X2 was my favorite movie until First Class was released. I wrote this story to give my favorite characters a few more significant scenes. The scenes will likely not go in order, but jump around through the movie a bit.

For my own reference: 86th story, 7th story for X-Men.

"I didn't mean to snoop," the Nightcrawler says to Jean Grey, and his thick German accent startles Erik. His dark blue skin and the map of curlicued scars all over it, his reptile-yellow eyes, his tail - none of these are shocking to Erik, but at the sound of a German accent, he raises his eyebrows and turns to Mystique.

"You didn't tell me he was German," he murmurs, not wanting anyone else to overhear - although he supposes there's no point in hoping for that when the Wolverine and his hyper-acute senses are nearby.

Mystique shrugs. "I didn't know," she says. "I told you, Stryker and his people captured him outside Boston, in an abandoned church."

Storm is standing a few feet away from them, just behind Jean and Nightcrawler, and at Mystique's words, she turns to face them, looking slightly horrified. How could Mystique have known Kurt's location so specifically? Professor Xavier always suspected that she and Magneto had their own means of locating new mutants, but even he didn't know exactly what it was.

"How do you know that?" she asks Mystique suspiciously.

Mystique pointedly ignores her.

Erik walks over to Nightcrawler, his footsteps crunching loudly on the dead leaves underfoot. He wants to know if Stryker's mind-cotrol serum had exactly the same effects on this mutant that they had on him. "Can you remember attacking the president?" he asks.

Jean glares at him. "I told you we already asked him that," she mutters, a bit annoyed.

But Nightcrawler doesn't seem annoyed. "I could see it happening," he answers, nodding. "I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't stop." He's obviously still disturbed by the memory, but it's almost as if talking about it seems to help him.

Erik suddenly remembers that Charles had suggested that to him once, long ago. He'd told him that talking about painful memories could make them more bearable. But Erik hadn't even considered the idea.

Kurt goes on, "It was like... like..." he pauses and blows out a breath, frustrated, when the English word won't come to him. "...ein Albtraum," he finishes.

Erik raises his head sharply at the word. Ein Albtraum. He hasn't heard it in years, but of course he still remembers what it means. A nightmare. He knows nightmares all too well. He knows what it's like to feel that your entire life has become a nightmare that you can't wake up from.

He supposes that Nightcrawler probably doesn't remember being injected with Stryker's mind-control serum. Erik couldn't remember it until it had happened to him several times, which was why he couldn't warn Charles soon enough. Still, perhaps there was a chance that Nightcrawler could recall something.

"And do you remember anything from before you attacked the president?" he asks.

For a split-second, he doesn't understand why Nightcrawler's eyes suddenly widen and his mouth falls open, or why he looks at him with such delighted surprise.

And then, in the next split-second, he realizes that instead of asking Nightcrawler that question in English, like he'd meant to, he's just asked it in German. For the first time in... God, he can't even remember how many years, he's spoken German, as fluently as ever, and without even meaning to.

Then Nightcrawler starts talking a mile a minute - in German, of course - asking Erik how he learned the language and where he's from. "Your accent is German. Are you from Germany?" he asks eagerly. "What region are you from? How did you find your way to America?"

But Erik is in no mood to wax nostalgic about his homeland. Sometimes, he has been tempted to return to Germany, just for a visit. He knows that there are so many mutants there, just waiting to be discovered - powerful young mutants that he could recruit to his cause, and speaking the language gives him an advantage that Charles doesn't have. But he's never done it. Erik hasn't even set foot in the country since the 1970s. Ever since the Olympics in Munich in 1980, he's been more convinced than ever that Germany wants to kill him.

Storm and Jean are both looking from him to Nightcrawler, a bit taken aback, and then Jean's expression changes, as if she's just remembered something. Nightcrawler is rushing on excitedly, but when he finally stops to draw a breath, Jean says, "That's right. The professor said you - " but she stops abruptly, looking awkward.

Her words are enough to put Erik on edge. Charles knows things about him - many things about him - that Erik doesn't want him telling his X-Men, or anyone else. "He said that I what?" he asks Jean warily.

She purses her lips, then answers, "He just mentioned once that you could speak a lot of different languages. It came up one day when we were discussing second mutations - you know, mutants who have more than one ability, like... well, like me, or Logan."

Erik can't help feeling a twinge of jealousy. He would like to have that conversation with Charles. He still missed discussing things with that man. Sometimes they used to stay up all night, just talking and playing chess. Mutants who had two or more abilities had always fascinated Erik... but he didn't have a second mutation. How had his name come up?

Perhaps Jean is gleaning a little of his thoughts, because just then, she goes on softly, "He said you spoke a lot of different languages. He said you could learn new ones so quickly that sometimes he thought it might be a second mutation."

For one second, Erik considers the idea. It's true that he's always had a gift for languages... but no, it's simply easier for him because he had been raised bilingually, speaking both German and Yiddish. Charles doesn't understand because he's only ever spoken English. And in the next second, Erik pushes Charles's idea away from him. It's an old, uncomfortably familiar feeling. It hasn't gotten any easier since the first time that he did it years ago - on the beach in Cuba, holding Charles's head in his lap, when he first had to push away the idea that they could be on the same side.

"It isn't a second mutation," he says firmly.

To his surprise, Jean actually laughs a little. "Wow," she says softly, "that's exactly what Professor Xavier said you would do. I remember, I asked him, 'Have you ever told him that?' and the professor said, 'No, he would just scoff and say it isn't.'"

Erik doesn't answer for a moment, too surprised to speak. Did Charles really say that about him? Could he still predict Erik's responses so perfectly, even after all these years?

"He presumes to know me rather well," Erik mutters, more to himself than to anyone else.

I do, don't I? Charles's voice suddenly asks, out of nowhere.

Erik jerks a bit in surprise and glances around him - it sounded so clear, so real, as if Charles were right here with him. But that was impossible. Charles was miles away, and likely Stryker was manipulating his mind so that his old friend didn't even understand what was really happening.

You imagined that, Erik tells himself. He was an old man who was just hearing things in the noises of the forest. But for the rest of the evening, in every silence, he can't help waiting, listening, hoping to hear Charles's voice again.