This is my version of "Mainstream". Warning!: Fuzzy Elf abuse approaching. Also in my version, Amanda is not existent.

Mainstream

It had been two weeks since the mansion was destroyed, and everyone moved to the lower levels. It was very crowded. Kurt and Scott were two of the lucky ones. Some people had three to a room, but Kurt still felt bad for Scott. Kurt was in the middle of his malting season, and he was growing a new coat to prepare for the winter months. Scott would always wake up with Kurt fur all over him. Scott never complained. He understood his friend had no control over it, but Kurt could tell Scott wasn't too keen on having Kurt as a roommate.

Tonight, Kurt couldn't sleep. He was thinking about going back to school tomorrow, and how everyone would react to him. Then Kurt heard footsteps coming down the hall. It was Kitty. Kurt could tell Kitty's walk from everyone else's. She had a certain beat to her walk. One and a two-a and a-three-a and a four five. She always paused on her fifth step. She didn't know why, she just did. Kurt, wanting to be a little tricky, and forget his problems for a second, decided on scaring Kitty.

Kitty was in the middle of eating a slice of pizza, and drinking from the milk carton. She was about to take a gulp, when Kurt ported out of nowhere.

"Ha! I knew it! You drink right from the carton!" Kurt said in a lowered voice, so not to wake everyone up, but excited enough to scare Kitty.

"Kurt! I, I was going to finish the whole thing!" Kitty defended.

Kurt smiled, "Oh, well drink up. Just about another half a gallon left."

Kitty groaned, then she gasped as she looked at the security monitors behind Kurt.

"Intruders!" She said rather quickly.

"Ja right." Kurt said, thinking she's just trying to change the subject, "Nothing behind me but a vall." Then he saw the people on the screens as well, "Is that the Brotherhood?"

"Come on, let's go scare them off before they trip an alarm and wake everyone up!" Kitty grabbed onto Kurt's arm, and they teleported outside.

It was a cool night, and the fog was up. Construction equipment was left lying around the grounds so the crews could pick up where they left off yesterday. Kurt and Kitty split up to look for the intruders that had invaded the grounds.

Kitty turned around a wall, and saw three guys spray painting one of the free standing brick walls.

"Hey!" Kitty shouted. When they turned around, they were wearing monster masks. "Ah! Who are you?!"

Suddenly Kurt teleported to where Kitty was and pounced on the intruders. Kitty joined in, and there was a short struggle, before all three were on the ground. Kurt removed on of their masks. He saw it was a bunch of members of the football team at the high school.

"Who sent you?!" Kurt asked.

They all looked at the brick wall they had vandalized. Kurt and Kitty both looked at it, and realized it was a picture of the X-men with over exaggerated features, doing overly exaggerated things with their powers.

"You better leave, now!" Kurt shouted once again.

"So should you!" One of the vandals said as they got up and ran away.

"Yeah, Bayville doesn't want you!" One of the others said.

Once they were gone, Kitty took a sad sigh.

"Things were so much simpler when only the brotherhood hated us." She said sadly.

o0o

The next morning, Kurt was awakened by the Professor's telepathic call.

Good morning students. The younger students will eat breakfast first, the rest of you, meet me on sub-level seven.

Kurt got dressed, and ready, and teleported down to sublevel seven. The Professor was waiting there for them. Kurt was one of the first ones there. He usually was.

"Good morning Kurt." The Professor greeted.

"Oh, Guten Morgan Professor." Kurt greeted in his usual way.

"So, Kurt, have you given any thought to how you will go to school today?" The Professor was referring to Kurt's natural form, which he was wearing right now. He never wore his holo-watch when at the institute. The thing was uncomfortable. He had to tuck his tail under his pants, and wrap it around his leg to not risk accidental exposure.

Kurt had given thought about it.

"I zink I vill give it a try today, as myself, I mean. Besides, I alvays hated veering zat zing." Kurt said in his thick German accent.

"Good for you Kurt. I'm proud of you. Ah, here are the others." The Professor pointed out the other five original members of the X-men coming down the stairs. The elevator only went down to sublevel six, and there was a stairwell that led here.

"Good morning Professor." Scott greeted.

"Good morning Scott, Jean, Evan, Kitty, Rouge. How did you all sleep?" The Professor asked.

"Fine, just fine." Rouge lied. She hadn't had a goodnight sleep ever since the mansion was destroyed. She thought she was crowded with Kitty, but this was a nightmare.

"That's good. I have some news for you all. The school board has agreed to let you all attend classes today, provided no one uses their powers." The Professor informed his students.

"Just today?" Scott asked.

"Yes, because tonight, they will be voting on a district-wide mutant ban, so you can see why it's important that you're all on your best behavior." The Professor told them.

"Professor, I'm, like, scarred to go back there. We don't fit in anymore." Kitty spoke up.

"It won't be easy at first, but show them just what you are." The Professor held up a newspaper, with a headline that read, Mutants: Monsters Among Us?

"So we're still monsters?" Evan asked, angrily.

"Whatever they may say about us, we are people. It's time to remind them of that." The Professor explained.

"Hey man, if they don't want us, that's their problem!" Evan said, sliding away from the table.

"Evan! Now is not the time for hostility. Now is the time to rise above their criticism. Show them the people behind the powers. Now go make the most of your first day back." The Professor encouraged.

o0o

At Bayville high, everyone was getting ready to start the day. The students were gathering around outside. The word of the month was mutant. Who did you trust?

All the side talk hushed up when the X-men arrived. The former normal students were now outcasts, criticized for their differences. All eyes were on them, especially Kurt, whose tail, which was normally confined, was out and about behind him. He held onto the straps of his backpack, looking at people's hostile eyes towards him. He looked down at his two toed foot, counting the seconds until he could go back home, and be safe. Suddenly he felt Kitty's touch on his three fingered hand, he looked up at her, and let go of the backpack strap to get a better hold on her hand. She smiled at him.

"I'm proud of you." Kitty told him.

Kurt smiled. He was about to say something, when something cold and wet hit the back of his head. Kurt reached to see what it was. It was a tomato. Kurt wiped off the remains, while the crowd laughed at him. Evan looked at the crowed with anger, when Scott put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Ride it out Evan." Scott told him.

"Yeah, sure!" Evan said quickly, and continued on.

Kitty helped Kurt get the seeds out of his hair, and sprayed some hair cleaner at the spot to get the smell out.

"Zanks Kitty." Kurt said.

"No problem." Kitty told him. She looked up, and saw Jean talking to Duncan. "Quick let's get a closer look!"

Kitty ran up ahead, and Kurt was about to follow, when someone grabbed him from behind. It was the three guys from last night, and they looked angry.

"We told you Bayville doesn't want you!" One of the boys said, as the punched Kurt in the stomach.

Kurt took to blow. It hurt, but he was used to this kind of thing. Training exercises in the danger room had taught him how to take a beating. He closed his eyes and imagined that's what this was, just another training exercise.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Scott shouted.

"Yeah, back off!" Rouge pitched in.

"Alright, protect your little freak." One of the vandals said. Kurt dropped to the ground.

"Oh Kurt." Kitty said. She came over to help Kurt up. Kurt brushed her away.

"I can do it." Kurt said. He got up, bringing his right leg forward for support, then bending up right. He let out a breath that he realized he was holding in, "Vell, first one of the day. It can only get better from here." Kurt joked. "Come on, let's get to class. Don't want to be late now do ve?"

o0o

Kurt went through his day with varying degrees of success. There was always the staring. He got more eyes glancing his way then the teacher did. The teachers also were not helping. Whenever he entered a classroom, they always asked who he was, and would reply, "Kurt Wagner." This always got a strange look from the teacher.

Now it was lunch period. Kurt sat at the usual table with Jean, Rouge, Evan, and Kitty. Kurt looked around the table, then around the lunchroom.

"Vhere's Scott?" Kurt asked.

Everyone looked around, then Kitty said, "Oh, he went outside. Something about getting some fresh air."

Kurt looked outside the window, which looked out onto the football field. He saw Scott, and then he saw Duncan Matthews running towards him with two of his cronies.

"Oh no!" Kurt said, as he set down his tray at the table, and ran towards the exit. Kitty also looked outside, and ran with Kurt, as did Rouge. Evan and Jean stayed behind to not over exaggerate the problem. Kurt made it to the exit, but the door was blocked by some other football players, and other sport team players.

"Excuse us." Kitty said as she made her way to the door.

"No can do. Duncan needs his privacy." One of the players said.

The urge to use their powers was over whelming, but they kept their cool.

"Alright. Zis vay zen!" Kurt started to run towards the other door, when the sports players ran after him, leaving the door unguarded, allowing Kitty and Rouge to sneak through.

Kurt laughed; he then turned a corner, and hid in the shadows. Blending into the dark was not a mutant power, anyone could do it, but these guys could never find him. They all then went back to their place by the door.

Kitty and Rouge managed to break up the fight, and Scott joined the others at lunch.

"So, how's everyone been doing?" Scott asked, a little sarcastically.

"Principal Kelly is demanding I give back my MVP award, due to me 'using my powers on the field'." Jean told everyone sadly.

"That's not fair! You earned that award!" Kitty told Jean.

"I vas told how the Germans are directly responsible for all the vorld's misery." Kurt told the table.

"That's discrimination based on your nationality. You should file a complaint." Scott told Kurt.

"Ja, but to who?" Kurt asked.

Everyone looked down.

"There's no one we can turn to with our complaints, is there?" Kitty asked.

"Now wait everyone. The school board might rule in favor of us. Then we can tell them about this." Jean told them.

"Yeah, that means we'll have to keep going here. Whopdeedo." Evan said sarcastically.

"No matter which way they vote its bad news." Rouge said.

"Vell, might as vell make ze best of it. Come on, we're going to be late for class." Kurt told everyone.

"Kurt, how can you remain so positive? I mean, out of all of us, you have the most right to complain." Evan asked him.

"Because, I have been through zis persecution before, and zis kind of harassment is not that bad compared to my ozer experiences. So, you could say, I'm just used to it." Kurt smiled at his friends.

"You're right Kurt. Come on everybody. Let's go through today with the attitude, 'it could be worse.' Scott commented.

Everyone agreed, picked up their stuff, and headed to face the rest of their day.

o0o

After the day was done, Kurt teleported back to the mansion when no one was around. Kitty, and the others walked back home. When Kitty arrived down to the sublevels, she heard something far down the corridor, inside where the old hanger bay used to be. The X-men set up a little privacy room, which only one person at a time could use. Kitty heard sobs coming from inside the room. She walked in, and saw Kurt sitting in the middle of the room, holding his knees close to his chest. Kurt looked up, and saw Kitty, and immediately tried to look casual.

"Oh, um, hi Kitty." Kurt faked smiled. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, and his smile trembled.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Kitty asked.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong." Kurt tried to hide.

Kitty crawled over to him, in the small space, and hugged him. He finally let his tears flow.

"I didn't vant you to see me like zis. I vanted to be the one that everyone else could depend on during this hard time to stay happy and positive." Kurt said in between sobs.

"Kurt, that's too much for you to bear." Kitty told him.

"Ven I vas in Germany, I vas often feared. I vas hidden avay, and couldn't go outside. Of course I did go out. I vanted to see ze vorld. Ze world didn't vant to see me. They chased me. Zat's ven the Professor found me, and brought me here. All the experience in the vorld could not prepare anyone to be persecuted again. To be feared again." Kurt allowed himself to vent his emotions to Kitty.

"Kurt, I don't have any easy answers, but we will get through this." Kitty said looking at Kurt, "We will endure this burden, how can we not? We're going to keep going to school, until they no longer look at you with fear, but with jealousy, that they can't be as beautiful as you."

Kurt looked at her, and smiled.

"Zanks Kitty. I don't know what I vould do vithout you." Kurt told her.

"Probably not get in trouble as often." Kitty joked.

Kurt laughed a little.

"Now, are you ready to go to the board meeting?" Kitty asked.

"Ja, I zink so."

o0o

Kurt and Jean arrived at the board meeting with the Professor, and entered to auditorium. All eyes went to them, especially to Kurt. There was whispering, and some odd looks thrown his direction. Kurt took it all in with stride. They took their seats.

"Are you alright Kurt?" Jean asked Kurt.

"I'm just thinking of my happy place with the Alpine Roses in my backyard." Kurt said to Jean.

"Oh?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, my mother and I would plant zem, and care for zen every summer. In fact, the past few years, I haven't been home to see zem grow, but she alvays sends me one of zem from our garden through the mail ven zey start blooming." Kurt said.

"Oh, that sounds lovely Kurt." Jean smiled at him.

"Ja, it is." Kurt told her.

"Excuse me, you two. The board would like a mutant student to speak on behalf of your mutant classmates. I would like you two to speak." The Professor told them.

"You vant us to speak?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, if you would please. No one could lend more weight to your cause then you can." The Professor told them.

"Vell, vat do you say Jean? Vant to talk vith the old fuzzy dude?" Kurt asked.

"Let's do it Mr. Wagner. Where are the others?" Jean asked the Professor.

"I'm sure they're on their way." The Professor told them.

After waiting for twenty minutes for their teammates to arrive, Kurt and Jean made their way up to the podium.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jean Grey."

"And I'm Kurt Vagner, and ve are mutants."

"We know that a lot has changed in your lives over the past few weeks."

"A race of human beings, previously unknown has made zeir presence known."

"We have come here, not to tell you to think of past events, or famous civil rights leaders."

"Ve have come to tell you to zink of your children, and their children."

"It is possible that one of them will have an advanced X-gene, and they will be branded as a mutant."

"But, vat vill zis mean for zeir future. A mutation can range from something as simple as a change in hair color, to looking like me."

"Mutation is not a sickness that can be cured, or eliminated with a vaccine, it's a part of who we are, and will be in the future."

"Zough some of us may look different, think different, or even live different, zat is no reason to fear us."

"We are part of this world, and your children's future can be a little bit brighter by how you vote tonight."

"By allowing mutants to attend public school. Zank you."

After they finished, there was no noise, but a silence. Kurt and Jean looked at each other, and then back at the crowd.

Suddenly, someone stood up, and started clapping, everyone else joined in. A few remained stoic, including Principal Kelly, but it was clear, the mutants had the majority. Kurt and Jean smiled at one another, and stepped off the stage. A few wanted to shake Kurt and Jean's hands, which they accepted.

Then the ground started to shake.

"Oh no, Avalanche." Kurt told Jean. They ran outside, and saw their four friends fighting the Brotherhood.

Kurt saw some people falling down, and part of the building's concrete wall coming lose and falling towards them. Kurt teleported and saved them. Jean used her powers to stop a car from hitting an elderly couple. The X-men then gathered together, and the Brotherhood retreated.

"Not exactly the impression we were looking to make." Jean told her teammates.

Principal Kelly spoke up, and went to the board.

"See, mutants are uncontrollable. This is what's in store for our school!" He told the board members.

"Kelly, enough, or we'll have you removed." The superintendent told him, "We'll vote on this back at the district offices, and call you in the morning Charles." He told Professor Xavier.

"Thank you Stanley." The Professor told him.

After everyone had gone, the X-men went home, back to their hole in the ground, and went to bed.

o0o

In the morning, everyone sulked as they went down to sublevel seven. Logan was confused.

"Is there a funeral I don't know about?" Logan asked.

"You could say that, we dug our own graves last night." Scott told him.

A confused Logan continued on.

Down at the meeting hall, the Professor approached the table.

"Before I announce the board's ruling, I just want to say how proud I am of all of you." The Professor told his students.

"Yeah, we know. It doesn't take a genius to know how they voted." Evan said.

"You saved their lives. Jean and Kurt moved them with their sincerity, and in light of this, they have agreed to welcome your back." The Professor happily told his students.

"Figured as much." Evan said.

"Sorry Professor, it's more of good news, bad news type thing." Jean told her instructor.

"I know this will not be easy for you, but for whatever reason you have been chosen to blaze a path for all mutants. I have always been amazed of what can be built in the ashes of tragedy, and through all this, the X-men will endure."

Well, there's my one-shot, what did you guys think? Review and tell me! Sorry if I got some of the lines wrong, I tried my best!

R&R!