"Psst, Kodi."
Kurt rolled over. Amanda was sitting up, her sweater on, but her coat missing. Most of her blankets were piled high around Megan, who was awake, but still curled under the blankets. Kurt yawned and blinked slowly.
"Ja?" he asked.
"Come on," she said, grabbing her shoes and slipping them on, "It's the right time."
He propped himself up and looked at Mystique. She was still asleep, but, wherever Amanda wanted to go, he knew she wouldn't like it. Besides, what time was it? Maybe three in the morning?
"Amanda, vhere are ve going?" he asked.
"Just grab your coat and come on," she said.
She gingerly picked up her coat from the pile of blankets and coats over Megan. He glanced at her, and Megan grinned. She looked like a little elf, burrowed beneath the earth, preparing for some unseen mischief.
"Amanda," he said.
"We're just going on deck," said Amanda, "Megan doesn't want to come, but she'll be fine. We'll only be up there for half an hour."
"Ve're not allowed," Kurt said.
"They don't put someone on watch, I've checked," Amanda said.
Kurt looked over at Mystique again, but when he looked back at Amanda, she was smiling so sweetly. He felt whatever resistance he had crumble as he grabbed his coat and got up.
She grabbed his wrist and began deftly moving among the sleeping passengers. He felt himself blush, knowing he was probably turning an embarrassing shade of purple. With any luck, she would just chalk it up to the cold.
True to her word, there wasn't anyone there. They did encounter some crew members a little further up, but Amanda neatly flattened herself against the wall. She was still holding Kurt's wrist, so he had to follow suit. Not that he'd need her to tell him. Mystique had already trained him in this sort of thing.
When they were gone, she moved forward and pointed to a ladder. She let go of his wrist, much to his chagrin, and began climbing up. Kurt looked at the height and sighed, but followed. Mystique had told him it was a bad idea to let anyone know he teleported. So, at the moment, most people thought he merely looked like a demon, and he was forced to take the long way up.
She reached the top and smiled, twirling once. He looked at her for a moment. She'd always seemed so light, so airy. Amanda noticed him looking and ducked her head quickly. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was blushing herself.
"Anyway," she said.
Amanda straightened her jacket before laying down on the deck. Kurt followed suit, still wondering what was going on. But when she pointed straight up, he realized why they were up there.
"Orion is up zere tonight," he murmured.
"Not just Orion," said Amanda, "Look, you can see all of his dogs. And Eridanus, both of the bears. It's a parade up there right now Kurt."
She sighed in contentment, her breath curling in soft white clouds from her lips. He smiled. He always did that so much around her.
"You've watched a lot of TV," she said, "Do you think we'll be able to see all of the stars there too?"
He worried his lip. Having been in big cities, he knew it was unlikely. Everything Amanda had said made him think she'd end up working somewhere in New York City to support her and Megan. Having been there once, he knew there were no stars.
"No," said Kurt.
She took a deep breath before letting it out, her soft breath once again curling in front of her face.
"Then I'm glad I got to see it one last time," she said, "Megan was never really into this. But, well."
She moved her hands so that they were stationed behind her head, a pillow.
"It just seemed, after all the chaos of the day and the cramped little caravan where we lived, there was this whole world out there," she said, "It was big, and it stretched everywhere. I used to lay out on the grass, just watching the stars, wondering what would happen if I followed the bear all the way to the north. What I'd find there."
Kurt felt his throat clog.
"Sometimes, I vould lay outside, but..."
She turned to him slightly, her blue eyes questioning. He shrugged, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
"I vould vonder if mien parents were looking up at the same stars," he said.
Amanda turned so she was facing him, not the stars. Her expression was questioning, and Kurt wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her everything about him, because he could tell that the mind behind those beautiful blue eyes would understand.
But he couldn't.
"Oh, before mien aunt found me, I vas...my parents had to leave me behind, ja?" he said, "I never knew who zey vere. Und I vould just think about all the places they could be, all the possibilities."
His tail snuck its way out from beneath him, making a vague gesture as he spoke.
"Zis vone, zis vas silly," said Kurt, "But, vhen I vas seven, I had never seen anyvone like me. Everyvone vhere I vas did not make me feel hated, but it vas differnet. Und zen, zere vas zis report. All ze vay from America."
The next words were difficult to swallow, but, again, there was no judgement from Amanda's clear blue eyes.
"Ze hero," he said, "Saving ze president. Und, you know how little children...zey...she looked a little like me, ja? Not exactly, und vhen I saw more pictures when I got older, not really at all, but at ze time...ja. She vas blue."
He closed his eyes, remembering his childhood hopes and thoughts. Given the last few weeks, it was really embarrassing.
"I used to pretend she vas mein mother," he said, "Und zat, she had to go und do something big, but she vas forced to give me up. She vould come back vhen it vas safe."
Kurt gave a half shrug.
"Pretty dumb, ja?"
Amanda didn't answer. He took let her silence wash over him, his eyes still staring at the darkness of his eyelids.
"When Megan was five, some of the boys took to calling her...well, it doesn't translate well," said Amanda, "Just...try 'unclean.' She came to me, crying, sobbing, because they said she was a fairy, and evil, and she would never be anything."
Kurt opened his eyes and looked at her. To his surprise, he realized she hadn't moved, that she'd been looking at him the whole time.
"And I told her she was just a mutant, that it didn't mean anything," said Amanda, "But she kept crying. Her mother had just died and...she wasn't in any position to deal with these things. And I knew that, even if I beat the tar out of those boys, it wouldn't help how she was crying."
Another breath. From where was, he could just about feel the warmth before it turned into pure cold.
"So I took out one of my magazines, a secret one we'd gotten from a little underground newsstand on this one block of Latveria," said Amanda, "And I showed her the hero. She cut out her picture, and she was her favorite paper doll. It wasn't a good picture, but it was special to her. Because it showed her she could be a hero."
Amanda looked down for the first time, a stray lock of golden hair falling in front of her face.
"Megan never asked me where she came from, or if boys had called her names growing up," said Amanda, "Because I think Megan knew. And, I think it didn't matter where she came from, what her background was. She could've been any of us, human or mutant, because she took a stand that day. She chose to do the right but hard thing. She chose the narrow way. I never appreciated it until I saw the expression on Megan's face. And that...that made her worthy of admiration no matter who she was. Because she gave a little girl courage to walk outside, a little boy courage that his parents didn't abandon him."
She looked up at him, and he felt her blue eyes curling around him. He'd thought her beautiful before, but, in that moment, he realized that he'd had no idea just how beautiful she was, how perfect.
He breathed out, saw scraps of his breath moving toward her skin. He longed to trace its path with his fingers, felt his heart beat with so much he wanted to tell her, so much he couldn't. Not with his mission, not with Moira's life at jeopardy.
Instead, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Vhat happened to those boys?" he asked.
Amanda grinned.
"I beat the tar out of them anyway," she said.
Kurt laughed. He laughed so hard his ribs hammered against the skin of his chest, so hard that it hurt and brought half-frozen tears to his eyes. Her laughter joined his, and Kurt knew he was going to take this moment with him forever.
Kevin awoke with his face buried onto a soft pillow. It wasn't right, because he'd fallen asleep in a chair. He'd been tucked in, and, in the haziness, he pushed himself up. He spotted Charles right away.
He was seated at a computer, typing away, and Kevin flung the comforter off. Charles turned as Kevin rushed up to him. For a moment, they just looked at each other, and Kevin had to fight the tears coming to his eyes.
He hugged Charles awkwardly, too tall to grab his legs, not tall enough to wrap his arms around his shoulders. Because of his height he ended up just clutching his torso, halfway impeded by the armrest.
I'm alright Kevin, Charles said, his hand awkwardly settling on his back.
Now you are, said Kevin, But you were bleeding everywhere.
I know, I'm sorry, said Charles.
Although he was silent on the outside, Kevin wanted to throw a tantrum. He knew he'd pretty much thrown one earlier, but what was he supposed to do? He'd seen Charles, all the blood, but he hadn't been able to scream.
He shielded his inner thoughts, not wanting Charles to see how afraid he'd been, but he couldn't help some of that worry coming through.
I never wanted you to worry, Charles said, Kevin, you must know how fond I am of you, how much I care. I wish you didn't have to see any of that. I didn't even realize that you would be alarmed by my question earlier, that you would come. I just thought...I thought it was a lead to finding your mother.
Did you? asked Kevin, looking up.
Charles looked hesitant, and Kevin knew the answer. He sighed.
I found a lead, Charles said, I think we're very close. My sister radioed in with a place. I think that she might be held at a black site of his.
"Black site?" asked Kevin.
He blinked, having not even realized that he'd switched back to speaking out loud.
"It means a site that's not publicly listed," said Charles, "But Hank managed to find a great deal of information on their server, shipments, things like that, all going to this one tiny, uninhabited island. It's not on most maps that I can find, and the currents are supposed to be treacherous. It's like it doesn't exist, and we'll have to figure out a safe landing site."
How long had Kevin been out? He glanced at the clock, and started at the time. He'd slept for hours.
"If he's the one behind this, and he's keeping your mother, and we believe both, it's likely she's being held there," Charles said, "We've got to rendezvous with my sister and Kurt, they'll have to figure out a landing site...but..."
Kevin looked up at him, his arms tightening around his middle.
"Are you going after them?" he asked.
Charles put another arm around his shoulders. It was a tight grip.
"Yes, yes I am," he said, his voice low, controlled.
"Mom's gonna be okay, right?" he asked.
"Of course," said Charles, "I won't...I'll make sure she's fine."
Kevin swallowed once.
"And you'll be fine too, right?"
Charles's grip on his shoulder tightened a little more.
"Yes," he said, "I'll be fine. I'm going to find your mother Kevin, and I'm going to bring her home."