The Rogue, The Rat, The Demon, and The Cat

A/N: Whew. This sucker has been eight months in the making. It has been through a trip to Australia and New Zealand, a hard drive crash, and a whole semester at college. And yal thought it was because I was too lazy to update. So here it is, the next chapter that yal have been (not so) patiently waiting for. I want to thank yal for all of the lovely reviews, and I want to answer one in particular By the way, I have been reading all of your reviews and I must say that my readers are united in one thing: their disgust of Doug (Geez, if you think he’s the biggest scum the story will have, wait ‘til yal get a load of Kale!). I think out of concern for his safety that he should never show his face in public… ever again. Not to worry though. I think Matilda is more than enough to handle him. Speaking of her, what has she been up to?

FYI: I would love to see some of this story get illustrated! If anyone is an artist and feels inspired by this story, please send me your fanart! I’ll take anything.

Chapter Four “Operation: Deliverance”


It was four minutes to four thirty A.M. At exactly four thirty A.M., the Professor would be mentally awakening every student on the campground for a brisk early morning hike up to the summit of the northern mountain. Logan called it a warm up (which could only foreshadow what the rest of the kids’ day was going to be like). However, higher powers had decided that at least four of the students wouldn’t be participating in the day’s activities of running through tire obstacles, swinging on a rope across a creek, and a helluva lot of jogging. And that higher power’s name… was Matilda, who was presently doing her own version of morning exercise.

“Don’t get strung out… by the way I look… don’t judge a book by its cover… I’m not much of a man by the light of day, but by night I’m one hell of a lover.” Matilda just couldn’t stop dancing. She loved that song! She was wearing a very Gothic looking maid costume with pale makeup, heavy eyeliner, and dark red lipstick as she danced around her own little corner on the edge of the woods where she could easily see all the action of the camp but remain hidden well. “I’m just a sweet transvestite… from transsexual… Transylvania!” In her ears were round white earphones, which were connected to a white chord which was connected to a pink iPod mini, which was held tightly in Matilda’s right hand. “So come up to the lab… and see what’s on the slab… I see you shiver, with antici… pation… but maybe the rain… isn’t really to blame… so I’ll remove the cause… but not the symptom!”

Matilda panted slightly as she removed her earphones and changed back into her white dress. “Whew. Tim Curry, you always leave me gasping for air! How much time did that kill?” Matilda pulled her antique pocket watch from the air and looked at its face with a slightly disgruntled breath puffing out of her mouth. “Still a whole minute left? I don’t believe this. In the time that they’ve been asleep I have managed to stage the most supreme plan of my career, set it all up, pick up milk, balance my check book, have tea with Prince William, and save the pandas from extinction! I guess I could go catch up on my CSI DVDs, but I promised Denise that I would watch those with-“

“Children, it’s time to wake up! Logan wants to take you all on a hike! Please be ready to go in thirty minutes.” The Professor’s telepathic voice chimed rather cheerfully throughout the cerebral pathways of the students. It’s happy tone was contrasted severely by the very loud, unanimous groaning that came from almost all of the tents.

“Good timing Chucky! I better get into position for Phase One of Operation: Deliverance!” And like that, Matilda was gone from her spot.


+++


Kitty rolled over once in her sleep. It’s too bad that she didn’t notice her arm that swung with the momentum of her torso as it whacked Rogue in the chest. Rogue shot up like a door being slammed on its hinges.

“Ah’m up!” She gasped.

Kitty groggily opened one eye at her friend and slowly rose onto her elbows. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned before she asked, “What time is it?”

Rogue reached for her Jack Skellington watch that was in her bag and looked at it. “Four thirty. Ah can’t believe we’re being made to get up this early. It’s gonna screw with mah sleeping schedule, Ah can tell you that!”

“What, you mean being up until four in the morning and getting up at three in the afternoon?” Kitty asked, reaching for her toiletry bag to wash her face.

“Exactly. Getting up this early… there’s something unnatural about it.”

“Good thing you’re not Amish.” Kitty said as she wiped a cleansing wipe over her face.

“Hey, let meh bum one of those from you.” Rogue nodded her head at the wipe in Kitty’s hand. Kitty handed her a package of Stridex and nervously smiled as she began to rummage through her toiletry bag again.

“So… are you excited about today?” Kitty asked, as she rummaged for her moisturizer.

“About getting sweaty, bug bitten, sun burnt, and exhausted? Thrilled.” Rogue replied dryly as she cleansed the pale skin of her face.

“No, no. Not that. About that thing… that annoying thing that we’re going to finally get off of our chests today?”

“Bobby?”

Kitty giggled while shaking her head. “No, you know…”

“Yeah, Ah know. Are you really sure about this, Kitty? Ah mean, you tell Kurt how you feel, and it changes everything…”

“Yeah, I know. I could potentially be losing my best friend…”

“… Or gaining a lover.”

“That’s true. But it’s a risk I need to take. I just can’t… go anymore without knowing, you know?”

“Ah know. But for meh, it’s kind of a dead end either way you put it.”

“Hey, none of that talk today. Only, ‘Remy, Ah love you and Ah want to spend mah life having your babies.”

Rogue playfully pushed Kitty in the shoulder, but she was all smiles anyway. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Now where is mah makeup?” Rogue began to shuffle through her bag for her Nightmare Before Christmas lunchbox that contained all her makeup.

“You’re going to wear makeup on a hot day when we’re going to be getting all sweaty and gross?”

“Hey, Ah am going to be pouring mah heart out to the guy Ah like today; Ah’d say that that is an occasion for makeup. Now where Ah put it is the real issue right now.”

“Are you nervous? What do you think you’re going to say to him?”

“Ah’m not nervous yet, but Ah probably will be when Ah see him. And Ah have no idea what Ah’m going to say to him. Okay, Ah know Ah had it yesterday.”

“Had what?” Kitty asked, brushing her hair.

“Mah makeup box. Have you seen it?”

“Like I would go near that manic depressant stuff that you wear.”

“It’s called Manic Panic and if you haven’t seen it, then where did it go?”

“Did you leave it on the jet?”

“No, Ah didn’t take it out on the jet.”

“And you checked all your bags?”

“Twice.”

“Well I haven’t seen it Rogue. Did you even pack it?”

“Yeah, Ah know Ah did because Ah pulled it out to take off mah makeup from yesterday.” Rogue shook her head. “Maybe Bobby or somebody took it as a prank.”

“Maybe. Why don’t you just go without today?” Rogue stared at Kitty as though she had grown an extra head. “Or not.” Kitty replied quickly. “Hey, you can borrow some of my makeup!”

“Feh! Yeah, right! Like Ah could look anything like Bettie Page or Dita Von Teese if Ah wore that glitter and steeler crap that you wear.”

“It’s called Stila, thank you very much. And may I remind you that looking like Natalie Portman or Audrey Hepburn is a lot better than going au natural.”

Rogue sighed glumly and said, “Well, Ah guess beggars can’t afford to be choosers.”

Kitty smiled in victory and then dipped back into her own bag. “A change will do you some good! Now let’s just pull out my handy makeup bag and we’ll… we’ll…”

Kitty trailed off as she continued to ruffle items around in her bag. Rogue raised an eyebrow at her and finally said, “We’ll what?”

“I can’t find it.”

“Find what?”

“My makeup bag, my little silver makeup bag.” Kitty said, now looking down her sleeping bag.

“Now yours is missing?”

“You were right Rogue; this has to be one of Bobby’s pranks or something.” Kitty’s voice sounded slightly higher pitched, as though she were about to supremely freak out.

“Great. The one day where Ah need to look great and neither of us have any makeup.”

“I’m not really worried about my face as much as I’m worried about my hair!”

“Your hair? Your hair looks fine, what’s the problem?”

“All my hair bands were in that bag!”

“So? Just wear your hair down today.”

Now it was Kitty’s turn to look at Rogue like she had grown an extra head. “Are you out of your mind?! I always wear my hair in a ponytail, it’s my signature look! I am not me unless my hair is up!”

“If you ask meh or anyone else who has seen it when it’s not in a ponytail, it looks much better down. Besides… a change will do you some good.” Rogue smirked as Kitty glared… and then sighed.

“I really wanted to look cute today.”

“Ah can tell you right now that mah brother thinks you look cute every day. Besides, it’s not like Ah’m going to be looking pretty either.”

“Oh God Rogue. You have no idea how lucky you are.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re one of those girls who can wake up and look pretty. You don’t even have to wear layers of makeup, but most girls, like me for instance, have to put in some effort before they even start to look good. Maybe I can make up for my lack of makeup with my outfit.” Kitty began streaming items from her bag throughout the tent in her quest for the perfect outfit.

After dodging two books, a toothbrush, and a compact mirror, Rogue realized that she would need to choose her own outfit as well. She pulled her own bag onto her lap and began to move the few books she had packed when she noticed one shy. Where was her sketchbook? Most teenage girls wrote in a diary about their dilemmas. Rogue instead vented by illustrating the various images that popped into her head. That sketchbook was a picture book of the rare glance into Rogue’s mind. Oh God. If somebody had taken that as well as her makeup then he might have seen… some very personal sketches. Ones that she would not have wanted a certain Cajun to see. That sketchbook was prime blackmail material and if Bobby or anyone threatened to show Remy what she had drawn, she would be at their mercy. Then again… if she told Remy how she felt before anyone approached her about her book… then she really could not worry about it, because technically the damage would already be done.

Rogue took a deep breath and bound herself to reveal her heart to Remy that day. But first… she would have to look somewhat approachable. She moved aside a pair of jeans in her bag in search of her green cargo pants with all the safety pins in them… and she came up empty. What the hell? Rogue wondered. In fact as she searched some more, she came to the startling realization that all of the “cool” (a better term would be Goth) clothes she had packed were now missing. All that was left in her bag was a pair of dark blue denim jeans, a matching denim jacket, and a black cotton tank top.

“Kitty, Ah think Ah might have to kill someone…”

“I think you’re going to have to get in line!”

“You don’t mean…”

“Someone took all of my clothes except for like this!” Kitty held up a white t-shirt, a pair of light denim jeans, and a form-fitting baby pink zip up hoodie.

“Ah don’t know how anyone could have gotten in here to do all this!” Rogue said, flopping her arms to the side.

“This so totally sucks! The one day where I need to look nice, and my cute clothes are gone, all my makeup is missing, and my hair’s going to look like crap!”

Rogue and Kitty sat in silence as they looked at their predicament. In reality, their situation was not so serious, but being teenagers… a single flea on their arm would have been the greatest tragedy since a certain boat hit an iceberg.

“Ah guess we really don’t have much of choice, do we?”

“I guess not.” Kitty sounded defeated. With a final sigh, she began to unbutton her nightshirt and reached for her bra.

“You still want to go through with this?” Rogue asked, pulling off her own shirt and retrieving her own bra (being careful to avoid any skin contact).

Kitty thought about it. True, she would not be looking her best, but she may never feel the courage that she felt that day ever again. It was a “now or never” day for certain. “Absolutely.”

+++


All the students had congregated around the area where the campfire had been the previous night. Each student off in their own little circle having their own little conversations, not even noticing the remarkable beauty that the mountain morning had offered. The sun had only risen to the point where there was light out but was not visible due to the mountains that surrounded the valley. The dew clung to each pleat of grass making the ground a bright strong green that was soft to the touch. Most students were chatting amongst each other except for four. Two of them had yet to make an appearance, while the other two were off by themselves. Kurt was perched high in a tree just looking off into the pale blue sky. He did not look like his normal chipper self but no one bothered asking him what was the matter.

Remy twitched slightly as he leant against a tree, looking deep into the forest. He looked amazing even though he had not shaved in two days and his hair was as neat as his fingers could manage. He wore dark jeans that were not obscenely tight but fitted enough to see a very nice lower body and a black t-shirt underneath his trench coat that today served to shield him from the cool air of the morning. He had just experienced one of the worst nights he could remember having in a long time. After discovering that the girl he had set his eyes on hated him, he realized that he desperately needed a cigarette. After smoking the one that he was originally going to smoke before the incident, he realized that that night was a two-cigarette occasion. Imagine his distress when he found that he had just smoked his last one. Now imagine the turmoil he felt after returning to his tent and realizing that he had left his only other full pack back on the jet. He could not bring himself to fall asleep with Rogue’s voice echoing throughout his ears, so he just stared at the roof of his tent for the remainder of the night. Just when he had lightly dozed off, the Professor woke him with a telepathic message to get ready for a day of strenuous physical activity. That day was going to be a difficult one, he could tell (“He has no idea.” Matilda said, watching him through her binoculars).

Jubilee and Rahne walked past him, both young girls making very lustful glances at him. Even with dark circles under his eyes and his body all twitchy, he still looked better than most men on their best day. Remy did something that he probably would not have even considered doing the day before: he smiled back in his own patented flirtatious smirk. Don’t know what I could have been thinking with going after one girl only, he thought. I mean, look at all these sweet young things all ripe for the taking. They would gladly kiss me without a second thought. I could have all of them eating out of my hand just by running my hand through my hair! I’ve got my pick of anyone I want. Why was I wasting my time on a fillè that I can’t even… touch…

Remy’s thoughts trailed off when he absently turned his head to look at the other students when he caught sight of an angel. Rogue was emerging from her tent and… damn. Her fair skin was devoid of her mask entirely and seemed to glow like snow with the aid of the morning light. Her white and brown hair was gently blowing backwards with the direction of the breeze, with the white wisps of her bangs gently framing her gorgeous face. His eyes trailed downwards and nearly bugged out when they saw what she was wearing. Rogue rarely wore anything that showed any skin, but that day she chose to wear a black tank top under a jacket that showed a tantalizing amount of her milky cleavage.

Remy had been reminded exactly why he had been spending his time chasing Rogue like a slap to his face with a sack of bricks. He was chasing her because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life… and she hated him. Last night hit him again just as hard. This day was looking to suck even more than it already had. Not only did he have to accept the fact that the girl he wanted hated him but she had to choose that day to look unequally gorgeous.

Remy looked forward once more with a new found resolve to get through that day. After that, it would be easier to move on.

“You wish! I got sad news for you buddy, but you can never move on from the woman you have been waiting your whole life for!” Matilda called, from her spot beneath a blanket of dirt that she had placed over herself as camouflage.

Rogue had paired her fairly simple outfit with the only pair of gloves she could find, which happened to be some simple brown cotton ones. With her Doc Martin ankle boots on her feet, her green eyes scanned the camp ground for her prospective significant other.

“Kitty, are you coming out yet? Your hair’s not going to get any straighter no matter how many times you brush it!” Rogue whispered back through the opening of their tent.

“I’ll be a few minutes Rogue, go on without me!” Kitty’s voice replied. Rogue shook her head and began to walk towards the group of students but not before she heard Kitty whisper a very hushed “Good luck!”

Rogue smiled and shook her head still. Then she looked for a certain trench coat wearin’, card chargin’, smooth talkin’ Cajun. She saw his back as she took in his form leaning against a tree. She inhaled deeply at the sight of him, and then smiled nervously before walking towards him.

Remy’s thief senses when he felt someone with their eyes on him. That same someone was also walking towards him. Oh God… please, don’t torture me like this, he thought (“He’s so melodramatic.” Matilda said with a shake of her head). Please, at least don’t let me lose my cool in front of her. Give me strength, Lord, give me strength.

Matilda stood upright, knocking the soil blanket off of her, and revealed her garb for the first time. She wore loose khaki shorts, a blue short sleeved button up shirt underneath a khaki vest with many pockets, hiking boots custom made for her small feet, and a khaki fishing cap with various patches of different types of bird patches adorning it. Around her neck were her binoculars and in her right hand was a large bamboo butterfly net.

Matilda held the binoculars (which were larger than her head) up to her eyes and watched as Rogue drew closer and closer to Remy. “This is definitely a day for notes for the interns.” Close by, a bird chirped a lovely little song. Matilda turned her head and binoculars sharply to her left. “Oooh, a carduelis tristis, also known as the American Goldfinch!” Slowly Matilda lowered her binoculars to where they heavily fell down around her neck. She raised her small right hand to be level with her face and then swiftly slapped it hard across her cheek. “Steady now, old girl, focus. Big day today, can’t afford anything to go wrong this time. One small mistake and this whole operation could go straight to Hell. Everything needs to be more coordinated than Riverdance in order to pull this plan off.” Matilda pulled out her little tape recorder, pressed the REC button, and held it up to her mouth.

“Matilda’s War Journal: Day Four. I have successfully managed to lure the four subjects to the mountains. Last night was a breakthrough and a complete disaster in more ways than one. On one hand, subject number two and subject number three have confided in one another and come to terms with the fact that they have warm, fuzzy feelings for subject number one and subject number four. Sadly, due to some unwanted interference from Doug the God of Bad Timing +grumble, grumble+, subject number one and subject number four are under the impression that subject number two and subject number three hate them both. Ironically, subject number two and subject number three have chosen this particular day to reveal their said warm, fuzzy feelings to subject number one and subject number four. Naturally, this can only blow up in their faces. This situation is beyond a simple remedy and will require my most extreme finesse in order to put everything in the right. I have given careful thought and consideration to what must be done and have realized that I will need to isolate the four entirely from their classmates and genius, telepathic professor in order to avoid anymore interference. I spent all of last night carefully planning and coordinating what must be done and have come up with the ultimate solution…” Matilda paused to take a breath for drama’s sake before continuing. “Operation: Deliverance. Operation: Deliverance is my most complicated plan yet that consists of six carefully scheduled phases in which timing and setup is everything. Hopefully, come post phase six, subject number one will realize that he heard what subject number two said out of context, and that subject number four will come to the same resolution with subject number three, and after that, I feel subject number two will forgive subject number one for coming to such a conclusion, and the same goes for subject number four to subject number… three… wait, Kitty’s subject number three and Kurt’s subject number four so it would be the other way around and…”

Matilda furrowed her eyebrow and frowned slightly. Then she continued. “Side note: I am going to change the reference names that I have given to the four subjects for note taking purposes, as the web that I weave becomes more tangled, and the initial reference names I have given them only confuses me more. From now on, I will be referring to each subject to an individual name that I think suits them in some way or another. Formerly known as subject number one, a.k.a Remy, from now on will be referred to as the rat. Subject number two, a.k.a. Rogue, from this point forward will be called the… well… rogue. Subject number three, a.k.a. Kitty, will be fittingly called the cat. And last but certainly not least, subject number four, a.k.a. Kurt, will be named the demon. And when I am referring to their pairings, I will call them by a cute acronym assembled from their actual names. For the rogue and the rat, I will call them Rogemy and for the demon and the cat, they will be know as Kitturt.” Matilda furrowed her eyebrows again and pursed her lips in a disbelieving manner. “And neither of those sound good at all. How about… um… um… Ro…my? Romy? Romy, I like that. And uh… uh… hmm… Kurt… ty? Kurtty! Romy and Kurtty, that’s good. Okay, moving on…”

Matilda turned her gaze to look at Rogue. “Preliminary work was a bitch for this one. Last night, I infiltrated the rogue and the cat’s tent to remove any items I felt would not help the two prepare for the upcoming events. Considering that they will both be experiencing different types of weather, I chose garment pieces that would look cute and yet adapt to the various climate changes that they will be experiencing, such as light jackets to shield them from the cold but can be removed when the weather grows hot. Likewise, I removed any makeup they may have attempted to put on for a few reasons: one, all women look better without it, and two, it would only cause their skin to break out because they would be unable to remove the crap from their faces for possibly days at a time. I also removed any of those hair bands that the cat seems to enjoy so well because her hair looks much better down. The shoes I selected were-“ Matilda paused in her notes when she saw the rogue approach the rat. “Hold that thought. The operation is about to begin. Switching to observation!”

Rogue bit her lower lip as she drew closer to her Cajun. She tried breathing through her nose but that only reminded her of the massive butterfly orgy that had occurred in her stomach. It didn’t help that he looked good that day. She had to resist the temptation to lick her lips because she didn’t want them to chap. She folded her hands behind her back and smiled flirtatiously.

“Mornin’ Cajun.” Rogue said, in her ever-so-tantalizingly sultry voice.

Remy audibly gulped before turning to look at her angel face. Oh God, she looked even more beautiful up close. Remy could feel his resolve crumbling like a clump of sand. Her words from the night before ringing through his ears again steeled himself once more. “Bonjour.” He said, as he smiled politely.

“How’d you sleep?”

As well as a cat on a log in a sawmill, Remy thought miserably. Instead he answered, “Fine. Just fine.”

“Good.” Rogue smiled, and then looked at him expectantly. She planned to wait until he started to flirt with her to say what she wanted to say. The truth was that she was not sure exactly what she wanted to say and was hoping that there was something in what Remy would say that would give her an idea. But he was not talking. He just turned back to where he was looking into the shadows of the forest. Rogue realized that he wasn’t going to say anymore and just continued talking. “So, um… today’s going to be rough, idn’t it?”

“Suppose it will.” Remy nodded, but continued to avoid her face.

This was weird. Remy was not acting like himself at all. At this point, he would have normally been leaning in for a kiss. Rogue knew there must be something wrong, so she decided just to cut to the chase. “Remy… Ah’ve been thinking a lot since last night… about this thing… between you and meh. And Ah’ve realized that-“

“Y’ know, Ah been thinkin’ ‘bout dat too.” Remy said, suddenly turning towards her.

“Oh, you have?”

“Oui. And Ah think…” Remy paused, briefly chewed his lower lip, and continued. “Ah think y’ were right… and dat we should just be friends.”

Rogue opened her mouth but could not bring herself to breathe in. “Oh.” She said, after a second. She stared at the ground and shook her head dazedly. “That’s… that’s a really different tune from what you were singing yesterday.”

“Well… Ah guess… Ah just realized dat… y’re right. Nothin’ can ever happen ‘tween y’ and m’ because of…” Remy delicately motioned with his hand the space between the two of them. “Y’ know.”

Rogue nodded slowly. “Mah powers.” Her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes were beginning to shine, but she looked away from Remy’s gaze so that he would not see that. “So everything you said to meh… about getting around mah powers… it really was bullshit, wasn’t it?”

Remy looked emphatically at Rogue. “Non, it wasn’t. Y’ can get around y’r powers Rogue, and y’ should try t’. Ah want y’ t’ be happy.”

Rogue shut her eyes to keep the tears from leaking out and shook her head. She began to walk away but Remy’s hand on her shoulder stopped her for a half a second before she quickly jerked away from his touch. “Don’t touch meh.” She said, opening her eyes to look at him. Her face was entirely devoid of expression except for the tears pooling in the bottoms of her eyes. “You’ll get hurt.” And she walked to the only spot of the camp where no one else was presently occupying.

Remy was confused, to say the least. His empathy was picking up on things coming from Rogue that conflicted with what he had heard last night. If she hated him, she should not be feeling as sad as he was detecting. He rubbed a hand over his hair and looked at her standing all by herself. He would have given into the urge to go over to her and take back everything he had just said had it not been for the person who had suddenly appeared at his side… and it wasn’t Matilda.

“God, Rogue’s so moody. I really don’t see how she made X-Man and just didn’t stay with the Brotherhood. They’re really more her crowd. Hi Remy.” Jubilee said, bouncing from one foot to the other, hoping that the actions made her look cute.
Remy looked back at Rogue and then down at the Asian girl in front of him. Sure, she was not stunningly beautiful, but she was attractive enough. And she was easy, which was always a bonus. She could make the process of forgetting about a certain untouchable woman easier… he hoped. “Hey dere Jubilee.”

“If you are feeling conflicting emotions… that’s good. You should be.” Matilda said, watching Remy through her binoculars. She then turned her head to look at Rogue, who was crying silently by herself. Matilda winced visibly in her face. “Oh, that’s harsh. That was almost like something out of Dawson’s Creek… except it was less wordy. I always hate having to watch hearts be broken… but I always love mending them! Hopefully, Operation: Deliverance will deliver that and more to the rogue and the rat.” Matilda redirected her attention when she saw movement at the girls’ tent. “Looks like the cat’s emerging to approach the demon. Back to observation!”

Kitty was feeling very self-conscious that morning. She wore the jeans, white t-shirt, and pink hoodie with her pink Converse shoes. She ran a hand through her brown hair, which was surprisingly quite long. It stopped at the middle of her back, but she wore it up all the time so no one could behold its beauty.

Kitty’s nervous blue eyes darted around the campsite looking for something else of a blue nature. She finally saw something long and blue swishing in a tree towards the right of the camp. She breathed in deeply and walked off in that direction. When she was in front of the tree close enough that she had to crane her neck to look up at her furry, blue friend, she called out, “That’s an awfully big blue jay sitting in that tree! Better hope it’s not hunting season, you’d be prime game!”

Kitty’s loud voice boomed from behind Kurt and he swayed backwards on his tree branch. After regaining his balance quickly, he looked down and saw Kitty with a giggled in her voice and a sweet smile on her mouth. And for a moment… Kurt’s troubles were completely pushed from his mind. Gott, she was pretty. The glimmer in her eyes and the smile on her face with her hair tumbling down her shoulders like water made her just about the most beautiful creature Kurt had ever seen. He allowed his signature grin to grace his features before remembering quickly the silent promise he had made to her the night before. His smile faded and he ducked his head before they could make proper eye contact.

Kitty looked at him strangely at his odd actions. “What are you doing up there? Come down from there, I want to tell you something!”

Kurt kept his eyes on his tail that was draped haphazardly across the branch. “Um… I’m actually not feeling too good today Keety.”

“Oh. Are you sick?” She asked, suddenly sounding concerned.

“Maybe.” Kurt replied, but not even Kitty could miss the uncertainty in his voice. He was obviously hiding something. “Perhaps, you should stay avay from me, ja?”

Kitty cocked her head confusedly at him. “Kurt, if you’re not feeling good, you should tell Mr. Logan and sit this one out.”

“I don’t think I’m sick… like that. I just think that…” Kurt swallowed before he spoke again; this part was going to be hard to get out. “… that maybe you should keep avay from me… for the trip.”

“The trip? You mean this whole week or however long Logan’s going to keep us here?” Kitty asked, disbelievingly. This had to be a joke, just one of Kurt’s jokes. But Kurt remained silent and stoic and still not looking at her. Was he serious? “You’re not being serious, are you?” He said nothing from his tree. “Why do you want to not be with me?”

“It’s not that.” Kurt said softly, but loud enough for her to hear. “I just do not feel vell enough to deal vith you right now.”

“Deal with me?” Kitty said, not hiding the tinge of anger in her voice. “So… you think it’s hard to be around me?” Her anger didn’t subside when he said nothing… and when he continued to avert his eyes. “Kurt, come down here and say that to me.”

This was becoming increasingly difficult for Kurt. Kitty had taken his words the wrong way… or she could have taken them the right way, even he wasn’t sure what he had meant. He just knew that he couldn’t bear acting as though he had nothing. But… he really wanted to be close to her. “Keety… please, I can’t…”

“What do you mean ‘you can’t’?” She had become so angered that she had not even noticed the tears starting to sting the corners of her eyes. “I don’t understand you, Kurt. Everything was okay yesterday. What happened last night that made you mad at me?” Kurt turned his head towards Kitty and it looked as though he was finally going to look her in the eye…. then he carefully maneuvered his eyes so that he would not look at her own. “God Kurt, look at me and say that!”

Kurt shook his head, but didn’t look at Kitty. She bit her lower lip before turning away and rushing off in the opposite direction. Kurt finally lifted his head to look at her retreating back, and couldn’t help but feel that he had just made some great and horrible mistake.

“You want to hear something funny, Kurt? You did just make a great and horrible mistake!” Matilda was sitting right behind him in the tree and watched Kitty go stand next to Rogue. She sighed before she spoke into her tape recorder again. “This isn’t going to be easy. But true love never is. You see, it’s not worth it if you can’t fight for it. Obstacles can make the heart…” Matilda stopped when she saw Kurt teleport. “Is he going to Kitty to make up or-“ She stopped when saw that all the students had moved towards the center of the camp into a circle around a short, hairy man. “What have we here? Hold that thought.” Matilda shut off her tape recorder and crouched low on the branch and watched the group through the leaves of the tree.

“All right X-Men… LINE UP!” Logan boomed at the students. Every one of them formed themselves in a straight horizontal line shoulder to shoulder. All of them kept their faces forward not looking at anything else but the space in front of them. Logan began to walk the line they had formed and looked at each of them to be sure that they were prepared for the day ahead. For the cool weather the morning brought, he wasn’t wearing much. Just a pair of faded jeans, some hiking boots, and his very hairy chest (“Is that a sweater?” Matilda mused to herself). “Here’s how this is going to work. This morning we are going to go up the trail on the north mountain to its peak summit, and then we are going to go back down the same way. When we get back, the real training’s gonna start. We will take one short break on the way up, but it’s a non-stop trip on the way down. If you fall behind, you better have paid attention to your surroundings because it’s going to be up to you to find your own way back to camp. We’re not going to have the whole school spend the day looking for your sorry ass. This is not a nature hike so I don’t want to catch any of you looking at the majestic scenery. Do you understand me?!”

“YES, SIR!” All the students bellowed at once.

“All right X-Men… move out!” Logan said, taking the lead of the line as they started up towards the mountain.

“Uh… Mr. Logan?” A nervous male voice belonging to Sam asked from behind him.

“What is it Lexington?”

“What are we gonna do about breakfast… sir?”

Everyone was surprised when Logan grinned somewhat evilly at all of them as he looked back at the students over his shoulder. “What do you think we’re going to get on the mountain?”

Almost all the students suppressed the urge to groan. Looks like later it was going to be Bambi Bourguignon.

No student seemed to notice the small, lone figure smiling gleefully as she watched them disappear into the trees that shrouded the trail up the mountain. “Perfect.” Matilda said, rubbing her hands together a little sinisterly. “A little more work and they’ll be completely out of range from that professor of theirs… and far away from those nosy students… and ripe for the taking. Now commencing Phase One of Operation: Deliverance!”


They had only been walking for half an hour, but is seemed a helluva lot longer. Sharp, angled rocks covering a normally dirt covered path can do that. At first it did not really bother anyone, but thirty minutes of rocks can do that to a pair of feet. Some students had taken to saying “ow” each time they took a step they took. Others simply rubbed their feet through their shoes. Logan did not notice their plight as his feet would heal repeatedly as he walked. Another person was immune to the torturous little rocks but only because she was gliding far overhead by way of a small hang glider.

“They look so much like ants from up here.” Matilda said, looking at the little dots walking in a line up the mountain through her binoculars. “I guess my rocks did the trick. They’re definitely going slow enough for me to mess with them. Hmmm…” Matilda looked through her binoculars once more. “I’m going to have to anal retentively time this. Now let’s see.” Somewhere, a calculator appeared in Matilda’s upturned palm with a *POP*. Using her thumb to punch in numbers she began muttering, “Take the rate at which those two are walking…” Briefly letting go of the rail, she sucked the tip of her index finger into her mouth and held it up. “… and I then take into consideration the wind speed… and then the mass of the pebbles… mmm hmm… yes, yes… carry the one… and you get…” Matilda smiled as she looked at the results on her screen. “Fantastic.” As she tossed the calculator over her shoulder where it vanished somewhere behind her, she angled her hang glider to go lower. She was about ten feet above the students when she reached into her windbreaker and pulled out a small baggie containing two pebbles. She quickly poured the two pebbles into her palm and then turned her attention back to the students below her. “Now launching… in five… four… three… two… one… and BOMBS AWAY!” Matilda released the pebbles from her palm and they plummeted quickly through the air where they went soundly down the heels of Rogue and Kitty’s shoes. “Sweet.”

Rogue should have known that today was going to be terrible. Any day that begins with a laborious trek up a mountain is never a sign that says “the day will be filled with sunflowers and it will rain cupcakes.” Her mood was about to get worse. After a while Rogue began to notice a sharp pain stabbing her in the foot again and again with each step she took. Damn little fucker, she thought as she realized that she had a pebble in her shoe. It’s surprising that such a small rock could bring about such torture that could almost give the Chinese Water Torture a run for its money. It took Rogue about a minute of walking before she could bear it no more. She pushed Alex roughly out of her way as she crossed the path to sit on a rock that lined the path.

Practically flinging herself on the rock, Rogue removed the guilty shoe, turned it upside down, and began to shake it until the cursed pebble began to shuffle towards the opening. Rogue did not look up as Kitty sat down beside her.

“These rocks are a killer, aren’t they?” Kitty said casually, as she removed her own shoe.

“Annoying little fuckers is what they are.” Rogue looked up at the passing crowd were making an effort to turn their heads to look at the sour but-oh-so-pretty looking girls. “We got rocks in our shoes. Ah got an idea, take a picture, Ah’m sure this is very photogenic!” She said, as she held up her middle finger to the kids passing. Not surprisingly, almost all of the kids hurried along a lot faster, not daring to even look in Rogue’s general direction. When Rogue saw Jubilee smirking as she walked by, Rogue gritted her teeth and made a very scary hissing noise; it promptly wiped the smirk off her face and she actually looked scared as she hurried along.

“Wow.” Kitty said, looking somewhere between startled and impressed. “Is it just me or was that a little more vicious than usual?”

“Well… Ah’ll tell ya that it’s not just you.” Rogue said, as she noticed Remy coming up at a normal pace. He did not look directly at Rogue, but Kitty could see his eyes turn to watch her as he passed. He did not stop or say anything, which Kitty determined very quickly was extreme anti-Remy behavior. She became even more convinced that something was up when Rogue’s slow death glare was following Remy as he walked by. What many people did not know about Rogue was that her patented death glares had varying degrees of intensity; Kitty only knew this because she spent the most time with Rogue and had noticed many small nuances about her that even Rogue herself probably did not even realized that she had. There was the “quick and painless” glare, the “sudden and unexpected” death glare, the “I hope you die with a sock full of Tabasco flavored gelatin stuffed into your anus” glare, and then “the I hope your death is horrible, messy, and slow” glare. In short, it is a bad thing when Rogue grants you that particular glare.

“God… I think you could make a baby cry with the look that you just gave Remy.” Kitty said, with her eyebrows raised. Rogue snorted briefly, but focused more on picking the pebble out of her shoe with her fingers. “What’s up with you two?”
“What makes you think that something has to be up?”
“Well…” Kitty started slowly as though she was thinking about her answer. “Yesterday, you couldn’t get him to leave you alone and you were actually being nice to him. Today, he’s walking past you without saying a word and you’re doling out your worst possible death glare. It’s a far cry from yesterday, I’ll admit.”

“You’d be surprised how much can happen in the period of five minutes.” Rogue replied dryly.

“Actually… no, I wouldn’t.” Kitty said glumly as Kurt passed by, noticeably ducking his head and walked on without a word.

Rogue watched this very subtle exchange of actions and nodded her head in understanding. “Ah take it that things didn’t go too well this morning with mah brother.”

“That depends. How well did it go with you and Remy this morning?” Kitty asked, knowing full well what the answer was to that question.

Rogue breathed sharply through her teeth in a very visible wince. “That bad, huh?”

“Total disaster.” Kitty said, nodding her head. “But you go first.”

Rogue proceeded to recount the earlier conversation with Remy. When she finished, Kitty was shaking her head in an ironic believable-disbelief. “I can’t believe he said that! It doesn’t make sense at all. I know he’s like, totally into you.”

“Maybe he was into meh. But that was before. Ah don’t know if Ah did something last night that could have made him change his mind so quick. Ah mean, we sat together at dinner and we talked a little bit after that, but that was it.” Rogue turned her head just in time to see Kitty giving her that searching, questioning, analytical look once again. “What is it Kitty?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just...”

Rogue sighed when she saw that whatever Kitty wanted to say, it was definitely not “nothing”, there was definitely “something”, and Kitty was terrible at hiding it. “What is it this time Kitty?”

“Well… didn’t you tell him right to his face that you wanted him to leave you alone?”

“Yeah, but Ah didn’t want him to do what Ah wanted!” Rogue said emphatically, before actually thinking about what she had just said.

Kitty sighed and said, “Well Rogue… that just makes you fickle.”

Rogue opened her mouth, ready to retort, but the words just could not come out of her mouth. “Ah… Ah guess he is just doing what Ah wanted him to do.”

“Mmm hmm. Well, you kept telling him like every day to ‘leave you the hell alone’. I guess it was only a matter of time before he got the idea. I mean, you can only beat a dog so many times before it learns its lesson.”

“Are you comparing Remy… to a dog?” Kitty thought about it for a moment before nodding. Then Rogue thought about it and shrugged. “It fits, Ah suppose. Especially now since he’s got someone new holding his leash.”
“If you mean Jubilee, I hardly think flirting with him and obnoxiously giggling at everything he says and practically throwing herself into his sleeping bag qualify as holding the leash.”
“Yeah… but at least he would be in a real relationship with her… that scrawny, little… no good, annoying… jailbait tart.”
“And they call me Kitty.” Rogue’s friend replied. “Plus, I don’t think Remy could ever be serious with her.”

“Ah seriously don’t care anymore. Ah only wish… that he hadn’t bullshitted meh about… actually being in a relationship and it working out.”

“Oh God Rogue, you got your hopes up, didn’t you?” Kitty asked, looking very concerned.

“No, no, of course not. Come on Kitty, Ah know better than that.” Rogue faked a smile at her friend as Kitty looked back skeptically.

“Wow… this hurt real bad, didn’t it?”

Rogue’s somber expression was enough to make Patsy Stone sober up. She took a breath in and a breath out before answering. “You know what’s funny?”

“What?”

“Ah was convinced that all Remy LeBeau was ever gonna do to meh is hurt meh… physically or mentally. And it looks like Ah was right.”

“I don’t think that’s funny at all. What’s the punch line?”

“The punch line? The punch line is that… this is the one time that Ah wanted to be wrong.” Kitty was struck silent as Rogue looked down at the ground. Neither girl spoke for a moment. As Kitty was tucking some of her hair behind her ear, Rogue said, “So what happened with mah brother?” Kitty took a deep breath and retold the conversation that she and Kurt had had that morning. Rogue listened attentively and looked completely confused when Kitty had finished. “That makes no sense at all! What the hell has gotten into that furball?”

“I don’t know, I was hoping you could tell me.”

“Kitty, Ah absolutely have no clue. Ah mean, as far as Ah know, Kurt is crazy about you. Ah really can’t think of why he would say something like that-“

“Is it true though?” Kitty asked suddenly, looking a little pained.

“Is what true?”

“That it takes like ‘effort’ to be around me?” Rogue’s mouth was parted as though she wanted to give Kitty an answer, but nothing was coming out (much like a fish). Kitty raised her eyebrows and her eyes became substantially wider at Rogue’s silence. “Rogue?” Kitty said her name like a demand. She looked pained, horrified, and startled when she said, “You mean it’s true?!”

“Not like that Kitty! It’s just… you’re a very high-energy person… and with any high-energy person, you yourself need a lot of high energy to keep up with that high-energy person’s… high energy. Do you understand what Ah’m saying?”

“… I… don’t know. What was that part with the… the… first high energy person and… what did you say?”
“Okay… Ah need high energy in order to handle your high energy and-“
Kitty began to shake her head in frustration and clenched her eyes shut. “Okay, wait a minute. You’ve been avoiding my question; am I hard to deal with?”

“Kitty, you’re not difficult at all. You’re easy going for the most part and you’re fun to talk to. But sometimes a person can just want to spend some time alone. Maybe that’s all Kurt wants today, just some alone time. He may have just been in a bad mood today and doesn’t want to deal with anyone, you know?”

“Rogue, when’s the last you even remember Kurt being in a bad mood?”

Rogue made another fish like expression and then cast her gaze downwards in thought. “Um… way back when he first found out about Mystique being his mother… and when Ah broke her statue… and when he found out the truth about his daddy… and… that’s it.”

“You see? Only when something life changing happens to him does he get in a bad mood! I don’t know if anything life changing happened between this morning and last night!”

“Yes, well it’s often the things that we don’t see that change our lives the most.” Matilda said; she would have sounded quite sage-like had she not had such a young, high-pitched voice. “It’s always the little things that change everything; change happens when you don’t even realize it. For example, pulling over and sitting down to remove some pebbles from your shoes. You start to talk with your friend and you don’t even notice that the people you have walking with have gone on far ahead leaving them to choose between a fork in the path.” Matilda grinned maniacally as she looked between the two paths and then back at the two girls, still sitting on their rock. She moved quickly behind a tree that stood at the side of the path to the right and pressed her palms to the bark. She craned her neck to the side and glanced at the girls. “I’ve slowed them down enough. It’s time to make the official separation.”

Matilda turned her face forward and narrowed her eyes. “Okay, my motivation is gravel in a cement mixer.” She cleared her throat loudly before humming, “Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi.” She began to clear her throat repeatedly, each time her voice becoming deeper and deeper. In a voice that sounded suspiciously like a certain hairy Canadian, she recited:

“I am the very model of the modern major general.
I have information animal, vegetable, and mineral.
I know the kings of England and can quote the fights historical.
From Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical.”

Matilda, needless to say, looked very impressed with herself. “Damn, I’m good. I haven’t lost my touch at all.” She glanced back at the girls one last time and smiled. “But now for the real performance.” She cleared her throat once more to be sure that the girls were still deep in their conversation. “Half-pint! Stripes!” She bellowed (It’s pointless to say how strange it would be to the innocent bystander to hear Logan’s deep, rough voice come out of the mouth of a girl who looked only seven). Matilda waited with baited breath to see if the girls would take the bait; they didn’t disappoint.

“Yeah Logan?” Rogue called back.

Before answering, Matilda gave a gleeful giggle at how beautifully her plan was working. “Drag your lazy asses up here! We don’t have all day!” Matilda answered, sounding eerily too much like the Canadian.

“Coming!” Kitty said, as both she and Rogue replaced their shoes and began to rush towards the source of the voice.

Matilda pressed her back against the tree and turned only her eyes to watch the trail, in an attempt to appear inconspicuous (not that she really needed to). She relaxed when she saw both Rogue and Kitty walk together up the right path. She stepped out from behind her tree all smiles and even did her happy twirl. “Phase one complete!” She stepped into the fork and looked up the left trail- the trail where the group of students had really traveled- and grinned a grin that some would deem a little too devilish for her. “Now commencing phase two!”

“Break time kiddies! We start up again in ten minutes, no more, no less!” Logan bellowed backwards suddenly. About half-an-hour of walking led them to ground that did not have as much gravel as the path that they had been taking; in fact, it had next to none. The sudden change should have seemed suspicious to someone like Logan (who is suspicious of anything and everything), but at the moment he was preoccupied with something else… namely Jamie.

“Mr. Logan, you have a general outline of what the territory and layout of this mountain is, don’t you? So just in case one of us were to get lost you would be able to find us, yes?”

“I know the general area, but not every landmark. That’s why it’s vital we all stick together and no one lags behind.” Logan replied looking over the collected students.

“What?! But someone could grab us from the trail and drag us to Kingdom Come for all we know, and you wouldn’t be able to find us! Are you insane?!” Jamie screamed hysterically, grabbing Logan’s arm.

“Get off me.” Logan growled, not even bothering to look at Jamie.

The students had done different things when Logan called for a break. Jamie had immediately gone to annoy Logan, the New Mutant girls (Amara, Tabby, Jubilee, and Rahne) had gone off to use the bathroom in the bushes, X-23 stood not far from Logan with her arms folded across her chest and studied all the students with narrowed eyes, Piotr had removed his pocket sketch book from his back pocket and was penciling a bird he saw perched on branch, Warren and Alex were both stretching the muscles in their backs, and the New Mutant boys were sitting on the ground and goofing off with each other. But Remy had been walking by himself, despite Jubilee’s attempts to flirt with him. Here he stood alone looking down the path they had already walked, occupying his thoughts with how badly he craved a cigarette.

Kurt had found a nice tall tree that stood along the edge of the trail. From the branch he sat in, he had a nice view of everyone and what they were doing. But he really was not paying any attention to anyone else. He leaned his back against the base of the tree with a sigh. He looked sadly through the holes that the leaves made at the spots of blue sky that he could see. He wished he had something else to inhabit his thoughts other than a blue-eyed dancer. But he could find no solace in any distractions. He could not bring himself to look at her face in person, but maybe… maybe he could still look at her face without feeling like a jagged dagger had been through his back straight into his heart. He dug into one of his pockets and pulled out his wallet. He shifted some of the items around until he came across his most prized possession in the world.

Kurt stroked the edges of the picture with his large index fingers, amazed at how beautiful Kitty was capable of being without so much of an effort. He remembered that beautiful day so well. It had been the second day of Passover, and Kitty was about to go to her family’s Seder. She wore this long white dress and her hair down. She looked nothing short of angelic that day. Kurt had to remember that day for the rest of his life. The cherry blossom tree had just bloomed for the spring in their back yard and Kurt knew that it would be the perfect place to immortalize her beauty. Kitty had been reluctant to let him even come near her with a camera since she was not wearing a stitch of makeup that day (her parents asked her not to wear any as a sign of respect). He had managed to lure her to the tree in question but she still said “absolutely not.” Kitty said “no”, Kurt said she looked radiant. And just when it looked as though Kitty would never waver, Kurt grinned at her. Now if you’ve ever had the privilege of meeting Kurt, you would be quick to discover that his smile is infectious. All it took was Kurt giving Kitty that grin. She tried to keep a straight face (at first), but then Kurt bit his lower lip and gave her a look in his eye that would make any girl sit and beg. Kitty was powerless to resist and started to smile and laugh. That’s when Kurt took the picture. It turned out to be the best picture Kitty had ever taken. Kurt valued it, not only because she looked beautiful and natural in it, because he loved watching her laugh.

Kurt felt he should rip it up just because that is what any other guy who found himself in Kurt’s position would do. But Kurt could not do it. He shut his eyes and exhaled. He could not let her go yet. “Yesterday…” Kurt sang to himself softly. “All my troubles seemed so far away… now it looks as though they’re here to stay… oh, I believe in yesterday.” Kurt loved the Beatles. He loved that song. He had always sounded happy whenever he sang along with it whenever it came on the radio. But that day… he longed for yesterday and it came through in his voice.

“All right everybody, let’s do a head count just to make sure no one’s fallen behind. Will that make you feel more secure Jamie?”

“Yes.” Jamie replied, sounding as though he was settling for whatever he could get.

“Mr. Logan, real quick, Rahne, Jubilee, Tabby, and Amara went over there to take a squat.” Sam said, since he was sitting the closest to Logan.

“I know. I can smell it.” Logan replied. He ignored Sam’s disgusted expression and small “ew” and began to count all the heads he could see with his index finger, adding four once he was finished. “Wait a second…” Logan said, sounding concerned, and counted once more.

“We’re back! Who missed us?!” Tabby announced quite loudly.

“What’d we miss?” Rahne asked.

“Logan’s head count.” Alex answered.

“I’m two shy.” Logan said, grimly.

There was a chorus of “what” and “huh” and also “wha” from almost all the students (and a “quoi” and a “was” from Remy and Kurt).

“What do you mean?” Jamie asked, sounding nervous.

“I mean I’m counting only fifteen. There are supposed to be seventeen of you. There are two kids missing.” Almost all of the students exchanged worried glances. Kurt jumped down from his tree and Remy rejoined the group. Logan gave the group a scrutinizing look before yelling, “X-Men, sound off!”

“Angel.” Warren said.

“Berserker.”

“Boom-Boom.”

“Cannonball.”

“Colossus.”

“Gambit.”

“Havok.”

“Iceman.”

“Jubilee.”

“Magma.”

“Nightcrawler.” Kurt was the last one to speak. Everyone waited for a southern accent to shout “Rogue” but it did not come. That meant-

“Rogue’s not here.” Logan stated, surprisingly not looking happy. “Next person!” Again there was silence where Kitty was supposed to pipe in “Shadowcat”. “And Kitty’s not here.” Logan said, looking even more pissed.

“Maybe- Maybe they just… fell behind a little and need a minute or two to… to catch up.” Bobby said, not sounding at all certain.

“You smell that?” Rahne asked X-23.

“Oh yeah. Their scents’ are completely cold here. We lost them a while back.” She replied.

“I’m an idiot for not noticing it sooner.” Logan growled at himself. He put his hands on his hips and paced a few feet away from the students, wondering what his next move should be.

Everyone was so busy looking nervously around the woods that no one noticed both Kurt and Remy look away from everybody as though feeling guilty about something.

They’re both… strong…. They can handle themselves if they run into trouble… Kurt thought, in attempt to convince himself to calm down.

Nothing could have happened to them… Remy thought. It’s not like they would just walk into trouble… they aren’t stupid… Dieu, I want a cigarette.

In the time that they’ve known each, this was the first time that Kurt and Remy ever had the exact same thought at the exact same time.

“She’s okay.” They both smiled slightly to himself and gave a nod. But Matilda just had to burst their bubble by speaking to both of them.

“Your fault. You know it’s all your fault.” She said, standing in between the two boys. “If anything happens to her, it’s because of you.”

The boys had similar responses to that, namely, “No, I had no idea that something like this would happen-“

“If you hadn’t snubbed her this morning she would have been walking with you instead of by herself, where some maniac could easily grab her, take her virginity, and leave her for dead. If anything happens to her… it’s all because of your selfishness.”

Remy shook his head rapidly; Kurt just held his eyes to the ground. “Because of you. Your fault.”

Logan did not notice either of the boys’ laments. He was preoccupied with figuring out what he was going to do. His baser instincts were telling him to go after them immediately, but… there was this little voice that was telling him otherwise.

“These kids won’t be able to fend for themselves for even five seconds.” Matilda said, looking analytically at all the students in front
of Logan. “Your place is here with them. What you should do is send two students who are perfectly capable of handling themselves out there to find the girls. One of them should be able to cross large distances quickly, and the other should be able to hold his own in a brawl.”

Hmm… Logan thought looking at the kids with a furrowed brow. That narrows it down to Chicken Wing, he thought looking at Warren, Elf, Pete, he looked at Piotr, and Gumbo.

“You ought to ask for volunteers first. If no one comes up, then you can pick yourself.” Matilda said, trying to look innocent.

“All right, everybody listen up!” Logan bellowed at the group. “Who wants to go back down the trail to find Rogue and Kitty?!”

At first, no one stepped forward. Remy and Kurt were both considering the thought, but quickly came to a decision when Matilda appeared behind them once more. “Because of you. Your fault.”

“Logan!” Remy called.

“Logan!” Kurt shouted. The two boys pushed forward through the crowd of students from their respective ends of the mass of young people. Remy did not even notice the shocked look on Jubilee’s face when he pushed past her without even glancing at her.

Logan looked expectantly at the two boys approaching him from opposite sides of the group. “You two?”
Remy nodded almost immediately, but Kurt looked distastefully at Remy before saying “Ja.”

“All right, you two go back the way we came and try to stick to the trail. When you find them, meet us at the summit. But if you get lost, forget about the summit and just find your way back to the camp. Here.” Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out a laminated map of the park. “Use this. Elf, you take it, you got more pockets.” He added, handing the map to Kurt. The blue boy took the map and zipped it into one of the pockets of his cargo pants, just to be absolutely certain that he would not lose it. “You two can handle this, right?’ He looked at the two young men with an eyebrow raised. Both boys nodded fervently. The older man then stepped up to the two of them until he was uncomfortably invading both of their personal bubbles. “Don’t. Screw. Up.” He growled so very, very menacingly that any other weaker, less adequate human being would have wet their pants and then soil themselves. But both Remy and Kurt managed their pants clean with just an audible gulp and some wider eyes.

“Ja, sir.”

“Oui, sir.”

And with that, Kurt and Remy began to walk back down the trail. Everyone watched their backs until they were no longer visible. That’s when Logan yelled, “Break time’s over! We still got a summit to reach!”


Kurt never liked Remy. Ever. Not since the moment the cocky Cajun whisked his only sister to New Orleans twice+. Kurt had never felt a desire to become friends with the world class thief. Which was odd for him, because Kurt usually liked to be friends with everybody. But he could live without being friends with Remy LeBeau. So it is easy to understand how incredibly awkward the silence was as the two of them walked back down the trail.

“So… nice weather t’day, idn’t it?” Remy said, slowly. Usually he had no problem talking to people, but Kurt was being about as talkative as a wall.

“Ja, I suppose so, ja.” Kurt said simply, with absolutely no expression in his voice (which was frightfully unnatural for him).

“Not too hot.” Remy added. He darted his eyes around the woodland forestry that surrounded the trail, trying to think of something to talk about with Kurt. He was getting waves upon waves from the blue, furry teenager and he knew all about Kurt’s dislike for him. “Y’ know, Remy noticed how pretty Chaton looked t’day, wouldn’t y’ agree?”

Kurt paused and kept his eyes straight ahead. Remy was almost certain that he would receive no answer, but was surprised when Kurt said, “Ja, she did. She looked… schön.”

Remy smiled a little at the wistful tone in Kurt’s voice. “Oui, dat she did. Makes dis Cajun tho’… ‘bout why y’ didn’t tell her dat. Bet she would have liked t’ hear it.”

“You could have told her. I’m sure she vould have been quite smitten vith you if you had.” Kurt replied, with some amount of bite to his words.

“Well, as lovely a fille as Chaton is… Remy just don’t like her like dat. Sorry if y’ got dat idea.”

Kurt was silent. Remy was almost positive that the conversation was over, but was proven wrong once more when Kurt started speaking again. “Even if I had told her… it vould not matter. She vants nothing to do vith me.”

“Dat don’t sound like somethin’ she’d say.”

“Vell, she said she’s afraid of me. So I’m doing my part to abide by her vishes.”

“Oh. When did she say dat?”

“Last night, after lights out.”

“Hmm.”

The two walked in silence a few moments more. Kurt sighed with a role of his eyes. “I could not help but notice that you vere not bothering mein schwester this morning as usual. Did you tire of her so quickly?”

Remy chuckled slightly at the unusual display of cynicism in Kurt. Remy directed his eyes at a mother bird feeding her hatchlings in a tree branch as they passed by. “Non, non, it wasn’t anythin’ like dat. Remy only doin’ what Rogue’s been askin’ him t’ do.”

“So she’s finally come to her senses. Gut.”

Remy chuckled ironically again as the boys continued to walk along. “Y’ know Remy be gettin’ dis funny feelin’ dat y’ don’t like him too much.”

“Remy vould be correct.” Remy nodded once, but he just kept on walking. Kurt looked at him strangely. “Aren’t you going to ask me vhy?”

“Non, no need t’. Remy already know why.” Remy kicked a small rock from its place in the dirt before continuing. “Y’ don’t trust him. And y’ have every reason not t’.” Kurt looked at him with his surprise evident. “Oui. For all y’ know, Remy could have swiped y’r wallet by now and y’ would be none de wiser.”

“Ja, right.” Kurt replied, laughing slightly. Then he looked over at his walking companion and saw Remy looking through his wallet. Shock set in before he could even react.

“Y’ don’t carry much money around, and dat’s hardly a good thing.” Remy said, shifting the contents of Kurt’s wallet around. A wide grin grew on his lips when he pulled out Kurt’s treasured picture of Kitty. He whistled looking at the picture. “Now dat is a fine lookin’ fille. How y’ can willingly stay away from dat is beyond Remy’s comprehension-“

“Hey! Geben sie mir das!” Kurt said, snatching back his belongings and then tenderly tucking the picture away. “Vhat vas that for?”

“Just tryin’ t’ prove a point.”

“That vhat? You can’t be trusted? Point made.” Kurt shook his head, pushing his wallet back into his pocket. “It amazes me that Rogue put up vith you for so long.”

“It actually amazes Remy too.” Remy said, licking his lower lip in thought. “Think de reason is dat either she was bein’ smart or Remy was bein’ dumb. But she made it clear last night how she felt dat’s for sure.”

“She told you to stay avay from her last night?”

“Don’t get y’r hopes up bleu boy. Actually, Remy overheard her talkin’ wit’ Chaton. Probably, ‘bout de same time dat y’ heard de same talk.” Kurt looked away from Remy suddenly when they came upon a fork in the trail. “Oh, don’t get so upset, after tomorrow is another-“

“Hush.” Kurt said, sniffing at the air twice into his nostrils. “Keety… and Rogue. They vent up that vay.” He pointed one of his large fingers up the path to the right.

“Y’ sure?”

“Positive.” Kurt’s senses may not have been as attuned as Logan’s were, but he could still clearly make out the smell of Kitty’s perfume and the fragrance oil that Rogue liked to wear. He began to walk up that trail with Remy following close behind.

Neither boy saw a young girl come out from behind one of the trees holding a bottle of Victoria’s Secret perfume in one hand and a small vile of pumpkin fragrance oil in the other. “Perfect. They fell for it hook, line, and sinker.” Matilda tossing the two bottles up into a large laundry bag that she had sitting beside her; it contained all the girls’ belongings and was taller than her. “I’ll have to remember to return all this stuff once I’m through.” She said, patting the bag. She pulled her tape recorder out of her pocket and spoke into it. “The operation is almost complete. I have misted all four subjects with Eau du Pine, which will make them smell like any surroundings they encounter in the forest. Their smells are only distinguishable up close, and since they’re already a good distance away from their comrades, they’re damn near impossible to be tracked by squat, Canadian, and hairy. I also took the Thought Sucker to their radiating brain waves, so they will be able to think just as clearly as Einstein, but that brilliant but also oddly sexy telepath won’t be able to find them. I’m about to cover their tracks left on the trail, and after that, it will only be them… and me.” Matilda gave a slightly evil sounding chuckle, before looking around the fork as though noticing it for the first time. With just a snap of her fingers, the right trail that the four teens had traveled vanished and was replaced by wild forestry. “Phase two complete. Time to begin the whopper that is phase three. This is my complicated stage yet, but hopefully the results will make it all worth it.”

“Rogue, hold up.” Kitty said, panting.

“What is it now Kitty?” Rogue asked, stopping.

“We passed by this same rock like fifteen minutes ago.” Kitty said.

“We did?” Rogue replied, sounding miserable but not surprised.

“Yeah, because it has that patch of moss that we said looks like Joe Perry’s head, remember?”

“Yeah, Ah remember.” Rogue said, plopping down on the Joe Perry rock.

Kitty regarded her friend’s expression and said sounding sad, unsurprised, and a little scared, “We are like so lost, aren’t we?”

“Yeah Kitty. Ah’d say we’re lost.” Rogue replied, looking up around them. They had been walking for about an hour down what they thought had been the right path. They realized that it was not when they found neither Logan or the other students and turned around to go back. But somehow the trail had vanished on them, and neither knew the way to get back to where they were.

“This has turned out to be possibly the worst day ever.” Kitty said, plopping down next to her southern friend.

“Ah second that.”

“You don’t think that we’re going to… you know?”

“Die out here?” Rogue asked and Kitty nodded. “Of course not. Everyone’s going to realize eventually that we aren’t with them and Logan or somebody will come looking for us. That man can track a flea in a blizzard, okay? He can find us with no problem.”

“Good. Then I can focus less on my impending doom and more on the fact that my life has turned into an Avril Lavigne album.” Rogue had to laugh at that. Even Kitty gave Rogue a smile. “I wish I were in your position. I would much rather be an Evanescence album.”

“Well, actually Ah prefer Within Temptation and-“ +SNAP+ “Did you hear that?” Rogue said, turning sharply at the noise.

Kitty nodded, and both girls listened to the rustling of leaves as they were disturbed by someone’s feet. “Someone’s coming this way!” Kitty whispered sharply.

Rogue motioned with her head at a large nearby tree. Both girls stood up quickly and pressed their backs to the tree and waited for whatever it was that was coming towards them. Weren’t they surprised to hear what they did?

“Are y’ sure dat dey came dis way?”

“Ja, positive. At least…” Kurt sniffed at the air again. “They vere here. I can’t seem to smell them now.”

Remy paused and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. His thoughts drifted again to that delicious smoke he learned to inhale into his lungs when he looked at Kurt curiously. He could not help but wonder about something… “Hey bleu, let Remy ask y’ a question, oui?”

Kurt sighed exasperatedly. “You’re going to ask it no matter vhat I say.”

“Y’ see? Y’ already know everything y’ need t’ know ‘bout Remy.” Remy said with a smile. “Were y’ ever goin’ t’ tell Chaton how y’ felt ‘bout her?”

Kurt sighed again, but this time, it felt more love sick and yet heart broken than anything. Why was Remy insisting on bringing this up whenever possible? “I don’t know. I don’t think so because I know a girl as vonderful as Keety could never feel- hey, vait a minute. How did you know I had feelings for Keety?”

Remy looked at Kurt as though he was missing a nose. “Well duh. About everybody in de whole mansion knows y’r crazy ‘bout de girl.”

Kurt looked stunned and as though he was about to throw up at the same time. “Everybody knows?”

“Well, yes. It’s about de most obvious thing since someone said ‘hey, Ah think Liberace may be gay.’” Remy studied Kurt’s eyes as they nearly bugged out of his sockets. “What? Did y’ think y’ were hidin’ it?”

“It vas supposed to be my best kept secret.” Kurt said, sounding shocked and deadly serious.

Remy paused with a straight face, because, honestly, he did not believe what he had just heard. Then he burst out laughing. “… Good… job…” He wheezed out between gales. Kurt looked at him with an annoyed looking death glare (he had learned from Rogue well) with his arms crossed. “M’ sorry… M’ sorry…” Finally Remy faced Kurt and wiped a tear from his eye.

“Are you finished?”

Remy nodded at first trying to keep a straight face. But as he looked at Kurt, a smile stretched across his lips as though he were trying to contain it all. His nod turned to a shake and he began laughing once more. “Okay, okay. M’ done.” Remy took another look at Kurt’s face. One. Two. Three. Four… He burst into another peel of laughter. Kurt put his hands on his hips as he waited for Remy to stop. Remy stood up straight again and looked Kurt in the eye, his face beet red. “Sorry.” He said though a grin, looking as though he was still trying to contain his amusement. “Okay, now ‘m done.”

“It really isn’t that funny. You cannot conceal how you feel about my sister either.”

“Never felt de need to. Does it bother y’ dat Remy got de hots for y’r sister?”

“You vant me to be honest or lie?” Kurt said leveling Remy with a very protective big brother look.

“Think dat’s my answer right dere. Well, y’ got nothin’ more t’ worry ‘bout Bleu. Dear Roguey don’t want Remy ‘round no more anyway.”

“So you told me. I must say it surprises me considering what she said yesterday-“

“What? What did she say yesterday?” Remy said very quickly, obviously not caring that he was interrupting Kurt. Kurt raised his eyebrows at Remy’s eagerness. Remembering Remy laughing at him earlier, an uncharacteristically evil thought crossed Kurt’s brain: he wasn’t going to tell Remy a thing. “Oh, it vas really nothing actually.”

“Quoi? Oh, don’t play dat way wit m’. Remy have very evil methods for getting’ important information.” Remy said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Nein, I believe I vill keep this little factoid to myself for the time being.”

“Oh no y’ don’t. Y’ gonna tell m’ everything y’ know, or else…”

“Or else vhat?”

Remy grinned at Kurt, with that lovely mischief shining in his eyes. “Or else Chaton gonna find out ‘bout dat certain article of clothing of hers dat y’ have in y’r possession.” Kurt’s smug look faded instantly and was replaced with a shocked frown. “Y’ know, dat undergarment dat y’ keep in y’r nightstand and smell whenever y’ decide t’… relieve a little tension.”

Kurt had paled considerably for someone with a blue face. “How did you find out about that?”

“Remy have his ways. Don’t feel special. Dis Cajun’s got dirt on about every person livin’ in de mansion and almost all of de Brotherhood. Comes in handy when de time comes for blackmail.”

“Like now?’ Kurt asked miserably.

“Exactly like now.”

Kurt sighed and muttered something in German (it sounded an awful lot like “kein gutes stück scheiße.”). “She said she likes the vay you make her feel.”

Remy looked taken aback by this. “But she said last night dat she m’ because of de way Ah make her feel.”

Kurt looked as confused as Remy. “But that makes no sense. Vhy vould she say one thing, and then say the complete opposite?”

“Oui. Just like it makes no sense wit’ Chaton.” Remy and Kurt were both quiet for a moment. “Bleu, what exactly did she say?”

Kurt took a deep breath before replying. “She said that she is afraid of my eyes. She said that she has been since ve met.”

“Did she say why?”

“Vas?”

“Did she say why she was afraid o’ y’r eyes?”

“Vell…” Kurt paused thinking. “Nein, now that I think about it. I kind of left after I heard her say that.”

“Hmm.” Remy said. “She probably would have mentioned why she was afraid of y’ if she was going to bring it up, oui?”

“Ja, that does make sense. Vhat exactly did Rogue say last night?”

“She said dat a part o’ her hates m’ and de way AH maker her feel.”

“And how does the other part of her feel?”

“Quoi?”

“You said only a part of her hates you? What about the other part?”

Remy opened his mouth but no sound came out. He furrowed his brow and turned his eyes towards the heavens. “Ah didn’t… stick ‘round long enough t’ hear dat part actually.”

Both Remy and Kurt stared at each other briefly. Then they both stared at the ground, slowly coming to grips with something that they had not thought of before.

“Come on clever boys.” Matilda said, with a roll of her eyes. “Two plus two equals…”

“Remy?”

“Oui?”

“Is it possible that since neither of us heard everything that may have been about us, that ve missed something very important?”

“Bingo.” Matilda said, shaking her head.

“Y’ know, Ah think dat’s actually a strong possibility.”

A very pained look appeared on Kurt’s face. He looked ready to cry. “Oh gott, I have made a great and horrible mistake, haven’t I?”

“Don’t feel bad. Y’ ain’t de only one.” Remy said, with a hurt expression not too different from Kurt’s.

Kitty and Rogue, still behind the safety of their tree, were positively livid. Both girls were not sure whether they should be angry or distressed. On one hand, both young men cared very deeply for them, and that was knowledge they were very glad to possess. On the other hand, their boys had eavesdropped on their conversation (their über quiet conversation), and if that was not bad enough, the girls were angered by the fact that the boys had gotten the completely wrong idea from what had been said. If it was possible, they wished that they would not be found so that they would not have to face the inevitable.

“We can’t have that now.” Matilda said, removing herself from the tree she had been sitting in while observing all of this. She strode over to Kitty and Rogue and very carefully placed a dry branch underneath Kitty’s raised heel.

All it took was Kitty to shift slightly where she stood and things began to happen rather quickly. First, Kitty snapped the strategically placed branch just as she should have. Kitty and Rogue looked down at the source of the unexpected noise. They both then pressed their backs to the tree; both girls were well aware that there was no way the boys could not have heard that. They nervously looked at each other and waited with baited breath for whatever their fate would be.

Kurt’s ears twitched at the loud +SNAP+ that sounded throughout the woods. Remy looked about, his eyes searching wildly for the possible source of the noise. He looked meaningfully at Kurt, who held up a thick blue finger. Both boys stood for a moment in silence, Remy staring intently at Kurt awaiting a sign, and Kurt moving his eyes around the forest for an answer. His golden yellow eyes settled on a tree not too far away. He jerked his head towards the tree and Remy gave a single nod in recognition.

Neither Kitty nor Rogue looked at anything other than the space in front of them. Kitty pressed her lips together firmly, in fear of letting any breath out. Rogue swallowed in her throat and felt the rough bark of the tree beneath the delicate skin of her hands. One second passed by. Then another. Then another. Then-

The smell of sulfur and brimstone invaded Kitty’s senses so suddenly that she barely had time to cough before she was pressed against the tree by a furry, blue, three fingered hand wrapped around her throat. Rogue would have helped Kitty but she found herself also being held up against the tree, with each of her wrists encompassed tightly by a pair of strong calloused hands.

“Rogue?”

“Remy.” Rogue replied dryly, as she shot an evil glare at Remy.

“Keety?”

“Kurt.” Kitty wheezed.

Both boys immediately released the girls. Kitty tenderly pressed her fingers to her throat and gasped when she felt Kurt’s own furry fingers gently push her hand away. He used both his hands as he studied her neck, praying to God that he had not hurt her. Rogue straightened her clothes, leveling Remy with another glare the entire time.

“Where have y’ two been? Y’ got de Wolverine’s panties in a knot wonderin’ where de two of y’ went.”

“Ah’m surprised you cared, Remy.” Rogue said, standing up straight and looking him straight in the eye.

“Ah did care. Ah still care. Does it make any difference t’ y’-“

“How long have you two been standing there?” Kurt asked, as Kitty stood.

“Um-“ Kitty began but Rogue interrupted.

“Long enough.” Both Remy and Kurt looked as they had just swallowed cyanide.

“What did y’ hear ‘xactly-“

“Is that why yal were acting so weird earlier? You thought we hated you?”

“Ah heard it straight from y’r mouth, Rogue! Y’ said it y’rself and-“

“You obviously heard it out of context! Aside from the fact that you invaded mah privacy, you got the completely wrong idea! If you hadn’t been so stupid about jumping to conclusions-“

“Well what was Ah supposed t’ think? When someone says dat dey hate y’, dere ain’t too many different meanings for dat.”

“Ah don’t hate you, Remy! If you had asked meh first instead of running to that little panty dropper, you have found that out a lot sooner!”

Kitty watched this exchange silently. Kurt had heard what she said last night; he believed that she feared him (when nothing could be further from the truth) and that was why he was trying his hardest to push her away that morning. How to explain things to him now? She had been so enthusiastic about revealing the secrets of her heart to him, but this whole ordeal had chipped away at her resolve. She looked at her furry blue compatriot; he was looking expressionless at the exchange between Rogue and Remy, who seemed to be inching closer and closer to each other’s faces with every heated remark. They would have to have a similar argument sooner or later. She would first have to say something to him, at least. She turned to look at him and opened her mouth to speak.

“Kurt?” He said nothing and did not face her yet. “Kurt… I know what I said last night and how it must have sounded…” Kurt remained silent still. “But you have to believe me: it’s not what you think, okay?” Kurt inhaled a breath through his mouth but said nothing. “Please say something.”

“Keety…” Kurt began; his voice sounded strained, as though he was trying to hold back whatever emotions he was feeling at that moment. “Vhat you said last night… there aren’t too many other meaning for saying that you’re afraid of me.”

“But I’m not scared of you, Kurt! I promise you I’m not!”

“Keety, I vant to believe you… but there must be some truth in what you said. Understand though, that I vould not blame you if it was true. Just tell me… vhy do you fear me and my eyes?”

“Kurt, I’m not afraid of you or your eyes! At least, not in the way you’re thinking I am.” Kitty did not expect what happened next. Kurt’s reply was to turn to Kitty suddenly and roughly pull her closer to him, with her wrists firmly held by both of his hands and her eyes locked with his.

“Look at me and say that! Look me in the eye and tell me that you do not fear me!” He snarled fiercely.

Now if a guy who resembled a blue demon had grabbed any other girl and yelled at her like Kurt was doing, she would have every right in the world to be scared. But Kitty Pryde was not any other girl. She felt no fear in any area of her body as she looked up into Kurt’s glowing yellow eyes. Remarkably, she still the affection she had towards this young man with each heavy heart beat.

“I am not afraid of you, Kurt.” She said firmly once more, not at all wavering from his gaze.

Kurt blinked at Kitty’s resolute answer and released her softly from his grasp. She did not break eye contact with him as she took one half of a step away from him (partial distance, but still close). Kurt took the opportunity to look for any sort of deceit in her eyes. He found himself confused (and relieved) when he found none.

“Wow. De two o’ y’ make Rogue and Remy look like two baby bunny rabbits fightin’ in comparison t’ de two gators goin’ at it.” Remy said, reminding the two of them of their presence.

“It’s usually the quiet ones.” Rogue said, shaking her head in amazement.

Kurt and Kitty separated even more, bowing their heads slightly in embarrassment. Both Remy and Rogue were leaning against their own individual trees, watching the show.

Kitty looked at Kurt tentatively; his face looked like a mixture of emotions. “Kurt… how could you think that I was scared of you? You’re my best friend, doesn’t that count for something?”

Kurt sighed; he was not really feeling mad anymore, just… confused. “Ve are best friends, and that means everything in the world to me. But…”

“But?”

“But you know how I am vhen I think someone is afraid of me. And it’s not so much of a stretch, the prospect of you fearing me.”

Kitty felt something welling up inside of her throat. In a cracked voice she asked, “You mean when we…”

“Vhen ve first met, ja. I know you and I have moved on since then, but… it really, really hurt me.”

This all encompassing feeling of dread and sorrow began to envelope Kitty from the neck down. She felt paralyzed to the spot; she knew that if she attempted to move one foot that she would probably fall flat on her face. She felt so numb that she knew she could not even move her arms. Why? Because she knew she had Kurt.

“The one thing she’s always been afraid of happening.” Matilda said, shaking her head.

“Do you think about that a lot?” Kitty asked in a weak voice.

Something was wrong here and Kurt was not sure what it was. He had to find out what, lest he make Kitty more sad than she already seemed to be. “Keety, vas is the matter?”

“Answer the question please. Does it bother you how I acted around then… even now?”

Kurt paused before answering “Vell… ja, it does still bother me. I know you must not think about it much, and that’s fine, but for me… it is hard forget that look on your face vhen you first saw the real me… Keety?” Kurt stopped speaking when he heard a very shallow, throaty breath being drawn by Kitty. He looked closer at her, and he became very distraught at the sight of the sight of the continuous tears rolling down her face. She pressed a hand to her mouth to keep back a sob but that only made the tears come harder. “Keety… Keety, vhat is wrong? Vhat did I do?” Kurt was ready to cry himself; even when they were fighting, he never, ever wanted to make her cry.

Kitty did not wait any longer; when Kurt reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, she bolted off in the opposite direction, not caring anymore of the unknown that lurked among the trees.

Speaking of the unknown lurking among the trees… “And that ladies and gentlemen is the definition of the shit hitting the ceiling fan.” Matilda straightened herself up and began to follow Kitty. “There’s only one thing that can fix this abhorrent mess now. It’s time to begin the mack-daddy that is the finale of Phase Three; my most complicated stage yet.”

Kurt did not noticed any invisible spirits of love vanish; he was too preoccupied with the feelings of wanting to port after Kitty, but a very painful punch to his arm stopped him.

“You idiot! You stupid, moronic, brainless fuzz-ball! You really have no idea how she feels about you, do you?!” Rogue shouted at the top of her lungs for every woodland creature to hear.

Rubbing his arm tenderly, Kurt asked, “Vhat are you talking about-“

“Where do you get off telling her how she must feel?! That girl has felt bad about how she treated you every day since yal became friends!”

Kurt blinked once as the realization hit him in the chest. “She… she has?”

Rogue shook her head disgustedly. “You really are clueless about how she feels about you, aren’t you? You don’t deserve her friendship!”

Kurt stared off into space as he half fell, half floated to sit on the ground. “Ja… you are right. I don’t deserve to breathe the same air as she.”

Remy cleared his throat alerting the siblings to his presence again. “Um… not t’ intrude or anythin’, but shouldn’t we go after Chaton and get back t’ Logan and de others-“

“Oh, don’t think Ah’m through with you LeBeau!” Rogue stepped up to him to really get in his face. She jabbed a finger into his chest as she said, “Ah haven’t even begun!”

Kitty was walking about blindly. But that is usually a side effect of taking off running when you are having a severe crying fit. He hates me, was all she could think. He hates me and he has every right to.

Matilda was surprised that she could keep up as well as she did. But she had to; she had a very specific destination in mind for this young girl. “Okay, about four steps forward.” (“I love it when they’re emotionally distraught; makes them so much more open to the power of suggestion.”)

Kitty was not sure how she and Kurt could ever come back from this. Could they ever be friends again? Would they ever possess the closeness that they once had? “Now veer to the left a bit.”

One thing was certain: she and Kurt would never be more than bff/friends/acquaintances. It no longer mattered what kind of hopes Kitty had once had; they were gone, gone out the window, faster than the bat of an eyelash. “Okay, just keep going straight now.”

This was, without a doubt, the worst day of her life. Nothing could rectify this situation; it was without hope. Kitty felt a strong wish to fall off a cliff right then.

“Wish granted. About three more steps… almost there… and…”

+++

“And just what is the deal with your obsession with your trench coat, huh? It’s in the middle of June, for Pete’s sake!”

“Y’ wouldn’t understand even if it was explained t’ y’, y’ self-involved river rat!”

“Try meh, you arrogant, pig-headed, swamp ra-“

“AAAAHHH!!!” A voice suddenly shrieked in the distance. It commanded the three young people’s attention immediately. Kurt said all that needed to be said for them to spring into action.

“Keety.” +BAMF+

Kurt had visualized on Kitty, hoping that it would lead him straight to her. He looked around frantically, but he could see no sign of Kitty. “Keety! Keety, vhere are you?”

“Kurt!” A voice called back. But where had it come from?

Kurt finally looked down. There was Kitty, staring helplessly back at him, dangling off the side of a cliff. But not just any cliff; this was a ledge to an incredibly deep ravine in the mountain. And at the bottom of the ravine? A wild, gushing, rapid river. Needless to say, this situation had death written all over it.


“Kurt, wait up!” Rogue called beginning to run after her brother. She could feel the air change beside her and knew that Remy was keeping up.

“Y’ wait up!” He said, keeping in pace with her.

“Oh, don’t think we’re finished! We still got words left mister!”

“Lookin’ forward t’ it!” Remy snarled back. Rogue looked ahead and saw Kurt looking over into a ravine. Realizing that that must be where Kitty was, she picked up her pace. She knew her brother well, and knew that he was about to port.

“Kurt, no!” Rogue said desperately, grabbing a hold of Kurt’s arm. She got a full look at Kitty’s predicament; Kitty was hanging onto possibly the smallest ledge with only the tips of her fingers. Anymore added weight, even a feather, would make her fall. “You port down there, you’re both going to plummet!”

“Vell then vhat am I supposed to do Rogue?! I’m not going to just stand here and let her die!”

“Could somebody please just do something quick?!” Kitty screamed in her panic induced state.

At hearing the sound of her frightened voice, Kurt dropped to the ground and laid flat pressed against his stomach. He extended his arm as far as his body’s limits would permit him and stretched his hand out toward Kitty. “Keety, grab my hand!”

Kitty pressed her left hand more firmly into the ledge and tried to pushed her right hand to meet Kurt’s. She heard the rock crumble and she felt the wind around her as she fell. “AAAH!!!” She screamed. Fortunately, she reached out and grabbed at the cliff, finding another ledge to grip, but it was no more sturdy than the last one. “Kurt, help me!”

“Hang on Keety!” Kurt inched a little bit further out onto the ledge and reached down again. He was somewhat closer to Kitty, but not close enough to pull off a daring rescue. “Rogue, I need more slack!”

“How are we supposed to give you more slack Kurt?” Rogue asked, sounding almost as freaked as Kitty.

Kurt took a deep breath as he realized what he would have to do. “Remy… Rogue… grab a hold of my feet.”

“Quoi?” Remy asked, not believing what he had heard.

“You’re kidding.” Rogue said, feeling the same as Remy.

“Not kidding. Lower me down.” He locked eyes with the rogue and the rat to show how very much not kidding he was. Without any further objections, Rogue and Remy each firmly grasped one of Kurt’s ankles with both their hands. Rogue squatted and Remy crouched close to the ground. Kurt crawled further over the ledge until almost his entire body was suspended over the side. Rogue and Remy continued to lower Kurt until he was completely upside down with only the two southerners as his lifeline.

“Perfect. They are right where I want them.” Matilda said, framing the four forms in front of her with both of her thumbs and forefingers. She smiled as she reached into her pocket of air and pulled out her extra, extra large Booty Buster reinforced pinewood paddle. “One sharp whack to their (incredibly sexy) buttocks ought to send them straight down into the river.” Matilda was in process of doing a few practice swings when she spied something of interest towards the far right of her. “Ooh, better idea.” Matilda replaced her Booty Buster and bounded off towards her new target. “Excuse me! Excuse me, please! A moment of your time!”


+++


“Just a little bit more!” Kurt called back to the two holding his feet.

“We can’t go anymore Kurt!” Rogue yelled back, sounding very strained.

Kurt looked down again; Kitty was still just out of his reach. If Rogue and Remy could go no further, then he only had two options left: he could tell them both to lower him further by his tail (“ouch”) or he could go down himself, which was by far more risky and placed him in more danger…

Kurt looked straight into Kitty’s face and his mind was made up instantly. Her eyes looked terrified and the stains from where she had been crying earlier had dried somewhat on her perfect porcelain cheeks. There was a fresh batch of tears that had welled in her eyes but remained where they were. There was no other choice for him to make. “Remy? Rogue? Let go of me!”

“What?!” They both said in unison.

“Let go of me entirely!”

“Y’ sure ‘bout dat?” Remy asked.

Kurt pressed both of his three fingered hands to the wall. “Ja, I am sure. Do it now!”

Rogue took a deep breath and held it as she released her only brother’s foot. Remy followed suit and did the same. They both stood and took a step back as they watched Kurt’s feet and the point of his spaded tail disappear over the ledge. They peered over to see Kurt crawling down the wall towards Kitty.

Rogue let out the breath she had been holding. Remy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, which (for once) she did not flinch off. They were both just enjoying this moment of quiet when they heard something behind them. Something that sounded suspiciously like a very low growl.

Slowly, Rogue and Remy turned to face what was quite possibly one of their worst possible fears confirmed. Fully standing on its own two feet and its large fangs bared and dripping with drool, was a massive bear slowly coming towards the two young mutants.

Instinctively, Remy took a careful step in front of Rogue, pulled her closer to him, and placed his arms loosely around her. Rogue gently placed her hands flat on his chest; she would never, ever tell him that she did feel a little safer in his arms (though in retrospect, all Remy would be able to do was keep the bear from mauling her for a few moments longer since it would go for him first).

Remy darted his eyes quickly behind Rogue and then returned his attention fully to the bear. “Dere’s a tree branch behind y’. Ah’ll distract her, y’ grab de branch, an’ give it a hard whack t’ de head.” He whispered.

“Ah’m not going to be able to get to it fast enough. We’d have a better chance with your bo staff.” Rogue felt around his front, dipping into his pockets as subtly as possible, so as not to cause any sudden movements (Remy had to focus on the fact that their lives were in danger so he would become distracted by the feelings of Rogue’s gentle hands on his body). When she could not find the weapon, she whispered sharply, “Where’s your bo staff?”

“Left it at de camp. Didn’t think Remy would need it t’day.” The regret and panic in his voice was evident.

“How ironic.” Rogue replied dryly. Rogue had watched enough Animal Planet with Rahne to know that the worst thing to do would be to agitate the animal, and a whack to the head with a stick would do exactly that. But then what could they do… “Maybe… maybe we should try playing dead.’

“What? Dat never works.” Remy whispered back a little too loudly this time because the bear growled a little louder at them. His hands tightened around Rogue and she unconsciously drew herself closer to Remy. “Ah got ‘bout four decks in m’ right pocket. Don’t think Ah can get t’ ‘em fast enough.”

“It would definitely take a swipe at us if we tried to run too.”

“Dat means we only got one way out.”

Rogue knew what Remy was referring to. Both cautiously turned their eyes toward the ravine that Kurt was presently scaling. “So basically our choices are between certain death and certain death?”

“Oui. But would y’ rather be mauled by a bear, or take our chances wit’ de river?”

Rogue never got a chance to answer. As soon as Remy had finished speaking, the bear began to charge them. Locking eyes one last time, Remy grabbed Rogue’s hand and together they jumped off the cliff.


+++

Kurt situated all four of his limbs to where he could crawl down somewhat comfortably. “Time to do this Spider-Man style.” He said to himself.

Kurt kept his eyes locked with Kitty’s as he crawled down the wall.. When he was about level with her, he rotated his body counter clockwise until he was right side up. Crawling closer to Kitty, he carefully swung one leg backwards so that he was facing the opposite side of the ravine. “Only a contortionist/gymnast/circus acrobat.” He muttered to himself. He turned his eyes towards Kitty and reached out his hand to her. “Come on Keety.”

Kitty whimpered and appeared as though she was on the verge of tears. “Kurt, I can’t, I-“

“Keety, please. You have to. You can do it.”

Kitty looked into Kurt’s face. Not daring to look down, she carefully placed her right hand into Kurt’s left hand. Kitty almost sighed in relief and pleasure at the feeling of Kurt’s soft fur touching her silky skin. Kurt quickly pulled Kitty into his arms before she lost her grip on the ledge. She immediately wound both her arms around the back of Kurt’s neck and then wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. She used the crook of his shoulder to rest her head on and as a place for her to weep into. Kurt used one hand and both of his feet to keep the two of them anchored to the wall of the ravine; his tail wrapped itself soundly around her waist and his free arm was placed over her back comfortingly. Kitty was shaking so hard with each sob that Kurt feared he may lose his grip. He tightened his hold on her and stroked his thumb over her back.

“Sssh Keety. It is all right.”

“I was scared.” She replied in a choked whisper against his throat.

“Ja, so vas I.” Upon saying this, Kurt involuntarily pressed his face into her loose hair and inhaled deeply. After a moment or two of letting the relief wash over them both, Kurt began to turn his body around so that he once again faced the wall. The only difference this time being that he arched his back further out so that Kitty would have some space. “Hold on tight, okay?”

Kitty nodded once and tightened her legs and arms around him. As Kurt carefully began to climb Kitty sniggered to herself. “I know that must have cost me one of my lives.”

Kurt grinned but continued to stare straight up. “Vell you shouldn’t vorry anymore because you are safe now-“ Kurt’s grin faded and his eyes got wider. “Uh oh.”

“What is-“ Kitty looked up and saw what was worrying Kurt. Coming towards them at a rapid rate were the plummeting forms of Rogue and Remy. “Uh oh.”


After its prey vanished, the bear fell back to its all fours. It slowly traipsed back into the forestry. It had not come very far when it began to grunt affectionately. In a partial opening among the trees, there were two small bear cubs playing with what appeared to be a little girl.

Matilda picked up one cub and rubbed noses with it. “Your babies are just beautiful!” She gushed. “You must be very proud.” She set the cub back on the ground and stood. After affectionately scratching the mother bear’s head, Matilda looked past her to where the cliffs stood. “Thank you very much for your help. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go make sure these kids don’t fall to their deaths.”

Matilda ran past the massive bear and towards where the four had been standing. Somewhere along the way, Matilda managed to get changed into a parachute and a parachuting jump suit, complete with helmet and goggles. Without so much as a bat of an eyelash, she dropped off the edge of the cliff and began to plummet rapidly. Was she scared at all? Hell no. In fact, she was thoroughly enjoying the feel of nothing but wind all around her. As the spirit of love, she had grown accustomed to all types of falling.

When she became level with her four falling subjects, she used her arms to bring herself closer to them. “Sharp rocks at the bottom, take precautions!”

With that said, Kitty reached out and grabbed the first thing she came into contact with, and that happened to be Remy. Kurt, on the other hand, reached out for Rogue with his hands and tail. Kurt wrapped all fives around Rogue’s form and teleported more towards the middle of the river, a somewhat safe distance away from the rocks. Kitty wrapped her petite form around Remy’s body to the best of her abilities and clenched her eyes shut. The two of them went through the rocks safely and intangibly. However, all four youngsters still ended up in the rapid river (none of them noticed the small girl safely floating down via parachute).

Kitty was completely immersed underneath the water. She flailed her arms slowly and her eyes bugged out of her head. She was about to being really panicking when she felt a strong hand pull on the back of both collars of her jacket and her shirt. Before she could even blink, she was gasping for breath back above the surface of the water. She looked about wildly and saw a sopping wet Remy keeping a close distance to her. This was not an easy task, as the river continued to bring them further down at an incredibly fast rate. Kitty nearly started to panic when she saw Rmey holding his arms out as though he were about to start swimming. “No! No, whatever you do, don’t swim! Just go with the rapids but keep above water!” Remy nodded once at her and did as she said. Both Remy and Kitty looked around (to the best of their ability) for Rogue and Kurt, doing their best to ignore the water splashing in their eyes, mouths, and against their necks. It was a very good thing that a blue, pointy eared head and white and brown hair stood out, as Kurt and Rogue came into vision.

Kurt turned and looked behind him into Kitty’s eyes. “Keety!” He called.

“We’re okay, Kurt!” Then Kitty saw what lay ahead of them. “But not for long…” She muttered miserably.

“What? What is-“ Remy stopped whne he saw the rapid that lay ahead of them. They all looked rough, violent and each about the size of a miniature waterfall. Remy and Kitty both braced themselves for the gauntlet that they were about to endure.



The water did not bother Matilda much. That was because she going down the river in a kayak. It appeared to be an invisible.

“WHOA!” She screamed as conquered another rapid. “WOO-HOO!” She shouted gleefully as she went over one, two, three in a row. “Life’s as extreme as you want to make it!” She shouted laughing as she kept up with her subjects. She paddled to see Kitty go over a rapid and pull herself up through the white foamy water. “Wow! Look at the cat go over that sucker like a pro! Talk about badass!”

Matilda peered on and tried to keep up with the river. “Yeah, go Roguey! That’s how it’s done! Oooh, that one looked like it hurt. I hope Kurt’s okay! Oops, rough spot!” Matilda steered her small kayak through the violent foamy water and dodged a few rocks that Kurt had unfortunately hit a few moments before.

It seemed longer to the four people not in the safety of a kayak, but it was only a few moments before the rapids leveled and the water became calm. With an arm wrapped around Kitty’s waist, Remy swam over to where Rogue and Kurt were floating along.

“Are yal okay?!” Rogue asked, once they were all four aligned with one another.

“Oui, ‘m okay.”

“Keety?!”

“I’m all right Kurt!”

Kitty and Rogue hooked elbows with each other, and Kitty anchored Kurt to her side as Rogue did the same to Remy.

“Chaton, why did y’ tell m’ not t’ swim?”

“Because the flow of the water would only knock you over and you would drown instantly.”

“Oh.” Remy wiped some water from his face. “Merci.”

“Kurt, get us out of here.” Rogue said, looking at her blue brother.

“I have been looking Rogue. It’s more difficult than you realize.”

“What do you mean?” Kitty asked, looking scared again.

“I mean that I cannot just port us back to vhere ve vere; I can’t do that kind of distance vith three other people. And I haven’t seen anything suitable to teleport to around here.”

“So basically we have to float along with the river until you find a sport?” Rogue demanded, but Matilda gave her an unheard answer.

“Actually you won’t be floating much longer.”

Remy noticed a small tree branch floating alongside them. He could not help but wonder why that stick seemed to be going faster than them. It then occurred to him that the overall speed of the current was becoming more fast. His gut telling him to expect the worst, he narrowed his demon eyes at the distance in front of his companions and himself. His worst fear was confirmed.

“Don’t think we gonna have dat kind of time.”

“What do you mean?” Rogue asked, the nervousness evident in her voice.

“Well, we about t’ go over a huge waterfall, dat’s all.”

Remarkably, the four of them said nothing. Their eyes got noticeably wider. In the distance they could hear the gallons of water hitting the bottom.

Kitty whimpered; Kurt pulled her tighter to himself. Rogue’s breathing increased substantially and Remy pulled her closer. The edge of the water was almost upon them when all four of them clenched their eyes shut and began to pray.


“Ooh… this looks so totally wicked!” Matilda said as she came closer to the waterfall. She teleported to be right with her four subjects, except she was dressed in jean shorts, a blue shirt, and another parachute pack. As the kids went over the waterfall, she did as well, except she got into a freefall position. “BOOM SHAK-A-LAKA LAKA!!!” She watched as the four of them became immersed in the heavy white foamy drops of water as they began to fall… and fall… and fall some more. They were about midway down when Matilda pulled her rip-chord and released her parachute. She saw the forms of the four kids fade in and out as they plummeted towards the bottom.

Kitty and Kurt did their best. Really they did. Kurt teleported Remy a few feet with each drop to make their one big drop a bunch of smaller ones. Kitty made both she and Rogue intangible so neither girl would be hurt by the rocky wall beneath the falling water or the rocks at the bottom. But in the end… they all still ended up submerged beneath the water.

Rogue flailed about before the water calmed somewhat. She swam frantically to reach the surface. Upon breaking the top of the first calm water they had yet encountered, she gasped frantically for a few moments before looking around. “Remy! Kurt! Kitty! Where are yal!”

A second later, an auburn colored head popped up. Remy swept the wet hairs out of his eyes before glancing at Rogue. “Y’ okay?”

“Ah’m fine! Where’s Kurt and Kitty?” A blue head emerged half a second later with a big old grin on his face.

“That vas awesome! Can ve do it again?”

“NO!” Both Rogue and Remy shouted in unison.

Kurt’s grin faded when he noticed they were one head shy. “Vhere’s Keety?”

They waited a second. Then another. And another. No Kitty. “Keety!” Kurt shouted.

“Kitty!” Rogue chorused.

“Chaton!” Remy bellowed.

“Oh, she’s fine. She’s just…” Matilda sat on the bank of the calm stream they were all wading in. She was fully dry, wearing her dress and watching the scene unfold. She scrunched her eyebrows when Kittys’ presence remained lacking. “Where is Kitty?”

When Kitty still did not appear, the three gave each other a knowing look before they dived under the surface of the water again. Matilda looked a little sheepish after she watched them vanish. “Hmm… this could be problematic.” She snapped her fingers, and stood in miniature scuba gear all her size. “Time to take matters into my own hands. Dive Captain!” And with that, she dived into the water.

Matilda was the first to find Kitty. The poor girl was floating lifelessly in the deepest, darkest part of the stream. Matilda swam under Kitty’s body and pushed her upwards until she saw a blue three fingered hand connect with the back of Kitty’s shirt and jacket. She reappeared at the bank, dry as a desert, and watched for her four subjects to reappear.


Kurt gasped for breath as he began to walk quickly towards the closest bank. He was carrying Kitty, who was draped over his arms as limp and lifeless as a rag-doll. Remy and Rogue kept up with him as he set Kitty on the ground and felt her neck for a pulse.

“Oh mein gott. She’s not breathing! Rogue, begin chest compressions now!”

Rogue did not need telling twice. She began pumping both her gloved hand on Kitty’s chest, while Kurt held the unconscious girl’s nose shut as he began breathing into her mouth. Remy looked on, unsure if he could even do anything.

“She’ll… she’ll be okay. Really.” Matilda said, looking more uncertain than she wanted to. “She’ll be fine. Just… fine…” Matilda trailed off when she noticed the canopy of trees that enshrouded the group. The leaves of the trees were fast fading from their rich green to a vibrant red to a golden yellow and finally to a light brown. Almost all at once, the leaves dried and slowly fell from their branches until all the trees were naked and jagged. She noticed the grass go from its intense green to dry gold and finally shrivel into nothingness leaving the ground black. The water in the stream was rapidly becoming frozen solid. The sky’s blue was disappearing beneath black storm clouds. The four kids seemed not to have noticed any of the changes in the atmosphere. A person who could see what Matilda was seeing would say that winter had come early that year but Matilda knew better. She knew… that death was coming. “This… is not good. Only one thing to do.”

Kitty was cold. Colder than she could ever remember being. She shivered slightly as she let out an icy breath before opening her eyes slowly. She turned her head to look around. She was all alone in a desolate place where seemed winter never ended. She sat up and searched for any sign of her friends. All she saw was a black hooded figure coming towards her. “Katherine Pryde… it is… you time.” The booming voice said slowly. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized what this all meant.

“Oh God… I’m dead!”

“It is true.” The voice boomed once more. “Come. All questions will be answered once we cross the river Styx.”

“Oh God… Am I going to Heaven? I can’t be dead yet. There’s still so much I haven’t done with my life!” Kitty unwillingly walked alongside Death, coming closer to a dark river. “I have overdue library books! Oh… my poor mother! And Kurt… oh God, I never got to tell him how much I love him! Well, I sort of did that one time during that whole thing with his dad, but he wasn’t really himself so I don’t think he heard me-“

“Wait, wait, back up a sec.” Kitty was shocked that the booming deep voice had vanished, replaced by a slightly anal retentive sounding, nasally voice. “You say you’re suffering from an unrequited love?”

“Well, I don’t know if it’s unrequited exactly. I’m not really sure what we are anymore-“

“But you say that you are in love, yes?”

“Well… yeah, I am. At least, I think I am. I know I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and-“

“Oh crap.” Death huffed and leaned tiredly on his scythe.

“What is it?”

“If you’re in love and it’s an unresolved issue, then it can only mean one thing-“

“STEVE!!!” A high pitched squeal bellowed from behind them.

“Is that a school girl on helium?” Kitty asked Death.

“Close enough. That would be-:

“Steve, wait a minute!” Kitty turned around to see what looked like a small girl running towards them. When she finally caught up with them, Kitty was able to see the sweat stains in the pits of her white dress and her chin length dark hair sticking to the sides of her dewy face. The girl was breathing and panting deeply and rapidly; she held up a finger at the two of them and then leaned on her knees to catch her breath. “Steve…” She wheezed out between breaths. “…you… +pant+ can’t… +huff+ take… +puff+ this… +whew+ one.”

“Oh geez, Matilda.” Death said, sounding more whiny then ever as he pulled back his hood. Kitty had been expecting a big scary skull with glowing red eyes and snakes coming out of his mouth. Instead she saw an older pale man, with pitch black hair, dark beady eyes, and a chin the size of Montana. “I knew you had to be involved with this girl somehow. Just how did you get past Cerberus anyway?”

“Cerberus? Oh, you mean this three headed rat?” The girl inquired, reaching into one of her less visible pockets and pulling out what seemed to be a three headed Chihuahua. “Wasn’t difficult. All I had to do was give it a chalupa and it was putty in my hands.” The small dog’s three heads were barking and biting madly at the air as the girl handed him back to Death, who looked supremely annoyed.

“He is a fierce, vicious guardian dog of the underworld!”

“No, the original Cerberus was a fierce, vicious guardian dog of the underworld. And he was a Doberman, Rottweiler, Mastif mix! Now that was a guard dog!”

“Do you know how hard it is to find three headed dogs anywhere! I have to settle for what I can get!”

“Steve, as fun as it is to belittle about your taste in pets, that’s not what I’m here for.” The girl’s attention was moved to Kitty, who had remained unmoving throughout this conversation and utterly confused. “You know the law Steve. As long as she is under my influence, she cannot be taken away by you.”

“And you know my law, Matilda. No person can escape the clutches of Death without first defeating him in battle.”

The girl inhaled and exhaled sounding quite frustrated, and then said, “Fine” with a huff.

Death stepped away from the two girls and folded his arms across his chest dramatically. “Very well then. Choose your weapon.”

The girl scratched her head, thinking hard. “What did we do last time?”

“I believe it was the SNL Edition of Trivial Pursuit.”

“Hmm.” The girl thought a moment more and then shrugged. “I’m in a bit of a hurry. Let’s just have it be Rock, Paper, Scissors, best of three is the winner.” The two passed Kitty and stood facing once another… if you could call knees to face facing one another. The girl was much, much, much shorter than the towering Death.

“Why is it always three? Can’t it be best of five or best of seven or something?”

“Because you and I both know that the universe is centered around the structure of three. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory… Larry, Moe, and Curly! No matter what way you look at it, it all comes back to three!”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now let’s get it on!” The two gave each other a brief glaring contest before raising their own right fists and holding their left hand out palms up. “One, two, three, shoot!” They both muttered together; the girl picked scissors and Death chose rock. “Ha!” He said happily. “One, two, three, shoot!” Death still chose rock, but this time the girl chose paper. “Dang it!” Death muttered to himself. It was the last round now; both were tied. The winner determined the fate of Kitty’s life. She never expected that her life would be totally dependent on a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Her eyes grew wide as she watch them raise their hands one last time. “One, two, three, shoot!” You know those corny sports movies that features the winning move going in slow motion? That’s comparable to how Kitty was watching as their hands lowered to their open palms. Death chose rock and the girl… chose paper! “GOSH DANG IT!!!” Death bellowed and threw his hands up exasperatedly.

“Yay! I win!”

“How do you always beat me!” Death asked, sounding pained.

“Well, why do you always choose rock?” Death did not seem to have an answer for that, and watched as the girl walked over to Kitty with a pouting look on his face. The little grabbed Kitty’s wrist and said, “Now let’s go. You’re scaring the love of your life to death…” Matilda thought about what she had said for a second before giggling slightly. “Heh… ‘scaring the love of your life to death’. I made a pun.”

The girl began to lead Kitty out of this dark place when Death’s voice caused the girl to turn around briefly. “Uh Matilda… do you still want to… you know…”

“Do I still want to be your date to the company picnic next month?” The little asked with a sweet little smile.

“Well… yeah.” Death said, looking a little sheepish and blushing.

“Of course I do Steve!”

“Cool.” Death looked quite relieved. “Because I would impress about everyone in my department if I showed up with the hottest girl in the company!”

It was an odd thing to see such a young girl actually grin flirtatiously at the much older looking man. “Well that’s me Stevey… I aim to please!” The girl turned back around and began to lead Kitty back away from the river.

“I am so confused.” Kitty said, shaking her head dazedly.

“And no one will hold that against you dear.” The little said, patting Kitty’s hand. “It doesn’t matter anyway. In a few moments, you will wake up and remember none of this…”


“Come on Keety.” Kurt said urgently. He had taken over pumping Kitty’s chest and breathing into her mouth, not because Rogue had given up but because Kurt had pushed her out of the way suddenly. “Come on Keety. Don’t leave me. Stay vith me. Stay vith me.”

Rogue was sitting beside Kitty’s motionless form feeling useless. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and felt a few escape down her cheeks. Her best friend was dying… and she could not do a damn thing about it. Her eyes were shut, so she didn’t see Remy pull the long sleeves of his trench coat over his hands. She didn’t notice anything until she felt Remy gently place his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her forward slightly. She was not sure what he was doing until she felt him wipe the stains of water off her face. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Neither of them were sure how they ever could have been mad at each other. Rogue felt more tears stream down her face and leaned her head on Remy’s shoulder. He smoothed his hands down her back and just let her stay there.

“Please Gott… please don’t take her from me… I’m sorry… so sorry… please, it can’t end like this… please come back to me Kätzchen.” Kitty suddenly coughed up some water, which trailed out of her mouth and down her chin. She gulped for air for a few moments while Kurt and the others looked on with astonished joy. When she was breathing normally again, she laid flat on her back and looked up at three very wet people. However, her eyes were only set to one face… and his eyes in particular.

“Kurt?” She said sounding very weak. Kurt’s eyes closed in relief and his mouth drew tight as though he was trying to hold something back. Suddenly, he was behind Kitty and pulling her back tight against his chest, with his arms wrapped around her shoulders lovingly.

Kurt hid his face in her shoulder and began to speak very muffled into the strip of exposed skin that was between her neck and her shoulder. “I’m so sorry Kätzchen… so, so sorry…”

Kitty closed her eyes at his words and smiled slightly. She ran her hand over Kurt’s arm gently and said, “It’s okay Kurt. I’m sorry too.”

Remy looked down at Rogue, who had not moved from her spot on his shoulder. She looked back at him, but did not move away. He looked down and then back at her quickly and said, “Y’ know… Rogue, m’… well-“

Rogue put two gloved fingertips to his lips. “It’s okay Remy. Meh too.” Rogue moved her hand and pressed it against Remy’s cheek. They smiled at each other as Remy reached for Rogue’s hand and held it in his own for a few moments.

Kitty chuckled slightly. “I can’t remember the last time that I lost two lives in one day.” The other laughed weakly, not because it was not funny, but because they were all kind of tired from all the excitement that they had just experienced. Kurt lightly kissed the top of Kitty’s wet scalp and Kitty settled back in his arms with a smile on her face. For the moment, none of them cared about the earlier hostility and were content just to be.

From afar, Matilda sighed happily and dreamily. “Peace is restored.” She shook her head with a smile. “Highly dangerous life or death situations never cease to amaze me. They accomplish so much at once! The kids are separated, together, and getting along again. Operation: Deliverance is now complete and was a total success! Without any interference from unexpected variables, the real work can begin.” Matilda rubbed her hands together evilly and cackled maniacally.

Kitty was simply enjoying the feeling of being in Kurt’s arms; all was right in the universe once more. She smiled and opened her eyes. Her smile quickly faded when she got a good look at where they were. Where they were looked very non-threatening but… what bothered her is that she had never seen this place before. “Guys?” Kitty said, weakly looking up and all around her. All her comrades looked at her expectantly. “Where are we?”


WHEW! Now I can get some peace of mind knowing that I’ve finished the fifth chapter of this mother. I can finally get some studying done without feeling guilty that I haven’t worked on Rogue, Rat, Demon, Cat. Now I hope yal are happy. Just so you know, I will be getting started on chapter six this weekend, but for now I need to go study. I hope this wait will be less painful than the last one, since this chapter doesn’t have such a cliffhanger and since the period between chapters won’t be nine months (fingers crossed!)
Since now I can get started on Chapter Five (I will try to get it done as soon as possible!) and since I tend to be a tease (in every sense of the word), I’m going to evilly give you a preview of what Chapter Five has in store! Enjoy!


“I’M WEARING A THONG!!!”

“I caught you a delicious bass.”

“Four sexy teens. One sexy hot summer day. One sexy remote forest. And an incredibly sexy leech-free pond... I do believe that it’s time to get naked.”