An owl hooted as it rained with the full moon in the distance.
In the nearby village, a townsperson was giving his description of the monster that he saw.
"I saw the fiend!" He cried. "It had fangs! And claws!"
"It was horrible!" Another said. "It haunts us! We must do something! We shall destroy him!"
The citizens were chanting in agreement, not noticing the monster climbing down the monastery they were standing in front of.
A nearby woman caught a glimpse of the creature and screamed as she pointed at it. "The demon!"
The townspeople followed her gaze as the demon climbed up the building.
One person pulled out a gun and shot it at the creature, but it missed. Though the shot caused it to fall off the building and land on the ground as the people tried to attack it. The creature used its aerobatics to avoid their attacks as he tried to run away.
"Hurry!" One lady shouted. "The thing is trapped in that dead end!"
"Shoot him!" A villager demanded.
The man with the gun was about to fire at it when it vanished in a puff of smoke.
"It's vanished into thin air!" The man said in awe.
The creature appeared on top of another building as he looked over the scared people.
"Heartless fools." It said. "They know not what they do."
"It's great to come out here and spend some time together." Danny said as he gave Rogue some cocoa.
They were at a ski resort having some fun together. Rogue was excited to spend some quality time with her boyfriend.
Rogue smirked. "You know it, sugar."
The two then kissed, with Wolverine shaking his head in disgust at being the third wheel.
"Get a room." Wolverine said, sitting on a couch near them.
Danny and Rogue both sighed in annoyance at the reminder that it wasn't just them.
Rogue was especially annoyed as she and Danny hadn't spent some alone time together in a bit. That needed to change.
"Can you try not to ruin our romantic getaway, Logan?" Danny asked.
"A gal doesn't like it when the mood of romance is killed." Rogue added.
"Don't whine to me. This ain't my idea of a good time."
"Hey, hoser, I thought you like to ski." Rogue said.
"This is sitting around drinking cocoa and getting funny looks from rich people." Wolverine said as a couple was giving them weird looks.
Danny glared at them. "What are you looking at?"
The couple left, intimidated by his glare.
"Yeah? Well, next time, plan your own darn vacation!" Rogue stormed off in anger.
"Rogue, wait!" Danny called after her. He turned to Logan. "Nice one, asshole."
He found Rogue sitting at the counter.
"Honey?" Danny sat next to her. "I'm sorry about Wolverine."
"It's not that." Rogue said. "We just haven't gotten to spend some alone time together in some time. And I was hoping this vacation would be just that, but it's just not as romantic as I hoped."
Danny pulled her closer to him. "We'll make it romantic, don't you worry." He discretely squeezed Rogue's ass.
"Danny!" Rogue exclaimed, but she wasn't displeased by the action.
While Danny and Rogue were spending some time alone, Wolverine was eavesdropping on a pair of skiers.
"Come on, a demon?" A woman said to her friend in disbelief. "You must be kidding."
"I heard it on the train." Her friend said. "The whole town thinks they've been under attack by some dark creature for months! Must be some local Yokel superstition.
Wolverine came up behind them. "Tell me more."
Danny and Rogue were making out when Wolverine showed up.
"Casper." He interrupted their private time.
The two glared at him.
"What, Wolverine?" Danny asked in annoyance.
"You ever fought a demon before?" Wolverine asked.
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Can't say that I have."
"Well, here's your chance." Wolverine said. "Let's go."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Great, just how I wanted to spend my vacation." She said sarcastically.
"Exactly how far is this Neuherzl?" Rogue asked as they skied towards the town.
"A couple of more miles." Wolverine answered. "Why? You quitting?"
"It is getting kind of late." Rogue pointed out. "Maybe Danny and I ought to fly us there."
Danny nodded in agreement.
"What, and spoil the fun?" Wolverine grinned. "Come on."
As they were skiing, Rogue was getting tired and ended up losing control as she fell down a hill.
"Rogue!" Danny flew after her and caught her as she was about to fall off a cliff.
"I got you!" He set her down safely on the snow.
Rogue kissed him. "My hero."
Just then, Danny's ghost sense went off as he aimed an ecto-blast at the thing behind him.
"Please, don't hurt me!" The ghost begged.
Danny took in the appearance of this ghost. For one thing, he didn't have any ghostly aura at all. He was covered in blue fur and wearing a red and black jumpsuit. He had only two fingers and a thumb on each hand. He sported a tail, and his eyes were yellow with no pupils.
Danny, seeing how scared the ghost was, put away the ecto-blast. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, man." Danny assured him. "Sorry for startling you; you just set off my ghost sense."
"Ghost sense?" The ghost asked.
"Yeah, I have a ghost sense that lets me know when other ghosts like us are around." Danny explained.
"You're a ghost?" The newcomer asked him in curiosity.
"Yeah." Danny said. "Well, half-ghost technically."
"Incredible." The furry man said in awe.
"Hey, I'm sure you have your own ghostly tricks that are cool." Danny told him.
The furball shook his head. "Oh, I'm not a ghost. I'm a mutant."
"Mutant?" Rogue said in disbelief.
Wolverine caught up as he looked at the new arrival. "Who's this?"
"He says he's a mutant, but he set off my ghost sense." Danny said to Wolverine before turning to the furry guy. "You sure you're really a mutant?"
"Positive." He confirmed.
"Well, you couldn't have set off my ghost sense if there wasn't something supernatural about you." Danny said as he thought about what was supernatural about this guy. "Maybe one of your relatives is a vampire."
The mutant chuckled. "I doubt it. The sight of blood makes me uneasy."
"Werewolf?" Danny replied.
"Can you imagine me getting more fur when the full moon rises?" He said in a teasing voice, making Danny laugh.
"You'd probably look like Beast." Danny said.
"Beast?" The mutant asked.
"Oh, he's a friend of ours." Danny told him. "You'd like him. He has blue fur too."
The mutant looked intrigued. "Interesting."
"So what can you do besides being blue?" Rogue asked.
The mutant vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared a few feet away. "Teleportation."
"Oh, that's awesome." Danny complimented.
"Thank you, my friend." The mutant said. "Are you from around here?"
"Oh, no, we're just on vacation and seeing the sights." Danny said.
"How fun. Would you like to come back to my place?" The mutant offered. "I'm sure you'll find it fun."
"Sure, let's go." Danny said as he and his new friend started walking to his place. "Hey, maybe you're descended from the Chupacabra."
"That would explain my craving for goats." The mutant joked as he and Danny laughed.
"That's the demon?" Wolverine said in disappointment. "What a letdown." He watched as Danny and the benevolent demon walked away before turning to Rogue. "Looks like your boyfriend ditched you to hang out with a guy with blue fur."
Rogue crossed her arms and glared at Wolverine.
"Wouldn't be the first time." She grumbled. She remembered one time she was going to ask Danny out to the movies when she discovered that Beast took Danny to see a space shuttle launch.
"Brother, these are my new friends." The mutant introduced to a fellow monk as Danny, Rogue, and Wolverine were brought to the monastery.
"Brother?" Danny said as he looked at the monk. He turned to the mutant. "I guess you're the one who got all the good looks."
The mutant chuckled. "Brother in the ecclesiastical sense, my friend."
"Brother, is it wise to have strangers around at this terrible time?" The monk asked. "They are not the usual travelers!"
"Our doors are always open to others, Brother Reinhard." The mutant said.
"Y'all our monks?" Rogue asked.
The mutant nodded. "Yes."
"So, uh..." Danny stopped as he realized he didn't get the name of his new friend. "Oh crap, I didn't get your name."
"Kurt." The mutant introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, Kurt." Danny shook his hand. "I'm Danny; this is Rogue; and the grumpy-looking one is Logan."
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Kurt said.
"So, Kurt, besides praying and ministering, what do you boys do all day?" Rogue asked.
"Our mission is to give shelter and comfort to all travelers." Kurt explained. "And, of course, to offer a place to renew one's relationship with the Lord."
"Being close to heaven didn't help us this afternoon, bub." Wolverine said.
"Are you sure, sir?" Kurt asked. "Have you lost your faith? What is it that you seek?"
"I was seeking action, but now I'm seeking beer." Wolverine replied.
"Sorry about him, he's a bit rough around the edges." Danny apologized to Kurt.
"I understand, I know how hard life can be." Kurt said. "When I was born, my mutant condition was obvious from the moment I was born. The villagers drove my mother away, for bearing such a freak. I never even knew her name."
"You're not a freak!" Danny said vehemently to Kurt. "You're unique, Kurt. And unique is good. Those villages didn't have any right to treat you and your mom that way."
Kurt was touched by the kindness of his new friend. "Thank you, my friend. I wish my mother thought like you did. She abandoned me. But I did not die. Instead, I was found by a family of traveling performers. I became Nightcrawler, the star attraction of their little circus. For their freakish world, I was perfect! But when the spotlight went out, I was still an outcast. Shunned and hated."
"Guess there's no peace for the wicked-looking." Wolverine muttered.
Danny elbowed Wolverine. Hard. "Not funny, Logan."
"No, he's right." Kurt said. "Though all people are flawed and all struggle with the capacity for sin, none likes to be reminded of our shared human weakness. My appearance does not make it easy."
"It doesn't matter what you look like." Danny declared. "Nobody has the right to treat you like that."
Kurt put a hand on Danny's shoulder in thanks. "You are wise, my friend. It's been a hard life, but I found peace by devoting it to God. He directed me to this place, where they value the character of my heart, not my appearance."
"What are you talking about?" Wolverine retorted. "We're mutants! God gave up on us a long time ago."
Kurt shook his head. "No, my friend. God does not give up on his children, mutant or human." He glanced at Danny briefly. "Or spirit. He is there for us in our times of joy, and to help us when we are in pain."
Wolverine didn't buy that. "Don't give me that easy answer garbage! I've tried! Don't you think I want that? I don't need a sermon from some circus-boy preacher." He left the room in a bad mood.
"Looks like you touched a nerve." Rogue said.
"I am sorry." Kurt apologized. "I did not mean to upset him."
"Don't worry, Kurt." Danny reassured him. "Everyone pisses off Wolverine now and then."
Brother Reinhard stood in front of the crowd of villagers. "I can no longer allow such sacrilege!" He shouted in disgust. "The beast you seek is there! In the monastery!"
"Are you mad?" One townsperson asked. "Those are men of God!"
"The evil one has defiled that holy place!" Reinhard convinced them. "It must be destroyed!"
The villagers got into a frenzy as they formed a mob to storm the monastery and put an end to this abomination that has haunted them for so long.
Wolverine was looking around the altar as Kurt stepped out of the shadows.
"You are searching for me?" Kurt asked.
"Nah, looking for a moment alone." Wolverine said.
"We are alike, you and I, angry at the world and ourselves." Kurt said. "My pain drove me to seek God. Yours drove you away."
"Don't tell me about God!" Wolverine snarled. "What kind of God would let men do this to me?" He showed Kurt his metal claws.
"I have asked that question myself for years, my friend." Kurt confessed as he let out his own doubts. "And I still don't have the answer. The only thing I can do is hope that he exists and that his love is limitless."
"I used to buy into all that." Wolverine told him. "But I've lived too long. And I've done too much."
"Life will always be hard." Kurt tried to comfort him. "I understand this better than most. Yet, despite it all, people of every faith hope that there is a God who loves them. For that is what I believe God to be. Not some being sitting in the clouds, but the feeling of hope and love that exists in all of us. Have hope, Logan."
Danny and Rogue ran into the room.
"Kurt!" Danny yelled. "We got an angry mob coming. I hate to be a downer, but I think they're here for you."
"And they want to rip you into little pieces." Wolverine added. "Tell me, preacher. What's God's purpose in that?"
"This isn't the work of God, Logan." Danny said. "This is the work of ignorant and cruel men."
"I must leave so no one is hurt." Kurt said.
"You're not leaving." Danny told him. "This is your home, Kurt. And no one should be forced from their homes. Let them try to hurt you, and I'll show them why no one messes with my friends." He patted Kurt on the back. "We got your back, Kurt; you're not alone this time. We'll keep you safe."
Rogue smiled. She couldn't help but get flustered and lovey-dovey when Danny went into his heroic mode.
"I love this man." She whispered to herself.
The mob was about to burst through the doors of the monastery when Kurt appeared at the entrance.
"Please, I'm one of you!" Kurt pleaded. "Stop this madness!"
"It's the demon!" Reinhard said. "Kill it!"
The villagers threw their torches at Kurt, who dodged them as they ended up setting fire to the monastery. The mob was about to continue when they saw something.
A being in black and white floated down from the skies in front of the demon and glared at the people scornfully with glowing green eyes.
"What is that?" One townsperson asked.
"It's beautiful." A woman said.
"Is it an angel?" Another person asked.
"Get out!" Danny roared as his echoey voice intimidated the mob. "Your ignorance and hate have caused enough damage for one day." He pointed at Kurt. "There is no demon. He's just like you. The only demons here are the ones that live in your hearts that you feed with your own refusal to accept anything that is different. Leave!"
The crowd, once filled with righteous anger, was now filled with shame at their actions.
"He speaks the truth." One person said.
"We have angered the angel." Another said.
They all put their weapons down, with Reinhard being the only one not convinced his crusade wasn't righteous.
"No!" Reinhard grabbed a gun and aimed it at Kurt. "This ends here!"
"Brother Reinhard! Stop!" Kurt ordered.
"This is the end, demon!" Reinhard vowed. "You have corrupted this place! I shall purify it!"
"Enough!" Danny summoned Reinhard's gun into his hand and crushed it.
"Don't speak to me like that, you false angel!" Reinhard shouted at Danny. "I work for God! I am doing his will! You know nothing of his word!"
Danny grabbed Reinhard by his throat and lifted him into the air. "I don't need to read any scripture to know that no god who claims to be all-loving would approve of your actions." He turned Reinhard around to see the burning monastery. "Look at this! Look at it! You think your kind god would be happy with this? He would be ashamed and disappointed in you! Your actions aren't the will of God. It's just you making excuses to justify your own hatred."
Reinhard saw the burning monastery as he took in Danny's words. Tears of guilt appeared on his face. "Lord, help me! I was wrong! I have sinned!"
"That's better." Danny placed him on the ground. "Now to put out the fires."
Danny flew around the monastery and used his ice powers to extinguish them, finally putting an end to this madness.
It was morning, and everyone was looking over the damaged monastery.
"Thank you, my friends." Kurt thanked the X-Men. "Your presence here was a great blessing. Especially you, Danny. I am so fortunate to have you as a friend."
"Anytime Kurt." Danny shook his hand. "You let me know if anyone else gives you any more trouble. You'll always have a place at the institute."
"Your generosity and kindness are inspiring." Kurt praised him. "I hope to meet again."
"Look at this place!" Wolverine said as he looked over the wreckage. "We blew it!"
"I disagree." Kurt said. "Brother Reinhard understands his tragic mistake and has repented. The townspeople no longer look at me with fear in their hearts. There was no loss of life." He smiled at Danny. "All thanks to my guardian angel."
"What about the monastery?" Rogue asked
"I can get Vlad to help pay for repairs." Danny told Kurt.
"That is most appreciated, my friend." Kurt thanked. He then pulled out a Bible and handed it to Logan. "Here, I've marked a few passages you may find rewarding."
Wolverine grabbed it and walked away. "Whatever."
"I don't know why he's acting like that." Danny said. "We all know he's gonna read it."
"Thank you again, Danny." Kurt said. "It's been an honor to meet you." Kurt brought him into a hug.
"Same here, Kurt." Danny said. "Take care."
"Well, sugar, that was some vacation." Rogue said as they were walking back home. "It was nice helping Kurt out, but not really romantic."
"There's always next time." Danny said.
Rogue shrugged. "I guess."
It was another day at the institute, and Rogue was leaving her room. She had some tickets to the movies, and she was going to ask Danny out.
As she passed Wolverine's room, she heard him muttering.
Peaking in, she saw that Wolverine was reading the Bible.
Rogue smiled as she left him in peace. "Whatever. Yeah right."
She then almost ran into Beast. "Oh, sorry about that Beast. What's got you excited?"
"I got tickets for the launch of the next space shuttle." Beast said. "I was going to ask Danny if he wanted to go with me." His excited look changed to one of chagrin as he saw Rogue's disappointed face and the movie tickets she held in her hand. "But I can see that you want to make plans, so I will graciously give you both tickets so you can spend it as a couple."
Rogue grinned at Beast. "Thanks, Hank."
She walked into the living room to tell Danny the good news.
"Hey, Danny, did you..." She stopped as she saw Danny, Jubilee, and Kurt on the couch.
Kurt and Jubilee were playing Doomed while Danny was watching.
"Hey, Rogue." Danny greeted.
Kurt waved at her. "Hello, Rogue."
"Kurt, you're here?" Rogue asked.
"Yeah, I asked if he wanted to visit, and he said yes." Danny revealed.
"And you're playing videogames?" Rogue asked.
"Danny told me they were fun, and he was right." Kurt said happily.
"That's nice." Rogue turned to Danny and showed him the tickets. "So, Danny, I got tickets to see the next space shuttle launch. Want to come?"
"Are you serious?" Danny jumped out of his seat. "Oh my gosh, this is amazing. You're the best girlfriend ever." He then dipped Rogue down and gave her a kiss.
"They're gonna get married one day; I know it." Jubilee said as she watched the scene. She then noticed that Kurt used this distraction to shoot her avatar. "Hey! That's cheating!"
"All's fair in love and war, my friend." Kurt teased. "Are there swords in this game? I'm a man of peace, but I've always had dreams of wielding a sword and going on swashbuckling adventures."