A/N: Got another chapter up! Sorry about the last one being so short, but I sat down and got to business with this chapter! :) R&R. Enjoy!

With the weather still treacherous beyond the mansion walls, the young mutants were still restricted to the confines of the institute. Most just stayed in there rooms and caught up on chores while others tried to find some other things to do to occupy their time. In the mansion kitchen were Scott and Jean getting something to eat, with the usual flirting that went on between the two of them. They were soon interrupted unexpectedly by the sight of Kitty at the fridge. Having no need to use a door, she always seemed to make these unexpected entrances. She perused the fridge while looking for something of her liking when she stopped and noticed the two mutants staring at her. Kitty asked with her head turned, and her hands still busy in the fridge, "What, did I like, interrupt something?"

Scott chuckled, "No, you're fine. We weren't discussing anything important."

Jean added, "We're just trying to pass this day the best way we can."

Kitty replied, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Oh…" She paused for a brief moment as she thought about her distressed friend upstairs. "Can I talk to you guys about something?"

Jean responded, "Of course Kitty. What is it?"

"It's… about Kurt. He's like, not himself at all today. I'm really worried about him."

"Not himself? How so?"

Kitty looked away and stroked her arm, was it really her place to tell them what Kurt had confided in her? Was it ok if it were for his well being? She slowly answered, "Well, he just seems… troubled. It's not really my place to say why, but I was just wondering what I should do? How do I, like, help him when he doesn't want to be helped?"

Scott replied, "You've just go to wait for him to come around. Don't worry, knowing Kurt? He always comes around."

Kitty responded, "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe I'll go up and check on him. Thanks guys."

Kitty immediately went upstairs after leaving the kitchen, completely forgetting the food she went in there to get. Kurt was now all that was on her mind. When she got to his door, she stopped, and instead of knocking, she stood there for a second and thought to herself, "I wonder what it will take for him to open up to me? Have I given him enough time?" Trying to ignore her many thoughts, she decides to knock on the door in the best interest of her furry blue friend. Barely audible, she heard a faint "Yes?" come from the quiet room. "Kurt, you mind if I come in?" Again, barely audible, she heard a miserable "I guess" and she took that as her cue, whether inviting or not, to go in. The sight before her was pitiful. Laying facedown on his bed, over his tearstained pillow, was Kurt looking at a photograph. Kitty couldn't make out what it was, but she knew it must have had some relevance. His indigo hair was a mess and his tail, which usually swayed with life, lay limp over his bed. The fur on his face was wet from crying. "Kurt… can I talk to you for a second?" Her valley girl accent seemed to disappear the more her concern grew.

Kurt lifted his heavy head from his pillow and gazed into Kitty's concerned ocean blue eyes, which started to fill with tears over her saddened friend. "Sure, although… I'm not exactly sure what to say." Kurt got up off of his stomach and sat at the end of his bed to make room for his concerned friend. He was barely able to look her in the face. Kitty had always been so good to him and had been such a great friend for as long as he could remember. Sure, it was rough at the beginning, but he ended up getting closer to her than anyone else in the institute. And now he was thinking about leaving? He was most ashamed to tell Kitty than anyone else.

Kitty asked, "Are you feeling any better since we talked before?"

Kurt replied, tucking his knees to his chin, "Nein, if possible I think I feel even worse." Kurt glanced over at Kitty and saw that he wasn't the only one hurting. He was now hurting her, and that made him hate himself even more. "Kitty, I don't want to put you through this. You don't deserve to worry so much. Especially not for me, I'm not worth it."

Kitty placed her delicate hand on his tense shoulder, "Hey, you're like my best friend. Of course I'm going to worry about you. And of course you're worth it Kurt. Why are you always so hard on yourself?"

Kurt gazed into Kitty's eyes. His sad eyes screamed hurt and pain. "Kitty, I've… never talked about it before… not to anyone. Well, except the professor. I've… had a really bad past, and it still haunts me."

Kitty, growing more concerned, asked, "Do you… want to talk about it? I'm here." She gave Kurt a reassuring smile.

Kurt replied, "See this picture? It's a picture of me and my foster parents." He stopped for a moment for Kitty to look at the picture of his two normal looking foster parents next to a 4 year old, disfigured, blue and furry being. "When I was growing up, I was always different. Most of the mutants here had perfectly normal lives until their powers manifested. But me? I've lived with this my whole life." Kurt dropped his weary head into his hands as he tried to keep himself from crying. Kitty through her slender arms around him, in attempt to comfort her friend.

"Well, I'm here if you want to talk. I'm not leaving until I know you're ok."

Kurt reached over his shoulder to wrap his three fingered hand around her's. "Thank you Kitty. But I don't think I'm going to be ok for a long time. You see, when I was little, everyone thought I was a monster. My foster mother always kept me in hiding, but when I was discovered people tried to burn down my house, chased me and my family with pitchforks, and I was severely attacked on more than one occasion." Kurt stopped talking for a second as he tucked his knees closer and wrapped his tail around him, as if he was going into the fetal position. "I didn't have an image inducer like I do here. I didn't have a disguise. I lived in fear. And my fear wasn't just for me, it was for my family. The family I cared about so much and didn't want to see hurt because of me. It was all my fault…"

Kitty sternly interrupted, "Hey, nothing has been your fault. You can't help the way you were born."

"Yes, but… I don't want to cause anyone anymore pain. Especially the ones I care about the most. Maybe I could live with my past if I knew something about it, but right now all I know is that Mystique is my mother. But that still doesn't explain my strange characteristics. I want to know more."

"Are you sure Kurt? What if the history of your past just gives you more heartache?"

Kurt thought about Kitty's response for a moment. "It doesn't matter. At least I'll know. I'll know why I've scared so many people, why I've caused people to do such hateful things. They did those things because of me…" Kurt stood up and went over to his dresser to pull out the letter and showed it to Kitty, "I got this today." He handed her the letter to read, because it was just too painful to talk about.

Kitty took the time to really absorb the details of the letter, and knowing that he may be considering it, she didn't get offended. Instead, she calmly looked at Kurt and questioned, "So, you think you're going to do it?"

Kurt curled up even tighter, "I… I don't know. I'd be leaving so much. I've made such great friends here, and now I'm discussing this with the one that I would miss the most."

Kitty's eyes filled up as the blue mutant looked into her eyes. He was hurting so much, and the last thing she wanted to do was make Kurt feel guilty. "Hey, don't worry about me. I'll really miss you, but I want you to be happy. If this will make you happy, don't you think you should do it?"

"I don't know… I just sense this is one of her schemes, yet she does sound genuine. I just don't know why I'd have to go over there. And the worst thing of all, how could I betray my friends?"

"Again, don't worry about us. Worry about 'you' right now."

Kurt spun around and embraced Kitty, tighter than he had ever embraced anyone before, "Kitty, you are my best friend. Thank you so much." He looked at her, finally breaking a tiny smile. "I guess I've got some thinking to do."