But while I slept, I dreamt about Kurt. It was different from the recurring dream I had had so many times before…… We were in my room, and it was abnormally dark, but I could still see what was going on. I saw myself asleep in my bed. Kurt was crouched next to me, head bent, clutching his rosary as he prayed softly. When he finished he crossed himself, rose to his feet, leaned over and gently gave me a kiss before quickly leaving. The image dissolved to a prison, one, I'm sure, not many people had seen. It didn't seem like your everyday prison…. It was so much more… sadistic, I guess. Dark, gloomy. Evil seeping from the walls, evil that didn't necessarily come from the prisoners themselves. I seemed to be floating down the hall as I heard voices crying out in despair, sadness and pain, until one voice reached my ears. A sad, desparate, familiar voice, crying out in German. I only recognized two words: "kleines" and "Erin."

"Kurt?" I heard myself cry out. "Kurt, I'm coming! I'm here!" I followed the sound of his voice, all the way to a metal door with a small window on it. There was a cover for it, but it was off, so I peered in and was horrified by what I saw. There was Kurt, huddled in the corner, blindfolded, hands and feet bound. His clothes were torn and filthy, and he had obviously been beaten; his right sleeve was missing and there was a terrible wound in his upper arm. I could almost feel his energy ebbing away. "God, Kurt, what have they done to you?" I cried in pain, but he didn't seem to hear me. "Kurt? Kurt!" At that, it was as if I was being pulled from the door, away from him…. "Nooo!" My own screams rang in my ears and everything went white.

I stumbled out of bed at about nine thirty and slowly made my way to the kitchen. My head was spinning from the night before; happiness from the party mixed with pain on how Kurt thought I felt about him…. And most of all, fear from the horrible nightmare. But in all, it had been a fantastic night because my finding Kurt in the prison was only a dream. When I got to the kitchen I found Bobby and John at a table in the corner, almost in a daze. Rogue, who had a detached look on her face, was at the refrigerator getting breakfast. Jean, Storm, Cyclops and Professor Xavier were gathered around the small island, talking quietly in concerned voices. They stopped when they saw me, and I could feel a big, empty hole begin to form in my gut. Right then, somehow, I knew.

"It's Kurt, isn't it?" I took a step back, getting ready for the blow.

"Miss Murphy, if you could come with me to the table, please?" Professor Xavier turned and went to join my friends. I sat down next to Rogue and the professor sat facing me. "I have just received word from Dr. Grey that last night, she could hear you crying out in your sleep. Something about…." He turned to Jean. "What was it?"

"You were saying something like….. 'What did they do to you, Kurt? They've hurt you…'"

"The reason we bring this up—and mind you, you are not in trouble in any way—is because when I was sitting out here about two hours ago ago, Nightcrawler came out to the kitchen to get himself something to eat. He said something to me about going out for a bit and that he'd call in an hour. He mentioned going to church. Anyhow…. he hasn't contacted us. I tried using Cerebro, but…. Nothing. I can't locate him. Something seems to be blocking my telepathy, much like when I would try to find Magneto; the helmet he wears prevents me from knowing where he is. And then….." Professor Xavier's face was etched with worry. "Dr. Grey suffered a severe headache, in which she claims she saw Kurt at his church, and three men carry him away. He wasn't struggling, so we assumed he had been knocked out, perhaps…."

It felt as if I had been punched in the stomach; for a few moments I could barely breathe. I finally got air into my lungs, and my voice shook. "What Jean heard was me talking in my sleep from a dream I had. I could hear voices crying out in grief… I was in a prison. A horrible prison in which…. evil seemed to come at me from everywhere and everyone except the prisoners. And then….. and then I heard a new voice above all the rest, speaking in German, crying out in pain and despair….. Of what he was saying I could only recognize two words: kleines and my name. 'Erin, Erin…' he would weep in agony." Tears spilled down my face. "And that's when I found him. He was locked in this little cell….. He had been severely beaten. There was a gash in his upper arm, and his wrists and ankles were bound together. He was blindfolded…." An idea struck me through my grief. "Professor, whoever took him knows he's a teleporter. Why else would they have blindfolded him? They obviously know that, and they must know more than just that as well. Kurt can't teleport to anywhere he hasn't seen before. He has to have seen the place!"

Cyclops straightened up. "She's got a point there, Professor."

"Yeah," Jean seconded the motion. "I mean whoever's leading this must be one of us. Or…. they at least must know us very well…. or know Kurt very well." She paused. "Well… wait a minute…. On a previous note, Kurt is a teleporter. So why not just teleport himself back to the school?"

"Well, it could be for many reasons," Rogue piped up. "One, maybe they've threatened his life if he tried. Two, maybe he's too weak. Or three…. maybe he can't teleport that far. It could also be a combination of the three."

"That's true, that's very true….." Professor Xavier nodded.

"Do you think Stryker could be the one behind all of this?" Storm asked. "William Stryker? I know he had done testing on Logan." She turned to me. "Stryker is the one who gave Logan his adamantium skeleton. If it weren't for his amazing healing capabilities, he would have died."

"No….." Jean shook her head, staring at the floor. "It wasn't Stryker."

Cyclops took her arm. "Jean? How do you know?"

"I just do. It was someone much more powerful……"

"Oh, my God…" I moaned, burying my face in my arms. "What do you think's happening right now? To him, to the others?"

"Things I think we'd rather not know about," Bobby shook his head, then looked about the room. "Hey, where's Logan?"

"He's out at the church, looking for anything suspicious," Storm said. "He should be back by noon, I'd think."

Noting was said for a few moments, and suddenly I remembered something. "You know what, at my dance class Thursday night there was a strange man watching my friends and I as we practiced. He looked like a normal guy, non-threatening, but he was taking notes! I told Kurt about it yesterday."

Jean shut her eyes. "No, no….." She finally shook her head. "He has nothing to do with this, I don't think."

When Logan did get back, it was twelve forty five, and time had gone by slower than it should of. I worried myself sick the whole day. I was at my usual spot at the window seat, staring out over the basketball court Kurt and I had met at when I was eighteen. I could see him like he was standing in front of me……..

"Erin."

I turned to find Logan standing in the doorway. Managing a smile I swung my feet over to the floor. "Anything?"

He came towards me, digging through his pocket. "Uh…. Well, not a whole lot…. There was one candle lit, and….. I found this on the floor. I, uh… I thought you might like to have it until Kurt comes home. You know, hold on to it for him."

I held out my hand, and from his pocket Logan pulled Kurt's rosary and dropped it into my hand. Everything welled up inside of me, but I managed to keep it down as I studied the cross. I looked up at Logan.

"Thank you."

"No problem," Logan forced a smile, and I could see he was obviously distressed over this, as we all were. "I'll just…. be in the kitchen," he motioned to the door.

"Okay. I'll be fine here, I just need some time alone for a bit, I guess."

"Understandable. We'll be here if you need us."

"Thanks, Logan." I watched him leave, then looked back down at the rosary. My throat tightened and I finally had to let it all out. Clutching Kurt's rosary I leaned against the window and let myself cry.