomes" were said in German, and the two girls did their best to acknowledge everyone.
"Kitty, Tabby. . .zis is my mozzer." Kurt said excitedly, leading a woman close to them.
"Hallo, girls. It's a pleasure to meet you." Astrid, Kurt's mother, said.
Both girls were astonished. Astrid was a small woman in stature, but she seemed to be large in presence. She couldn't have weighed more than one hundred pounds and she seemed younger than they would have imagined. Tabby almost felt guilty for imagining Kurt's mother to be an old, hunchbacked gypsy woman, with a large mole on her nose. Astrid positively radiated beauty. Looking around, Tabby realized that they all did.
Astrid smiled at the young girls, and then embraced them both, pulling them close to her. Both girls giggled at all of the attention they were receiving.
"Now. . .tell me. How much trouble has my son got into?" Astrid asked while pinching Kurt.
"Mama. . ." Kurt said, blushing beneath his fur.
"Actually Ms. Wagner, he helps keep all of us out of trouble." Kitty said, grinning.
"Ach! Zhere is no Ms. Vagner here. Only Astrid." Astrid said, smiling at Kitty.
"Okay. . .Astrid." Kitty said.
"And zis is my fazzer." Kurt said, motioning to the man next to Astrid. "Johannes."
"Hello, girls." Johannes said. He was somewhat taller than Kitty had imagined, and he looked very strong, with an acrobat's build. His smile reached his eyes, and you could at once tell that he was a very genuine, caring man.
"Hello." They both chorused.
"Now come! You must be hungry!" Astrid said, taking the girls by their arms and leading them toward another fire. "Come on, Kurti!"
"Yeah! Come on. . .Kurti!" Tabby said, turning her head to smile at Kurt.
"Mein Gott. Zey'll never stop calling me zat now." Kurt grumbled to Gunther, making him laugh.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------
Kitty sat next to the fire, thankful that everyone seemed to speak English pretty well. They were currently talking to the three young mutants about what life was like for them. Tabby and Kitty had finished eating, and Kurt was on his fourth helping. What amused Kitty was how no one seemed to think he was eating much. They continued to press food onto Kurt before he had finished the plate he was currently on.
"Then again, he grew up with them. They know how much he eats." Kitty thought.
Kurt was busy telling the group surrounding them about their adventures on the island they had escaped to after the failed cruise trip.
". . .and zen Amara stopped ze volcano from blowing again. She kind of became one viz it." Kurt finished.
"Vhat happened to all of you zen?" a young boy named Shroeder asked.
"Vell, Amara came back to us, better zan ever, and ve vent back to ze cruise ship." Kurt said, shrugging.
"My son ze hero." Astrid said, smiling.
Kitty was amazed at how well Astrid seemed to be taking her sons stories about life or death situations. She was sure that her parents would have been fairly upset if they learned just how much danger she had put herself in during the past couple of years. Astrid, however, seemed understanding, and Kitty mentioned so.
"Yes, I suppose so. But ze vay I look at it, God gave you each a vonderful gift, and to not use zose gifts for ze betterment and protection of your fellow man vould be a sin." Astrid said, Johannes nodding next to her. "I do vorry about you zough, Kurti."
Kurt nodded, pulling back when his mother licked her finger and tried to smooth back his bangs.
"Mama! Stop!" Kurt said.
"Hey, enough about us! Why don't you tell us some embarrassing stories about Kurt from when he was a little boy." Tabby said.
"Oh! Haff I got stories to tell you." Astrid said, laughing.
"Mama! No!" Kurt moaned. "Papa! Make her stop!"
"Yes. Astrid, mein liebe, ze camp is moving tomorrow morning. It's late, and ve must go to bed. If ve vere going to tell embarrassing stories to zese beautiful girls about Kurt's childhood, ve'd be here all night."
The crowd laughed heartily, everyone who knew Kurt nodding.
"Zank you, Papa." Kurt said sarcastically. "Vhere are ve sleeping?"
"You zree are sleeping togezzer in zat vagon." Astrid said, pointing to a covered wagon nearby. "But first. . .ladies, neizer of you are romantically involved viz or interested in Kurti, are you?"
"Nope." Tabby lied.
"No." Kitty lied.
"Kurti?" Johannes asked.
"Nein." Kurt lied.
"Okay, zen ve trust you. Manni! Take zeir bags over to ze vagon!" Johannes yelled out.
"{You go it.}" Manni called back, moving toward the bags.
"I recommend ve all go to sleep!" Johannes said to the crowd. "Ve haff an early day tomorrow, and a long vay to go."
The crowd surrounded Kurt, Tabby and Kitty, all of them hugging the teens or simply saying "good night." When the crowd dispersed, Astrid and Johannes did the same to all three, and then left to go to their own wagon.
"So we have our own place?" Kitty asked aloud.
"Jah." Kurt said.
Tabby looked at it, her face full of doubt.
"Is it going to be big enough for us?" she wondered aloud.
"Jah. It may be a little tight, but usually circus performers are traveling in it and zey don't care about tight spaces." Kurt said, leading the two girls closer to the wagon. "I vonder vhat my surprise vas."
"What surprise?" Kitty asked.
"Gunther mentioned that he knew something that I didn't that could make my summer. . .I don't know." Kurt said, blushing under his fur again when he realized what he almost said.
"Make your summer. . .?" Tabby began to ask, but was cut off by a girl's voice.
"Guten nicht, Kurt." it said.
Kurt froze in his tracks.
"That voice! It can't be." Kurt thought, turning around slowly.
Kitty and Tabby followed suit, turning around themselves.
Standing there was girl roughly the same age as they were. Her skin was a dark complexion, and absolutely gorgeous. Her dark, black hair fell in waves down her head, pulled toward the rear where it hung halfway down her back. Her eyes were shaped like almonds, and Tabby could tell that they were a dark blue green in the light of the fire. She was wearing a simple, brown top, with a beautiful black, handmade skirt flowing behind her in the breeze. A gentle smile was spread across her lips, and the fire danced in her eyes.
"Franka?" Kurt whispered.
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(1): Romany gypsies group into tribes, known in the Romany language as a kumpania. Romany is a language unto itself, taking on the characteristics of whatever country the kumpania resides and roams in. Since Kurt has always spoken German, I figure his kumpania also speaks German. Not all Romany gypsies live like this. Some aren't as lucky as this particular performing group, which I've written as a romanticized ideal of what gypsies live like.
A little shorter than I'm really happy with, but it's where I wanted to end the chapter. So, once again, I stole Kurt's parents' names from Nemain (I should probably email her and let her know). Anyone else that you don't recognize is a product of my imagination. I know that this chapter doesn't seem as funny as the others, but I wanted to give Kurt a nice homecoming before torturing him (as tortuous as three girls wanting a guy can be). I should have the next chapter up in a day or so.
Later.
Notes: I have to give credit where credit is due, and my vision of Kurt's family is drawn heavily from another writer. Nemain, I know you will probably never read this, but you're stories are amazing. I only hope to one day be so detailed and in depth with my writing as you are in yours. That said, I'm not using Margali or Jimaine in this story. Sorry for those of you who wanted to see them. My vision of Romany Gypsies living in Germany is based upon actual research. I actually did research. Wow. Anyhow, from now on, if you see a footnote appear in the text, it's explained at the bottom of the chapter.
As always, I'm going to continue to put the shout-out's before the chapter, so please remember that there's still story here. . .I have a lot of shout- out's.
Telle: Thanks! Hope you continue to like it.
Ice50: Yeah, I dig Kurtty too (in case no one could tell from the seven Kurtty's I've written). HEY! EVERYONE SHOULD READ "NIGHTCRAWLER'S BURDEN. I really like the story Ice50.
Anonymous: I actually like Tabby, so I'm not referring to her as an idiot so much as she's excitable about learning the language and being in a new country. Hope that doesn't ruin it for ya! Glad you like it so far.
Beboots: I'm fairly certain that it'll be a Kurtty. Can you tell me some other Kurtitha's, though? I can't find any!
Electric Russian: Sigh. Why you gotta talk 'bout my gal Tabby that way?!? Sorry about Margali not being in this story. Hope you still like it.
BoomBaby101: Awesome! I'm glad you like it, and hope you continue to do so.
Papaya: Please don't hurt me. I'm fragile. Heehee.
JDH3: You're back! Yeah, we should all be as unlucky as Kurt.
Took-Baggins: You pretty much guessed right, I'm thinking. Let the awkwardness begin!
This is getting long, so a HUGE, GINORMOUS shout-out to the following: Tainz, Mrs. Trunks' Mom, Radical-Seto, and LewsTherinInsanity. I promise to be less impersonal with you guys and gals next time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Kurt watched as the city became a town, the town became suburbs, and the suburbs became countryside. He felt good. It was great to see the old landmarks that he was so used to seeing in his childhood. During his childhood, he had traveled through most of Germany with the circus, not to mention Europe. Looking over, he saw Gunther yawn, and behind him, Kitty and Tabby were asleep. Smiling, he faced forward and continued to look out of the window.
"{Feel good to be home?}" Gunther asked.
"Jah." Kurt said, shutting off his image inducer. "{But a little strange, too.}"
"{I can imagine.}" Gunther said.
As night approached, and the moon began to take the place of the sun, the VW Bus pulled off of the main road onto a duty dirt road riddled with holdes and dips. Kitty awoke with a start, but Tabby continued to sleep through the bumpy ride. Kitty crawled forward, poking her head into the front seat. Kurt looked over at her and smiled in greeting.
"So what's up? Are we gonna make it, Captain?" Kitty asked no one in particular.
"Jah. Ve'll make it Katzchen." Kurt said. "Don't vorry. It's just an old road."
Kitty placed her hand on his shoulder while looking through the windshield at the darkening countryside. Kurt glanced briefly at her hand and then back out of the window.
"It's beautiful here, Kurt." she said.
Kurt nodded. Slowly, he brought his hand up to hers and placed it on top. She squeezed his shoulder as he enfolded her hands in his. Smiling, both continued to look out of the window while a tired Gunther continued to drive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------
Finally the VW Bus pulled off of the road and onto the earth. The drive became bumpier, and Tabby finally woke up.
"What's up? Are we there yet?" she asked.
"Not yet." Kurt said. "A moment or two, and ve'll be zhere."
"Um, Kurt?" Kitty asked.
"Yes, Liebes?" Kurt replied, making Gunther glance at him for his use of the word.
"Where exactly are we going?" Kitty asked.
Tabby's ears perked up.
"Vell, ve're heading toward my home. Sort of." Kurt replied.
"What do you mean by sort of?" Tabby asked.
"Vell, zis is our home vhen ve're not touring. You see, ve're not only a circus, but ve're a circus of Romany gypsies." Kurt said.
"What does that mean?" Tabby wondered.
"It means zat ve roam." Gunther said and then laughed.
Kurt rolled his eyes.
"{Nice joke. Too bad it's about a billion years old.}" Kurt said, and then turned to Kitty and Tabby. "Romany humor. Vhat it means is zat ve make our home vhere ve can find one."
Kitty turned to Tabby.
"You taking notes here, Genius?" she asked.
"Go to hell." Tabby said in an annoyed voice.
"Hey. Stop." Kurt said, becoming serious.
The two girls nodded an apology and became silent again.
"Vhere ve are now is countryside zat is our home right before ve begin to tour. I grew up in zis place." Kurt said, motioning to the countryside.
"Where?" Kitty asked.
"Zhere." Gunther replied to her question, pointing forward through the windshield.
Both girls barely contained their gasps. In the center of a large clearing was what Kitty could only describe as a town,, and Tabby could only describe as a "good time." It wasn't really a town so much as it was a settlement, or a camp. Covered wagons, busses, vans, and R.V.'s were everywhere. Each had been painted and repainted, until they all looked strange, covered with pictures of animals or circus acts. Campfires dotted the landscape, each with people eating, drinking and talking around them. Children chased each other through clotheslines draped between covered wagons. Music was playing from somewhere, and a couple was dancing to it. Warmth, laughter, and merriment seemed to permeate the entire scene. Kurt's smile became positively radiant. (1)
"Ladies, zis is mein home." Kurt said.
Kitty and Tabby both smiled. Gunther turned and grinned at them.
"Stick close to me, ladies. I haff a strange feeling zat if you stay too close to Kurti here, you may be crushed by ze stampede." Gunther said, parking the VW Bus and killing the ignition.
"What stampede?" Kitty asked, and then yelped.
Kurt's door was wrenched open by a man Kitty could only describe as "ginormous." He reached one muscle-bound arm into the bus and pulled Kurt out, gripping him by the scruff of his neck.
"Manni! Nein!" Kurt yelped, trying not to laugh.
"{He has returned to us!}" Manni yelled, embracing Kurt in a bear hug. "Ha ha ha haaaa!"
What seemed like dozens and dozens of people were crowding around Kurt, each speaking excitedly to him in German, each trying to embrace him or shake his hand. Kitty and Tabby waited until the crowd cleared away from the bus to get out. Tabby and Kitty watched as the crowd pulled Kurt closer to the camp. Gunther came around to open the back of the bus.
"I didn't know Blue was so popular." Tabby said.
"Kurti? Ach. Yes. Very popular." Gunther teased. "Everyone is excited to see him again. Not many people leave us. In ze past couple of years, only two of our young ones left to go to school."
"You don't go to school?" Tabby asked.
"Ve are. . .self educated. You vill not find an imbecile at our camp. Ve are a very curious people, and our elders pass on knowledge and education to our young ones. Ve are schooled in mazth, science and history just like you."
"That's cool." Kitty said, taking her bag from Gunther.
"Nein, nein, Kitty. Don't vorry about zat. You are Kurt's guest, and our guest as vell. Manni!"
The large man who had "liberated" Kurt from the bus turned around.
"{Will you help the ladies with their bags?}" Gunther asked.
"{Of course!}" Manni said, picking up Tabby's and Kitty's bags with one large arm.
"Thank you." Kitty said softly, smiling at Manni, somewhat intimidated by the large man.
Manni laughed, and then reached out toward Kitty, making her yelp again. With one swift motion, he settled her so that she was sitting on his shoulder and he began to walk toward the camp. Gunther laughed.
"Vould you like a ride as vell?" Gunther asked.
"No thanks." Tabby said, laughing. "I can walk."
Kitty looked back at them, bemused with her own precarious situation. From her vantage on top of Manni's shoulder, she could see the throngs of people were still surrounding Kurt. Kurt looked over at her and laughed, wagging his fingers at her. Kitty smiled and waved back. Behind her, Gunther held Kurt's bags as he led Tabby to the camp.
Once Manni set her down, she smiled at him.
"Thanks. . .I guess." She said.
"You are velcome, fraulein!" Manni said in a deep voice. "A friend of Kurt's is a friend of mine."
Manni set the bags down next to a wagon and walked toward Kurt. Kitty followed. Gunther set Kurt's bags down next to the others, and led Tabby toward Kurt as well.
"Don't vorry. Your luggage is safer here zan anyvhere in all of Germany." Gunther said when Tabby cast a look back.
"Oh. Okay."
Once Tabby caught up with Kitty, Kurt looked over at them and motioned for them to come closer. They walked closer, and Kurt met them halfway.
"{Everyone. . .}" Kurt said to the people, motioning toward Kitty and Tabby. "{. . .these are my friends, Kitty and Tabby.}"
Everyone turned toward them, and to Kitty and Tabby's great surprise, rushed toward them, extending their hands. Some of the gypsy women and children even embraced them. A chorus of "welcomes" were said in German, and the two girls did their best to acknowledge everyone.
"Kitty, Tabby. . .zis is my mozzer." Kurt said excitedly, leading a woman close to them.
"Hallo, girls. It's a pleasure to meet you." Astrid, Kurt's mother, said.
Both girls were astonished. Astrid was a small woman in stature, but she seemed to be large in presence. She couldn't have weighed more than one hundred pounds and she seemed younger than they would have imagined. Tabby almost felt guilty for imagining Kurt's mother to be an old, hunchbacked gypsy woman, with a large mole on her nose. Astrid positively radiated beauty. Looking around, Tabby realized that they all did.
Astrid smiled at the young girls, and then embraced them both, pulling them close to her. Both girls giggled at all of the attention they were receiving.
"Now. . .tell me. How much trouble has my son got into?" Astrid asked while pinching Kurt.
"Mama. . ." Kurt said, blushing beneath his fur.
"Actually Ms. Wagner, he helps keep all of us out of trouble." Kitty said, grinning.
"Ach! Zhere is no Ms. Vagner here. Only Astrid." Astrid said, smiling at Kitty.
"Okay. . .Astrid." Kitty said.
"And zis is my fazzer." Kurt said, motioning to the man next to Astrid. "Johannes."
"Hello, girls." Johannes said. He was somewhat taller than Kitty had imagined, and he looked very strong, with an acrobat's build. His smile reached his eyes, and you could at once tell that he was a very genuine, caring man.
"Hello." They both chorused.
"Now come! You must be hungry!" Astrid said, taking the girls by their arms and leading them toward another fire. "Come on, Kurti!"
"Yeah! Come on. . .Kurti!" Tabby said, turning her head to smile at Kurt.
"Mein Gott. Zey'll never stop calling me zat now." Kurt grumbled to Gunther, making him laugh.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------
Kitty sat next to the fire, thankful that everyone seemed to speak English pretty well. They were currently talking to the three young mutants about what life was like for them. Tabby and Kitty had finished eating, and Kurt was on his fourth helping. What amused Kitty was how no one seemed to think he was eating much. They continued to press food onto Kurt before he had finished the plate he was currently on.
"Then again, he grew up with them. They know how much he eats." Kitty thought.
Kurt was busy telling the group surrounding them about their adventures on the island they had escaped to after the failed cruise trip.
". . .and zen Amara stopped ze volcano from blowing again. She kind of became one viz it." Kurt finished.
"Vhat happened to all of you zen?" a young boy named Shroeder asked.
"Vell, Amara came back to us, better zan ever, and ve vent back to ze cruise ship." Kurt said, shrugging.
"My son ze hero." Astrid said, smiling.
Kitty was amazed at how well Astrid seemed to be taking her sons stories about life or death situations. She was sure that her parents would have been fairly upset if they learned just how much danger she had put herself in during the past couple of years. Astrid, however, seemed understanding, and Kitty mentioned so.
"Yes, I suppose so. But ze vay I look at it, God gave you each a vonderful gift, and to not use zose gifts for ze betterment and protection of your fellow man vould be a sin." Astrid said, Johannes nodding next to her. "I do vorry about you zough, Kurti."
Kurt nodded, pulling back when his mother licked her finger and tried to smooth back his bangs.
"Mama! Stop!" Kurt said.
"Hey, enough about us! Why don't you tell us some embarrassing stories about Kurt from when he was a little boy." Tabby said.
"Oh! Haff I got stories to tell you." Astrid said, laughing.
"Mama! No!" Kurt moaned. "Papa! Make her stop!"
"Yes. Astrid, mein liebe, ze camp is moving tomorrow morning. It's late, and ve must go to bed. If ve vere going to tell embarrassing stories to zese beautiful girls about Kurt's childhood, ve'd be here all night."
The crowd laughed heartily, everyone who knew Kurt nodding.
"Zank you, Papa." Kurt said sarcastically. "Vhere are ve sleeping?"
"You zree are sleeping togezzer in zat vagon." Astrid said, pointing to a covered wagon nearby. "But first. . .ladies, neizer of you are romantically involved viz or interested in Kurti, are you?"
"Nope." Tabby lied.
"No." Kitty lied.
"Kurti?" Johannes asked.
"Nein." Kurt lied.
"Okay, zen ve trust you. Manni! Take zeir bags over to ze vagon!" Johannes yelled out.
"{You go it.}" Manni called back, moving toward the bags.
"I recommend ve all go to sleep!" Johannes said to the crowd. "Ve haff an early day tomorrow, and a long vay to go."
The crowd surrounded Kurt, Tabby and Kitty, all of them hugging the teens or simply saying "good night." When the crowd dispersed, Astrid and Johannes did the same to all three, and then left to go to their own wagon.
"So we have our own place?" Kitty asked aloud.
"Jah." Kurt said.
Tabby looked at it, her face full of doubt.
"Is it going to be big enough for us?" she wondered aloud.
"Jah. It may be a little tight, but usually circus performers are traveling in it and zey don't care about tight spaces." Kurt said, leading the two girls closer to the wagon. "I vonder vhat my surprise vas."
"What surprise?" Kitty asked.
"Gunther mentioned that he knew something that I didn't that could make my summer. . .I don't know." Kurt said, blushing under his fur again when he realized what he almost said.
"Make your summer. . .?" Tabby began to ask, but was cut off by a girl's voice.
"Guten nicht, Kurt." it said.
Kurt froze in his tracks.
"That voice! It can't be." Kurt thought, turning around slowly.
Kitty and Tabby followed suit, turning around themselves.
Standing there was girl roughly the same age as they were. Her skin was a dark complexion, and absolutely gorgeous. Her dark, black hair fell in waves down her head, pulled toward the rear where it hung halfway down her back. Her eyes were shaped like almonds, and Tabby could tell that they were a dark blue green in the light of the fire. She was wearing a simple, brown top, with a beautiful black, handmade skirt flowing behind her in the breeze. A gentle smile was spread across her lips, and the fire danced in her eyes.
"Franka?" Kurt whispered.
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(1): Romany gypsies group into tribes, known in the Romany language as a kumpania. Romany is a language unto itself, taking on the characteristics of whatever country the kumpania resides and roams in. Since Kurt has always spoken German, I figure his kumpania also speaks German. Not all Romany gypsies live like this. Some aren't as lucky as this particular performing group, which I've written as a romanticized ideal of what gypsies live like.
A little shorter than I'm really happy with, but it's where I wanted to end the chapter. So, once again, I stole Kurt's parents' names from Nemain (I should probably email her and let her know). Anyone else that you don't recognize is a product of my imagination. I know that this chapter doesn't seem as funny as the others, but I wanted to give Kurt a nice homecoming before torturing him (as tortuous as three girls wanting a guy can be). I should have the next chapter up in a day or so.
Later.