The flight back was quiet.

Logan had offered to fly Kurt back to Germany; it seemed the least they could do. Kurt had offered him a tight smile in return and agreed, and then he'd tucked himself away in the back of the cockpit with a bible and a rosary. Jubilee had tried to talk to him once, but Kurt had clearly not been in the mood to talk, so she hadn't pushed.

And Rogue…

Rogue knew she ought to say something. She and Kurt had just found out that they were siblings, that they shared the same immoral mother. Rogue had been struggling with that for years; she could help Kurt, who had only just learned the truth. He'd wanted to learn about his mother, but perhaps, with her gone, he'd accept learning about his sister.

But Mystique had also said, horribly openly, that Rogue was her favorite, and she'd shown it in her actions as well; she'd chosen Rogue, even if only to manipulate her, and she'd left Kurt to die as an infant. Rogue had had time with their mother, and if Kurt was jealous of that, she couldn't blame him one bit. After all, his only interaction with her had been fairly horrible.

Rogue knew she should have stopped being surprised by the depths of Mystique's depravity. She still found herself shocked that she would trap her own son and leave him at the mercy of another one of her sons, especially knowing how little mercy Graydon Creed had ever shown to anyone. Mystique had to know that, and yet she'd sent the letter to Kurt, she'd brought him to what she thought would be his doom, and she'd apparently done it all without a second thought. Even if she'd helped him in the end, like he claimed, even if she'd blocked him from getting shot, it didn't change what she was or everything else that she'd done. Rogue understood that. She'd had time to come to terms with it. Kurt didn't. He'd had a few minutes with his mother, and then she'd been snatched away. It was no wonder he was taking it hard, and Rogue didn't know if she could really help, but she knew she had to try.

"Rogue?" Logan asked in an undertone when she stood. "What're you doing?"

"I've gotta talk to Kurt," she replied, wondering if Logan would try to talk her out of it. "I'm the only one who might have an idea of how he's feeling. She was awful, but… she was my mama too."

Logan shot Kurt a look over his shoulder. "Dunno if he wants company right now."

"If he don't want to talk, I won't push," Rogue promised. "But I've gotta try, at least. Wouldn't feel right not to."

Logan shrugged. "Alright. We've got some time before we reach the monastery anyway."

Rogue nodded, then she walked over to the other end of the cockpit. Kurt was perched up as high as he could go - he seemed to like heights - so Rogue floated up until she could look him in the eye.

"Hey, Kurt? I, uh, wanted to check how you were doing. I know that was rough, so if you wanted someone to talk to… Aw, heck, I just wanted you to know that I get it."

"Do you?" Kurt asked. He didn't sound accusatory, more honestly curious. "For I am not sure that I do. I… I don't know how I feel about any of this."

"That's fair too," Rogue replied, crossing her legs and floating in front of Kurt. "It's sure a lot to take in."

"I loved my home in the circus," Kurt said, looking down at his rosary and rolling the beads between his fingers. "And I love my adoptive parents. They were very good to me. But I always wondered what my birth parents were like. I… I knew I must have been put in that river on purpose, but I'd hoped that perhaps it was not out of cruelty."

"My daddy threw me out too, when he found out I was a mutant," Rogue offered. "Told me he was ashamed of me, and I was no daughter of his."

"But it does not seem that I would have fared much better if I had not been born blue," Kurt continued wryly. "You need only look at our brother for evidence of that."

Rogue shuddered. "I ain't calling that creep my brother. I don't care if he's another one of Mystique's kids, he ain't my family."

"I have always thought that family is something we can choose," Kurt said quietly. "But then again, I have also never had a family that was not chosen. Today is the first time that I have met people that I am biologically related to."

"Bit of a letdown, huh?"

"I cannot pretend to be entirely thrilled."

Rogue snorted. "You don't have to pretend at all, Kurt. You can admit that you got dealt a pretty lousy hand."

"I would prefer to focus on the positives," Kurt replied. "Yes, my birth mother is not exactly as I would have hoped, but at least I have answers now. Things that have been a mystery all my life have now been explained."

"If you can see a bright side to all this, maybe that's your real mutant power."

"Ah, it is not so difficult to see the bright side, truly." Kurt shrugged. "I may not have the mother I hoped for, and my brother may be… truly difficult, but I have also gained a sister."

Rogue blinked, then she gaped at him. "You mean… me?"

Somehow, Kurt managed what looked like a real smile. "Unless our mother has more secret children somewhere, I believe you are the only sister I have."

"She might. I wouldn't put it past her."

"If she does, I hope they are more like you than Herr Creed."

"I'm not all good either," Rogue admitted. "I mean, better than Creed is a low bar, but… I've done some stuff in my past that I'm not too proud of."

"So have we all," Kurt replied, although Rogue had a feeling that nothing in his past was as bad as what was in hers. "But I do not believe anyone should be judged solely on their worst moments. Whatever you have done in the past, you are a hero in the present, and that is what matters most."

"You really mean that, preacher?"

"I do."

"And you're really… I mean, you're really gonna think of me as your sister?"

"Are you uncomfortable with it?" Kurt asked. "I would understand if you would rather I not."

"No! Heck no! That's not why I'm asking. I just figured you might want to… put all this behind you. Forget about it. I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"What good is forgetting about it? It is the truth either way. And I would lose the good as well as the bad. I have explanations now, even if they are not the ones I wanted. And I have a sister who is a hero."

"I've always wanted a brother," Rogue admitted.

Kurt reached for her hand, and Rogue let him take it. Even with her gloves, she didn't always feel comfortable touching people, but Kurt was wearing gloves too, and… Well, maybe, sometimes, it was okay to let people touch her.

"If you don't mind your brother being blue, then…"

Rogue laughed. "Just makes him more interesting than all the other brothers around."

Kurt laughed as well, giving Rogue's hand a squeeze. "Then it seems your wish has been granted, meine Schwester."

"Hey," Rogue said slowly, "you know, I could probably take a bit of time off from the team, if you wanted to… spend some time getting to know each other better? Y'all got space in that monastery for me to visit again?"

"We are still in the process of rebuilding, but we can certainly make space for a family visitor," Kurt agreed. "I can always make space for my sister."

"And there's always a place for you back at Xavier's if you want it," Rogue promised. "But for now, I think I'd like a better look at your mountains, when we're not busy fighting off a mob. You any good at skiing?"

"I have never tried."

"Well, in that case, I think we oughta give it a go. You can't be as bad as Gambit, anyhow."

"I would enjoy that," Kurt said, a smile on his face. "I would like very much to get to know you better. And, if you would not mind… Could you tell me about our mother, someday?"

Generally, Rogue had very little desire to speak about Mystique, but if anyone deserved to know, it was Kurt. "Yeah, I reckon I can do that."

Kurt's smile widened. "Today was not easy," he declared, "but I am glad that it happened."

"You know what, Kurt?" Rogue smiled back at him. "I think I am too."