author: Lucinda

rating: pg13

main characters: Willow, Kurt Wagner

disclaimer: I own nobody from BtVS or Marvel Entertainment/X-Men the Movie

distribution: QuickFic, Wic, WLS, NHA, Bite Me, Twisting, Paula, anyone else please ask.

note: AU post season 3. The Initiative is in Sunnydale, there was no ADAM, Willow felt unneeded and transfered to a different college.





Kurt's mind was in confusion, spinning with fear and panic. He'd been taken from his home with the circus, abducted by persons that he'd never even seen and brought to a place where he was kept in a cell, drugged with something that prevented him from using his powers. They'd put some sort of complicated device on his head, with dozens of wired and a visor that went over his eyes, and wires that had been taped all over his body. Those had been used for some sort of simulated training, where he would see things that weren't there, and practice fighting.

He'd tried to resist them, but men in dull green uniforms had beaten him, calling him horrible names, angry that this particular 'mutie scum' had not obeyed. He didn't know where he was, or why he was here, but he knew that they did not see him as a person. Only a tool, some sort of animal that could be trained to… trained to kill. From they're words and accents, he'd figured out that they were Americans.

God help him, but it was working.

They'd even started using something on him, some new sort of drug that they put into the back of his neck. He didn't know why they'd chosen that point, but it burned, and it made it almost impossible to think clearly. His body would obey their commands, even as his mind tried to object, tried to resist them.

They sent him to go after the President. Even though he wasn't an American, the idea horrified him. He didn't know why these men were doing this, sending him to attack the President of the United States in the White House, but he had a feeling that he was being the expendable pawn in their plan. They were throwing him out to be the scary evil mutant that would hurt people… and due to that drug, he couldn't resist them. Not enough, anyhow.

He only managed to stab the knife into the desk instead of the President, managing to not kill, despite their training, programming, and drugs. And he managed not to go back to them, knowing that if he did, they would either kill him, or continue to use him as a pet killer, sending him to terrify and kill for their whims. He'd rather die… He used his power, sending himself away, but not to anywhere he knew, just… hoping for safety, and towards the east.

He felt almost as if he'd been stretched like a rubber band, and hadn't quite snapped back, materializing in the air over a bed, in what had to be a hotel room. The red haired young woman in the room had spun around eyes wide at the sudden intrusion, her lips parting even as he fell onto the bed. Kurt blinked once before everything faded to black.

* * * *

Willow had been relaxing in her hotel, enjoying her weekend trip to Washington DC. She'd gone out looking at several things, and had come back to change into something more casual for her trip back home. She'd only had the single weekend here, and then back to college. But then there had been a noise, a sort of soft 'bammmff' sound from behind her, and she'd turned, startled, curious.

A blue shape had just appeared over the bed, something with glowing yellow eyes and a tail, looking almost like the common depiction of a demon, although she'd never actually seen a demon that looked like that. Actually, she'd never seen a demon that could teleport either. She had gasped, even as gravity had brought him down onto her bed in a tangle of limbs. Then, she realized that whatever he'd done to get in here had left him entirely exhausted, and he was now unconscious.

Clearly, he wasn't here to attack her. It wouldn't make sense. So… could he be running away? Could it be that he wasn't a demon, but a mutant? Not that being a mutant instead of a demon would guarantee safety, but… What was he running from? Dinner… hmmm. Willow called room service and ordered a large veggie pizza, figuring that he'd probably be hungry when he woke up.

He'd started moving, the tangle of arms, legs and tail becoming more of a curl, and Willow had the chance to get a look at his feet. She'd thought they looked different, and they definitely were. Two long toes in the front, and a toe in the back that curled down, almost like a bird's foot, but his toenails didn't look like bird talons. Scars marked his skin in curling patterns that looked familiar… with a sudden jolt, she recognized them. The oldest Hebrew texts had used markings like that as the names for angels… had he been trying to call on heavenly protection? Did he even know what they meant?

He groaned, one hand pulled over his eyes. All of his muscles seemed to have tensed, as if waiting for some sort of disaster.

"Would you like some pizza?" She tried to sound harmless, friendly and unafraid.

"Pizza?" His voice sounded groggy, and there was a bit of an accent. "Pizza would be… very good. Danke."

"It's veggie pizza, which I hope is okay. Here, have some." She smiled a bit, wondering exactly how a German sounding mutant ended up in Washington DC. "You're a mutant?"

Her unexpected guest nodded, his mouth full of pizza. It almost looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in a while. She couldn't tell if he had any bruises, his skin was so dark to begin with… Swallowing, he looked at her, his eyes showing hope and worry, and a hint of pride. "I am Kurt Wagner, but at the Munich Circus, they called me the Amazing Nightcrawler. I performed on the trapeze."

"But how did you end up here? And who were you running from?" Willow sat on the bed beside him, trying to make sense out of everything.

"I was taken. I did not see them, and I do not know who they work for, but there are many soldiers, and many guns. There is much equipment… They do not like mutants, but they were taking us. Controlling us. I don't know why. But I don't want to go back to them." He sounded afraid, and a bit ashamed.

"That's terrible…" Willow gasped, the idea seeming wrong on so many levels that she didn't want to think about that right now. "Do you have a place to go?"

"Nein." He looked so sad, so lost.

"Well… I can give you a lift out of Washington. I have to go back to New York, for college. I can take you with me. Maybe we can find you a place to stay? I mean, you can stay in my dorm if you have to, but it's about a third the size of the hotel room, so you'd probably want somewhere else eventually… and I'm babbling." She made the offer, not entirely certain that it was wise, but knowing that Kurt needed a bit of help. It was the right thing, the only thing that she could live with.

"You... would do this for me?" He sounded so amazed, so desperately hopeful that it almost made Willow cry.

"It's the right thing to do. To help people. And, umm… you sort of seem like you could use a bit of help." Willow smiled, remembering how much she'd risked to help Buffy. How she'd spent three years risking her life to help stop apocalypses before they'd started college, before Buffy's new boyfriend and his government funded demon hunters had made the Scoobies obsolete. She almost wondered if the Initiative had any connection to what had happened to Kurt…

"But… will it not cause problems if you are seen walking with someone who looks like a dämon?" He sounded worried, one hand hovering over her sleeve, as if he wanted to touch her but wasn't certain he should.

"I can put an illusion over you so that nobody remembers the blue… It's very distinctive." She looked at him, wondering how much to change to make him stand out less. "Hmm… if I hide the tail, make it look like human hands and feet…. How about if you end up looking sort of like Errol Flynn?"

"Really? That would be wonderful." Kurt smiled, looking delighted at the idea.

Concentrating, Willow started the illusion, shaping it around Kurt so that it would move as he did. His hair became darker, more black than blue, while his skin became lighter, more of an athletic looking tan, the scars hidden, his eyes more hazel than yellow. She also made the clothing stand out a bit less, the pants looking like worn jeans. "Okay, look in the mirror and let me know what you think."

He walked over, looking at the image in the mirror with astonishment. "This is amazing… how?" He ran his hand over his face, looking at the image. "I can still feel the signs…"

"I can't really change you. It's just an illusion, so that what people see isn't what's really there… And I'm not good enough to make the illusion tangible. But nobody will recognize you as Kurt Wagner the blue mutant while it's up. This way, we can leave DC without anyone who might be looking for you recognizing you, even if we walk right by them." Willow smiled, pleased by the way the illusion had settled around him. There wasn't even a distortion for the tail.

They walked from the hotel, Kurt even helping Willow with her suitcase, partly out of a sense of honor, and partly to minimize the chance of anyone noticing the truth of his hands. He seemed to enjoy the walk to the car and the drive far more than normal, but… maybe he just didn't get many chances to do normal things without people staring?

They talked about sword fighting, and the practicality of some of the impressive flips and maneuvers that would be so breath taking on film, and how some of them really worked if you tried them. It was a fun trip, and an enjoyable conversation.

Kurt eventually decided that he would stay at an abandoned church. It wasn't visited except by the occasional secretive street person seeking a little holy water to try to protect themselves from the night. The statue of Mary and the vaulted ceiling were comforting to Kurt, and it was filled with shadows that he could vanish into.

Willow wished him the best of luck, and promised to visit when she could.

End Unexpected Visitor.