What would the X-Men do if they found a lost baby on the doorstep of the
Institute?
"Kurt!" Kitty's voice rang out shrilly. "I'm like, trying to do my homework here!"
He teleported away from her, slightly hurt. "I was only joking," he muttered back, but there was no way she could hear him now. All he'd been doing was teleporting around her room and popping up in front of her half the time. And, okay, so she had spilt chocolate milkshake down her top, but that was hardly Kurt's fault, because... well, she shouldn't have been drinking it. Kurt propped himself up on the edge of his balcony, but he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice a figure wrapped in a dark cloak running up to the doorstep and running away again.
"Kurt?" Kitty asked, walking hurriedly towards his room. She'd finished her homework, and wanted to check Kurt was okay. "Kurt?" She stepped through his door without bothering to ask if it was all right, and stared around the room. She caught sight of the open doors at the far side of the room.
"Whatcha doing?" she asked, pulling herself up next to him.
"Thinking," said Kurt glumly.
"Oh..." Kitty was about to say something when she stopped. "Did you hear something?"
"Hear vas?" Kurt asked, without even bothering to remember what the English word for "vas" was.
"It was like... like..." She peered over the edge of the railings, trying not to fall off in the process. "Like a... baby crying."
Kurt shook his head. "It couldn't have been." But he could hear it too. He strained his ears to try and hear it, but it suddenly stopped.
"Someone better check," Kitty said. "I mean, you can't leave a baby outside all night, it would like, freeze to death."
Kurt considered teleporting down, but realised it might disturb the baby... if it was a baby. It was probably a cat or something. Either way, Kitty and Kurt crept downstairs together to have a look.
They were just by the front door when Scott appeared. "Where are you two sneaking off to?" he asked.
Kitty had two ideas in her head: one, "we heard a noise like a baby so we thought we better investigate" and two, "we were gonna sneak off and go and see a late night movie together." The complete lie sounded more plausible and less stupid, but would get them both in trouble. Plus Kurt was hardly likely to go out anywhere without his image inducer on. So she said, "Er... we were just like, um..."
"We heard an animal and thought it might have got stuck in the dustbin," Kurt lied smoothly.
Scott shrugged. "I'll wait here for you."
Kitty shrugged and pulled Kurt through the door. There, sat on the doorstep, was a baby basket. In it was a blue blanket, a bottle, another blanket (green), and... a real, live, sleeping baby.
Kitty and Kurt looked at each other. "Mein Gott."
"What do we do with it?" Kitty asked nervously.
"Give it to Scott?" Kurt suggested.
"Get real, Kurt! What would Scott know about babies?"
"He could give it to Jean as a present," Kurt said hopefully.
"Kurt! Be serious!" Kitty wailed.
"Ach," Kurt sighed. "Scott and Jean will know what to do. So we can give it to them."
"No way!" Kitty interrupted. "I found it, it's mine!"
"Nein! It was under my balcony, I should get it!" Kurt argued loudly.
His voice awoke the baby, who stared up at Kurt with wide eyes. It gurgled.
"It speaks," Kurt said stupidly.
"We have to take it inside and let Scott and Jean sort it all out," Kitty said. "But I want to keep it. I want to call it... um..."
"Kurt Junior?" Kurt suggested.
"No!"
Scott wrenched the door open. "What are you two doing, standing out here? It's all cold and dark and damp and-" Scott stopped. "What the hell is that?"
"It's Kurt Junior," Kurt said.
"You don't even know it's a boy yet!" Kitty disagreed.
"I don't care!" Kurt said childishly.
"Someone please tell me what's going on," Scott said tiredly. "What is it, where did it come from, and why are you arguing?"
"It was on the doorstep," Kitty said, just as Kurt said, "It's a baby."
"Kurt!" Kitty's voice rang out shrilly. "I'm like, trying to do my homework here!"
He teleported away from her, slightly hurt. "I was only joking," he muttered back, but there was no way she could hear him now. All he'd been doing was teleporting around her room and popping up in front of her half the time. And, okay, so she had spilt chocolate milkshake down her top, but that was hardly Kurt's fault, because... well, she shouldn't have been drinking it. Kurt propped himself up on the edge of his balcony, but he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice a figure wrapped in a dark cloak running up to the doorstep and running away again.
"Kurt?" Kitty asked, walking hurriedly towards his room. She'd finished her homework, and wanted to check Kurt was okay. "Kurt?" She stepped through his door without bothering to ask if it was all right, and stared around the room. She caught sight of the open doors at the far side of the room.
"Whatcha doing?" she asked, pulling herself up next to him.
"Thinking," said Kurt glumly.
"Oh..." Kitty was about to say something when she stopped. "Did you hear something?"
"Hear vas?" Kurt asked, without even bothering to remember what the English word for "vas" was.
"It was like... like..." She peered over the edge of the railings, trying not to fall off in the process. "Like a... baby crying."
Kurt shook his head. "It couldn't have been." But he could hear it too. He strained his ears to try and hear it, but it suddenly stopped.
"Someone better check," Kitty said. "I mean, you can't leave a baby outside all night, it would like, freeze to death."
Kurt considered teleporting down, but realised it might disturb the baby... if it was a baby. It was probably a cat or something. Either way, Kitty and Kurt crept downstairs together to have a look.
They were just by the front door when Scott appeared. "Where are you two sneaking off to?" he asked.
Kitty had two ideas in her head: one, "we heard a noise like a baby so we thought we better investigate" and two, "we were gonna sneak off and go and see a late night movie together." The complete lie sounded more plausible and less stupid, but would get them both in trouble. Plus Kurt was hardly likely to go out anywhere without his image inducer on. So she said, "Er... we were just like, um..."
"We heard an animal and thought it might have got stuck in the dustbin," Kurt lied smoothly.
Scott shrugged. "I'll wait here for you."
Kitty shrugged and pulled Kurt through the door. There, sat on the doorstep, was a baby basket. In it was a blue blanket, a bottle, another blanket (green), and... a real, live, sleeping baby.
Kitty and Kurt looked at each other. "Mein Gott."
"What do we do with it?" Kitty asked nervously.
"Give it to Scott?" Kurt suggested.
"Get real, Kurt! What would Scott know about babies?"
"He could give it to Jean as a present," Kurt said hopefully.
"Kurt! Be serious!" Kitty wailed.
"Ach," Kurt sighed. "Scott and Jean will know what to do. So we can give it to them."
"No way!" Kitty interrupted. "I found it, it's mine!"
"Nein! It was under my balcony, I should get it!" Kurt argued loudly.
His voice awoke the baby, who stared up at Kurt with wide eyes. It gurgled.
"It speaks," Kurt said stupidly.
"We have to take it inside and let Scott and Jean sort it all out," Kitty said. "But I want to keep it. I want to call it... um..."
"Kurt Junior?" Kurt suggested.
"No!"
Scott wrenched the door open. "What are you two doing, standing out here? It's all cold and dark and damp and-" Scott stopped. "What the hell is that?"
"It's Kurt Junior," Kurt said.
"You don't even know it's a boy yet!" Kitty disagreed.
"I don't care!" Kurt said childishly.
"Someone please tell me what's going on," Scott said tiredly. "What is it, where did it come from, and why are you arguing?"
"It was on the doorstep," Kitty said, just as Kurt said, "It's a baby."