Kurt was now officially slightly drunk. It had taken a lot, and he and Remy had been the last ones standing. Sam had gotten sick but managed to get to the bathroom with help from Bobby. Bobby had fallen asleep in the hallway outside the bathroom and Sam had passed out on the cool bathroom tile floor. Scott had decided he had had just about enough when Ray and Roberto began singing and actually started to sound good, so he'd retired to bed. It was now getting late and even Remy had fallen asleep, leaving Kurt allone, and feeling terribly lonely. He supposed today that he would be justified in being depressed, he had after all broken up with his first girlfriend, but tonight was like all the other nights, when only she existed to him.

He had felt an attraction from the first moment he saw her, and then it grow and hadn't stopped. Everything about her set his mind on fire and his heart ablaze. He thought he'd had enough heartache in his life. Mystique was his mom, she'd let him be experimented on before dropping him in a river, he was hunted and nearly burned on a stake in Germany, then there was Stefan, and he was a blue and furry mutant who resembled something very close to a demon. Yep, he thought the world was done breaking him. But then he fell in love. And everything was beautiful, everything was painful. Never had he felt so full and yet so empty at the same time, and the twisted part was that Kurt never wanted it to stop, even if it meant this pain and torment. Because loving her was the only thing Kurt wanted to do, could do. He'd seen other people, but his heart always pulled him towards Kitty's embrace and never did he want to turn away. They'd grown so close, a bond that could never be broken. More then the brother- sister relationship she had with Scott, or the flirty and light hearted one she had with Bobby. Kurt knew that Kitty could trust either of those, in fact all of the guys, with her life, but her heart was a different matter entirely. They never had to question one another's actions and instintively knew one another. For neither of them being telepathatic Kurt was still fairly certain that they could give Jean and Scott a run for their money.

Kurt took a deep breathe, the air in the underground housing suddenly becoming stiffling. His sensitive nose picked up on the alcohol, the boys sweat, cigarrate smoke (Remy and Ray had snuck a couple after Scott went to bed) and bile (courtesy of the lightwieght Sam), all of which caused Kurt to gag. An overwhelming need to leave this place filled him and before he could stop himself from drunk teleporting, Kurt was in the yard, a good twenty feet from the living room window, which was the only spot that was giving off light anymore. Kurt paused when a familiar scent wafted through the air. He turned and caught sight of Kitty and Jean in the living room, tidying up the mess they and the other girls had made while on the hunt for the ferret. Kurt perked up his ears when he heard Jean's voice.

"Kitty, I know that you just want to move on from what Lance did, but we really should tell the professor or Ms. Monroe, or maybe even Logan.."

Kurt heard Kitty snort in laughter at the idea of telling Logan. It was no secret that all the girls were protected by Logan, but he could go a little pyscho when Kitty or Rouge were involved. Though those two were complete opposites, Logan cherished them both, wanting to protect them. Kurt supposed that he could relate to Rouge, feeling lost and terribly alone, and wanted to, even though he would never admit it, prove to her that there was hope. However, Logan himself wasn't quite too sure if there was, until he looked upon Kitty. Kitty was incorruptable, her innocence and optimism in humanity still shone through the halls of the mansion, even though she had now seen her fair share of hate in the world. In Kitty, Kurt believed that Logan saw the hope he sought to give to Rouge and the two girls who were as different from one another then night is from day, inspired Logan, reminded him that even though he may be pratically immortal, doesn't mean his heart has grown dull from beating.

"Okay, maybe telling Logan would be a bad idea," Jean's voice chuckled as Kurt bit back the urge to run over and tell the girls to leave Alvers to him. His slightly drunk mind considered going over to the Brotherhood house now and get it over with, but Kurt felt that being sober at the time of Lance's ass kicking would be much more beneficial.

He heard Kitty groan in pain as she tried to move a chair.

"Kitty," Jean scolded. "Leave the heavy lifting to the telepath."

Kurt fought the need to jump into the room and hold her until the pain subside, though he settled for digging his nails into his palm instead. He peeked a glance in the room and watched as Kitty froze, glancing towards the window.

'Verdammt,' Kurt thought cringing as Kitty's eyes rested on his, an unsurpirsed and amused look passed over her beautiful face before it clouded and she looked painfully lost. He had temporarily forgotten about Kitty's uncanny ability to know when he was around her. Kurt often wondered just how she did it, maybe she was allergic to blue fur and would start to inch when he was in her vicintiy. Kurt dismissed this idea as his mind sifted through all the memories of her curled to his chest, laughing, or crying, or simply being there with him. Jean and the Professor could both mentally pick up on someone's presence, and Logan, Rahne and Kurt could smell the person, though Kitty was easiest for Kurt to locate, so it was no mystery why they five were impossible to sneak up on. Kitty was usually a very easy target for unexpected jokes, except when Kurt was involved.

'After two years of me popping up everywhere and frightening her I think it must be a survival thing now,' Kurt laughed.

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He was out there, Kitty just knew. A familiar aching in her chest erupted and Jean staggered as Kitty unintentionally projected her pain. Kitty approached the window and looked out, spotting the glowing yellow eyes that made her world bright and painful. Kurt didn't blink, but met her gaze, his eyes unguarded and soft. She knew he hadn't meant to listen in, hell it was her fault that she and Jean were talking so loudly with the window open. 'Yea, real stealthy Pryde. You're shaping up to be one hell of X-Man,' Kitty thought bitterly, a small smirk playing at her lips before it faded away, the two burning embers never faltering.

Kitty allowed herself to continue staring into his eyes, not having the energy to mask her hurt.

"Please," Kitty whispered, knowing that Kurt could hear her. She wasn't quite sure what she was pleading for. She finally knew what she wanted but never could she ask that of him. She knew now for sure that it was too late, and Kitty couldn't disrupt his happiness for her own sake.

"Please," Kitty started again as his eyes urged her on, pleading silently to allow passage into her thoughts and wishes. Kitty caught the words 'love me' in her throat and swallowed hard. "Leave."

His eyes looked hurt for a moment, but not surprised and Kitty's heart crumbled more. She wasn't sure if knowing she had hurt him was more painful then realizing that after all this time he still expected her to do so. He kept her steady gaze for a moment longer, and Kitty felt so exposed and raw. The yellow eyes lowered and Kitty heard a faint bamf, the night now absent of comfort, offering only cold and distance, promises of satisfaction in exchange for undeserving trust.

Kitty continued standing there for a moment before Jean grabbed her shoulders, looking as though she might burst out crying.

"Kitty for god sakes stop projecting!" Jean grumbled as she forced a hand to massage her temple.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I was always terrible at the whole mental barrier thing," Kitty attempted to force her emotions back in and felt Jean's mental fingers coaxing and helping her. After a moment Kitty had recollected her scattered emotions and the two sat down on the couch, which was slightly askew and not in place in the large room.

"Kitty, are you that upset over what happened with Lance? Or is it something else?" Jean asked slowly, clearly already knwoing the answer.

"Look, I know you must know now, but I don't want to talk about it. There's no point," Kitty said a little roughly, not quite ready to talk about her emotional failures.

"Look Kitty, I know the signs of severe depression, you're bordering on it, so please let's talk," Jean pleaded, grasping one of Kitty's hand desperately.

Kitty sighed, never would she had used depression to describe what she was feeling. Depression to her was when nothing mattered, and that wasn't true for her. No, he still mattered to her, he always would.

"Not depression, a broken heart," Kitty said slowly, letting tears sting her eyes.

"It's Kurt, isn't it?" Jean asked quietly. Kitty's cobalt blue eyes met Jean's green one's and broke once more.

"Yes," Kitty whimpered, placing her elbows on her knees, ignoring the shooting pain's from her ribs and knee. "Jean, I'm in love with him."

Kitty's throat tightened and everything ached. Her arms felt as if metal was coursing through her veins, and her toes were going numb. Her shoulders and neck vibrated with tremors and and she felt nuase, as if her stomach was trying to phase itself out of her body. She said it, it was out in the open, and now a heavy weight cascaded over her.

"Oh Kitty," Jean mumbled, placing her hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. Talk to him, Kurt would never hurt you."

"That's exactly it Jean. He'd be so worried about hurting me and damaging our relationship, that he wouldn't know what to do. But he loves Amanda, in love with her," Kitty choked out softly, drawing her robes closer to her body.

Jean shifted uncomfortably, the reluctant 'I know something I really shouldn't know' look on her face. "Are you sure he loves her Kitty? I mean positive?"

"Sure he does. Why wouldn't he? She's pretty and actually has a chest and thighs. And she sees him Jean, him for who he is," Kitty mumbled, shame flooding through her as she recalled her early days at the Mansion, the flinching, discomfort, and rude and hurtful way she had treated Kurt.

"So do you. You see him better then any of us, even better then Amanda does Kitty. Trust me, I know how she looks at him," Jean pressed as Kitty raised an eyebrow.

"Jean Grey, were you using your special gift for your own edification?"

Jean rolled her eyes and laughed. "Not for mine, for Kurt's. I was happy for him when he and Amanda started dating. But I just felt something was a little off. Anyway, I did a tiny bit of probing. Kitty, she looks at him like soemone out of a fairy tale, like some exotic rock star. She sees him as a mutant, wild and exciting and forbidden. Kitty you know him as a man, and you love him as a human," Jean said soothingly.

"Doesn't change the fact that he loves her, " Kitty said slowly. She had suspected Amanda's real motivations for wanting to be with Kurt, hell she herself had done that with Lance. The danger was exciting, going against what everyone thought was acceptable made her feel strangely satisfied yet terribly empty at the same time.

Jean bit her lip. She knew roughly the emotions going through Kurt's heart. Unlike Kitty, Kurt was among the best in putting up mental and emotional barriers, probably to keep his privacy about his tumoltous past life and to keep Jean and the professor safe from his deep discontentment with himself and other unpleasant things, and there really were many. However, even he isn't able to stop of the projections of adoration and love when Kitty steps in the room. She wanted to tell Kitty, to ease the poor girl's suffering, but knew it wasn't her place.

'Damn telepathy,' Jean thought, 'God, they're more dense then Scott and I were at first.'

"Listen Kitty, don't give up. And what ever you do, don't push Kurt away."

"I don't mean to Jean, it's just so painful to be around him and know I can never be with him," Kitty sighed, rubbing her sore knee absently. "I'm being totally unfair to him, but I don't know what else to do."

"What do you think you can do?" Jean asked tentaviley.

Kitty offered her a weak smile. "I can't afford to lose Kurt, Jean. So I'm going to have to suffer through this."

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Remy knew they were busted. He just knew it. Call it developing a sixth sense for danger from living as a theif. Or call a simple deep down gut feeling that everyone get's right before the shit hits the ceiling fan. Or perhaps call it being seized by the collar and hauled unceremionsly onto your feet by a snarling Wolverine. Call it whatever you may, but Remy called it being so busted.

"Care to explain bub?" Logan growled before setting Remy down roughly. Sam was coming out of the bathroom, looking a little green as Ray started pouring everyone glasses of water and Roberto dug around in the medicine cabinet to locate some aspirin. God knows that they would need it now. Bobby and Scott were cleaning up the mess they had made, bags filled with red plastic cups and paper towels. A moment later Kurt bamfed in, freshly showered and in his arms a pile of clothes for all the guys.

Logan sighed and rubbed his head, he was never very good at this whole mentor thing and he definetly knew he couldn't critzisce where alcohol was involved.

'Fuck, when I took this job I thought I'd just have to walk around, grunt and flash my claws a couple times. Damnit Charles, we better start talking about a raise,' Logan thought as Remy looked at him with a casual smile that was clearly hiding anxiety.

"Look. I'm not going to tear into ya for this. And neither is the professor," Logan began in a snarl.

Scott froze. He had been mentally berading himself for allowing this to happen and was prepared for some serious lecturing from Logan and the professor, as well as extra danger room sessions. He, Kurt and Bobby shared worried glances. Soemthing very serious must have happened for the adults to ignore punishment for drinking on school grounds.

"Logan, what's going on? Is everyone alright?" Scott demanded, passing his trash bag to Ray in exchange for a glass of water.

Logan turned to look at him. "Right now they are. But if you all had pulled this a few days from now, then no, I doubt everyone would be alright, and then I seriously would have had to kill you."

"Mr. Logan, what are you talking about?" Sam asked, clutching his stomach as nervousness and nausia swept over him, settling in the back of his throat.

"All of you get cleaned up and dressed. Chuck and I will explain everything when you get to his office." With that Logan turned and left the room, but not before grabbing a quarter full vodka bottle and downing it, tossing the empty bottle over his shoulder. Ray caught it absentmindedly, his eyebrows knitted together. He didn't like the sound of any of what Logan had just said.

"What the hell? Why aren't we dead right now?" Roberto asked, his usual stance of nonchalant and relaxed self confidence gone.

"Cause something big and bad happened," Kurt sighed. He tossed each of the guys their outfits and told them to shower up while he cleaned up the room.

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Scott fidgeted nervously as they made their way up to the mansion. He wasn't nervous that they would get in trouble, but was very nervous about finding out what was so threatening that the adults weren't going to punish them.

The boys exchanged a nervous glance before entering the room. The professor and Logan both looked rather grim. Xavier raised his head and with a wordless gesture, motioned for the guys to sit.

They assembled quickly and quietly, settling themselves on chairs, couches and countertops.

"Professor, I take all responsibility for last night," Remy started but was cut off by Scott's determined and steady interjection.

"No, I never should have let it happen."

"Will you two pansies stop trying to outblame one another," Logan snapped, rolling his cigar between his fingers.

"What happened last night was completely irresponsible of you all, and you all are very aware of that. But we don't have time to dwell on it," The professor sighed, trying to find a way to ease what he was about to say out into the open. "As you all know Mr. McCoy, Ms. Monroe and I went the Africa on high confidential business," The Professor began.

The guys exchanged glances and nodded slowly. Africa, sure. Big continent with elephants, giraffes, rhino, some really nice people and some really not so nice people. Beast and Storm had been making frequent and prlonged visits there over the past few months, hoping that something in the X-Gene could slow or create immunity to the AIDS virus, though the last trip they had taken there had been out of the blue, things quickly thrown into the Blackbird and Mr. McCoy's portable lab completely forgotten.

"Professor, where's Ms. Monroe? Is she alright?" Sam asked slowly, afraid of the answer.

"Right now, she's searching for Evan in the Morlocks tunnels to try and convince him and the other Morlocks to come here. You see, Callisto is in danger," the Professor said solemnly.

The guys tensed in surprise and concern. Callisto, as all the guys knew, was one tough lady. You kinda had to be when you were the leader of hated and very much hunted mutants whose only solace was in the scums of sewer tunnels. Whatever was worry the Professor, Logan and Ms. Monroe was serious.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ray asked, moving to get up from his perch on a countertop. He had led the younger mutants into the tunnels after they had all been exposed and the mansion exploded. Callisto had given them protection and they owed her.

"Ray, sit," Logan growled. "Callisto will be alright. I'm betting she'll refuse to come to the mansion, but she's surrounded by a group of men who care about her. She has a good army around her, and we need you here."

Roberto was the first to speak up. "Why is Callisto in danger? What's the reason?"

The Professor sighed and leaned back. "The reason is because she's a young lady. A mutant young lady."

Horrified expressions passed through all the guy's faces as they made to leave the room and find the girls and find very safe places for them. Locking them away in closets and putting inhibiltator collars one them wouldn't be immoral, right? They'd give them a book, or something...

"Sit, all of you. Luckily all the girls are in sleeping in Kitty's room, but you all already knew that," Logan snarled as the guys cast their eyes down in guilty form. You couldn't keep anything from Logan. "Hank is outside their door right now. Now listen. You want to go off and by knights in shiny fucking armor then you better know what you're going up against if the girls have any chance of making it through this." The dark look on Logan's face made them quiver.

"Fine, what's after them?" Scott demanded, his 'Military Man' kicking in.

"A mutant who steals souls. His name is Jason Murr, he's 20 years old. If he kisses the girl, then he has her soul, her memories, and the victim is left in a catatonic state, unresponsive and dead to the world. He first discovered his mutant abilities when he was 19, when he stole the soul of his girlfriend, a human named Evelyn . Once he took her soul, he didn't want to be discovered and killed her. After some speculation he wanted to steal the soul of a mutant, to see if he could gain their powers. Unforutantley he was correct in his assumption. The first mutant he killed was a fifteen year old who could temporarily freeze people in suspended animation, her name was Kara Bronstrom. He raped her and killed her," the Professor said slowly, looking each of the boy's in the eye.

Remy made a disgusted snarl as both Logan and Kurt growled.

"And he didn't stop there. He began trying to keep a low profile, searching for mutant girls to kill. He traveled to Japan, were he hunted and stalked Yumi Kawasaki, a 17 girl who has the power of posession. I'll spare the details, I'm sure you all know how it ended. We were just made aware of this man-"

The professor was interrupted by Bobby shaking his head furiously.

"No, not a man. Never a man. We are men," He gestured to all of those who sat around him. "We have hearts, he's a monster."

"Whatever he may be, one thing is for sure. He is dangerous. Especially with the new mutations he's recieved. Ms. Monroe had gotten some disturbing news that a mutant girl from her village was being stalked, so we rushed over, but she was dead before we got there. This girl simply called herself Mbweha, which means jackal in her native Swahili. She had nails that if they scratched someone the person would have excruatiating pains, become temporarily blind, deaf and know nothing except the pain they were experiencing, they will bled profusley, but never die. Through the pain, there is no promise of relief. If mutilated enough times, they person would be driven to insanity by the pain. After the attack passes, the victim has no scars, no evidence that they nearly lost themselves in a world of torment. And now he has her mutationa and soul. He calls himself Animusereptur," The Professor said, rubbing his temples.

"The soul thief," Kurt said with a bitter snarl. "It's fitting."

Remy looked surprised at Kurt's knowledge in Latin before Bobby caught his look and shrugged, he being of the same religious upbringing as Kurt, though not nearly as committed to it as Kurt was. "It's a Catholic thing."

"And he still has the girls souls just locked away? They don't even have peace?" Sam asked, looking as though he may be sick. Again.

"No, no peace. No heaven. We have to help those girls," Kurt said determinly, before looking a little startled. "Professor, our girls will be alright? They're safe here in the mansion, ja?"

"No, I'm afraid not. We were able to catch up to him as he attempted to leave Africa and called Logan from his mission with the Hulk. And with th combined effort of Ms. Monroe, Mr. McCoy, Logan and myself, we were defeated," The Professor said.

"No," Scott breathed. An insane, soul stealing, rapist, murder was loose and it someohow evaded danger from the hands of a powerful weather witch, a biologically and anatomically altered weapon, a genius in the form of a feriouscios beast and the worlds most powerful telepath. They didn't stand a chance.

"That's not the worst part. We're not sore losers, but before he left, he showed us his next victims," Logan snarled, pulling out an envelope. One by one he pulled out pictures. Jean was at the grocery store, reaching for a box of Jamie's favorite cookies, her cart piled with food for all the institute. The next one was of Wanda, sitting in her room at the Brotherhood house, reading a book.

"Even they're not safe," Ray moaned as Scott snatched Jean's photo. The next picture was of Rouge, stopping down to pet a dog in the park. She had a happy smile on her face, and her gloves were off, the fur of the animal protecting it from her lethal skin.

Remy gasped. "Non, Chere."

Another picture was presented, Tabitha sitting at a red light in Lance's jeep, her arms raised at what the guys assumed to be the music that she probably had been blaring. Logan drew the next picture, turning it over to reveal Jubilee in her favorite yellow blazer standing in a plane terminal, looking impatiently at her watch.

Bobby's eyes got wide. "Her plane.. when it arrived in New York, they had trouble finding her bags. Oh God," Bobby rested his head in his hands.

Roberto tried to place a comforting hand on his shoulder but failed as he shivered himself. The guy had already been stalking them for awhile now, and no one had any idea. Logan looked sick as he pulled another picture out. Amara, with a small sad smile, was looking at pictures of her home, laying sprawled out on her bed, fingers twirling in her lush brown hair. A sheen across the picture suggested that it had been taken through a window.

"What the hell! How is that possible? How'd he get that picture?" Scott shouted angrily. "They should be safe here!"

"No, they're not safe here," Logan said as he pulled the last two pictures out with particular sadness. Rhane was watching the sunset over the bay, a happy smile on her face as the light bathed her in warmth. Kitty was in her pajama's tiptoeing down the hall, a nervous look on her face, the only light coming from an open bathroom door. Her chestnut hair was dishelved and her small hand pressed lightly against the wall.

"Nein," Kurt hissed. He glanced at the date of the picture. Just two nights ago. She had been on her way to Kurt's room to sleep after watching the alien movie. All thr guys were shocked out of their hangover state of mind, realization hitting them.

"Jesus, he could have taken them last night. And we wouldn't have even known it," Ray spat angrily, feeling ridiculously helpless. Here they were, Xavier's finest. They went through 15 hours plus of training a week from Logan, the Wolverine, and now they couldn't even protect their own?

"Professor, shouldn't we tell the girls? They should know what's after them," Sam asked, pulling the pictures of Rouge, Jean and Kitty from the boys hands, shoving them roughly back into Logan's hands, followed by Amara's picture, which he cast one more concerned glance at.

Scott's head snapped up. "No, bad idea."

"Why? They can't go walking around not knowing, they'd be perfect targets!" Remy challenged, his hands shaking slightly as Logan smirked. This boy needed a cigarette.

"I hate leaving the girls in the dark about this, but I agree with Scott. The girls are all stubborn, and brave, and well a little naive at how dangerous a situation can be," Kurt sighed, bringing himself back to rational thought

"Basically, they'd act like fools, try and trap him or some other stupidly elaborate plan that would put them in very immediate danger. We all remember the Sirens. They'd probably whip out those outfits, stick a target on their backs and cartwheel down the street at midnight singing Thriller," Bobby said, shaking his head grimly. Locking them in closets was seriously looking like a reasonable solution right about now.

"So how are we gonna do this? Not let them leave the mansion? I can just see it now, Rouge zapping us all dry as Jean and Jubilee blow new doors all over the place. And how long do you think we could hold off Kitty until she phases all the girls out and they make a break for it and run like chickens?" Ray asked dryly.

Logan smirked a little. "Simple, tracking 101. You stay out of sight, you keep her in sight, and you are always alert."

The guys exchanged incrediculous looks. "So, basically stalking?" Remy asked.

Logan cringed and his eyes darkened. "Not stalking Gumbo, protecting."

"They'd catch on right away. At least Jean and Rhane would, and Wanda probably would too," Roberto grumbled, not keen on the idea of getting his ass attacked by any of the girls.

"And also, unless Logan or McCoy are going to track and protect with us, then we're outnumbered. Eight of them, seven of us," Scott pointed out.

The Professor smiled slightly. "Scott, I'm very glad you brought that up. That's why I've enlisted some help."

The door swung open and the Brotherhood, Lance leading the way, walked in.