Disclaimer – I do not own x-men evolution, if I did, I would be extremely happy…
Shouts:
Celestial Pendant -Thanks, and we never really made the connection about our last post being submitted on friday the 13th.
Tailfeather - Agreed, you can never have too much violence - but we hope we're getting the right balance on these.
Kemious the kitsugriff - Thanks for the detailed comment, i'm glad you like the characterisation - and lol, we do read the ultimate x-men so it might have leaked a little into this fic.
MadamWolf - Heh, thanks - we stole the idea off the apocolapse version of X-men with Kurt teleporting the head.
Time continued to pass and with it, the hope of the mutants in Bayville slowly died like a fire unfed. It happened in little ways, they stopped waking up with hope of their return, they started to refer to them in the third person and slowly, the search stopped to.
It was hopeless and they all knew that.
In her class, Rogues eyes drifted across her notes without really seeing them. She found it hard to think how Kurt had been missing from her life for nearly two months now.
Two whole months.
And in that time, she had never once felt happy, she had never seen his goofball grin or woke up to find blue hair all over the bathroom. She missed him dearly; she grieved for him, for the mutant she had known so little of.
It had been scary when she had walked in his room the other night with the others, to look at his possessions and know that they never knew the story behind any of them, the reasons why they were there.
They hadn't really even known Kurt.
He had been hurt so badly and she had never known.
She had hurt him and never knew.
And that saddened her.
Next to her, she saw Pietro looking at his notes just as blankly and knew that he was thinking the same thoughts and feelings as she was. That he had lost someone he never knew and yet, he mourned for that person more than he could understand.
At least she wasn't alone in grief.
The thought made her smile.
The lunch table was marginally noisier than it had been in weeks, the x-men sat about it talking of nothing and all the time wondering about different things completely.
Scott eventually sighed and called some order to the conversation, wishing to discuss that mornings danger room session.
Everyone ignored him.
Sighing, Kitty looked over to Rogue. "You know, I was walking down the corridor today and I saw one of Kurt's friends, he asked me what had happened to the 'K-man'."
Jean frowned. "What did you say?"
"I just said he was gone." She shrugged. "The guy didn't even seem that bothered really, just nodded and left."
"Well, Kitty, to him it would seem as though Kurt had just left him and never bothered to say goodbye."
"I suppose, but I would have rather he had shown some concern."
Rogue shrugged. "What's happening tonight at the mansion?"
"I'm cooking dinner."
Everyone looked at Kitty in horror.
Clearing his throat, Scott turned to look at the others. "Anyone got the number of a take out?"
The table laughed and slowly, the wounds of grief began to heal.
In the brotherhood house, it was a similar story once time had passed to nearly three months. The mutants slowly accepted that Wanda was never coming back, that she was gone and that was it.
Todd hopped into the kitchen and moved next to the bin, flicking his tongue to catch some flies as Pietro whizzed through the cupboards.
"Where's all the food!"
"Blob had the munchies." Lance informed him as he entered the room. "So we all get to starve for a few days."
Glaring, the silver haired mutant looked at the culprit. "I reckon Blob would go well with barbecue sauce."
"I was thinking Ketchup."
"Statistics show that the rate of improvement has decreased in both mutants now that they're reaching their optimum levels." The woman doctor looked at the pair of mutants in their statistics room, noting their efficiency and co-ordination together and alone.
They had actually been forced to upgrade almost all the electronics because of their rate of progress and knowledge of the room being bartered with other mutants.
The drill sergeant nodded as he looked through some document work. "How is their perception of humanity doing?"
"Both seem to have accepted that humanity can be good or bad like mutant kind."
"That's good; I don't want any more little mad nutters running around than we have already."
"You refer to Magneto?" She asked curiously.
"Yes, he's been terrorising a few places of late."
She nodded. "Are you planning on dispatching a team to deal with them?"
"No, that's not our area of control; we only deal with volatile humans and those threatening the insurance of mutant survival."
"Of course." She looked again at the mutants and found herself smiling as Nightcrawler scooped up the Scarlet Witch before teleporting themselves onto a different piece of equipment which they enthusiastically demolished. "I wasn't too sure of this pair at first but I think you're onto something with them."
"I'm glad you agree." The drill sergeant sighed as he put the paperwork down. "I don't know how much longer we get to admire them for."
"Budgets?"
"Yes, budgets."
The simulation ended and the pair entered the room, their eyes gleaming with adrenalin and their skin and hair shined with health. It appeared that the rigorous training was making them both thrive, mentally, physically and romantically.
The Scarlet Witch smiled as she glanced at her statistics. "We've both improved on everything according to this, Nightcrawler, though we need to work more on our technological disarming speed."
"Ve could alvays just teleport metal inside of -"
"No, you won't." The drill sergeant growled. "The last time you done that the entire room was out of action until we managed to remove the metal out of the metal it had manifested into."
The blue mutant shrugged. "Alls fair in love and var."
The woman doctor smiled. "He has you there. Both of you may return to your cells now. Or go out into one of the exercising facilities."
Nodding, the pair left the room.
After a moment of silence, the woman spoke again. "You should reward those two; they've never failed on any mission they've been on or done anything worse than eighty percent efficiency."
"I think I will, and I have just the idea."
Stretching in the sun, Kurt allowed the golden light to warm his blue fur and he lazily watched the angel next to him who sang a song she had in her head.
"…you've got a secret smile and you use it only for me…"
He cocked his head and sat up. "You're happy."
"We've improved on very aspect of ourselves, for once in my life I feel like I'm achieving the expectations people have of me."
He smiled. "Ja, its odd but in zhis prison for mutants I feel more accepted zhan I ever have outside."
"Same." She cuddled up next to him, nuzzling his exceptionally soft fur and smiling as he gently kissed her forehead, his body warm from the suns rays. Looking up again, she smiled softly, leaning forward and gently kissing him.
"And vhat did I do to deserve zhat?" Kurt purred, settling back on the grass, teasing the young woman with his tail, flicking her nose.
"If you do that again, then you'll never find out." Lying down beside him, Wanda kissed the blue mutant again, giggling as he suddenly pinned her.
"Zhen I'll just have to tickle zhe information out of you!" He started to tickle her, knowing exactly what points would trigger her off. Kurt laughed as she flipped him, his fur now receiving the treatment.
From a slight distance away, the drill sergeant softly smiled, not wanting to interrupt the scene of young love. He knew he had to at some point, but just watching them both laugh and tease one another triggered off something he couldn't place.
Perhaps it was a sense of justice, the memories he had absorbed from Kurt coming back to his mind.
Yes, the blue mutant deserved some happiness.
Clearing his throat, the sergeant finally interrupted; actually chuckling at the playful glares he was being given. So many things had happened to the pair before him, he felt like…like he had seen them grow up.
"I have something for you both." He smiled, noting the curious looks they sent one another before Kurt touched Wanda's hand, a tiny gesture that could mean so much and so little.
"And vhat is zhat?" The blue mutant asked, looking up and smiling. His collar caught the sunlight, the bell creating a festive jingle and he played with Wanda's collar also.
Smiling, the drill sergeant nodded to himself. "Nothing terribly much, I'm afraid."
Wanda pouted theatrically. "You didn't get me that red convertible with the black leather interior and blue fluffy dice?"
"Maybe next time." Shaking his head to hide his smile, the man decided to explain. "You have both improved greatly, and have been exceptionally well behaved."
"Zheres a 'but' coming." Kurt mock whispered.
"But," the sergeant chuckled, "there's no upgraded rooms available for you to receive at the moment. So, I instead went to the liberty of getting you something I think would be far more appreciated." He held out two small blue boxes.
Hesitantly, the pair took them, waiting to see if they exploded or if they smelt suspicious before opening them. Kurt picked out a small gold ring, far too small for him to even think about wearing and he glanced over to see that Wanda was holding a ring that was much too large for her.
The sergeant smiled. "I think I'd best let love run its course." Calmly, he left the pair.
Wanda smiled suddenly, a soft, almost shy smile.
Kurt too, smiled, the rarest of them all, one which was truly open.
Then, without a word or any ceremony, they swapped rings, gently kissing.
The next day started much like any other, except the two captive mutants done everything together, smiling knowingly at each other the entire time as young love does.
Rolling her eyes, Dazzler tried to return to reading her book but gave up to watch them in annoyance. "Why don't you pair get a room?"
"Ve couldn't, zheres none spare at zhe moment." Kurt grinned at her before returning to his own reading, Wanda on his lap and she too read the same book.
"Page." She smiled, snuggling up against Kurt.
"What is with that pair today?" The older woman looked at Banshee, annoyed that he didn't seem bothered as he happily read the most boring looking of books she had seen.
"Leave them to it, lass, it's their honeymoon."
Dazzlers head snapped between the cuddling pair and to Banshee. "What? When did they get married?"
The Irish man chuckled. "I believe they 'swapped rings' yesterday – but that pair have been practically married since they got here." He shrugged. "Let them have a little happiness, its back to drills tomorrow."
Sighing, the woman glanced at the pair. "I'll let you off this time but I demand that when you get the vows read that I'm a bridesmaid!"
Kurt and Wanda stared at her before the young woman started to giggle.
"Sorry Dazzler, but aren't bridesmaids supposed to be younger than the bride?"
"You cheeky little…!" Laughing suddenly, Dazzler let it go. "Matron of honour? Oh! I know! Let me be the little tarty person that gets incredibly drunk and that's talked about for the next decade as 'that lass'!"
Banshee leant forward, tapping her on the shoulder. "But lass, you're already fulfilling that role perfectly."
There was a long silence, everyone curious to see if the woman had been pushed over the edge.
She laughed again. "Alright then, how about an invitation?"
"If we can squeeze you in, we both have quite extended families." Wanda laughed, nudging Kurt. "Isn't that right?"
"Ve could alvays ask Margali for zhe big top!"
"I just knew it was going to turn into a circus…"
Please read and review, everyone who does gets a shout out in the next chapter.