Kurt stared blankly at the spot where Tabitha had been. A fait aura remained in the shape of a person but was fading rapidly.
"What the?" Kurt looked blankly at the empty space.
"Momma?" Damien asked in a surprised yet even tone. "Where'd go?" He shrugged and held the position to show his ongoing confusion.
"Dad?" Angela stuck her head in from the next room. "What was that flash of light?"
Kurt looked at the kids and felt hollow. Something's not right here. He realized.
And he fought the urge to love them unconditionally and tried to focus on what was really happening.
"Okay." Kurt began to talk rapidly. "We were on the roof and she cuffed me… Then we fell but didn't land… So we were out of reality by then… but…"
And he looked shocked at Angela.
"Out of reality?" She looked around. "Oh… Oh… OH!" She began to realize things herself. "I can't remember this morning." She told him. "Why can't I remember this morning?"
She shook her head. "Or last night, or my first date… Why can't I remember these things?" She grabbed her head and began to shake. "I'm real." She said softly. "I'm real I know it."
Kurt began to shake his head. Things were getting darker, as though the sun was going behind the clouds but it seemed that the whole world was effected.
Suddenly a breeze swirled in the room and Kurt turned to look.
Damien was standing in front of the spot where Tabitha disappeared. "Mommy?" He asked with a chin jitter and teary eyes. "Where gone Momma?"
And her outline, although it had vanished reappeared and pulsed as though made of solid blue light before it seemed to burst – and with a great tearing noise, wind filled the room, whipping the room like a hurricane and trying to suck everything in to a diamond shaped hole of white light that hovered where Tabitha had just been standing.
Kurt dove for Damien and together they rolled gracefully across the floor to the far wall. But now Angela was on the other side of the vortex and it was lashing the room violently making them all duck down and clutch the walls.
"Vait here." Kurt told Damien, forcing him behind the living room wall and in to the hallway.
And Kurt tried to teleport. Much to his surprise he did it and found himself on the other side of the room just as Angela couldn't hold on any longer and was sucked out in to the room toward the vortex.
She shrieked in fear as Kurt's hand darted out like a coiled snake and caught her by the wrist.
"Not so fast." He told her. "You're still grounded from last week."
She laughed a teary laugh as he used one arm to secure himself against the wind and the other to 'reel her in'. The he teleported her over to where Damien sat scared and paralyzed in the hall.
"Take car of each other." He told them. "Until further notice."
And he dove for the hole in the middle of this little room that was his world.
He felt the 'wind' as he got closer because it passed through him instead of around him and he could tell it was a pervasive energy effect, not simple 'wind'.
His body rippled and flowed under the stress but he felt none of it – just the pull of the vortex and unconsciousness.
I told you I'd always come for you Tabitha. Here's hoping I can find you! And he watched as the 'wind' wiped away the room from around him. It was as though he was looking at a painting made of tiny dots – which were slowly disappearing.
He could hear voices in the distance. They were saying things like "Where'd he go?" And "Oh my god, CATCH HIM!"
And just as he felt a chill pas over him and he slammed down hard against a solid floor he heard one little boy in the distance say "Daddy? Where'd go?"
"Oh, ow!" Kurt shivered against the pain. Falling was one thing if you're awake and able to roll or recover. It's another when you're out cold and the floor slams up to meet your shoulder and try to introduce it to your stomach.
"KURT!" Tabby screamed and dove for him. "Thank god! Say you're all right. Say something!"
"What happened?" He managed, clutching himself in pain and writhing on the deck of the lighthouse with his eyes closed. "Why is it so bright?"
"It was the null-cuffs." Tabby explained, shooting a glance to Forge. "We created some kind of psychic feedback by cuffing each other."
Kurt nodded and forced himself to sit up. He could sense the people around him.
"We were trying figure out how to wake you after we got Tabby out of it." Forge continued from his won body. "Then you teleported. Twice."
Kurt nodded. "I was … surprised it worked. In… In the dream."
"It worked because we got her cuff off." Forge explained. "You were half free. But when you teleported there you moved here too. First to the stairs and then outside. You were falling. You would have landed out over the rocks in front of the lighthouse if Illyana hadn't caught you with a portal."
"I couldn't slow you." Illyana said fretfully.
"I tried to cushion you but it all happened so fast." Jean added.
"Jean?" Kurt peeked with one eye and looked taken aback.
She smiled slightly. "I came to…"
"Meet me." Rachael finished from where she stood in the doorway. "Right?"
Jean nodded hopefully.
"Lets get you inside." Forge said, motioning to Lucy to help Kurt up.
She did and both Brian and Alistaire parted ways to let them by.
Kurt walked slowly, opening his eyes a little at a time despite the fact that even the darkness seemed too bright to look at.
He stopped when he saw Brian. Then he cut a glance to Alistaire who smiled, obviously relieved at Kurt's 'recovery'.
It wasn't until they were back in the house that Kurt turned and saw Emma standing at the back of the group.
He smiled slightly at her and nodded.
Wow. She thought. Not a word, hunh? And she smiled. He's got class.
Wilson straitened the couch and put the pillows back where they belonged quickly and moved away so Kurt had room to sit.
"What's our current status?" Kurt asked Kitty.
She smiled. "We're all alive. Watts is in the pantry closet, null-cuffed and quiet. And we think that this guy over here…" She pointed at Williams. "Might have stolen Watts power permanently."
Kurt narrowed his eyes at the man. Something about the way he was standing was very familiar.
"Y'all had me worried Fuzzy!" Williams said in a southern twang.
Kurt arched an eyebrow and looked to Kitty again.
"He used Rogue's blood." She explained. "He can mimic a mutants power as long as he's touched them recently. But it doesn't last. So he gave himself a transfusion to mimic her power of permanently absorbing a power. But it left him acting like Rogue and with her memories. We think it's going to fade but… He's not sure."
Kurt looked at Williams. "Are you insane?" he shivered. "Her blood might have sucked the life right out of yours and killed you!"
He nodded, somberly. "I'm not crazy. Just desperate." He said with a toss of his hips.
Kurt nodded and tried to stand before he realized it was too soon and he couldn't.
"Kitty. Get on the secure line with the mansion and explain what … What's his name?" Kurt looked perplexed.
"Williams. Jamie Williams." Thee man smiled.
"Right." Kurt nodded. "Tell Beast what he did and … maybe get a genetic sample to analyze and transmit the results for Hank to analyze."
Kurt met Williams' eyes. "And you… You owe Rogue an apology. And you'll be lucky if she accepts it gracefully."
Williams smiled sadly. "Trust me, I know how mad she'll be."
Kurt wrinkled his nose slightly. Even that seemed like a total invasion of Rogues privacy but he continued. "Betsy, you and Illyana – take Watts down to the processing center down town. Get him processed and have them medicate him just in case."
Betsy nodded. Kurt could detect nothing but the most business like attitude and he thought nothing of it. Illyana glanced at Betsy and then looked down nervously.
"Brian, get some rest. You look like I feel." Kurt hugged himself slightly and everyone smiled just a bit at the reference.
Williams followed Kitty toward the communications system and Illyana followed Betsy to the Kitchen to fetch Watts from his closet.
"Wait!" Kurt looked considerate. "Forge, get a tape recorder and send it with Illyana and Betsy. Williams!"
Jamie Williams turned and looked expectantly.
"Tell Watts to confess everything before they go." Kurt said wincing in pain.
"Right!" Williams turned away from Kitty and followed Illyana with a smile.
Kurt glanced over at Wilson as he sat quietly in the corner. Kurt had to smile. The poor boy looked so lost and powerless.
"It's a lot to handle, isn't it?" Kurt asked him.
He nodded slightly. "My life… My pace anyway… Is much slower than yours. It's hard to keep up."
Kurt smiled. "Sometimes… It's hard for me to keep up myself." He shrugged. "But I keep on trying."
Then Kurt's eyes darted to the corner. He didn't know when it happened but Jean and Rachael were both hugging and crying.