(A/N: Ready for chapter four everyone? Well, here you go!)

Laura helped John to the finish line, greif twisting her stomach into knots. "John, I'm so, so, SO-" He put a finger to her lips. "I understand." He murmured dizzily. She winced inwardly. She shouldn't have taken her anger out on him. It wasn't right. Especially, she shouldn't have kicked him in the head. He stood up straighter, and took his arm off her shoulder. He stumbled a little and her hand instantly found his. John smiled at her. Laura knew he wasn't mad at her, but it still made her heart sore when she thought about going off on him like that. He laced his fingers with hers. Kurt and Kitty came up, Kurt with his arm around Kitty's shoulder. Laura knew that Kurt was one of John's best friends, but he and Laura had never really conversed at all. Now he was looking at her with near-anger for hurting his friend. Kitty smiled at her. "Hey Laur." Laura smiled faintly back at her. Kitty's gaze flickered to John. "He doin' ok?" She asked. John blinked a bit. "'M right here yaknow." Kurt smirked and Kitty giggled. "That's the point shellhead." John waved his arm dismissively. "Whatever."

Two months later things were pretty much the same. They were just taking time to train now. As the weather began to grow cold and snow began to fall, training missions grew shorter. The holidays rolled around, and a very embarrasing thanksgiving (Nightcrawler discovered he could teleport the articles of clothing on any given person, much to everyone else's dismay) bled into December, and the promise of Christmas. Snow blanketed the city, and New York fell into a haze that could only be described as Christmas fever. The X-men participated in this holiday with more gusto than any other, because to them it embodied everything the professor stood for. Equality was Christmas's main effect, even if it was just for a day.

And so it was that Johnathan, resident shellhead of Xavier's institute for gifted youngsters, found himself faced with a horribly difficult decision. "Oooh, crap." He groaned, sitting back on the couch in the main room. The guys were home alone while the girls all went shopping for presents, then the guys would all go shopping. It was the way everything worked. "I am SO screwed." Kurt chuckled. "And vhy vould zhat be, good shellhead?" John rubbed his temples. "I have no idea what to get Laura." He grumbled. Bobby laughed. "I can see his predicament. What do you get for a girl with steel claws and mercenary training?" Scott chuckled. "It doesn't matter what you get her, just as long as it doesn't make her angry." Everyone laughed at this. John calmed to a chuckle and rubbed his eye. "Maybe I'll get her a sweater. Or an itunes gift card." Bobby snorted. "If you don't want to get any for a month, that's exactly what you want to get her." Another chorus of laughs erupted. John pushed Bobby off the couch by his face. "Shut up, dude." John sighed a bit. "I wonder what the girls are doing.

Laura groaned. "I have no idea what to get John." She pulled at the sleeve of a sweatshirt on the rack. "I mean, what do you get a guy with half his head made out of metal?" Kitty giggled, as she was looking into a custom shirt designer. "You could get him a haircut. He looks like some cartoon character." Her, Jean, and Rogue began to giggle. Laura snickered a bit herself. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to get him to cut his hair." John's hair was way to spiky. Laura's eyes lit up. "Oh! I know!" She dashed off. Kitty looked after her, blinking confusedly. She turned to Jean. "So what are you getting for Scott?" She asked lightly. Jean smiled. "I'm helping the Professor make him a new visor. I think it'll look better than the old yellow one he used to use. Less clunky, more streamlined." Kitty nodded. "That's good, the old visor was like… seriously falling out of style." They giggled for a bit. "What are you getting Kurt?" Jean asked curiously. Kitty smiled brightly. "I'm gonna get him a shirt with the words 'The Amazing Nightcrawler' on them." Jean's eyes widened. "What Kitty, he's gonna love that!" She nodded. "Problem is, with this crappy- lame ass shirt making guy I'm like, worried that they won't get it done like, on the dot, yaknow?" Jean nodded a bit. "I heard the professor talking with Logan about giving us new outfits." Kitty frowned. "I kinda like this outfit." Jean nodded. "One other thing." Kitty blinked. "Yea?" "I'm thinking about cutting my hair short." Kitty's eyebrows raised. "Oh really? Like, how short?" Jean shrugged. "Don't know yet." Kitty looked up as Laura came up with a brand-new Ipod Nano. She grinned widely. "Perfect gift, right?" Kitty nodded, eyes wide. "Perfect! It's like, completely what he needs." She giggled. "You think he'll like it?" Kitty shook her head. "I KNOW he will."

After everyone had done their shopping and Christmas had arrived, the time to exchange presents arrived with it. Kurt eyed his present from Kitty curiously. "Vhas ist das, katzchen?" He asked, eyeing the pack with almost hungry curiosity. Kitty giggled. "Open it and find out, fuzzy." Kurt tore furiously at the wrapping. Everyone else had already unwrapped their presents. He pulled out a sweater with a black-and-red clad man with a tail and a dark, smiling face. In red letters below him said 'Das Erstaunliche Nachtcrawler!' Kurt's eyes lit up. "Mein Gott! Keety I lofe it!" He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. She giggled, half-trying to get out of his rib-crushing hug. "Kurt, like stop it! C'mon stop it!" She laughed as his tail snaked around and tickled her. "Vhas? I can't here you, katzchen!"

"Kurt! Stop! Really! Haha, stop!"

"Say it in German."

"What?"

"Say it in german!"

"Stoppen sie das!!"

"Vhaaas?"

"STOPPEN SIE DAS!!" She laughed. But something in the tone of her voice made Kurt's heart cold. A memory drifted to the front of his mind.

"STOPPEN SIE DAS!! BITTE, BITTE!" Stop that! Please, please! He ran from the circus tent, out across the faireground. "Ich habe nichts getan! BITTE!" I have done nothing! PLEASE! A stone grazed his ear. He stumbled forwards onto all fours and moved faster. He could hear them all behind them. Screaming for his blood, his death. 'beendem sie den Damon!' Kill the Demon! They cried. Another stone hit the back of his head. He staggered, leapt into the road. A car screamed past, and he screamed again. A police car came from the other direction. A red face leered out of the headlights, laughing maniacally. He squeezed his eyes shut-

Kurt opened his eyes and found himself in the X-Jet hangar. "Vhas vhar dieses gesicht?" He muttered. Something told him that dark times once again loomed on the horizon.

(A/N: Sorry for the wait!!! I am currently restricted from computer acess, so I might need to put the story on hiatus untill I'm back on. SORRY!!!!)