Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Company We Keep
Meet the Seftons, Take Two
1 reviewKurt's relationship with Amanda takes an interesting turn...
2Exciting
DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
A/N: We never learn the first name of Amanda's father in XME, so I made that up.
This chapter and a few others to follow which focus on Amanda were inspired by the brilliant Agent-G, who IMHO is one of the best XME fanfic writers at FFN. Rurouni Tyriel was also an influence in this chapter.
Chapter 14: Meet the Seftons, Take Two
Amanda Sefton was, for the most part, a normal teenage girl.
The main exception to the "normalcy" was the fact that she dated a mutant who, in his natural form, looked like a furry blue elf or demon who scared most people that saw him in that form.
Kurt Wagner she considered to be one of the sweetest and noblest guys she ever met, and cute in his own unique way.
It was a shame, however, that Amanda had to secretly date him, thanks to a certain toad-like mutant by the name of Todd Tolansky. The amphibious teenager had crashed and ruined the dinner which Kurt had with her and her parents because he wanted Kurt's holowatch.
Nevertheless, Kurt and Amanda had still managed to see each other, and they had made this Christmas together special. Armed with the alibi of being with friends (which was true, in a sense), the two teenagers teleported off to a secluded area and exchanged gifts.
Kurt had given her a self-tutorial German textbook, and even signed the inside cover with a loving note. Of course, she was his "liebechen."
In return, Amanda had given Kurt a gift certificate to one of those fast food restaurants he frequently went to, for lack of a better idea as to what to give him.
Fortunately, both of them liked their gifts and enjoyed Christmas in each other's company.
Unfortunately, however, both of them were seen together once by a concerned woman who just happened to be on the same street as them one day.
Amanda's mother, Margali Sefton.
One day in mid-January, Amanda came home from school to find both her parents sitting at the kitchen table, looking concerned.
"Amanda, dear?" her mother said. "We need to talk."
Something told Amanda this wouldn't be good. After going up to her room to put her things away, she came back down and sat with them at the table.
A moment of silence passed before Mrs. Sefton finally spoke. "Amanda, I saw you with Kurt Wagner the other day. I thought you stopped seeing him."
Caught and cornered, Amanda froze before thinking of how to respond. Finally, she decided to continue with the honesty. "I never stopped seeing him. There really is no reason why I shouldn't."
A ripple of defiance seemed to pass throughout the Seftons, but it was ignored. Then her father spoke up, "After the damage he caused that night when we invited him over..."
"That wasn't his fault," Amanda responded, starting to feel her temper rise a little.
Her father seemed be growing angry until his wife put a hand on his arm to soothe him. "Please, Gary, don't." Turning back to her daughter, Mrs. Sefton asked, "Then could you please explain what happened and why?"
Praying that she wouldn't lose her cool, Amanda explained, "There's this kid named Todd Tolansky, who's also a mutant. He was here trying to steal something which belonged to Kurt. More specifically, his watch."
"His watch?" Mrs. Sefton repeated, not quite understanding.
"It's not just a watch," Amanda elaborated. "Kurt was born looking different... and I mean different to the point that people thought he wasn't the human because of his appearance. That watch has a device installed which projects a hologram which makes him look normal. That was what Tolansky wanted so badly." Lowering her head and saying it more to herself, she added, "He's scared almost everyone who's ever seen him the way he looks... told me himself that I was the first person who thought of his form as something other than scary..."
"When was this?" her father asked. "When you found out, I mean."
Amanda sighed. "I knew it before that day when everyone found out mutants existed. On one occasion, he was talking to someone without his holowatch turned on, and didn't realize that I saw him from a distance. Later on, after the school dance, I asked him about it, and he told me and showed me."
"What is he capable of?" her mother asked. "His powers, I mean."
"Teleportation and acrobatic prowess," Amanda said, deciding to exclude "prehensile tail."
"Well," her father slowly. "At least now we know about what happened that night. But if he needs to wear some sophisticated gadget to pass as normal, then that begs the question... what does he look like?"
Amanda was torn at not knowing what to do. True, "honesty was the best policy," or so they said, but she was afraid that it wouldn't be enough to preserve her relationship with Kurt. Still, she couldn't lie her way out of this anymore...
"Amanda?" her mother asked, taking her hand. "Please... The whole problem this stems back to is what happened that night, which you explained to us. We're not going to be judgmental on how he looks."
Her father was quiet, thinking to himself... he didn't like seeing his daughter so upset. But at the same time, something else was working in his mind... and then it clicked.
"He's the blue one they showed on the news, isn't he?" her father asked in a slightly surprised tone.
Both Amanda and her mother looked at him. "How'd you figure that out?" Amanda asked, stunned.
"You said something about teleportation, and I remember from the news broadcast that day how the blue one could teleport. And I only ever saw Kurt with his holographic disguise on, and I never saw anyone like that in the broadcast. I kind of put two and two together..."
Amanda was briefly awed and impressed with her father's powers of deduction before she reverted back to worry. "Yes, that's Kurt... blue fur, pointy ears, yellow eyes, three-fingered hands, spade-tipped tail..." She laughed mirthlessly. "I think he's cute, if you must know."
Mrs. Sefton had to admit that from another point of view, Kurt could be seen as that.
"Look," Amanda said, just hoping to bring this to a close. "Kurt would never hurt me, or anyone, unless he had to defend himself against someone. He's the nicest guy I've known, with a real love of life. He has never done anything to harm me and put me in danger. I like him too much to let his mutation stop that." Looking her parents in the eye, she added, "I don't know where my relationship with him will go; I just don't want it to be ruined like this."
Both parents were silent as they each felt a glowing sense of pride in their daughter, who was so wise and mature. Collecting himself, Mr. Sefton said, "Amanda, if you have any homework to do, you can do it now. I just want to talk with your mother about this."
Feeling some hope grow within her, Amanda nodded and left, going up to her room to get some work done. For once, she really enjoyed homework, since it helped take her mind off of this.
As she was doing her math, her mother's voice calling her from downstairs. Looking up at the clock, she saw that more than an hour had passed.
Coming back downstairs, she braced herself for anything. As she sat down at the table again, her mother spoke. "Based on what you told us, Amanda, I don't see any reason you and him can't stop seeing each other. However... we just want to meet him. The real him."
Amanda sat there for a moment before feeling very overjoyed. Then she rushed around the table and hugged both her parents, thanking them profusely.
"Can I call him now?" In response, her father handed her the phone, and she eagerly dialed in the number to the Xavier Institute.
The phone rang and so Harry, being the closest, picked it up.
"Xavier Institute, how may I help you?"
"This is Amanda Sefton. I was wondering if Kurt was there?"
Harry knew from Kurt who Amanda was, and replied, "Sure, hang on one moment."
Putting her on hold, Harry called for Kurt, who was reading something not too far away. Kurt immediately bounded over, thanked Harry, and picked up the phone.
"Kurt?"
His breath caught in his throat. "Amanda?"
"Yeah. Anyway, there's something I need to tell you. My mom saw us together the other day, and so I told them everything. They understand about what happened that other night at our house, and they're not angry at you."
Kurt's emotions went on a roller coaster ride during that explanation, but collected himself. "/Ja/, that's good. Anything else?"
"They just want to meet you. And I mean without the holowatch."
Kurt's breath caught in his throat. "Uhm, sure. When and where would be best?"
There was some murmuring on the other end of the phone, and she said, "Here, a few nights from now, at 7 PM."
"Done," Kurt replied almost instantly, feeling hope deep within him.
"'Bye, Kurt."
"'Bye, Amanda."
After Kurt hung up, Harry came back over. "Good news, Kurt?"
With a nervous smile, Kurt told him, "I'm going to have dinner with Amanda and her parents... /again/."
Harry knew about what happened with the occasion where Kurt was having dinner with the Seftons and how Toad crashed it. He just hoped for Kurt's sake this would go more smoothly.
"Actually, Harry, I was wondering... well, you think you could keep a lookout around their house while we have dinner? You know, to make sure nothing goes wrong?"
Harry didn't need to take long to think about it. He really had nothing going on, anyway. "Of course, Kurt, I'll gladly do it for you."
Kurt clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave a fanged smile. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."
Harry shook his head. "Not necessary, Kurt. Really."
Across town, a small yet peculiar event took place at the Brotherhood's house a few days later.
The previous day, Todd had taken a bath. For the most part, this was really no big deal, since he took a bath once a month.
The strange thing was, he had just taken a bath /again/.
Of course, the other four residents were not about to complain.
Still...
"Hey Todd, any special occasion?" Pietro asked.
Todd just smiled for a moment before he hopped off, not saying a word.
'Why am I not comfortable with this?' Pietro thought to himself.
Lance was planning to go see a movie that night with Kitty, and Blob was just staying home.
And Wanda said she was going somewhere to eat tonight...
'Nah, it couldn't be,' Pietro thought, shaking his head.
Even though it was a few days before Kurt was expected at Amanda's house, he was getting himself ready, with the emotions of joy and fear wrestling deep within him.
"Looking forward to dinner with Amanda and her parents?"
It was Rogue, Kurt's adopted sister. "/Ja/, I suppose..."
"Good luck, Kurt."
"Thanks." A moment later, Kurt thought about something. "Wait, Rogue..."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Doing anything with Remy any time soon?" he teased her.
Rogue's cheeks flushed, and Kurt knew his suspicions were right; she had a crush on the Cajun who called himself Gambit.
"That swamp rat!? No way!"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "If you say so..."
A few days later, Kurt found himself at the Sefton's doorstep again.
At this side, Harry stood invisible. "Trust me, Kurt, you'll be fine. I'll be on the lookout, remember?"
Kurt nodded his head, not even able to say anything.
As Kurt rang the doorbell, he could hear his invisible friend sprint off.
The door opened to reveal Mr. Sefton, his facial expression unreadable. "Nice to see you again, Kurt."
"Good evening, Mr. Sefton."
"Please, come on in."
Amanda was sitting next to her mother in the living room, looking excited to see him. Her mother gave a nervous smile.
Kurt sat down, doing his best not to slouch due to his unique physiology.
Mr. Sefton began to speak. "We know about what happened the first time you were here, and we understand. It's just..." He sighed and collected himself. "If you're going to continue dating our daughter, we just want to know what you look like. Without the disguise."
Kurt nodded, his voice stuck in his throat. He knew Mr. Sefton was only doing his job as Amanda's father, and he could forgive him for that.
Amanda got up and walked over to him, and took his hand. She took his hand in hers, and could feel the fur underneath. "It will be alright, Kurt."
Kurt gave a small wry smile, but it vanished as he got up. Closing his eyes, he pressed the button on his watch.
Amanda's parents couldn't help but draw in their breaths at seeing Kurt's human appearance melt away to show... /something else/.
What looked like a cross between and elf and a blue demon now stood in front of them, eyes closed, a sad expression on his face. Even though they had already seen Kurt on the news that whole long time ago, this was still something of a shock in itself.
Slowly, very slowly, Kurt opened his yellow eyes to see their reactions.
Amanda gave him a small thumbs-up, but also glanced nervously at her parents.
Mrs. Sefton had to admit that Kurt did not look all that dangerous, and combined with that sorrowful, worried look in his face, Kurt did not look remotely dangerous now. She loved animals (and had to remind herself that Kurt was by no means an animal or beneath human beings in any way), and after looking into those golden eyes of his, all doubts were erased from her mind.
Mr. Sefton had mistrusted Kurt ever since that night when Todd Tolansky came along and ruined everything... and now, all his negative judgments and assumptions had been shattered. Now, Kurt Wagner did not seem to him to be even remotely like the type that would hurt or mistreat his daughter in any way.
Getting up, Mr. Sefton said, "Kurt... Now, in retrospect, I can see why you teleported out like that after that Tolansky kid stole your device, and if you had stayed around just long enough for us to see you... well, all things considered, I think it's best that never happened."
Amanda looked at her father with hope and happiness practically shining in her eyes.
"Now that that's out of the way, I think we can adjourn to the dining room," Mrs. Sefton said, getting up. With a smile, Kurt turned his holowatch back on, just in case (the dining room had its window facing the street).
Kurt wasn't the only one dining with his love. Across town, Todd was treating Wanda to dinner at a fast food restaurant.
Wanda still couldn't believe she was sitting here, eating with Todd. Somehow, he managed to convince her to let him treat her to dinner. He swore on his life (something to take seriously, with her around) that it was only for the sake of being nice, and not too try to kiss up to her with some ulterior motives.
Still, she was impressed with the fact he was being a gentleman... not to mention clean, too, almost bordering on handsome.
Shaking that thought from her head, Wanda went back to eating.
She and Todd also made some small talk during that time, and at least he also had the brains not to try anything stupid that would get him hexed, either now or later.
All in all, even Wanda had to admit this was a nice change.
Dinner at the Sefton's house went much smoother and happier than any of the four present at the table could have anticipated.
Once things had been settled, Kurt found himself in an enlightening conversation with Mr. Sefton, much to the delight of Amanda and her mother.
Harry sat high up in a tree, invisible, on the lookout for anything that seemed out of place. He really didn't mind doing this.
However, soon enough, he would be glad that he had agreed to do this for Kurt...
Wanda and Todd were walking back to the Brotherhood house when they heard an engine screaming from behind them.
Grabbing Wanda, Todd leapt out of the way before a van could run either of them over.
The van skidded to a stop and turned around, ready to try to ram them again.
A couple of cars came up behind them, blocking the road on both ends.
Masked goons got out of the vehicles, makeshift weapons such as chains and pipes in their hands.
"Is there any way we can peacefully talk this out, yo?" Todd said anxiously, noting how they were outnumbered by at least six to one.
"I don't think so, you mutant freaks," their leader growled, putting on brass knuckles.
From inside their house, the Seftons and their guest could see what was going on.
"Hey, isn't that Tolansky?" Mr. Sefton said with anger starting to creep into his voice.
"It looks as though they're about to get into a fight," commented Amanda.
"And we're right near it," Kurt added with a little fear in his voice. Turning back to the Seftons, he said, "Sorry to cut this short, but I think we should get out of the way. I can get you back to the Institute for your own safety."
Amanda's parents both nodded and agreed, and taking their hands, the three of them vanished from the room.
A moment later, both adults found themselves in the mansion's foyer, a little dizzy from the trip. "Stay here, I'll get Amanda." He disappeared again, and reappeared later with their daughter in his embrace. Switching off the inducer to reveal his true, blue form, he said, "I'll try to stop those thugs. Just
stay here."
"Good luck, Kurt," Amanda said, kissing him on the cheek. With a happy and slightly embarrassed expression on his face, Kurt teleported off.
Back at the growing conflict, Todd and Wanda were being subdued and outnumbered by the FOH thugs just as Harry jumped down from the trees and used the element of surprise to turn the tables back on them. Nightcrawler also popped out of nowhere and began to fight as well.
Encouraged by the new help, the two Brotherhood members renewed their efforts and began to fight back.
"Look at it this way, fuzzball... you're reunited with your girlfriend, her parents like you again, you're all safe, and I have splinters sticking out of my back and a couple of other places I don't care to name. What's there for you to complain about, yo?"
The four mutants had been able to wrap up the fight in less than ten minutes, leaving the FOH members incapacitated for when the police arrived (although Harry, Kurt and Todd took much delight in hanging the goons from the lampposts by their underwear).
Now, Todd was currently in the infirmary of the Institute, since he had gotten thrown back into a mailbox (hence the splinters) and had sustained a couple of other injuries as well.
Kurt, on the other hand, was torn between adding on a few more injuries and showing the amphibious mutant some sympathy.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Kurt," Amanda said, putting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, "but he does have a point there."
Kurt was at a crossroads as to what he should do. Should he make peace with Todd, or ignore it altogether?
"Amanda, Herr and Frau Sefton," Kurt said, turning to his girlfriend and her parents, "could you please leave me and Toad alone for a bit?"
"So what's going on?" Harry asked Kurt as the blue mutant walked out of the medical room. He and Wanda were left to their own devices, chatting a little in the meantime as well.
"I've... come to a truce with Toad," Kurt said, a little bitterness there in his voice.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief while Wanda gave a small grin.
"Anyway, I need to return Amanda and her parents back home." Kurt walked into the foyer with Harry behind him.
Walking into it, they saw the Seftons talking with Logan, Ororo and Hank. Hank was catching up on Amanda's educational progress, Ororo and Mrs. Sefton were making small talk, and, much to the surprise of Kurt and Harry, Logan and Mr. Sefton were getting along well easily enough.
Due to the limits of his powers, Kurt brought Mr. and Mrs. Sefton back to their home first before coming back for Amanda.
Kurt gave her a worried look as he returned. "Sorry about this evening, Amanda."
With a smile that made Kurt's mood go up some notches, she assured him, "Actually, this was actually much better than last time, come to think of it."
Kurt scratched his head with a nervous smile. "Uh, yeah, I suppose it was."
Taking his arm in hers, Amanda said, "Come on, my parents are expecting us. Also given your powers, I think they may be rather tight about curfews in the future..."
With a laugh from Kurt, the two teenagers disappeared from the Institute.
Harry grinned as he went back up to his room, happy that he helped Kurt as a friend and happy for Kurt that his relationship with Amanda was back on the right track.
TBC...
A/N: I can't believe it took me so long to do this chapter! (Or at least longer than I had hoped...)
Note about the small fight: Sorry I skipped over this, but my creative juices for my battle scenes have been down at the moment. Don't worry, though, because I should have this massive brawl coming up in a few chapters...
Note about the pairings: I think I have the follow pairings planned for this fic...
Jean/Scott (like there was any doubt in anyone's mind about that!)
Kurt/Amanda (this will be important for later on!)
Lance/Kitty
Sam/Tabitha
Todd/Wanda
Rogue/Remy
Roberto/Rahne
Forge/Dani (possibly)
Logan/Ororo (hints of it)
Alex/X23 (possibly; I'll have to see where that goes)
Harry/Ginny (minor)
Ron/Hermione
Next chapter is where Fudge tries to trick Harry into returning... -Quillian
A/N: We never learn the first name of Amanda's father in XME, so I made that up.
This chapter and a few others to follow which focus on Amanda were inspired by the brilliant Agent-G, who IMHO is one of the best XME fanfic writers at FFN. Rurouni Tyriel was also an influence in this chapter.
Chapter 14: Meet the Seftons, Take Two
Amanda Sefton was, for the most part, a normal teenage girl.
The main exception to the "normalcy" was the fact that she dated a mutant who, in his natural form, looked like a furry blue elf or demon who scared most people that saw him in that form.
Kurt Wagner she considered to be one of the sweetest and noblest guys she ever met, and cute in his own unique way.
It was a shame, however, that Amanda had to secretly date him, thanks to a certain toad-like mutant by the name of Todd Tolansky. The amphibious teenager had crashed and ruined the dinner which Kurt had with her and her parents because he wanted Kurt's holowatch.
Nevertheless, Kurt and Amanda had still managed to see each other, and they had made this Christmas together special. Armed with the alibi of being with friends (which was true, in a sense), the two teenagers teleported off to a secluded area and exchanged gifts.
Kurt had given her a self-tutorial German textbook, and even signed the inside cover with a loving note. Of course, she was his "liebechen."
In return, Amanda had given Kurt a gift certificate to one of those fast food restaurants he frequently went to, for lack of a better idea as to what to give him.
Fortunately, both of them liked their gifts and enjoyed Christmas in each other's company.
Unfortunately, however, both of them were seen together once by a concerned woman who just happened to be on the same street as them one day.
Amanda's mother, Margali Sefton.
One day in mid-January, Amanda came home from school to find both her parents sitting at the kitchen table, looking concerned.
"Amanda, dear?" her mother said. "We need to talk."
Something told Amanda this wouldn't be good. After going up to her room to put her things away, she came back down and sat with them at the table.
A moment of silence passed before Mrs. Sefton finally spoke. "Amanda, I saw you with Kurt Wagner the other day. I thought you stopped seeing him."
Caught and cornered, Amanda froze before thinking of how to respond. Finally, she decided to continue with the honesty. "I never stopped seeing him. There really is no reason why I shouldn't."
A ripple of defiance seemed to pass throughout the Seftons, but it was ignored. Then her father spoke up, "After the damage he caused that night when we invited him over..."
"That wasn't his fault," Amanda responded, starting to feel her temper rise a little.
Her father seemed be growing angry until his wife put a hand on his arm to soothe him. "Please, Gary, don't." Turning back to her daughter, Mrs. Sefton asked, "Then could you please explain what happened and why?"
Praying that she wouldn't lose her cool, Amanda explained, "There's this kid named Todd Tolansky, who's also a mutant. He was here trying to steal something which belonged to Kurt. More specifically, his watch."
"His watch?" Mrs. Sefton repeated, not quite understanding.
"It's not just a watch," Amanda elaborated. "Kurt was born looking different... and I mean different to the point that people thought he wasn't the human because of his appearance. That watch has a device installed which projects a hologram which makes him look normal. That was what Tolansky wanted so badly." Lowering her head and saying it more to herself, she added, "He's scared almost everyone who's ever seen him the way he looks... told me himself that I was the first person who thought of his form as something other than scary..."
"When was this?" her father asked. "When you found out, I mean."
Amanda sighed. "I knew it before that day when everyone found out mutants existed. On one occasion, he was talking to someone without his holowatch turned on, and didn't realize that I saw him from a distance. Later on, after the school dance, I asked him about it, and he told me and showed me."
"What is he capable of?" her mother asked. "His powers, I mean."
"Teleportation and acrobatic prowess," Amanda said, deciding to exclude "prehensile tail."
"Well," her father slowly. "At least now we know about what happened that night. But if he needs to wear some sophisticated gadget to pass as normal, then that begs the question... what does he look like?"
Amanda was torn at not knowing what to do. True, "honesty was the best policy," or so they said, but she was afraid that it wouldn't be enough to preserve her relationship with Kurt. Still, she couldn't lie her way out of this anymore...
"Amanda?" her mother asked, taking her hand. "Please... The whole problem this stems back to is what happened that night, which you explained to us. We're not going to be judgmental on how he looks."
Her father was quiet, thinking to himself... he didn't like seeing his daughter so upset. But at the same time, something else was working in his mind... and then it clicked.
"He's the blue one they showed on the news, isn't he?" her father asked in a slightly surprised tone.
Both Amanda and her mother looked at him. "How'd you figure that out?" Amanda asked, stunned.
"You said something about teleportation, and I remember from the news broadcast that day how the blue one could teleport. And I only ever saw Kurt with his holographic disguise on, and I never saw anyone like that in the broadcast. I kind of put two and two together..."
Amanda was briefly awed and impressed with her father's powers of deduction before she reverted back to worry. "Yes, that's Kurt... blue fur, pointy ears, yellow eyes, three-fingered hands, spade-tipped tail..." She laughed mirthlessly. "I think he's cute, if you must know."
Mrs. Sefton had to admit that from another point of view, Kurt could be seen as that.
"Look," Amanda said, just hoping to bring this to a close. "Kurt would never hurt me, or anyone, unless he had to defend himself against someone. He's the nicest guy I've known, with a real love of life. He has never done anything to harm me and put me in danger. I like him too much to let his mutation stop that." Looking her parents in the eye, she added, "I don't know where my relationship with him will go; I just don't want it to be ruined like this."
Both parents were silent as they each felt a glowing sense of pride in their daughter, who was so wise and mature. Collecting himself, Mr. Sefton said, "Amanda, if you have any homework to do, you can do it now. I just want to talk with your mother about this."
Feeling some hope grow within her, Amanda nodded and left, going up to her room to get some work done. For once, she really enjoyed homework, since it helped take her mind off of this.
As she was doing her math, her mother's voice calling her from downstairs. Looking up at the clock, she saw that more than an hour had passed.
Coming back downstairs, she braced herself for anything. As she sat down at the table again, her mother spoke. "Based on what you told us, Amanda, I don't see any reason you and him can't stop seeing each other. However... we just want to meet him. The real him."
Amanda sat there for a moment before feeling very overjoyed. Then she rushed around the table and hugged both her parents, thanking them profusely.
"Can I call him now?" In response, her father handed her the phone, and she eagerly dialed in the number to the Xavier Institute.
The phone rang and so Harry, being the closest, picked it up.
"Xavier Institute, how may I help you?"
"This is Amanda Sefton. I was wondering if Kurt was there?"
Harry knew from Kurt who Amanda was, and replied, "Sure, hang on one moment."
Putting her on hold, Harry called for Kurt, who was reading something not too far away. Kurt immediately bounded over, thanked Harry, and picked up the phone.
"Kurt?"
His breath caught in his throat. "Amanda?"
"Yeah. Anyway, there's something I need to tell you. My mom saw us together the other day, and so I told them everything. They understand about what happened that other night at our house, and they're not angry at you."
Kurt's emotions went on a roller coaster ride during that explanation, but collected himself. "/Ja/, that's good. Anything else?"
"They just want to meet you. And I mean without the holowatch."
Kurt's breath caught in his throat. "Uhm, sure. When and where would be best?"
There was some murmuring on the other end of the phone, and she said, "Here, a few nights from now, at 7 PM."
"Done," Kurt replied almost instantly, feeling hope deep within him.
"'Bye, Kurt."
"'Bye, Amanda."
After Kurt hung up, Harry came back over. "Good news, Kurt?"
With a nervous smile, Kurt told him, "I'm going to have dinner with Amanda and her parents... /again/."
Harry knew about what happened with the occasion where Kurt was having dinner with the Seftons and how Toad crashed it. He just hoped for Kurt's sake this would go more smoothly.
"Actually, Harry, I was wondering... well, you think you could keep a lookout around their house while we have dinner? You know, to make sure nothing goes wrong?"
Harry didn't need to take long to think about it. He really had nothing going on, anyway. "Of course, Kurt, I'll gladly do it for you."
Kurt clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave a fanged smile. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."
Harry shook his head. "Not necessary, Kurt. Really."
Across town, a small yet peculiar event took place at the Brotherhood's house a few days later.
The previous day, Todd had taken a bath. For the most part, this was really no big deal, since he took a bath once a month.
The strange thing was, he had just taken a bath /again/.
Of course, the other four residents were not about to complain.
Still...
"Hey Todd, any special occasion?" Pietro asked.
Todd just smiled for a moment before he hopped off, not saying a word.
'Why am I not comfortable with this?' Pietro thought to himself.
Lance was planning to go see a movie that night with Kitty, and Blob was just staying home.
And Wanda said she was going somewhere to eat tonight...
'Nah, it couldn't be,' Pietro thought, shaking his head.
Even though it was a few days before Kurt was expected at Amanda's house, he was getting himself ready, with the emotions of joy and fear wrestling deep within him.
"Looking forward to dinner with Amanda and her parents?"
It was Rogue, Kurt's adopted sister. "/Ja/, I suppose..."
"Good luck, Kurt."
"Thanks." A moment later, Kurt thought about something. "Wait, Rogue..."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Doing anything with Remy any time soon?" he teased her.
Rogue's cheeks flushed, and Kurt knew his suspicions were right; she had a crush on the Cajun who called himself Gambit.
"That swamp rat!? No way!"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "If you say so..."
A few days later, Kurt found himself at the Sefton's doorstep again.
At this side, Harry stood invisible. "Trust me, Kurt, you'll be fine. I'll be on the lookout, remember?"
Kurt nodded his head, not even able to say anything.
As Kurt rang the doorbell, he could hear his invisible friend sprint off.
The door opened to reveal Mr. Sefton, his facial expression unreadable. "Nice to see you again, Kurt."
"Good evening, Mr. Sefton."
"Please, come on in."
Amanda was sitting next to her mother in the living room, looking excited to see him. Her mother gave a nervous smile.
Kurt sat down, doing his best not to slouch due to his unique physiology.
Mr. Sefton began to speak. "We know about what happened the first time you were here, and we understand. It's just..." He sighed and collected himself. "If you're going to continue dating our daughter, we just want to know what you look like. Without the disguise."
Kurt nodded, his voice stuck in his throat. He knew Mr. Sefton was only doing his job as Amanda's father, and he could forgive him for that.
Amanda got up and walked over to him, and took his hand. She took his hand in hers, and could feel the fur underneath. "It will be alright, Kurt."
Kurt gave a small wry smile, but it vanished as he got up. Closing his eyes, he pressed the button on his watch.
Amanda's parents couldn't help but draw in their breaths at seeing Kurt's human appearance melt away to show... /something else/.
What looked like a cross between and elf and a blue demon now stood in front of them, eyes closed, a sad expression on his face. Even though they had already seen Kurt on the news that whole long time ago, this was still something of a shock in itself.
Slowly, very slowly, Kurt opened his yellow eyes to see their reactions.
Amanda gave him a small thumbs-up, but also glanced nervously at her parents.
Mrs. Sefton had to admit that Kurt did not look all that dangerous, and combined with that sorrowful, worried look in his face, Kurt did not look remotely dangerous now. She loved animals (and had to remind herself that Kurt was by no means an animal or beneath human beings in any way), and after looking into those golden eyes of his, all doubts were erased from her mind.
Mr. Sefton had mistrusted Kurt ever since that night when Todd Tolansky came along and ruined everything... and now, all his negative judgments and assumptions had been shattered. Now, Kurt Wagner did not seem to him to be even remotely like the type that would hurt or mistreat his daughter in any way.
Getting up, Mr. Sefton said, "Kurt... Now, in retrospect, I can see why you teleported out like that after that Tolansky kid stole your device, and if you had stayed around just long enough for us to see you... well, all things considered, I think it's best that never happened."
Amanda looked at her father with hope and happiness practically shining in her eyes.
"Now that that's out of the way, I think we can adjourn to the dining room," Mrs. Sefton said, getting up. With a smile, Kurt turned his holowatch back on, just in case (the dining room had its window facing the street).
Kurt wasn't the only one dining with his love. Across town, Todd was treating Wanda to dinner at a fast food restaurant.
Wanda still couldn't believe she was sitting here, eating with Todd. Somehow, he managed to convince her to let him treat her to dinner. He swore on his life (something to take seriously, with her around) that it was only for the sake of being nice, and not too try to kiss up to her with some ulterior motives.
Still, she was impressed with the fact he was being a gentleman... not to mention clean, too, almost bordering on handsome.
Shaking that thought from her head, Wanda went back to eating.
She and Todd also made some small talk during that time, and at least he also had the brains not to try anything stupid that would get him hexed, either now or later.
All in all, even Wanda had to admit this was a nice change.
Dinner at the Sefton's house went much smoother and happier than any of the four present at the table could have anticipated.
Once things had been settled, Kurt found himself in an enlightening conversation with Mr. Sefton, much to the delight of Amanda and her mother.
Harry sat high up in a tree, invisible, on the lookout for anything that seemed out of place. He really didn't mind doing this.
However, soon enough, he would be glad that he had agreed to do this for Kurt...
Wanda and Todd were walking back to the Brotherhood house when they heard an engine screaming from behind them.
Grabbing Wanda, Todd leapt out of the way before a van could run either of them over.
The van skidded to a stop and turned around, ready to try to ram them again.
A couple of cars came up behind them, blocking the road on both ends.
Masked goons got out of the vehicles, makeshift weapons such as chains and pipes in their hands.
"Is there any way we can peacefully talk this out, yo?" Todd said anxiously, noting how they were outnumbered by at least six to one.
"I don't think so, you mutant freaks," their leader growled, putting on brass knuckles.
From inside their house, the Seftons and their guest could see what was going on.
"Hey, isn't that Tolansky?" Mr. Sefton said with anger starting to creep into his voice.
"It looks as though they're about to get into a fight," commented Amanda.
"And we're right near it," Kurt added with a little fear in his voice. Turning back to the Seftons, he said, "Sorry to cut this short, but I think we should get out of the way. I can get you back to the Institute for your own safety."
Amanda's parents both nodded and agreed, and taking their hands, the three of them vanished from the room.
A moment later, both adults found themselves in the mansion's foyer, a little dizzy from the trip. "Stay here, I'll get Amanda." He disappeared again, and reappeared later with their daughter in his embrace. Switching off the inducer to reveal his true, blue form, he said, "I'll try to stop those thugs. Just
stay here."
"Good luck, Kurt," Amanda said, kissing him on the cheek. With a happy and slightly embarrassed expression on his face, Kurt teleported off.
Back at the growing conflict, Todd and Wanda were being subdued and outnumbered by the FOH thugs just as Harry jumped down from the trees and used the element of surprise to turn the tables back on them. Nightcrawler also popped out of nowhere and began to fight as well.
Encouraged by the new help, the two Brotherhood members renewed their efforts and began to fight back.
"Look at it this way, fuzzball... you're reunited with your girlfriend, her parents like you again, you're all safe, and I have splinters sticking out of my back and a couple of other places I don't care to name. What's there for you to complain about, yo?"
The four mutants had been able to wrap up the fight in less than ten minutes, leaving the FOH members incapacitated for when the police arrived (although Harry, Kurt and Todd took much delight in hanging the goons from the lampposts by their underwear).
Now, Todd was currently in the infirmary of the Institute, since he had gotten thrown back into a mailbox (hence the splinters) and had sustained a couple of other injuries as well.
Kurt, on the other hand, was torn between adding on a few more injuries and showing the amphibious mutant some sympathy.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Kurt," Amanda said, putting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, "but he does have a point there."
Kurt was at a crossroads as to what he should do. Should he make peace with Todd, or ignore it altogether?
"Amanda, Herr and Frau Sefton," Kurt said, turning to his girlfriend and her parents, "could you please leave me and Toad alone for a bit?"
"So what's going on?" Harry asked Kurt as the blue mutant walked out of the medical room. He and Wanda were left to their own devices, chatting a little in the meantime as well.
"I've... come to a truce with Toad," Kurt said, a little bitterness there in his voice.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief while Wanda gave a small grin.
"Anyway, I need to return Amanda and her parents back home." Kurt walked into the foyer with Harry behind him.
Walking into it, they saw the Seftons talking with Logan, Ororo and Hank. Hank was catching up on Amanda's educational progress, Ororo and Mrs. Sefton were making small talk, and, much to the surprise of Kurt and Harry, Logan and Mr. Sefton were getting along well easily enough.
Due to the limits of his powers, Kurt brought Mr. and Mrs. Sefton back to their home first before coming back for Amanda.
Kurt gave her a worried look as he returned. "Sorry about this evening, Amanda."
With a smile that made Kurt's mood go up some notches, she assured him, "Actually, this was actually much better than last time, come to think of it."
Kurt scratched his head with a nervous smile. "Uh, yeah, I suppose it was."
Taking his arm in hers, Amanda said, "Come on, my parents are expecting us. Also given your powers, I think they may be rather tight about curfews in the future..."
With a laugh from Kurt, the two teenagers disappeared from the Institute.
Harry grinned as he went back up to his room, happy that he helped Kurt as a friend and happy for Kurt that his relationship with Amanda was back on the right track.
TBC...
A/N: I can't believe it took me so long to do this chapter! (Or at least longer than I had hoped...)
Note about the small fight: Sorry I skipped over this, but my creative juices for my battle scenes have been down at the moment. Don't worry, though, because I should have this massive brawl coming up in a few chapters...
Note about the pairings: I think I have the follow pairings planned for this fic...
Jean/Scott (like there was any doubt in anyone's mind about that!)
Kurt/Amanda (this will be important for later on!)
Lance/Kitty
Sam/Tabitha
Todd/Wanda
Rogue/Remy
Roberto/Rahne
Forge/Dani (possibly)
Logan/Ororo (hints of it)
Alex/X23 (possibly; I'll have to see where that goes)
Harry/Ginny (minor)
Ron/Hermione
Next chapter is where Fudge tries to trick Harry into returning... -Quillian
Sign up to rate and review this story