Disclaimer – The X-men belong to the lovely people at Marvel. Although, if the lovely people would like to give us them to take care of…


The blue mutant was, to put it simply, feeling blue. It wasn't because of the blueness of his fur, or the blueness of his hair, or even the blueness of the large open sky that he was staring at as he lay in the garden watching the occasional cloud drift by.

He was feeling blue because of the simple fact that he was the only one in the mansion, not in the way of 'everyone is out' alone, but truly and completely alone.

The summer break had finally arrived and all the other students where at their parents houses, barring Rogue and Scott who didn't have parents to return to. Although Rogue was currently with Kitty rather than being in the empty house and Scott was staying with Ororo and Evan who had both returned to their family. Logan was away to wherever Logan went to, though rumour had it that since he seemed to be a cowboy of sorts, he went to some giant rodeo festival, but who truly knew? Lastly, the professor was away on some fancy meeting that had so many long words in its description that even Kurt's extensive English failed to grasp it.

And he also knew that most of the other students hadn't understood it either, and English was their first language – at least he had an excuse to have it explained to him…

But he was going off on a tangent.

He was feeling blue because he was alone, and the reason he was alone and not in Germany with his family was because that, quite simply, one of his aunts (on his mothers side) had fallen grievously ill and the Wagner's had gone to see them. And since that side of the family didn't have a clue of his existence, he couldn't go with them.

Even with the image inducer, it would have been too awkward to explain his presence as the son/nephew/grandchild no one knew about. It was safer and much easier if he remained at the mansion.

Why did he have to be so understanding and agree to it?

Sighing, he rolled onto his stomach and let the sun warm the deep blue fur of his back. Which was at least the only benefit to him being alone these past twelve days – he hadn't worn his image inducer even once and in doing so, he was beginning to feel comfortable again in his blue fur-lined skin.

It was odd how the device that was meant to help him blend in with humanity had only made him more shameful of his appearance, going even to the lengths of wearing it in the mansion so that the other students weren't staring at him…

Or was he just being paranoid? Though Kitty's screams were enough evidence…

Or was it simply thinking too much because he had far too much time on his hands?

Getting to his oddly shaped feet, he stretched slowly before walking into the mansion and into the kitchen were he started his favourite past time. Cooking. His first attempts in the mansion at cooking had turned out disastrous, namely because none of the utensils where, unlike at home, suitable for him to use.

Over time though, he had managed to acquire, persuade and, if all else failed, request suitable cooking utensils. It was amazing the difference that the thickness of the handle could have to his cooking…

And all those glorious little easy-use gadgets, how he loved them all.

After preparing a small feast and freezing the majority to be heated later when he was feeling hungry again (most likely in an hour or so) he sat down to eat, listening to the silence that was only punctuated by the ticking of the clock.

It was so weird not to have to yell over the normal lunch time din, or weave about in the usual lunch time crowd or have to scrap over food during the usual lunch time chaos.

Suddenly the peace didn't seem so bad – at least he didn't have to fight them all off for that one last Twinkie…

Sighing, Kurt finished his food and stretched again. These past twelve days he had spent his time doing three things. Starting with the one he did least, around three or so hours a day, was watching his Errol Flynn movie collection and copying various moves. Then it was probably sleeping, or dozing, or having cat naps, which took him up to eight hours. It was funny how he hated sleeping for any length of time, but kept sleeping in during school days…

But the thing he spent the most time on? The danger room, totalling around nine hours a day. The left over hour was spent on cooking or cleaning or something like that. But onto his nine hours of danger room time – one in the morning to 'loosen up' for the day. One before lunch, two after lunch, two in the afternoon, two in the evening and the last one just before he went to bed to tire him out.

Although perhaps 'danger room' wasn't the right word – sure, he did run simulations, and lots of the time it was Errol Flynn movie sequences to practice his choreography and sword techniques but it was nearly always set to just being able to do his acrobatics.

How he wished to one day fly.

After cleaning the last dish, the blue mutant stretched one more time and then teleported into the danger room where, for a short time at least, he flew, and forgot about being lonely and blue.


With a last double somersault, Kurt teleported into the control room and ended his current danger room simulation – a sequence straight from one of Errol Flynn's movies where he had been battling pirates and the like. Placing his swords into their sheaf's, he then teleported to his room where he simply stared around it for a moment.

He really didn't want to do anything in here.

Moving around the whole mansion, the answer was the same, he really didn't feel like doing anything inside, even the temptation of swapping around Kitty's pink fluffy teddies for Rogues safety pinned monsters didn't appeal.

What was the point of having these brilliant ideas for tricks without anyone to annoy! So, the blue mutant decided, he would go outside and into the town – maybe do some shopping, it was after all only three in the afternoon.

Putting on his image inducer, he looked in the mirror at his 'human' appearance and, not for the first time, felt that it needed tweaked to show off his sharp cheekbones and more developed features. And he was taller than it made out, which was annoying, not that he actually ever walked straight enough anyway for it to be a problem.

And his hair really did need cut, even though the image inducer didn't show this – it was about two inches longer in reality.

Stopping his inspection, Kurt wondered if maybe he should just get rid of the hair altogether, and it would give everyone a surprise when they came back…after all, people could change a lot in twelve days…sometimes…

Or he could dye it green or red and…ach, who was he kidding? Anything clashed with blue…

Maybe he could just hack his hair into some mad design instead…

Shaking his head, Kurt turned round and simply teleported to one of several secluded areas around Bayville that he regularly used. This one was in, well, above an alley and he delicately landed on the fire escape. After making sure no fires had broken out for it to be in use, he made his way into the alley and from there, took a turn and was in the high street.

It was dead.

Perhaps everyone else had gone on holiday or something? Maybe he had missed some vital news broadcast telling everyone to stay inside because flesh eating zombies where on the loose and there would be one right round the corner…

Kurt blinked in surprise as, taking the corner; he came right up to Toad.

He smelt bad enough to be a flesh eating zombie…

"Yo!" The green mutant looked at him critically. "Aren't you like, somewhere else right now?"

"Last I checked I was standing right here…" The blue mutant shrugged. "I decided to go out for a bit and do some shopping, but I hadn't realised how quiet it was around here at the moment."

"Everyone's on holiday somewhere – probably tanning themselves on some exotic beach." Toad sighed. "How come you're not tanning yourself on some exotic beach?"

"One, I don't tan, I just get warm and two, everyone would scream if they saw me sunning myself on a beach." Kurt shook his head and entered the shops, not even bothering to chase Toad away when he realised the green mutant was following him. "Things didn't go to plan, so for now I'm staying here. Yourself?"

"Nowhere to go and no one to go with." The green mutant shrugged. "All of us at the brotherhood have just been burning time, you know? I can't believe I actually want school to start…"

"Yeah, same here." Entering one of the many food shops, Kurt began selecting ingredients. "Do you have any plans?"

"Just burning time."

Kurt couldn't believe he actually spoke the next phrase. "Want to burn some time with me then? I've got no one else to burn it with."

It seemed that Toad was just as shocked as Kurt had been. "Yo, you mean hang out with an x-geek?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I just asked to hang out with the brotherhood, and the smelliest member at that." Kurt shook his head. "I've spent way too long alone…"

Toad suddenly grinned. "As long as no one sees me then I don't mind – but you're paying."

Looking at his holiday allowance, which was an alarmingly considerable sum as all Kurt had been purchasing was a few food items, most of which was put on the food allowance budget, he shrugged. "Sure, but I get to pick where we go."

"You're paying, I aint complaining."

"How does ice cream sound as we discuss where to go next?"

The green mutant grinned. "How big an ice cream are we talking about?"

Kurt shrugged. "I was thinking of having one of those little ice cream mountains myself personally."

"Aren't they like, to be shared by three or four people?"

"You share them!" The blasphemy of it all!

Toad decided not to answer just in case his ice cream was in jeopardy. "Some people do."

"Ah, I see, well I'm not." Grinning, Kurt headed to the ice cream store, glad to be talking to anyone, even if it was the smelliest member of the brotherhood…


"…and that's why I came to be in my current circumstances." Kurt concluded finally as he licked the last of the ice cream off his spoon. Really, twelve flavours wasn't enough sometimes, and to think, Todd appeared to be struggling with just six. "And don't even think of trying anything, all the alarms are still set."

"Yo, I was thinking of throwing a party, not attacking the place."

"Who would I invite to a party? Everyone I know is on holiday."

Toad grinned and puffed up his chest. "Not everyone…"

"No, how would I explain to the professor that I had the brotherhood around for a party? I think he would really loose it, I have been pushing it recently."

Raising his eyebrows in disbelief, Toad put on a mock horror voice. "Really? What heinous crime have you committed to get in the saints bad books?"

"The usual – not refusing to do my homework or tidy my room, not trying to go to parties all the time instead of working on my essays, not trying to have a party at every occasion…"

"Yo, he wants you to socialise more?" The green mutant shook his head and took a spoonful of his own ice cream – a 'large' bowl which was around half the size of Kurt's already eaten bowl, and he was starting to struggle, but he would not be beaten! And who was he to turn down free ice-cream? "That's crazy, the tin can wants us to put more effort in – doesn't want us to be expelled and lose any opportunities of studying you guys."

Kurt shook his head and, cheekily, stole some of Toads ice cream. "Its not that he wants me to do badly at school, he just thinks I need to get out of my shell more – apparently even though I act like a goofball, I'm not letting people, and by that I mean normal humans, get close to me." He pointed his spoon at Toad. "Which is ridiculous really since I do like humans, and my parents are humans as well."

"Then why don't you socialise more."

"It's humans that don't like me."

"Ah, I have that problem as well."

"Yours can be cured with super strong deodorant and a bath in toxic waste remover."

Toad scowled. "Yours could be cured if you shaved."

"That would be really itchy, wouldn't it?" Kurt shuddered. "Imagine when it all grew back in – it'd be like blue stubble!" Shaking the suggestion off, he picked up his spoon again and tried to get more ice cream from Todd's bowl.

Holding a spoon battle, the green mutant failed to register Pietro's sudden appearance until the speedster took the ice cream bowl off them. "Yo, I was trying to eat that!" Well, struggling would be more correct…

"With an x-geek?" Pietro looked at the German critically. "Why are you here?"

"Yo, the x-geeks all abandoned him."

"You're alone, seriously? In that huge place?" Pietro shook his head, grinning wickedly. "We could -"

"The security systems are automated so don't even think about attacking."

"I was going to suggest a party."

This seemed awfully familiar. "Toad already asked and no, you're not coming round for a party." Shaking his head again, Kurt rose to his feet before being pushed back down by Lance. "Guten tag…"

"What's this I hear about you being all alone?" The teenager grinned nastily. "We could have some fun with you."

And now Kurt remembered why he had decided to stay inside the past twelve days, because no one was around to rescue him. Wonderbar.

Walking over, Tabitha unknowingly came to his rescue. "There you guys are, me and Wanda were thinking about seeing a movie." She looked at Kurt. "Hey Blue, you want to come to?"

"Nein, I really should be getting back." His attempt to flee was stopped when Pietro put his arm over the blue mutants shoulder.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Dragging the blue mutant with him, Pietro grinned. "A lot of fun…"


This was most certainly fun. Who would have thought Wanda's sarcasm would be so funny? And Tabitha had declared that Kurt wasn't to be harmed as he was an endangered species and that finding cute, blue and furry guys to cuddle at the cinema was getting really hard to find these days.

And, even though the movie turned out to be not quite Kurt's taste, it was still brilliant being able to just go the cinema and relax, not having to worry about who his tail snagged or who felt his fur.

Albeit, both where happening to Tabitha and Wanda, the reason he was between them was because Tabitha insisted that Wanda just had to cuddle her 'all time favourite blue plushie' and, after no complaints where given, he had remained there.

All too soon the movie ended and this time, he did really insist upon leaving but then Tabitha insisted that he at least come round to the brotherhood house for a drink and a bite of Fred's wonderful home made cake…

So that's why he had his mouth full of the most delicious chocolate cake in the world and a glass of milk in his tail as Pietro and Lance glowered at him. Fred was happy someone was eating, and complimenting his cooking and Toad was happy that he wasn't being hanged for associating with the blue guy in the first place.

Finishing the last of the cake and milk, Kurt stretched slowly, nearly twisting into a small ball. "Well, that was really appreciated but I do have to go now." Getting to his feet and waving goodbye to Tabitha and Wanda who were in heated debate over something he felt it wise not to ask about, Kurt shut the door behind him.

He had actually eaten with, seen a movie and then had snacks afterwards with the brotherhood and was still alive to tell the tale. Had a miracle occurred? It certainly looked like one to him.

Braking suddenly at the sight of Magnetos sinister presence, the blue mutant suddenly panicked and, spinning round, ran straight into a tree.

Reeling back from the collision and wondering exactly what truck had just hit him, a branch then fell onto his head.

Slowly picking himself up, Kurt wondered just why there where so many stars so close to the ground just as he simply collapsed.

The dustbin toppled over and landed on him.

Moving forward and, with a wave of a hand, Magneto shifted the dustbins before kneeling in front of the unconscious teenager where, after a moments debate, he took his pulse.

After confirming that the boy was alive, he, rather surprisingly to anyone that knew him, picked up the fragile mutant and, cradling him slightly, carried him inside.

There where several screams, green flashes and then the house shook.

Magneto was beginning to wonder just what was so dang scary about himself.

All then fell silent.


Please R&R – feedback is really appreciated for this one!