Lauren's Stories!

[CurlyyHairGirl]

Oooooo! Kurt was in the SLUMS!!!! Kurty is a cutie...cogh..sorry. Good job my Queen:bow

[Lauren]

Jean felt right as she entered the nicer and richer part of London. Her parents had both been quite wealthy, and she had led a rich and fancy life until her powers came to her and they gave her to Charles to be taken care of afterwards. Despite her less than regal attire, the way she carried herself told the people outside that she was used to it, and she was not harassed out of there as anyone else would have been.

She found a few taverns there, but none of them were the Filthy Swine, and one of the owners told her that the Filthy Swine was over where the thieves, whores, and beggars lived, AKA the slums of London.

After finding this out, she went to go back when a couple entering their home caught her eye, and she stopped and stared in wonder as the door closed behind her parents.

Jean stood in the middle of the street, carriages rumbling on either side of her as she stared up at her house for a long time until she finally walked up and stood at the last step, wondering if she should go and knock on it or not. Her parents hadn’t exactly been quite kind to her when she last saw them, but that didn’t wipe away the fact that they were indeed her blood parents, who had loved her up until the moment her powers came into being.

She finally threw caution to the winds and walked up the steps, knocking lightly on the door and thinking of what she was going to say to her parents when she saw them again.

The door was opened by one of their servants, who looked down his nose at Jean as if she was a speck of dust, ignoring the fact that he himself was nothing but a lowly servant in the household.

“Tell Mr. and Mrs. Grey that their daughter Jean is here to see them.” She said. “I shall be here waiting for them and if you do not do as I say, William, I will use my powers on you to MAKE you do as I have so politely asked you to do instead.” William stiffened slightly, recognizing the daughter of the mistress whom he himself used to play with when he was a boy.

“Jean? Is that really you?” he asked, throwing away his arrogant act at once. Jean smiled warmly at him, tilting her head to one side.

“Who else could it be?” she asked simply. Laughing softly, William backed up and let her into the waiting room.

“I’ll try to make them see you.” He promised before going into the living room. Jean was instantly hit by nothing but negative thoughts, and she was forced to close her eyes tightly as she raised her power to try and tune it out.

She nearly left the house when William came in and gave her the go ahead to go inside. Jean entered slowly, keeping her mental shields up and on high at all times.

If looks could kill…

Jean stood near the doorway, thinking that this was a complete waste of time. Her parents were looking at her with such contempt that someone looking in on the scene would think that she was a stranger and not their daughter.

The Grey’s only wished that that were true.

“What business do you have with us?” her mother asked. “We’re far too busy to deal with the likes of you all day!”

“I came here on a whim.” Jean admitted. “To see you again and find out if you had changed. I see now that you have not.”

“Is that all?” her father asked, cocking an eyebrow. Jean crossed her arms over her chest, restraining herself from using her powers on her own parents to make them understand who and what she was.

“Why can’t you treat me like a daughter and not a stranger?” she asked. “What did I ever do to you?” Her mother stood up and faced her, looking very unladylike as she glared at her own flesh and blood.

“You’re a freak!” she cried. “You couldn’t be born like a normal lady, no. You had to be born with some kind of power! You made your father and I the laughingstock of London because of the stories we were forced to make up for you! You ungrateful…”

“Enough!” Jean shouted both with her mind and her mouth. Her parents flinched away from her in fear, their eyes growing wide in surprise. Jean looked at them in anger, understanding finally that they would never love her, no matter what she did.

“I see now that you will never love me; your own flesh and blood.” She said. “I also see that I don’t care if you love me or not. I have people back at the school who care about me and one who even loves me and wants to marry me!

“I came here to offer an olive branch and you two have instead beaten me with it. From this moment on I shall do as you wish and leave you alone. May you be happy with your choice!”

With that, she turned and left her parents behind.

[RavEnigma]

Ooooh. Yaich. Jean and her parents -seriously- have issues. Doom on them, then, neh? It's their fault they hate Jean. (Did I just say that? Oh, Saint Joan, I defended Jean! The sun must've cooked my brain today....) Can't wait to see the next part!

[CurlyyHairGirl]

Jeans parents are a bunch of yah-hoos! As much as I hate jean....GO JEAN!!! STAND UP FER YERSELF:dance

[Lauren]

Kurt had to use all of his willpower not to throw up. The streets were nothing more than mud and filth from animals and humans alike. All he could see was poor people walking about; some of them escaped slaves who kept their brands hidden from the general public. There were also a few public drunks out all ready, stumbling down the streets and bellowing at people only they could see. There were also the insane who sat in the middle of the road or wandered around, making strange jerking motions or something in some nonsensical language only they knew.

But it was the children that upset him the most. He saw young girls selling themselves to slobbery old men with only a few blackened teeth left, young boys in opium dens, and on one occasion he was forced to try and stop two boys from killing each other over a single quid. As a reward, he received a slash on his upper arm and he was nearly beaten by one of the boy’s fathers for trying to stop his boy from getting some money.

Continuing on, Kurt went down one of the worst streets and sure enough, he found the Filthy Swine. The only reason why he did so however was because a man was thrown out of the window badly beaten.

“Oh lucky me.” He mumbled, entering the place. He was instantly hit by the smell of puke, excrement, sweat, disgusting congealing food, and sour beer. His eyes burned and he nearly ran out of there, but he thought about Betsy and he stopped himself. Sighing, Kurt closed his eyes and he concentrated on sending his thoughts to Jean. When she finally responded he told her where he was before a large sweaty hand slapped him on the back. A tankard of ale was shoved under his nose, splashing him a bit.

“Come on, lad!” the man said in a bellowing voice. “All you’re doing is standing there! You might as well have a drink!”

“No, I’m looking for someone.” Kurt said. “I’ll just be going…” The man blocked his path with one beefy arm.

“You can go after you have a drink with me.” He said. Seeing that there was no other way around it, Kurt reluctantly took the tankard and he took a big swig.

An instant later he spit it out, amid the laughter of the whole bar.

“You’re all right, lad.” The man said, placing an arm around his shoulders. “Now who are you looking for?”

“A woman by the name of Betsy Braddock.” Kurt said. “Where is her room?”

“Up the stairs.” The man said. “Room number twenty.”

“Thank you.” Kurt said, moving as fast as possible to get away from the bar and its patrons.

“No problem! You can always count on Pete Wisdom!”

Kurt sighed, shaking his head as he reached the top of the stairs. The sooner he got out of here the better, and he started down the hall, checking the door numbers; discovering with some despair that a few of the numbers on some of the doors were missing completely, and there was no sign of any order in them at all.

Growling softly, Kurt thumped his forehead against the wall. What was he going to do now? Open all of the doors without numbers to see if she was in one of them? And what was he going to do about the ones that were closed anyway? Teleport inside and scare the crap out of anyone who was inside.

They really should have thought this out more before splitting up to find her.

Well, at least he could rule out some of the rooms right away. He could clearly hear screams of sex coming from behind some of the doors, and it was obvious that Betsy wouldn’t be in one of those.

Maybe he should listen to each door to see if he could find her that way.

Behind one of the doors he heard someone crying and he figured it was Betsy, but instead of just barging in, he lightly knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” someone asked from inside. “Is that you Brian?” Kurt blushed faintly, thinking of what he should say.

“Actually, no.” he said. “I’m not your brother but…”

“Leave me alone you stupid drunk!” she shouted angrily. Kurt winced as he felt something press against his temples, and he guessed that it was her doing somehow. “Why can’t you bloody people leave me alone!?” she cried angrily.

“Please, I’m not drunk, I’m here as a friend, Betsy.” The pressure was removed and there was a moment of silence.

“How do you know my name?” she asked. “Do you know my brother?”

“Yes, but I don’t think you want to hear about that.” Kurt said. “I know your name because I have two friends who are like you. I’m like you too, well not really, but I was born with a gift too, Betsy. That’s what you have, a gift.”

“What are you talking about?” Betsy asked.

“You’re like my friends Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. They can read people’s minds too, Betsy. That’s why I’m here. I’m here with two others who should be here shortly in fact. If you would open the door, we could talk about this better without me saying this so that others can overhear me.” The door slowly opened, and Kurt found himself looking at a young man whose face was wreathed with pink and purple light in the shape of a butterfly.

“You’re name is Kurt Wagner.” She said softly. “Come on.” She stepped aside and Kurt walked in before she shut and locked the door once again. “What can you do?” she asked, tilting her head to one side.

“I have two things actually.” Kurt said. Taking out a handkerchief, he removed his hat and started to wipe off the make-up on his face, revealing his blue fur underneath. His tail uncoiled from around his waist and it swung freely, cracking a bit to get the kinks out of it.

“I can also teleport.” He said. “Please don’t start screaming.” He added hastily. Betsy sat down on her bed, looking at him quietly.

“A lot of people have hunted you down for how you look.” She said. “And because you’re Rom.” She added. “You know my brother because he came to your school to find your brother and sister.”

“I can’t keep secrets around you now can I?” Kurt laughed, sitting down in front of her. “Do you trust me now?” Betsy nodded slightly, looking at him quietly.

“Good, because that makes things a lot simpler for us.” He said. “We plan on taking you back to our school. To learn how to use your powers better.”

“I don’t think my brother would like that.” Betsy pointed out.

“Your brother hunts people down just because of nationality.” Kurt pointed out gently. “Do you really think he’s doing you any favors by locking you up in here?” Betsy looked away, slowly shaking her head.

“Not really.” She admitted slowly.

“Then why not come with us?” Kurt asked. “I assure you that you’ll make lots of friends there, and you won’t be so lonely there! But there are rules, and the most important is to enter with an open mind. If you can do that, then you’re welcome there with open arms, Betsy.” Betsy thought about it, looking down at her feet. For a moment, Kurt thought that she was going to say no, but when she looked up at him with a smile, he knew that it wasn’t so.

“All right then, Kurt Wagner.” She said. “I will come with you and your friends to this school of yours.”

Jean and Rogue came a while later, surprised and glad that Betsy had all ready agreed to come with them back to the school. They helped her pack her small belongings and as Kurt put on make-up to hide his face once more, Jean went to get their horses.

While they were doing this, Betsy wrote an innocent note to her brother, slipping it under the oil lamp so that he would find it when he came back.

When Jean came back with the horses, they were waiting for her outside, Betsy wearing a cloak with the hood up to hide her face. Koro Grast approached Kurt and Betsy immediately, nuzzling Kurt’s head before he slowly peered under Betsy’s hood to get a better look at her face. Laughing, she stroked the irresistible Holstein’s nose, which made him neigh in delight.

Hoping onto Koro Grast, Kurt held out a hand to help Betsy up, but she climbed up by herself, laughing softly as he looked over his shoulder at her.

“I’m not an innocent little girl you know.” She said. “I’ve ridden a horse before!” Laughing the four rode off to the school.

***
Brian came back to the Filthy Swine three weeks later, his going side-tracked due to a small group of Rom captured near the border who needed to be dealt with. When he entered the room, he became furious and he went downstairs, beating every man he caught, shouting where was his sister.

Pete Wisdom told him that some young man had come weeks ago and taken her with him, but he didn’t know where he took her.

Brian went back into the room to find clues, and he found the note under the oil lamp. When he read it once, he almost didn’t believe it, when he read it twice he started to.

The third time, he screamed in fury and ripped it up.

He knew that there had been something strange about that school! Now those bastards had done something to his sister and brought her back with them.

Oh, he wasn’t going to take this kind of thing lying down. He was going to make them suffer for this!

Angrily he stormed out of the Filthy Swine and he rode off to get his soldiers to go on a raiding mission.

[Lauren]

Betsy fit in easily when she got to the school. Kurt and the others helped make her feel welcome, and she was soon taught by Charles how to control her powers and put up shields to make sure she didn’t hear anyone’s thoughts when she and they didn’t want to. This in turn got rid of the light that was surrounding her face and everyone saw how young and beautiful she was.

She made fast friends with Jimaine and Ororo, and the two were sometimes quite inseparable. This made Kurt and Stefan jealous at times, and sometimes they felt like they needed a crowbar or something to peel the three away from each other for even a minute to talk to one of them alone without the other two right there.

“I’m starting to think that you like her company more than mine, Ororo!” Kurt once said during one of their star-watching nights. Ororo had simply shrugged and nudged him lightly in the side.

“Who says that that isn’t true?” she had asked. She laughed when Kurt looked at her with a hurt expression and she kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I’m only playing with you, love.” She said. “You can never be replaced.” With that, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and led him back into the school.

However, Brian had a vendetta against them, and in a month or two he came back to the school with the best soldiers His Majesty felt obliged to give him to deal with the school. Twenty-five men in all, but they were the best in hunting both man and beast, and the King felt that with Brian they were enough to take down this so-called school.

***
It happened unexpectedly, when the three residents telepaths let their guards down and stopped scanning for any intruding thoughts coming towards the school. They were all outside and in a large field, which Charles had added onto his property not long ago. They laughing and playing around as they planted flowers and so on to make it look more colorful.

Betsy and Jimaine had just jumped soil on Stefan’s head when the first arrow flew and sunk itself into the basket. Everyone got into a defensive stance, but they soon found themselves surrounded by the soldiers, each one of them armed and ready to turn them into pincushions.

Brian walked up into view, his broadsword in hand and ready to cleave anyone who tried to do something.

“Charles Xavier, you and your students are under arrest for the multiple charges of kidnapping, aiding and hiding Gypsies in your home, and for witchcraft and devil worship.” He said.

“Devil worship?” Remy asked, placing his hands on his hips. “Mon ami, you have got to try and come up with something better then that!” One of the soldiers fired an arrow and he caught it, charged it, and threw it back at him, starting the fight.

Logan was forced to restrain himself from killing the men. He simply knocked them up with punches to the face instead, adding a few kicks here and there for good measure to vent his anger out on something.

“Scott, undo your cloth.” Charles said.

“But what if I kill someone?” Scott asked.

“Narrow your eyes and just try to clip them.” Charles advised. “Don’t worry about it, Scott!” Nodding, Scott slowly untied the cloth covering his eyes and he opened his eyes slightly, red light erupting from them instantly and striking down one of the men’s horses with an agonized scream.

Scott turned his head left and right, striking down two of the men before he was struck from behind with an arrow in back of his left knee, forcing him to fall and close his eyes to stop himself from hurting anyone he didn’t want to.

Brian immediately threw himself at Stefan, swinging wildly as he tried to take off his head. Stefan was too swift for him, and he was able to swing around and grab one of Brian’s daggers to fight back with.

“Come on you stupid Gadje!” he said, holding out the knife. “Let’s see what you can do facing someone who is armed and ready for you!”

“Filthy Gypsy!” Brian roared, swinging his sword at his head. Stefan dodged the blow and he flicked the knife at Brian’s face, nicking his cheek and leaving a line of blood behind that began to bleed slowly.

“Rom, Gadje!” he said. “We didn’t come from Egypt!” Stefan continued to fight with only the dagger until it was knocked out of his hand and he was kicked to the ground. When Brian’s sword nearly struck him down for good, Kurt teleported in and grabbed Stefan, teleporting away just in time to save his brother, but not spare himself a deep wound in his back.

When they reappeared he fell onto his hands and knees, gritting his teeth against the searing pain. Stefan tried to help him up, but he found himself and Kurt facing four men with their long swords drawn, and he was forced to raise up his hands in surrender.

“We need to give up!” Rogue shouted over to Charles. “Unless ya’ll are going to make their heads pop we need to jus’ give up righ’ now before anyone gets killed!” Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Charles saw that Rogue was right. When he opened his mouth to shout their surrender however, Betsy ran up to her brother and stopped him from slashing at a winded Sean.

“Stop this, Brian!” she shouted. “No one kidnapped me! I said so in that note I left you!”

“Get out of the way, Betsy!” Brian snarled. Betsy narrowed her eyes and she stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest.

“No, brother!” she said. “Tell your men to stand down and leave everyone alone! They haven’t done anything to you or anyone else for that matter!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Look at me, Brian! Do you see those lights on my face anymore?” Betsy asked. “I don’t hear those voices in my head either. Do you want to know why? Because these people helped me learn how to control my powers! They helped me, Brian. They didn’t hurt me in any way!”

“They kept Gypsies hidden here, Betsy. That alone sends them to the dungeons!” Brian pointed out.

“They’re called Romani, Brian.” Betsy said angrily. “Gypsies are people who come from Egypt and besides, why do you need to kill them anyway? I’ve made friends with Stefan, Jimaine, and Kurt and none of them are evil, Brian. They’re just like you and me.”

“They’ve been lying to the King…”

“So have you!” Betsy said, silencing Brian at once. “You never told him about me did you?” she asked.

“You know I couldn’t do that.” Brian said.

“And why not? I was hearing voices and had lights in my face. That makes me evil and a witch doesn’t it? It condemns me to the dungeons doesn’t it?” she asked. “Don’t you even know your own laws anymore, Brian?”

“I couldn’t give you up to the King!”

“And why not?” Betsy demanded.

“Because he’d… Kill you…” Brian said slowly. Betsy swept an arm over the battlefield at the others.

“They haven’t done anything wrong, Brian.” She said. “They’ve just been living their lives and learning how to use their powers to help normal people. Do they deserve to die just because they’re different?” she asked.

A groan interrupted them, and looking to the side Brian saw Stefan slowly helping Kurt to his feet, the wound on his back bleeding badly.

“Look what you’ve done.” Betsy said. “Kurt may die from his wound if he is not helped right away, and all because you couldn’t have a little mercy in your heart!”

“Turn back.” Brian ordered. “Grab those who can’t move and head back to the base, we shall work out a story from there.” Some of the men wanted to refuse, wanting to point out the fact that it was against the law to help those who aided Gypsies, but one look from their leader’s eyes said that they would most likely lose their heads if they even dared to say something like that.

“I suggest that you move somewhere else.” Brian said. “The King wanted this place burned to the ground.”

“I’m proud of you, Brian.” Betsy said with a smile, hugging her brother tightly around the neck.

***
Kurt’s wound took a few months to heal, due to the fact that they were forced to move to Paris to avoid any further problems from the King of Britain. The only trace of his wound was a thin milk white line that went from the middle of his shoulder blades down to the small of his back.

Remy was able to steal a few royal documents and in time they were a legal school where those who were discovered to have powers or some “abnormality” about them could be brought in to be taught by Charles and the others.

Some of these “abnormalities” were normal physical or mental differences, but Charles took them in anyway, figuring that he would give them a better chance than the mental institutions they had out there where they were beaten and locked up in cages.

The school started out at the same size as the one they had in London, but it soon grew into something akin to its own castle, due to the large buildings they had to build around the original to accommodate to new arrivals they received monthly; first from just France, and then the rest of Europe, including a few from Russia, Africa, and even China and Japan.

Ororo and Kurt were unable to marry in the traditional sense, due to laws dealing in such matters, but they did produce a child, and Jimaine pointed out that that was a good enough bond as any to show that the two were together forever.

They had a son, whom they named Bayard. The boy had a blue fur and a tail like his father, but the eyes and shocking white hair like his mother. The boy played endlessly with the child of Jean and Scott’s; whose name was Rachel, and also with his cousin, the daughter of John Proudstar and Jimaine named Lilia.

Their school was a prosperous one, and for years to come it lasted, and the idea of those with gifts; who became known as mutants in the 1950’s, and those without could live together soon became a reality, and the original place where the school once stood in London was turned into a park, and the building in France was renovated and turned into a museum, showcasing the history of the mutant’s struggle for acceptance in society.

Das Ende:dance

[CurlyyHairGirl]

:*)I just love happy endings. That was a beautiful story, Lauren. Bravo!:)

[Lauren]

Everybody! victory dance for me! :dance:dance *dances along with them.* hehehehe

[Mistress D]

Extra-happy dance for Lauren sempai!

That was beautiful!

[RavEnigma]

Yes! I and my cohort of Hellbunnies shall dance for Nedrasha Lauren! That was so sweet! Happy Endings are good, very very very good. I can't wait to see what story you write next!

[Lauren]

my next stories shall be in the prank thread! prank stories away!!!

[CurlyyHairGirl]

Bravo!:thumbup:clap great job on the pranks. Y'all have an obsession w/dancing Kurt.

[Lauren]

I think we all do now!:dance who the heck made it anyway! I wants to give them a big hug for it!:dance

[Mistress D]

EXTRA-HAPPY DANCE FOR THE PERSON WHO INVENTED THE KURT DANCE SMILEY!!!!!

[NachtcGleiskette]

Originally posted by Lauren
I think we all do now!:dance who the heck made it anyway! I wants to give them a big hug for it!:dance

That would be Garble....

its Strong Bad nighty...

[Lauren]

*gives a tight hug to Garble* This smilie is the best one ever!:dance

[CurlyyHairGirl]

Naw. I rather like the "booty" one that they have in the chat, but hey, thats my opinion.

[Lauren]

it looks like he could be grinding! If there was a girl version of this...*mind goes straight to the gutter*

[Mistress D]

Hey, get your mind out of the gutter, sempai! There's not enough room for all of us! Naughty Lauren sempai...

[CurlyyHairGirl]

:LOLMissy D is right, my mind is twisted and sick enough to fill everybody's shoes. *although, after staring at the dancing Kurt for twenty minutes* Hope to God nobody ever creates a Lightning Squad version of that smiley, or else Lauren will be right.

[Lauren]

A lioness, when she gets near the end of her days, will either do two things. She will either become extreme fierce, wanting to go down in battle, or she will become docile, wanting to die as a regal and old thing that has deigned it unnecessary to battle anymore for her food.

So too did Mystique come to this decision when she reached the crossroads in her slowly unraveling life. She was once a fierce and might hunter, cutting down anyone who opposed her, and now the lioness was getting ready to lie down and die, and however she chose to do it.

She was old, despite the fact that her vanity made her keep her youthful beauty and looks. Despite all that she did to her internal organs, they knew that it was time to start shutting down and prepare for the end, and she soon was bedridden and unable to go to the bathroom without assistance from Avalanche.

This news soon reached Kurt and Rogue, and two refused to let their mother stay in her old hideout without being in a warmer and nicer environment. They asked for Xavier’s permission to let their mother stay at the mansion, and when he gave them his permission, they immediately went to fetch her.

When Mystique found her children by her bedside; both blood and adopted alike, she couldn’t help but allow them to take her back to their home, where they gave her a room with a very soft bed in it, with curtains that she could close when she wanted to be alone for a while with her thoughts.

They gave her a small buzzer, that let out a ringing sound like a bell in their rooms, which they said was for anything that she needed from them whenever she needed it. It also came with a few switches, each one setting off a light that corresponded with a generalization of what she wanted such as food, drink, bathroom, talk, and so on.

Kurt could feel the end coming for his mother. Perhaps it was the fact that he had a blood connection with her, being his son, or perhaps it was just that he was better at seeing the signs of the end than Rogue was.

It was because of this that he was especially gentle with his mother, whispering softly to her when her hearing became too intense for her. He took on most of the responsibilities for her, often telling Rogue that he could handle it.

***
It was midnight on May eighth when his mother sounded off the buzzer in his room. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked to see what was the matter. The lights over drink and talk were lit, and he teleported into the kitchen first so that he could get the water first. He poured water into a glass and then headed up to his mother’s room, knocking lightly on the door before he opened it.

“I brought you some water.” He said softly, walking up to her bedside and spreading the curtains. He smiled and sat down beside her, helping her sit up. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“I’m going to die.” Mystique said softly. Kurt’s eyes grew wide, and he set the glass down as he shook his head at her, a look of pure concern on his features as he rested a hand on her arm lightly.

“Don’t say that, mother.” He said. “You still have plenty of life left in you. You’ll be alive and become a great-grandmother if you give Rogue and me the chance to get married and have children!” he added with a soft laugh.

“You know that’s not true.” She said. “That’s why you have been the one tending to me these past months. You know that I’m close to the end, and I know it too, Kurt.” Kurt looked away, his tail curling around his ankles slowly. He closed his eyes slightly before he opened them again and looked at his mother with watery eyes.

“It’s going to be tonight isn’t it?” he asked softly. When Mystique nodded, he got up and started to head for the door. “I’ll get Rogue. She’ll want to be here and be with you too you know.”

“No, stay with me.” Mystique said desperately. “I don’t want to be alone.” Turning around, Kurt went back and sat with his mother, placing his arms around her in a gentle hug.

“It’s all right, mother.” He whispered, stroking her head. “Don’t worry. I’m right here.”

“Kurt, I don’t have faith in anything.” She pointed out softly. “I don’t have faith in your God.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Kurt said. “It really doesn’t, mother.” Mystique rested her head on Kurt’s shoulder, whimpering softly as she slowly tried to hug him back with as much strength and calmness as he was hugging her. However, she was unable to do this, and she resigned herself to placing them around his waist in a show of hugging him.

Kurt closed his eyes, tilting them back slightly as a tear fell down his cheek, and when he opened his eyes he found that his mother was changing. Her body was becoming what it should have been if she had allowed it to age. Her skin became extremely wrinkled, and soon her blue skin was sagging and it felt like it was made out of paper. Her face became gaunt and thin, and her hair grew snow white and a bit ragged with the age that was now catching up to it.

Kurt looked at his mother with sadness, and he gently ran a finger down one of her cheeks.

“You’re so old now, mother.” He whispered. Mystique nodded, groaning faintly as she felt her teeth grind down and become weak and almost chalky in texture in her mouth.

“This is how your mother really looks, Kurt.” She whispered, her voice starting to waver and become weak. “Are you ashamed of me?” Kurt shook his head slowly, tears slowly sliding down his cheeks.

“How can I be ashamed of you?” he asked. “You’re my mother.”

“Who threw you over a waterfall to escape.” She said. Kurt shook his head and he kissed her brow, letting her rest her head on his chest.

“Don’t try and make yourself look so cold hearted.” He said. “You couldn’t even kill a robot version of me!” he laughed. “Imagine! The tough and mighty Mystique defeated by a robot version of her son!” Mystique laughed weakly.

“I suppose you’re right.” She admitted finally. She looked up at him, and she rested a hand on his cheek. “You’re so handsome, Kurt. Where the hell is my daughter in law?” she asked. “And where are my grandchildren?” Kurt laughed, shaking his head a bit.

“I’m sorry for not providing them to you, mother.” He said. “I’ll go out tomorrow and get married and knock my new wife up right away for you!” Mystique lightly swatted him on the nose.

“Cheeky boy.” She said. Kurt opened his mouth to say something when a light came near the window. Frowning, he gently laid his mother back down on the bed and he went downstairs to see what was the matter.

Remy had come home late, the light was coming from his car. After being scolded by Kurt, he headed up to his bedroom, and Kurt went back to his mother’s.

But he did not find his mother in the bed.

As tears stung his eyes badly, he fell lightly down to his knees, bowing his head and wishing that he had not gone down to see who was coming to the school. While he was gone, Mystique had let go of her soul.

Nothing was left but a pile of blue dust on the bed.

The lioness had laid down and gone to sleep for the last time.

[Lauren]

ohmygod, if they ever made an LS smilie of that...I would lay claim to it and steal it and keep it for myself!

[CurlyyHairGirl]

:LOLteehee.

That was a sad and moving story, Lauren. And very sweet to boot.

[Mistress D]

Awww.... Sad. I like the reference to lionesses and stuff. =)

[SheCat]

Aw, that's really sad. Great job on making me tear up - but you have yet to make me cry! I loved the lioness metaphor. Great job.

"...Rogue and me get married and have kids..." just sounded a bit awkward, though.