As was his habit, Nightcrawler lay perfectly still for the first few moments after sleep retreated from his mind and listened to the movements of his fellow travelers. He loathed being in a situation he was totally unprepared for and oriented on the sounds that four sets of legs were making. He sat up and came nose-to-navel with the owner of the fifth set. Jimaine Szardos stood over him and the expression on her face did not bode well.

"Good morning to you," he yawned, stretching. Jimaine waited until he'd gotten to his feet before she delivered her good morning. The slap that connected with the side of his face caught him totally off-guard and sent Kurt Darkholme stumbling back a few steps.

"<Burn in hell, you lying bastard!>" she hissed at him in German before turning her back and going to stand beside Catseye. Everyone else, even Wisdom, had averted their eyes during the exchange. Catseye had watched the whole thing, purring under her breath.

Kurt didn't bother rubbing his throbbing cheek, but directed a thought towards the huge black man talking to Pete Wisdom.

*You told her, then.*

*Damn right I did, and if I'd bothered to eavesdrop on the two of you last night, I would have let her in on the truth behind you story before you had a chance to fuck with her emotions.*

Kurt cursed to himself while Arron's telepathic berating continued.

*Yes, you have reasons to curse. After that string of lies you tried to feed us last night, I thought it would be a good idea to shuffle around through the rest of your mind as you slept.*

"You had no right-!" Heads turned as Kurt snarled out loud, but he didn't notice.

*That depends on who you ask.* Arron cut off his protest before it could even fully develop. *Ask anyone else here, and I'm sure they'll agree I had every right to make sure you weren't a threat. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone about the personal shit I found in there, though I daresay Jimaine would be interested. And I did verify how much of your story was true. Just enough that Pete decided we weren't better off putting a hot-knife through your head and leaving you here.*

*How generous of him.*

*Catseye thought that we could spare a few hours from our traveling to make sure you died slowly for every lie you told about Avalon's downfall . Be glad that Meggan didn't think you were worth that bother.*

Kurt declined to answer and simply waited for the group to start walking.

*Just remember this, Darkholme: you're not one of us. You're just a stray tagging along for the trip. If you get in trouble, you're on your own.*

*So what exactly has changed?*

This time, Arron kept silent.

Despite her close proximity to Catseye, Nightcrawler managed to get a few words in with Jimaine when the group stopped for a short rest around mid-day.

"Greetings, fraulein."

"<You have some nerve,>" she snapped at him. "<Why don't you go away? Go ruin the view for someone else.>"

"What view? All I see are ruined buildings."

The sorceress started to answer, but stopped herself and simply looked away.

"You can play the role of the besmirched maiden and hide behind your language if you wish, Szardos. But if I recall last night correctly, I was not the one speaking of 'the gift of each other's bodies' or any other rubbish in that vein."

Jimaine's eyes flashed cold fire at him. "You were not the one speaking of trust, either! I trusted you..."

"Then you were naive or desperate or both. You instigated that tryst and now you're mad about making a mistake. Fine. Be angry, but admit that you're to blame for at least half of what happened."

While he'd spoken, Kurt had noticed a change in Jimaine's posture and attitude. The fury had melted away, leaving only calm.

"I know how to handle the consequences of my actions, Herr Darkholme. And I know what blame lies with me. But don't think that it lessens what you did." She stood and brushed dust and gravel off of her cloak. "I can't expect you to realize how much family can mean when you have none, so telling you how much those people that you thought nothing of lying about meant to some of us would be pointless.

"Telling you how my heart bled for Sharon when you said that it was Cain Marko, the man who showed her that she was more than an animal, that brought Destiny to her end would be a waste, as would trying to describe the rage she must feel now that she knows it to be a lie created so that you would have a better chance of not being left behind.

"Explaining how Arron must feel, not knowing if his daughter or brother are even still alive after the attack, would just be words to you.

"So maybe you're right after all. Maybe all of my anger should be directed at myself for being naive enough to believe that there was something within you worth reaching." She stopped suddenly and turned towards Arron and the others, showing that she had received a mental communication from the muscular telepath. Without another word or glance at Kurt Darkholme, she set off, following in her companion's footsteps.

After a few seconds, the blue-furred teleporter set off after them. The fact that he had only approached Jimaine to apologize had been totally forgotten.

To be continued in part twelve...