Chapter One: Brimstone in the Morning

Bayville, New York - Present Day

Five minutes. Kitty Pryde only had about five minutes to herself before the other x-men came in for breakfast. While the dining hall was not exactly the ideal spot for peace and quiet, it was the only place Kitty knew no one else would be this early in the morning. Well, no one except for Logan, but he really was not a bother. In fact, Kitty enjoyed his company, even if they did not talk much. Ever since the Weapon X incident in Canada, the two X-Men had grown close.

"Whatcha typing there, Half-pint?"

Logan motioned the cup of coffee in his hand to Kitty's computer. She was surprised that the man had decided to take an interest in what she was writing. Kitty shrugged.

"Oh, nothing. Just, you know…diary stuff."

Logan nodded and comfortable silence returned to the room. If only the man were a telepath, he could easily hear what Kitty was writing since her thoughts said it all.

"It's only been a few months, but ever since the whole fight with Apocalypse, things have been getting better at Bayville High. I'm actually looking forward to going to school now! My classmates think it's pretty cool that we helped stop Apocalypse from destroying the world, so I guess were in their good graces now. There are the occasional bullies like Duncan and his gang—"

Kitty stopped typing for a moment to stick her tongue at her laptop. The thought of Duncan just made her want to puke. Logan chuckled at the gesture since he had no idea what Kitty was upset about, but it was funny seeing the teen like that. After that, Kitty went back to typing.

"But despite that, school's been alright. Oh, and I got a C+ on my biology test! Kurt has been helping me with studying since we're both having a tough time in that class. Speaking of Kurt—"

Just as she typed that, Kitty heard the hall's doors slam open and she looked up from her computer to see a group of her fellow X-Men entering. They went straight to the table where a spread of food had already been graciously prepared a few minutes earlier by Ororo, who went out shortly after to get her lesson plans ready for the day. Scott, Jean, Rogue, they were all here eating away at the fresh muffins and crispy bacon that were laid out before them. All except one. The one who was usually the first to appear at the breakfast table. Kitty slammed her laptop shut and stood up.

"Hey guys. Where's Kurt?"

Scott had just taken a bite out of a blueberry muffin when he decided to answer Kitty's question. Although it was hard to hear him when his mouth was full. That is when Jean stepped in to answer for Scott.

"What Scott is trying to say is that he knocked on Kurt's door and shouted for him to get up like usual. I guess he didn't get the message."

"That's weird. Kurt isn't one to miss out on food. I think I'd better check up on him."

Kitty then walked out of the dining hall and headed towards Kurt's room. She knocked on the door a few times and when she did not get an answer, she sighed.

"Kurt! Come on, get up! You don't want to go to school with an empty stomach again, right!?"

Still no one responded. Annoyed, Kitty rolled her eyes and took it upon herself to enter her friend's room, even without Kurt's permission. She opened the door and her eyes widened at the scene that was laid out before her. The bedsheets were torn to shreds, the desk and bookshelf have been thrown across the room with their contents spilled out, and the lamp was on the floor shattered. Kitty was not sure if she should even step inside the room, afraid that something had attacked Kurt in the middle of the night, and it was still lurking in the shadows.

"Um…Kurt? Kurt, are you in there?"

"Kitty?"

Startled by the voice, Kitty jumped back and let out a small yelp. Behind her stood Kurt Wagner, who had his hands held out in front of him.

"Woah, woah! Sorry about that, Kitty. I didn't mean to scare you."

Kitty quickly regained her composure and she glared at the blue elf.

"Could you stop sneaking up behind people like that!? Just because you can teleport doesn't mean you have to teleport everywhere!"

"But I didn't teleport! Did you not hear me walking down the hall? I was just getting out of the shower when I heard you calling me."

Kitty looked Kurt up and down and concluded that the elf was telling he truth. His blue fur was still damp, and he had a towel wrapped around his neck. Kitty crossed her arms.

"Okay, okay. But that doesn't explain…this."

Kitty pointed to the wreckage that was Kurt's room. Kurt sighed and shook his head.

"Yeaaaaaaaah…I don't know what happened. I just woke up and saw my room was a mess. I was going to clean it up. Honest!"

Kitty's eyes softened and she looked at her friend in concern.

"Are you okay, Kurt? No one attacked you, right?"

No, no, no! Really, I'm fine. But…maybe…"

"What's up?"

Kurt immediately waved off the thought and smiled.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I was just thinking about a crazy dream I had last night. Well…more like a nightmare."

"What was it about? You know you can tell me, Kurt."

"I know. But, uh…I don't really want to talk about it right now. Maybe later?"

"Kurt—"

"We better get to the dining hall. All the good food will be taken!"

And before Kitty could say anything else, Kurt vanished in a cloud of smoke. Kitty was mad that the elf just changed the subject and left like that, but she was worried more than anything. Kurt's behavior has been getting stranger by the day. Stranger than usual, that is.

Kitty and a few of the other X-Men had noticed it too. Maybe they should have a talk with Kurt after school about what has been bothering him lately. If not, then maybe Professor Xavier could talk to him. If anything, the professor more than likely knows about the elf's unusual behavior and wants to do something about it. Today might be the day.

Arriving at Bayville High, Bobby Drake headed to his locker and took out his history textbook. He frowned at the book and let out a loud sigh.

"Why do we have to learn this stuff? It's so boooooring."

"I don't know. I think history's pretty cool."

Bobby arched a brow and closed his locker door. Beside him stood one his classmates, a girl named Mia. They did not talk to each other much, but over the past few days, Mia has taken an interest in the mutant. She smiled softly at Bobby and pointed at his history textbook.

"Maybe you'll be in a history book one day."

Bobby smiled back, his face turning red at the statement.

"R-Really? You think so?"

"Yeah, why not? You are an X-Man, right? You guys are already famous."

"Nah, it's no big deal. We just saved the world and stuff."

Mia laughed and Bobby's smile grew. But he became a little too excited because Mia stopped laughing and immediately looked back at his textbook.

"Uh, Bobby, I don't think freezing your book is going to get you out of class."

"Huh?"

Bobby looked down at his hands and gasped when he saw that his textbook was now a giant ice cube.

"Aw man! This is great!"

"Don't worry about it. Here."

Reaching into her bag, Mia pulled out her own history book and handed it to Bobby.

"I got history class for second period. Just give it back to me after your class, okay?"

"Really? Thanks! You're awesome!"

"Ha, ha! You're very welcome. See ya later, Bobby."

Mia waved goodbye and headed to the chemistry lab. Bobby watched as she turned a corner and disappeared, but he was so distracted that he did not hear Ray sneak up behind him. The elder teen wrapped his arm around Bobby and took the textbook out of his hands.

"Smooth, Iceman. Real smooth."

Ray tossed the book back into Bobby's locker and slammed it shut. Bobby quickly regained his composure and puffed out his chest with his hands on his hips.

"That's right. I'm not just Iceman. I am THE ladies' man."

"Yeah, yeah. Move it, dork."

Ray gave Bobby a light push on his back to get him moving and they began walking to their classes. Behind them, Kurt had arrived and was taking things out of his own locker. When he closed his locker door and turned around, Kurt was surprised to feel arms wrapping themselves around his waist.

"What took you so long, Kurt? I was beginning to think you weren't coming to school today."

Kurt smiled as he looked down at Amanda Sefton, who was still holding onto him. The two teens were still dating and after some time, they finally got Amanda's parents' approval. It took a lot of pleading and crying on Amanda's part, but it was mostly the fight with Apocalypse that changed their minds. Amanda's parents thought that Kurt deserved a second chance, especially since they did believe that the elf was a good person. They just got caught up in the anti-mutant chaos and did not want their daughter to be harmed because she was associated with a mutant. If anything were to happen now, they knew Amanda would be safe with Kurt and the other X-Men.

"Sorry, Amanda. I got up a little late."

"Having trouble sleeping again?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Amanda's smile faded and she let go of Kurt.

"Seriously, what's up with you? I'm worried about you, Kurt."

Kurt gave Amanda a small smile and grabbed her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Amanda. I'm fine. Just a few little nightmares. No big deal."

"Well, I wouldn't call those bags under your eyes "no big deal". Unless your image inducer is acting up again, which I doubt it is."

Kurt frowned and reached up to touch his face. Not even his image inducer could hide his exhaustion. Amanda sighed.

"Why are you still wearing that anyway? Everyone knows about your powers, and I'm sure they have already connected the dots between you and the mysterious "Nightcrawler". Isn't about time you were able to walk around freely? As yourself?"

"I know, I know. It's just…remember the last guy who saw my real appearance?"

Amanda thought back to about a week ago when a classmate of theirs asked Kurt to meet him after school. The classmate, a boy named Ned, had figured out that Kurt was Nightcrawler, but he thought that the whole blue elf form was nothing but a costume. When Kurt showed him that it was not, Ned's curiosity turned into terror, and he fled screaming things at the mutant like "freak" and "monster". After that, Ned made sure to keep his distance from Kurt, but he was too scared to say anything to the other students out of fear that the elf and the other X-Men would come after him. Amanda shook her head at the memory.

"Okay, okay. I admit that things didn't work out, but don't let that get you down, Kurt. I'm sure if he got to know you, Ned wouldn't have been so scared."

"It wouldn't matter, Amanda."

Turning away from Amanda, Kurt started walking down the hall to his English class. He tightened the straps of his bookbag as he went, mumbling something Amanda could barely hear.

"In his eyes…I'm still just a monster."

"Now how would you describe the relationship between Macbeth and his wife?"

Ms. Vasquez stood in front of the chalk board and waited for someone to answer her question. Most of her students looked to each other, hoping that someone would answer before Ms. Vasquez started calling on people.

"Anyone? No?"

Fortunately, Mia raised her hand and Ms. Vasquez immediately noticed her.

"Ah, yes. Miss Johnson?"

"Well, Lady Macbeth was very hungry for power, and she manipulated Macbeth into getting that power. Even if it meant killing his friends. And in the end, they both paid for their greed. A very, VERY toxic relationship. I think if Lady Macbeth had not persuaded her husband down that dark path, Macbeth would have lived a good and long life, even if he was not the king."

Ms. Vasquez smiled and nodded her head.

"Very good, Miss Johnson. Does anyone have a different opinion?"

While another student was being called, Kurt stared out the window, ignoring the class discussion. He watched a bird fly down to one of the trees in front of the school. The bird landed in a nest where its babies were waiting to be fed. Seeing the mother bird feeding her children made Kurt think about his own mother. Mystique. Kurt wondered what life would have been like if Mystique had not lost him and raised him.

But then another thought came to Kurt's mind. What if he had other family out there? Brothers? Sisters? Kurt did not even know the identity of his father. What other secrets was Mystique hiding about his origins?

"Mr. Wagner. Do you have anything to say, or are we boring you?"

Kurt was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard Ms. Vasquez's voice. He quickly turned his attention to her.

"Oh, yes, uh…can you repeat the question please?"

There were a few snickers when Kurt asked that, but Ms. Vasquez immediately silenced them. She then turned back to Kurt.

"I asked for your thoughts on Lady Macbeth. Do you believe that she was the true villain of the story?"

"Well…in a way, I gu—"

Kurt winced as a sharp pain entered his head. He placed his hand over his forehead and shut his eyes tightly. Ms. Vasquez looked down at the mutant in concern.

"Kurt? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I, uh…I need to go to the bathroom!"

Before his teacher could say another word, Kurt rushed out of the classroom. He headed to the boys' bathroom and went straight to one of the sinks. Turning on the faucet, Kurt threw some water onto his face and then held onto the sides of the sink with his hands, taking in deep breaths to calm himself.

"So…hot…"

Kurt removed his coat and threw it onto the floor. His entire body felt like it was on fire and his headache was getting worse. It felt like knives being stabbed right into his skull. His grip on the sink grew tighter and tighter, until cracks appeared on the wall where the sink hung. The sink was soon torn out of the wall and fell apart the moment it hit the floor. Kurt stumbled back in shock and looked at his hands.

"What…What's wrong with me?"

Kurt looked up from his hands to the mirror, expecting to see his own reflection staring back at him. But the sight that greeted him was not that. Instead, Kurt saw a dark shadow staring back at him and it glared at the mutant with bright, red eyes. Kurt let out a yelp and fell onto the floor, but what he felt was not the cool, tiled bathroom floor that he had expected. No.

Dirt. Rocks. Hard and hot. Kurt scrambled back to his feet and looked at his surroundings. The jagged cliffs, the abnormally red sky. Kurt knew exactly where he was, but he was not at all pleased by it.

"No, no, no, no, no. How? I…I didn't even teleport! Did I?"

A roar in the distance caused Kurt to panic even more. He knew of the terrible creatures that resided within this realm, and he knew that it was going to be difficult to beat even one on his own. The mutant shut his eyes and thought about the Bayville High.

"When I open my eyes, I'll be back at the school. Come on, Kurt. Teleport. TELEPORT!"

Kurt could feel his body trying to move, but it could not. It was like he was stuck. And this was NOT the place he wanted to be stuck in. So, Kurt did the only thing he could do. He started to run. He was not sure where he was going, but as long as it was away from those monsters, Kurt was happy. He ran and ran and did not stop even though his lungs were burning, and his legs felt like jelly.

Kurt only stopped when he tripped on a large rock and fell to the ground. He took a moment to look behind him despite knowing that it was usually a bad idea to do so. And he was right. The moment he looked back, Kurt saw the shadow from before reaching out to him. Just looking at the creature terrified the teen and he felt paralyzed. But by some miracle, he managed to get up and moved to run again.

It did not take long for Kurt to run into the shadow again. But now there were two, circling him so he could not escape. He was trapped. Kurt's breathing quickened and he feel to his knees with his head in his hands. He prayed that this was all just a horrible nightmare and that he would wake up soon.

"Kurt?"

Kurt's eyes widened when he heard a voice inside his head. However, he recognized this voice. The voice of an angel.

"Jean?"

"Yes, Kurt. I'm here. Look at me."

Doing as he was told, Kurt looked at the shadow to his left, but instead he saw Jean Grey walking towards him, slowly and carefully so as to not alarm him.

"It's me. It's Jean, Kurt. Whatever it is you're seeing, it's not real."

Kurt turned to the other shadow, which was now Scott Summers. He looked just as concerned about the elf as Jean did.

"Hey, buddy. It's going to be okay. No one's going to hurt you. Not if I can help it."

Kurt began to calm down and his breathing slowed. He looked down at the ground and was happy to see grass instead of dirt. He turned around and saw Bayville High School standing behind him. He was back home.

"Kurt?"

Kurt looked back to Jean, who was kneeling beside him. He smiled weakly at her.

"Thank…you."

That was Kurt's last words before his vision went black. He fell forward and would have hit the ground if not for Scott, who caught him at the last second. Scott and Jean shared a worried before they carried their unconscious comrade into Scott's car. They could only imagine what the professor's reaction will be once he sees Kurt.