Everybody froze when they saw Kurt and Kayla materialize in her apartment—everyone except Kayla. Sure, she was as surprised as the next person, but when she saw Eric holding the gun…she launched herself at him and tore it out of his grasp.

"Katie—" he started, hoping to sweet-talk her, but she would have none of it.

"Nick, Eric, get in that corner. You too, blue man," she commanded, pointing the gun at them.

"What? Me? But I just saved you!" Kurt protested.

"Or maybe you brought me here to watch Kevin and Sel get killed. In the corner."

He could've teleported away, but… "Let me explain!"

"Later. Get in the corner. Kevin, Sel, see if you can find some rope."

They all obeyed—it was obvious Kayla was in no mood to be messed with. Nevertheless, Eric did try. "Katie, I wasn't going to hurt them, I just—"

Kayla laughed coldly. "Yeah, right. That's why you had a gun pointed at Kevin. New shut up or I blow your head off."

Kevin and Sel did find rope, rope that Eric must've brought—it was in the bedroom, which made clear to them the deal Nick and Eric had made. They brought it out, disarmed the three men, and tied them up. After that, Kayla relaxed some and lowered the gun. "All right, blue man. Talk."

Kurt complied with some relief, starting with who and what he was. He moved from there to how he met Melody, rescued her and Katie, and lived with Melody for a while. "I came to find you because…well, that black-haired guy and a few others found and killed Mel. I had thought you were dead, too, but they mentioned you were still alive. I wanted to find you before they did…obviously I failed." He paused, waiting for somebody to say something. When nobody did, he hesitantly continued, "…are you going to let me go now?"

"Why should I believe you?" Kayla countered.

Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "I don't know. But I can help you put these guys in prison."

Sel spoke up then. "Kiara—er, Katie—nobody could make up a story that weird."

"Thank you!" Kurt said sarcastically. "So now, I'm either telling the truth or crazy!"

Kevin could care less about Kurt and what was going on. Standing in front of him were two beautiful women—Chels in that pretty black dress; Katie in a silk bathrobe—and now, he'd have to pick between them. His indecision didn't go unnoticed.

"Having trouble picking one?" Nick asked, smirking.

Kayla glared viciously at him. "Kevin, Sel…gag those two. I'm letting the blue man go." She stepped over to untie him.

"Kurt! My name is Kurt!" he muttered as Kayla loosened the last knot.

"Fine, Kurt, whatever. You said you could put these two in prison?" Kurt nodded. "Then do it and leave me alone." With that, she stormed away to her bedroom to get dressed, locking the door behind her.

Eric was infuriated. So much so that he didn't care what was going on around him. Everything had been perfect: he had Kiara, and she was everything he had imagined, and he was about to kill the only two people who could get in his way. At least he thought they were the only two. A complete stranger—a mutant, nonetheless—had taken Kiara from him. Now everything was a disaster. There wasn't even a way to sweet-talk his way out of this. Unless…

"I hope you realize, Sister," Eric said, starting to talk before they had a chance to gag him, "that if I go to prison, you're coming with me."

Everyone was surprised when Eric spoke. He'd been quiet for practically the whole time, since he had tried talking to Kiara.

"What do you mean?" Selana asked slowly, even though she could guess what he meant.

He laughed. "I'll tell the authorities everything. The robberies, the attempted murder of Nick, and all the dirty work you've done for me. You're going to jail with me, and you'll probably serve a much longer sentence. If I'm going down, you're going with me…unless you let me go."

"He could turn in you and Kiara, too…" Selana whispered to Kevin. She glared at Eric. "So I guess we should kill you then."

"No," Kurt objected. "I can't let you do that."

"What in the hell?" Selana exclaimed. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You're sure acting like you're on the other side right now…" She glared daggers at him.

"He's right, Sel," Kevin said, trying to calm her. "Remember how you acted about Nick?"

Selana flushed. "I wasn't going to kill him anyways. It's not worth it." She didn't say another word.

"I hope Katie's doing all right…" Kevin murmured, and everyone but him noticed Selana's expression darken. He stood, went to the bedroom, and knocked on the door.

"Go away," Katie shouted. She had changed into blue jeans and a t-shirt, throwing the silk robe as far away from her as possible. Eric had tried to win her over by buying her nice things—things she normally would've liked. As it was, she couldn't wait to burn that robe.

"Katie," Kevin called, "are you all right?"

"Leave!" she shouted. "And get everybody else out of here, too!"

Obviously hurt, Kevin returned to the living room. "Get those two out of here," he said, gesturing to Nick and Eric. "I don't care what you do with them."

"Katie doesn't like you anymore?" Eric sneered. "What a shame…maybe if I—"

Kevin punched Eric as hard as he could, knocking Eric out. "Maybe killing him would be the best thing…"

"Don't let your emotions get the best of you," Kurt advised. Kevin glared furiously at him. "I'll take care of them," Kurt added quickly. "And…okay, I'm sure I don't know Katie as well as you do, but it seems to me that she needs some time alone. Just a thought." Before Kevin could punch him, too, Kurt grabbed Nick and Eric and teleported away.

"Stupid, nosy, meddling mutant…" Kevin muttered. "Sel…"

Selana cut him off. "I'll rent a room next door. You try to get Katie out of there, and…if…well, if you still…like her…it's okay…just tell me." She left quickly, before Kevin could respond. He sighed and returned to Katie's door.

"I told you to leave!" she shouted as she burst out of her room with the gun trained on Kevin. "Get out!"

Shocked, Kevin took a couple of steps backwards. "Katie, I know you're upset, but I don't want to leave you alone. I'm worried about you…please, put the gun down…Katie, I'm not going to hurt you…"

He continued on in that way for a short while, and by the time he ran out of things to say, tears were dripping from Katie's chin and her hands were shaking. She dropped the gun and leaned back against the wall. Kevin touched her shoulder, but she flinched back and slid to the floor. Her legs hugged to her chest, her face buried in her knees, Kevin's heart ached just watching her. He sat next to her and pulled her to his chest. At first, she resisted, but finally gave in and eventually cried herself to sleep in his arms.

Selana had managed to rent an apartment near Kiara's that was at least on the same floor. It wasn't that far away, but she couldn't get one that was next door. She was just about to get into bed when she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was Kevin, she raced to get to the door. She didn't think he'd be coming back; it was pretty obvious to her that he liked Kiara more. So she wasn't that surprised to see the mutant.

"Oh, Kurt…" She tried to smile as she invited him in. "What did you do with—wait, I really don't want to know. What do you want?"

"I don't mean to be abrupt, fraülein…I know you hardly know me." He smiled uneasily. "But I was wondering if I could spend the night. I would ask Katie, but she needs her time alone."

"Um, sure." Selana was more than a little confused. "I thought you had a place…"

"After Melody died—"

"I understand." Selana was a master at analyzing people. Within a few seconds she could learn novels about a person. Most of her work for Eric was business-like, and she had to teach herself to read people just by their actions and choice of words. If anyone were being dishonest or untrustworthy, she would report to Eric.

She could tell that Kurt was being honest…for the most part, anyways. He seemed like he was hiding things, but everyone has something to hide. She had noticed a while ago that he didn't seem to care that he was a mutant…he might even enjoy it; Sel couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't like the way he looked (she certainly liked how he looked). It only took her a few moments until she decided to let him stay. She sighed. "It's only a one bedroom apartment, and I don't think Kevin will stop by…he's keeping Kiara company. I hear the couch is comfortable, though," she said, smiling.

Kayla woke up in her own bed, although she didn't realize that at first. She rolled to the edge of the bed, blanket wrapped tightly around her, and hoped Eric would leave her alone this morning…a few seconds later, when she didn't feel Eric's arms pull her back, she remembered what had happened and knew she was safe. Suddenly, she was so overwhelmed with relief that she was bawling again.

When the tears subsided, she headed out to the kitchen. On the way, she passed the living room, where Kevin lay curled up on the couch. She ruffled his hair affectionately as she passed—and he, waking with a start, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Previously, she would've giggled or something. Now, she jerked away and stared at him fearfully, recent memories replaying themselves, and then turned away quickly and hurried into the kitchen. Kevin followed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

Kayla shook her head. "It's…it's not your fault. I…" She paused and opened the cupboards, quickly changing the subject. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Suddenly, with a loud bamf and the acrid smell of sulfur, Kurt and Selana appeared in the kitchen. "Eggs would be nice," Kurt said with a smile. "And pancakes, and French toast, and bacon, and sausage…"

"How about cereal?" Kayla suggested. "I haven't been here for nearly three weeks…"

"Cereal sounds good," Kurt said as he sat down at the table.

"Okay, but you don't get anything until you promise to use the door from now on," Kayla stated.

"Deal. What kind of cereal do you have?"

The group, sans Kayla, ate breakfast quietly. She knew her eyes were red, her hair was messy, and her clothes were wrinkled, so she decided to shower right away (despite her growling stomach). She came out much refreshed, although she couldn't wait to get everybody out of her apartment. She just wanted some time alone…but no matter what, one person always stayed with her when the others left. After breakfast on this particular day, Sel took Kevin to their new apartment and Kurt stayed with Kayla.

"Kev, we really need to talk," Selana said as soon as she closed the door to their apartment.

"What about?"

"Kiara." Selana noticed that Kevin's playful expression changed quickly to a darker one.

"What about her?"

His faked ignorance was bugging her. "I've said it before…but…I know you like her more than me—"

Kevin shook his head. "That's not true. I just wanted to make sure she was okay last night…I slept on her couch, Sel. Besides, she's not interested in any relationships right now."

"Kevin, I'm not going to be your girlfriend if you really don't like me. Just because Kiara isn't interested doesn't change how you feel. I was with Nick, remember."

"But Nick actually cheated on you! How can you compare me to him?" Kevin asked pleadingly.

"Is it any different if you're always thinking of someone else? I don't want to be used, Kevin."

"Used!" He practically laughed. "I'd never use you! I still can't believe you're comparing me to Nick." He pulled Selana close. "If I ever lose interest in you, you'll know."

She wasn't completely convinced. "I've already begun to notice. I'm going to go out and buy some clothes for us…I've been wearing the same dress since we got here. Do you want to come with?"

"You know how I am about shopping!" Kevin exclaimed, laughing. "Go by yourself. You'll probably have more fun without dragging me along."

"So…you and Melody lived together," Kayla said.

Kurt nodded.

"How close were you to her?" Kayla continued.

"Um…" Kurt blushed.

"Did you sleep with her?" Kayla prodded.

"Well—"

"You pervert! Taking advantage of Mel like that—"

"What? If anything, she was taking advantage of me! I tried to stop her, but when a pretty little girl likes you like that—"

"You're a pedophile, too! I can't believe this…"

"Pedophile? Where'd you get that from?"

"You called her a little girl!"

"What I meant was 'little' as in 'dainty' and 'girl' as in 'younger than me'!"

Kayla shook her head. "Were you two making any long-term plans, or were you just letting your hormones have free rein?"

"For your information," Kurt sputtered, "we were planning to get married. If that's not long-term, I don't know what is."

"She was pregnant?" Katie nearly shouted, horrified.

"What? No! Of course not! Well, not that I knew, anyway. I suppose it was entirely possible…"

"And you didn't even care to ask her, did you, Blue Man?"

"Oh, so now we're back to that? Well, I'll have you know that I tried to take very good care of her, and I did love her, whether you believe me or not." He sighed and glanced at the door. "I wish I could leave…but Kevin and Sel don't want to leave you alone."

They sat at opposite ends of the couch in an uncomfortable silence for a full half of a minute. Kayla, however, was starting to believe him, and she began to feel guilty. Finally, she couldn't hold it anymore. "I'm so sorry!" Kayla cried, tears coming again. "I just… So much has happened…"

By the time Kevin knocked on the door, Kurt was holding Kayla while she cried.

When Sel arrived back at the apartment that night with more shopping bags than anyone could count, it was obvious that tensions were running high between Kevin and Kurt. Selana didn't ask why, she just assumed, and had to admit that she was a little angry herself. She thought Kevin had been honest with her…

Though both Kevin and Kurt had volunteered to sleep in Katie's apartment, Selana decided that it was her turn. She hadn't really had a chance to talk with Kiara alone yet.

"Are you sure this is smart, Sel?" Kiara asked. "I don't think Kurt and Kevin like each other much…what if they fight?"

"I'm sure they will," Selana answered, grinning. "Boys will be boys." As a matter of fact, she wanted them to fight. Maybe Kevin would realize that he shouldn't be swooning over Kiara. Speaking of which, Selana wondered if Kiara was being ignorant to all of the attention or if she simply did not see it. Maybe she was still getting used to no Eric and didn't realize it.

Meanwhile, at Kevin and Selana's apartment, Kevin and Kurt were doing everything they could not to fight. They tried avoiding each other, but that proved too complicated in the small apartment. Even so, they were desperate to not speak to one another.

Finally, Kevin got sick of sitting around and doing nothing (though he had tried to put away a few of the things Selana had bought) and decided to go to Katie's apartment.

"Going to follow Katie around some more?" Kurt asked sarcastically as Kevin headed for the door.

"What do you mean? I'm going to see Sel. It's boring around here."

"Right," Kurt scoffed. "I know you're attracted to Katie. It's pretty obvious."

"You are, too!" Kevin accused, growing angry.

He shrugged. "She's a lot like Mel was. And unlike you, mein freund, I don't already have someone waiting in my bed."

"Leave Sel out of this! It's not better for you! One sister dies, so you move on to the next."

Kurt glared at Kevin. "Fine. Let's both go to Katie's and see who she likes best."

They pounded on Kayla's door, and Sel rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to let them in?"

Kayla sighed. "If you don't, Kurt will teleport in."

As soon as Selana opened the door, both men stormed in to pose in front of Kayla (or it looked like they were trying to pose, Sel thought with a giggle).

"Who do you like more?" Kurt demanded.

"Me or the mutant?" Kevin nearly shouted.

"Um…do I have to pick?" Kayla asked shyly, glancing at Sel for backup. Sel gave her a look that clearly said, 'Leave me out of this.'

"Yes!" the two men shouted simultaneously.

Kayla bit her lip. "But…I've been thinking…what if I don't like either of you?"

Kurt looked crestfallen; Kevin looked horrified. "You…it's not Eric, is it?"

Kayla nearly slapped Kevin. "Why are you two so interested in me, anyway? What's wrong with Sel?"

"Well…you play hard-to-get, and she doesn't," Kevin stated.

"I've never seen her in a silk bathrobe," Kurt added, smiling.

Kayla did slap Kurt that time. "As I thought: both of you just want to get in bed with me. Well, screw yourselves! That's the closest you'll ever get to having me." She stormed past them, throwing her door wide open. "Get out. And Sel, their apartment will be full enough without your stuff; you might as well move in with me."

"Yeah, I might as well…" Selana said darkly. "I'd better get all of my stuff from my apartment. I'll go right away." She hurried out the door before Kiara could say anything. As she walked over to her old apartment, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she was not only angry with Kevin and Kurt, but Kiara, too. What made her so special that everyone loved her? Kevin had gone so far as to call her loose! If anything, she was the opposite. She never flaunted her beauty like some girls did…in fact, until she'd met Kiara, Nick was the only boyfriend she'd ever had. Sure, in high school, there were always three or four guys following her around, but she'd only had eyes for Nick. She was used to attention from men…she'd even enjoyed watching them fight over her, to an extent. But now everyone wanted Kiara. She almost wished that she had never met Kiara. Everything was fine before she came along. Sure, Nick had been cheating on her, but ignorance is bliss, right? And how he'd acted around Kevin…he was desperate for her. Shame that he was gone…

Sel knocked on the door. It was opened instantly, but the sad look on Kevin's face when he saw it wasn't Kiara only managed to make her angrier. "I came to get my things," she said as calmly as she could.

"Oh…look, Sel, I—" But she just walked past him, bent on ignoring him as long as she was forced to stay.

She went into the bedroom and started to stuff all of her new clothes back in the bags.

Kayla was actually thinking along the same lines as Selana. Why did all of the guys around fall in love with her? It wasn't like she was casting a spell on every guy she walked by…was it? Come to think of it, she did use 'Love Spell' perfume from Victoria's Secret… Well, now she was just being silly. Her perfume had nothing to do with any of this.

Sel walked in just then, with Kurt and Kevin tailing her (under the guise of carrying her bags—in reality, they were both looking pleadingly at Kayla). "Put those over there," Sel directed them, pointing to a corner next to the couch. They followed her instructions meekly, and Kayla was led to wonder what kind of a tongue-lashing Sel had given them. They left as quickly as they came. Sel plopped down onto the couch next to Kayla, and they sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"I've got it!" Kayla suddenly shouted.

"Got what?" asked Sel, looking at Kayla strangely.

"I figured out why all the guys like me!"

"Great. Now tell me, so I can start doing whatever it is that you do," muttered Sel sarcastically.

"Well…actually, I have no idea why they like me. But, coincidentally, every guy who's ever liked me had a 'k' sound in his name. Kevin, Kurt, Eric, Nick… And my name starts with a 'K'…maybe if I changed it to something else, like… I don't know… Ashley, or something." She giggled. "As if I haven't changed my name enough…"

Sel rolled her eyes. "Then Eric would still like you, and guys named Aaron or Andy or…well, you get it."

Kayla sighed dejectedly. "Sel?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being me. I've noticed how much I must bug you…and I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Sel looked at Kayla long and hard. "It is annoying how guys are attracted to you like moths to light, but…I mean, you can't really do anything about that. It's not your fault…you just have some kind of aura, I guess."

"An aura. First I thought it was my perfume, then my name, and now it's my aura." Kayla sighed again. "Would you like to borrow my aura for, oh, say, the rest of my life?"

"I wish." Sel glanced over at Kayla, and finally voiced a question she'd wanted to ask for quite a while. "What do you want me to call you? Katie? Kiara? Kayla? I mean, it's confusing…which do you prefer?"

"Ashley," replied Kayla with a giggle. The girls looked at each other, and then both burst out laughing.

When they finally gained control of themselves, Sel voiced the question again. "No, seriously though, what should I call you?"

Kayla shrugged. "Whichever name you like best…I don't really care."

After a rather quiet supper (at least it seemed quiet without Kevin or Kurt there), the girls returned to the couch to watch TV and talk. Soon, the television got boring, and they ended up just talking over a tub of cookie dough.

"I wonder what's going to happen next," Selana said cryptically after a prolonged silence.

"What do you mean?" Kiara asked, obviously confused.

"Well, my life hasn't exactly been 'normal'…and it's been even weirder ever since I met you…"

"And?" Kiara pressed.

"Something else that's completely abnormal in the flow of life is bound to happen," Selana finished with a smile.

But Kiara wouldn't take that as an answer. "What if something doesn't happen? Would that be so bad?"

"Well…yes…" Selana sighed softly. "I believe in living life to the fullest…and I can't do that here…I don't like staying in the same place for long. Kevin was an exception; I actually thought I could settle down with him, but I guess that went down the drain. And I don't really like New York City, as it is. I'd like to go somewhere more interesting…I'd even be willing to let Kurt and Kevin tag along if they want. Anyways,"—Selana watched Kiara's face closely now—"you might want to come with me too. I could stay here for a few weeks…but after that, I need to find some life-changing event to entice my attention for more than a few minutes."

Kayla invited everybody out to dinner that night, to either celebrate their moving on or their separation. The dinner wasn't a fancy affair—Kentucky Fried Chicken isn't known for its glamour. But Kayla didn't particularly want to dress up, and nobody else really wanted to, either; blue jeans and t-shirts fit nicely into everybody's mood for the moment.

"Cities have never agreed with me," Kayla started once everybody was done eating. "And I've never been one for a boring, day-by-day lifestyle." She glanced over at Sel, who recognized where the conversation was heading. "For this reason, Sel and I will be leaving soon." Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but Kayla stopped him. "Wait and let me finish. The way I see it, you two guys have two choices. Kevin, you still have a job back home, and Kurt still has one with the X-Men, right?"

"It's more like a hobby than a job," Kurt commented.

"I can quit whenever…" Kevin stated.

"Anyway, you can go back home, if you want, or you can come with Sel and I."

"I'm in," Kevin said.

"Me, too," added Kurt.

Kayla looked at Sel again, and Sel nodded for her to continue. "All right, then I've got a few rules for you guys. Number one: I am not available right now. Don't even think about it. I don't want you guys following me around or anything—stay out of my hair. And don't ignore Sel…she and I are friends, and if you treat her like crap, I treat you like crap."

"When have we treated her like crap?" asked Kurt.

"You haven't; Kevin has," replied Kayla.

"What? When have I ever—"

"Let me refresh your memory," Sel said, cutting Kevin off. "Last night, you told Kiara that she plays hard-to-get and I don't."

"That doesn't mean anyth—"

"You called me a slut!"

"I—what? That's not what I meant—"

"What else is that supposed to mean?"

"I—"

"Dude, Kevin, stop while you're behind," said Kurt. "You're digging your own grave." Kevin glared at Kurt, but shut his mouth.

"I'd like to know something," Sel said to Kurt, ignoring Kevin. "If Kiara's finished," she added.

"Go ahead. That was about it for me," said Kayla.

"Good. Ok, Kurt, what exactly did you do with Eric and Nick?"

"I—well, ok, it's kind of weird—" started Kurt.

"Just tell me."

"But it's kind of hard to explain—"

"If you keep trying to avoid explaining, it will be."

"Well…I sent them to the Abyss."

"What?" chorused Kayla, Sel, and Kevin.

"My half-brother can teleport things to the Abyss, and since I couldn't just let them go or anything…"

"Wouldn't it have been nicer to just kill them?" asked Kevin incredulously.

"I'm pretty sure that would've sent them there, too," replied Kurt, his lips twitching as he tried to keep from smiling.

"So…they're not dead?" asked Kayla.

"I'm not sure about that," said Kurt. "I personally know somebody who's lived in the Abyss since Biblical times, and he lived for quite a while…"

"They're going to live forever down there?" asked Sel.

"Maybe…if that person doesn't kill them…I'm not sure. Maybe they'll age and die down there, and then their souls will stay there or something. I don't know."