Hey, people reviewed!! My email didn't give them to me...grrr email...anyway, college is keeping me busy, but hopefully I can finish this. And I would take some of the "like"s out of Kitty's speech...but I just enjoy making fun of her too much. I'll write her as a decent character but she's got to say it every other word. ;)

So here's seven...if anyone's still paying attention, I'll put up eight soon.

Chapter Seven: You Always Hurt the Ones You Love...

"Katzchen, please!" Kurt silently cursed computers and their small keyboards. How was he supposed to do research like this anyway?

"Kurt, I'm just trying to help..."

"Does it look like I'm busy? Because I am," Kurt snapped. This had to be perfect, it just had to be, he'd only have a few...

Some furniture scraped along the floor and Kurt gritted his teeth. "Look, Kitty..." He trailed off. Kitty was gone, having probably melted through the floor without a sound. In her place was a very annoyed looking Professor.

Kurt gulped.

Professor Xavier arched his fingers. "I know you're doing something very important, Kurt. Important to you and, I believe it will be important to them. You're taking control of an inevitable situation, albeit in a very skewed way, and I applaud your efforts. But please do pay attention to what you sacrifice in the meantime."

Kurt's face fell as he realized how awful he'd been to Kitty over the last few hours. He would have to make it up to her. But the others..."I doubt it will be very hard to stay out of the way in the meantime," he said sadly. Since talking to Crystal, all his resentment was gone. He just wanted to do this right, to make it up to them. He wanted it so badly, he'd gone too far.

Xavier smiled slightly. "Miss Pryde was only the first, Kurt. And I'm sure she'll be back."

"'The runes led them in a gentle curve that kept taking them to their right. Jarre had no idea how far they traveled, for there was no feeling of time down here. The blue sigla...'"

Scott winced as the voice tripped over that last word and then crept further down the hall. It was late on a Saturday night; most of the mansion had gone to bed. Scott had gotten out of bed because a light was shining under his doorway and he had heard a voice reading out loud. But, oddly enough, he didn't recognize it.

"'Jarre became mesmerized by them; it seemed as if she walked in a dream and might have kept walking forever as long as the runes led the way. The man's voice added to this eerie impression, for—as she had asked—he talked the entire time.'"

Scott found the light and looked around confused. It was coming from Kurt's bedroom, his door slightly ajar. But Scott knew what Kurt's voice sounded like. Yawning silently, he closed his eyes and reached up to rub his face under his sunglasses. It wasn't likely that there was a problem, but he didn't recognize the voice. Making up his mind quickly—he hated being indecisive—Scott knocked slightly and then pushed the door open.

The reading halted, leaving a cavernous silence in its wake. Kurt was sitting on his bed, book in hand. Scott blinked and looked around the rest of the room, but no one else was there.

"Kurt?" He paused to yawn. "What're ya doin'?"

With an all too innocent expression, Kurt held up the book. "Reading. I'm sorry, Scott, did I wake you?"

Scott shifted his weight around and, nervously, adjusted his glasses, being sure that they didn't shift too far. He was still mad at Kurt, as far as that went, but he still didn't feel like accusing his teammate in the middle of the night...especially when all he had to go on what the fact that Kurt was reading out loud like he was practicing for a play or something.

The silence stretched awkwardly. "Umm...what're you reading?"

"Dragon Wing."

"Huh. Who's that by?"

"Weis and Hickman."

"Is it good?"

"Ja."

More awkward silence.

"Kurt—"

"Scott—"

They both broke off, embarrassed. Scott waved a hand and looked everywhere but at the fuzzy mutant. "Anyway, man, I'm going to close your door. The light's what woke me up."

"Es tut mir leid, Scott."

"Don't worry about it Kurt. And...don't stay up too late." The answer was just a beat too long in coming and finally Scott looked at his...friend. As always, Kurt looked a distinct shade of purple through his shades, but for once, Scott had no problem taking him seriously. "What're you up to?" he muttered, more to himself.

Kurt's eyes burned through him with something beyond their usual glow. "I really am sorry," he said quietly. "I can't see how this will end."

Scott, believing Kurt referred to the anger that pervaded the mansion, tried to look reassuring. Or at least less stern. "It will work out." Kurt nodded and returned his attention to his book and his doubts. Scott went back to bed, closing both doors as he went.

Monday morning brought a climax to the tension, though half the mansion would be damned if they knew why. Breakfast brought random glares for unknown reasons and the stealing of many a cereal box with a possessive snarl. Kitty was studiously ignoring Kurt while annoying the wits out of Evan who in turn was slurping his milk just loud enough to cause Logan to give intermittent growls. Rogue, having roomed with an irate Kitty the previous night, was making a show of staying as far away from her as possible and ignoring everyone else.

And the most palpable anger was, of course, aimed at Kurt. They seemed to have a rotating schedule, making sure he was dealt death glares at least once a minute. Only Scott was staring at Kurt with something approaching thoughtfulness and Jean, halfway through taking out her anger-by-proxy on Ms. Monroe and curfew rules, starting sending proud glances his way every now and then.

Kurt, for his part, just concentrated on eating. He didn't want to think about how he had hurt Kitty's feelings or how he had aroused Scott's suspicions. He didn't want to deal with how loud his nervous thoughts must have been broadcasting for Jean to pick them up or how Evan was on his eight glass of milk and about to become a Logan special shish-kabob. In short, food was good and it was pointless to worry about anything else because it would all be different by tonight anyway.

Going to school didn't help. Someone from the mansion was in all of his classes and the looks never ceased. The tension, strained to its limits, spread to others and soon everyone from the Brotherhood to freshman he had never spoken to were on his case. The only thing that made it bearable was that everyone was on everyone else's case as well.

Rumor had it that Kelly had collapsed in the bathroom and been the victim of magic markers.

The auditorium found broken allegiances. Because his speech was over, Kurt was free to join the crowd but if he even looked at Kitty, she started complaining—loudly—about the imaginary fur she just couldn't get off her clothes. So Kurt wandered backstage and Crystal, with an exasperated sigh, let him stay. And then it was time for the closing arguments. Duncan Matthews swaggered up onto the stage with a permanent sneer and a distinct lack of notes in his hands. His fan section went wild and only Kurt saw Crystal knock back a couple of aspirin and brace herself.

"'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live'." Duncan Matthews smiled his smug smile. "Exodus 22:18. The writers of this great and historical line meant to leave us with a life-long legacy through the ages. Anyone or anything with unnatural powers is, by definition, a witch and cannot be tolerated by people...it is dangerous and unnatural and we cannot tolerate its existence! It is against our religion and against our lives!"

An unintelligible roar went up from the crowd; it was impossible to tell who was protesting, who was cheering Duncan on, and who just didn't know what the hell was he was talking about.

He continued, voice projecting: "Some people say that we are animals too and that all life is equal. I say that we are above! Our religion tells us that we are better; our lives tell us that we are better! These mutants are below animals! They are mistakes and dangerous ones and if we do not learn from this mistake and correct it, it will take over everything that we have made, everything we deserve! We must take back the world!"

The hooting from the crowd echoed above the outraged cries and were silenced only by a large crack and raining debris. Crystal had hurled her clipboard into a nearby anchored speaker, where the cheap wood splintered, quieting its shocked victims who in turn quieted others in their scramble to get out of the way. The crowded auditorium was soon unsure of what exactly was happening and much less inclined to make noise for it.

Besides, the sight of a five-foot-nothing senior staring down the star quarterback was much more entertaining than random yelling.

"Mister Matthews." Duncan visibly gulped. Someone in the crowd wolf-whistled, which was followed by scattered twitters. Crystal didn't blink. "Remove yourself from my stage." Duncan opened his mouth to protest, but wisely refrained. Even Kelly looked scared. For her part, Crystal moved to the podium, looking unruffled, and glared at the audience.

"That," she announced, "was despicable. I am sorry to close the debates on that note and any of you who were impressed by that display should be ashamed." A couple of people in the crowd snickered.

On the sidelines, Kurt waited nervously. He was too nervous, in fact, to be as outraged as he should have been or to notice that the Institute kids were no longer glaring at him, having transferred their death wishes solely onto Duncan Matthews.

What was Crystal waiting for? Why was she talking about closing the debates? Perhaps she had only told him what he wanted to hear to get away. Maybe she was terrified and only felt safe here in the crowd. Maybe she had turned him in and cops were surrounding the building and maybe they were ready to...

"Hey, man, chill." Some random sophomore put a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Damn, you're jittery. Pay attention; Crystal's got somethin' important to say."

"...closing remarks, we have a special guest." Taryn, who had been everything short of kidnapped to give the closing statement, looked relieved enough to kiss whoever was closest and did so with enthusiasm, much to Scott's dismay. "Contrary to popular belief, he does not attend this school and has come to correct some...misconceptions. I would ask that you all not start a riot as I have been given the authority to hand out suspensions as I see fit." This was obvious news to Kelly, who, after a second's reflection, decided not to object. "Very well then," Crystal continued. "We'll have our closing statements now."

She stepped back from the podium.