Disclaimer – If anyone sees them on EBay, tell me!

Shouts to risika-dragon (I agree about Sabretooth!) Kemious the Kitsugriff (loved the comment, very detailed – the best kind!)

Sitting on the roof, Michael watched the sunrise, feeling quite content for the first morning since he could remember – a total of eight days now. And oddly enough, his want to fly didn't seem at all important, no, what was important was keeping up with his fathers training.

And he reckoned he was improving everyday.

But there was something still bothering him.

Kurt.

For some reason, every morning he woke up and every time he was half asleep, he heard that name and there's was no reason he could think as to why. But that could just be forgotten – as Pietro had said, if it was important he'd remember in time.

The whim to fly suddenly burned bright and, jumping off the roof, he let himself fall before reappearing on the roof again.

It really wasn't the same as that in his memory.

"Michael!"

Looking at the ground, he smiled at his Mother and waved. "Up here!"

"Just checking!"

Underneath Kurt, the window opened and Pietro stuck his sleep rumpled head out of the window. "Why do you have to get up early every morning?" Jumping and hitting his head off the window frame for the eighth morning in a row, he sighed and turned round to see Kurt laughing as he lounged on his bed.

Sitting next to the teenager, he sighed. "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah, it's been fun since my dad came home." The blue mutant cocked his head to one side at Pietro's dark look. "Do you not like him being there?"

How could he say he hated Michael being fooled so completely? "Its just weird, that's all, you seem so happy with your dad and mines…" He frowned as Kurt patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry; things have a habit of working out." Michael paused and frowned. "Who said that to me, it sounds really familiar…a white haired -"

Without thinking, Pietro pounced on the blue mutant and, in a tumble, they wound up on the floor, Michael pinning the speedster down and frowning.

After a moment, he spoke. "Why did you jump on me?"

"Wanda said if you tickle your stomach you kick your leg, and since the conversation was getting a bit too serious I figured that I would try it out."

Michael narrowed his golden eyes and slowly let Pietro go. "Are you trying to not let me remember?"

"I don't think you should push it."

"Do I hate you?"

Pietro froze completely.

"That's it, isn't it?" Michael walked up to him. "Something happened between us before I lost my memory, and you're worried that if I remember I'll hate you."

It was so close, so very close. "It's not so simple…" Looking away and ruffling his hair, he frowned when the blue mutant placed his odd hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that, even if I get my memory back, I'll still remember how kind you were to me now and I'll take that into consideration." He grinned. "Maybe we should have a sort of code so that you'll know if I remember or forget."

"Like?"

"A nickname for each other?" Michael shrugged and sat back onto the bed. "Something no one else would think of. Like…Sonic for you."

"Sonic?"

"Like I said, something no one else would call you." Michael watched as the speedster sat next to him and turned round so his back was resting against the lean shoulder. "Well?"

Pietro sighed. "This is really stupid."

"Come on, just trust me. You can be Sonic and I'll be…"

"Tails?"

"Why do I have to be a girl fox and you get to be the super cool blue hedgehog?"

The silver haired mutant laughed. "You insisted on this."

"How about I get to be knuckles? At least he's male."

"Aww, you'd make a cute girl." Pietro laughed at the affronted look he was given and, on a whim, ruffled the messy mohawk only to have the blue mutant turned round and ruffle his hair back.

A minute later and they were having a play fight on the floor before, abruptly, Michael teleported them onto the kitchen table.

Sabre tooth stared at them both, mug halfway to his mouth as he looked at Michael straddling Pietro. Sipping the coffee, he placed it down and folded his arms. "You have five seconds to give me a good reason for this."

"We were fighting and I was thinking of food?" Michael suggested before squeaking when Sabre tooth grabbed him by his scruff and took him off Pietro. "Dad?"

"It's fine. Just put on your watch and go grab a paper, alright?" Watching as the blue mutant did as he was told; he waved him off and then turned to Pietro. "I don't care how attractive you think he is, there's no way you're going to get him."

Pietro pouted. "I don't think of him like that."

"Right and I'm the pope." The man shook is head. "You give him more little looks than Wanda does, and my son isn't going to -"

"He's not your son." The mutant reminded him.

"And he's not going to be your boyfriend, Magneto is gearing that towards your sister, he's suddenly realised that if second generation mutants can't breed together, his idea of a mutant dominated society might be cut prematurely short."

Pietro's face fell completely. "You can't be serious."

"I am." Looking up as the door opened and Michael handed the paper over as he turned his watch off, he smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Come on, I got some new moves to show you – such as breaking someone's bones with one kick."

"Sounds lethal." Eyes bright, the mutant made to follow and, at the last moment, paused next to Pietro, leaning over and quickly whispering in his ear. "Sonic."

"Tails." Pietro whispered back and, on a whim, caught and tugged the blue mutants, earning a laugh before he was gone completely.

Smile falling, Pietro chewed his nails. Michael had to get his memory back, even if it meant that Kurt would hate him – what his father planned…

It had to be the reason he agreed to go to such lengths to keep the blue mutant there in the first place – Mystique wasn't that important after all.

Sighing, he got to his feet and, with a final glance, decided it was time to make Michael remember how to fly.

But how to do it?

--

Breakfast seemed so…dull now.

Rogue sighed and idly poked her breakfast before just giving up on it completely, instead lookout the window.

Placing a hand on the Goths shoulder, Ororo managed a small smile. "Don't worry; things have a habit of working out."

"It's just…you don't realise how much he was here until he wasn't."

Next to her, Kitty nodded. "Yeah, I actually like, miss him annoying me."

Across from her, Scott frowned. "We could try approaching the brotherhood, see if he remembers us by talking to him."

"But we can't do that because he doesn't know us according to that fabricated lie that Mystiques woven around him." Rogue informed him.

Kitty suddenly grinned. "Lance told me the funniest thing yesterday – Mystique is having Sabre tooth act as Kurt's dad, how weird is that?"

On the other side of the room, Logan stiffened before growling. "That demented monster has his hands on Kurt?"

Realising that maybe it hadn't been so funny after all, Kitty swallowed nervously. "Apparently they get on really well."

"We have to get Kurt out of there." Logan popped his claws out and, turning, stopped as the professor wheeled in front of him. "Out of my way, chuck, I have a feline to rip apart."

"I don't think that's wise." The man smiled sadly. "It would only upset the delicate balance that Kurt is currently living in; if it collapses…I don't know what he would do in his confused state."

"So I have to just sit back and watch?"

The man sighed. "Unfortunately, that's all we can do."

"Actually," Pietro grinned as everyone turned to look at him, "you might be wrong about that."

"What do you mean, bub?" Logan snarled, wondering if the skinny mutant was a good enough substitute to kill instead of Sabre tooth…

"Let Kurt fly again."

--

The plan was simple, Pietro had to lure Michael to the x-mansion in any way he could and from there, the x-men would take over. They would only have a small time frame to be able to try out the speed freaks plan and, if it failed, he only hoped his excuses would work.

Hopefully.

Sitting in the brotherhood house, he was beginning to doubt the window of opportunity was ever going to open as, when Michael wasn't with Sabre tooth, Magneto or Mystique learning some new technique or trick, he was with Wanda.

It was subtle really, how the adults went about it, but at meals, when watching movies, working in pairs, it was always Michael and Wanda. Pietro was, in fact, very nearly cut off from the blue mutant, but thankfully it was still the holidays.

Which meant no one woke up early except Kurt, and because he was getting used to it, Pietro, although he still hit his head on the window most mornings.

And this was one such morning.

The blue mutant was lounging on the bed and grinning as the speed freak rubbed his sore head. "Every time."

"I haven't done it twice now."

"Still, that's nearly every time." Michael grinned lazily, frowning slightly when Pietro clamoured next to him, leaning forward slightly. "Sonic?"

"I've got a surprise for you, want to see it?"

"What kind of surprise?"

Pietro managed a grin. "One that takes us outside."

Pressing the button on his watch, the human appearing Michael now grinned at the silver haired mutant. "Let's go then – will it take long only mum wants me -"

"It won't take long; we'll be back in time for breakfast. Now, take us to the mall." Holding out his arm, he swallowed as the blue mutant took it and then –

Stomach turning upside down –

He was near the mall. "Alright, this way."

It took only five minutes through a mixture of teleporting and Pietro dragging Michael along at high speed to reach the mansion where, as he planned, the professor and Ororo where waiting for him.

Michael stared at Ororo for a long moment. "Have we met before? I'm sure I remember that beautiful face from somewhere…"

She smiled and, taking his arm, turned the watch off. "Come on, Michael, I'm going to take you flying."

Looking back at Pietro, the blue mutant hesitated. "Are you coming?"

"Of course." Following, although hating every second of it, he entered the danger room just behind the pair and frowned. Wasn't Ororo supposed to take Michael flying? Instead the giant room looked like some crazed mess of metal and rope, like a trapezium on acid.

The blue mutant simply stared. "I can fly with this…" And then he vanished in a plume of smoke and was…

The only word that came to mind for the silver haired mutant was indeed flying as the mutant seemed to move effortlessly in every direction as he somersaulted, teleported, twisted and spun in the maze of metal and wire. He really did look quite beautiful up there.

Ororo put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; things have a habit of working out, Pietro, even if it hurts."

"He won't remember me." The silver haired mutant sighed. "At least not the me that Michael knows."

"Sometimes these things are just meant to be." Looking up, she smiled as the blue mutant landed on the ground. "How was it, Kurt?"

The blue mutant paused and, frowning, cradled his head. "It was good to fly, Ororo, but I really don't feel so well now."

Then the mutant just collapsed.

--

School started all too soon for the mutants of Bayville, the crowds, assignments and lectures quickly becoming a drone even on the first day back, their holiday excitement long since faded.

One of the few mutants who seemed to be genuinely happy though was Kurt, who was for once was the centre of attention and not because he was fooling around. After returning to the mansion, it seemed that the Kurt they knew had brought back a little bit of Michael.

Although you never really saw him unless it was in the danger room, or when he was watching the stars. Except the mohawk was a constant reminder and the tweaked image inducer remained, Kurt explaining it to anyone (which was everyone) who asked him, as finally having his 'growth streak' at long last.

His missing fortnight wasn't spoken about by either the x-men or the brotherhood and, as far as anyone knew, Kurt didn't seem to even realise anything had happened, although he did know that a fortnight of his precious lazing time had vanished.

The brotherhood though where mourning the loss of Michael as much as the x-men celebrated the return of Kurt. No one had been as devastated at the loss as Sabre tooth was though, seeing as he had adopted Michael as his own; Mystique was surprisingly taking it much better.

As she had said to them on the matter, 'I had my son for a fortnight; it's more than what I ever hoped for'.

But Pietro on the other hand wasn't taking it so well. He missed the blue mutants laughter and cheerfulness, his little morning talks and the closeness they had together even if it had never become anything other than friendship.

And now he didn't even have that.

Spotting the group of x-men in front of him, he averted his eyes and, as the fur brushed against his hand, could only sigh at the bitterness that welled up in his throat.

Then that fur was all around him as fangs brushed against his ears.

"I haven't forgotten, Sonic."

Then he was gone in a teasing moment of silky fur, Pietro left standing in the hall and blinking in surprise. Had he imagined the whole thing?

Or was it only a scrap of memory that Kurt had left?

Or was Kurt really Michael?

Grinning, he decided that over the next few weeks, he would have to find out, but first of all, he was going to have to call him Tails…

Just to make sure, of course.

The end,

Please Review!