Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Dämon »

Danke! I hope you resolve those ecclesiastical issues (I had to look that one up! Nice!) VERY VERY SOON!!!!! In the mean time, I'll just re-read everything...I would hate to forget something!
:read
"I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know." -J.R.R. Tolkein
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Elfdame »

Oh, hooray! Hooray! More of my favourite Kurt story coming in future (Lord willing and the creek don't rise)!

Excommunication ... hmm ... Lawd have me'cy, what is that child gonna get up to now?

I'd better immerse myself in Script Frenzy so I won't go crazy(crazier) waiting for the sequel.
"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton." From Chapter 9 of _Brother Odd_ by Dean Koontz / from Chapter 10: "Life you can evade; death you cannot."

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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Saint Kurt »

Apparently Christian is a real person and living in Australia.

modified by aliens

Who knew?

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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Dämon »

:hypno Oh my GOD!!! Dude! Imagine how many times he must have fallen before he got those moves down? Sheisse! Still waiting for an update....:die<- isn't he too cute?
"I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know." -J.R.R. Tolkein
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Saint Kurt »

I try to always keep my promises. :)

Because I'm about to start posting new stuff again, I thought I'd start with this:


I know that a lot has gone on and there are a lot of original characters to keep track of. Not to mention that the last actual chapter post was made in 2006. So just to make life a little easier, here is an easy solution to the question – Who are these people and what have they been up to?


Trapeze (Sweden): This is the family trapeze troupe that Kurt performs with. He is at present the only non-Olsson member of Licka pa Himmelen

Nils and Sven Olsson: They are brothers who grew up performing in Russia. They were former Olympic gymnasts and now are the porters (or catchers).
Papa and Annika Olsson: Husband and Wife (lead coaches and no longer performing)
Lars and Petra Olsson: Children of Papa and Annika. (They are 2nd cousins to Nils and Sven and along with Kurt, they are the 3 main flyers for the troupe.)


Kurt Wagner's relations and friends:
*Kurt Wagner (Germany)/ Nightcrawler: Well, the whole story is about him… He's had some adventures away from the circus again. After mistakenly attempting to defend himself from a group of American tourists Kurt runs away to France to find his brother. While in Paris he visits Notre Dame, does an impromptu performance in the park, and visits the Lourve where he sees an old familiar face in a painting. He and Stephani return to the circus by train.

*Margali Szardos (German/Hungarian): Kurt's adopted mother. Once the undisputed matriarch of the circus, she is much less involved in the business of running it.
*Amanda Szardos (German/Irish): Margali's daughter and Stephani's half sister. She, Brin, and Maria are all good friends and it appears that she has a crush on Christian.
*Stephani Szardos (German/Italian): Margali's son and Amanda's half brother. He hasn't lived with the circus since he was twelve. Stephani is living in Paris and studying at the Sorbonne.

Hans Dietritch (German): Priest and the sole pastor of St. Stephan's Catholic Church outside of Hamburg Germany. At the moment the circus is parked in the field below the rectory.

*Azazel (?): Kurt's father who has big plans for his son. Kurt worked pretty hard to make sure Azazel stays out of the picture in Even Angels Have Scars.

Martruska Szardos (Hungarian): Margali's sister and a gypsy sorceress who still believes in the "old ways". She helped Kurt solve his "Azazel problem".

Additional Performers:
Lysette (France): Once a performer with the circus, she switched to their costume design. She does not live with the circus, but travels to them when they need her.

Wolfgang Wagner (Austrian): Circus Manager, writer, painter, jack of all trades. He hasn't really been himself lately. He severely scolded Kurt after the incident with the tourists and has begun talking about "mutant conspiracies" and a girl named Nina.
Maria Castellano (Italian): Wolfgang's girlfriend from NYU. Shortly before their graduation, Wolfgang promised to marry her "in a year". That was nearly five years ago. Maria is a very smart and independent woman so Wolfgang is concerned she might not want to wait around forever.

James Brown (American): Composer, keyboards, band leader. James was brought to Europe by Wolfgang to write new music for the circus. At the moment however, he is struggling to plan his own wedding to his long time girlfriend Brin.
Brianna Taggert (American): dance choreographer. Brin arrived shortly after James and the two of them live together. She is a bit high strung, but very excited about her upcoming wedding, even if James did commission a wedding dress for her as "a surprise".

Christian Alexander (American): Bicycle tricks. Christian came to Germany from California were he was a competitor on the BMX bike circuit who couldn't win a single contest. Wolfgang saw him performing on the streets of Berlin and invited him to join them. Christian is the closest thing Circus Gehlharr has to a clown. Christian lives in the Szardos' trailer with Margali, Kurt, and Amanda but at the moment he is away as well - traveling around Berlin with some old friends from the U.S.





* Character comes from the Marvel X-Men Universe
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Elfdame »

Oh, be still my beating heart. I have been soooooo looking forward to more!

I still go back and read parts of "Even Angels" when I need a good Nighty fix. And hubby knows you are referred to as "The girl [okay, I've never been politically correct] who wrote the best fanfic ever."

Erm, no pressure, of course, since unlike me, *you* actually have a life!
"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton." From Chapter 9 of _Brother Odd_ by Dean Koontz / from Chapter 10: "Life you can evade; death you cannot."

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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Saint Kurt »

I actually had stuff complete about a week ago, but I wanted to make sure I liked it and that it fit into the writing style etc. of the previous stuff. And "best fanfic"? I don't know about that. Longest I think I have nailed for sure though.

Anyway, here is the first new chapter.


Journey's End


"The confession is over until I have an explanation."


Kurt and Stephani stayed off the main roads and stuck to wooded paths. In that way, it almost felt like one of their childhood adventures. Stephani had found a good straight branch and was using it like a walking stick, swinging it forward with each one of his long strides. Kurt walked a little a head of him, picking out the path with his sharp eyes in the early morning light as easily as if it were mid-afternoon.

"The train station is a lot further from Father Dietrich's than I remember," Kurt said.

"We always had someone to pick us up," Stephani said. "And you were always pretending to be asleep the whole time anyway."

"Oh, yeah. That's right," Kurt conceded. They were silent for a long time after that, the only sound that of their footsteps on paths that alternated between packed dirt and concrete depending on how populated the neighborhood was.

"Do you want me to jump us again?" Kurt asked when they reached a clearing where they could see well ahead of them.

Stephani shrugged. "Sure. It's a lot faster. You're not tired from before?" he asked, referring to how a mile or so back when Kurt, too tired to continue, had accidentally teleported them in place.

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm fine now. Ready?" He slid his arms out of his rucksack and dropped it on the ground.

Stephani nodded, putting his backpack besides Kurt's. Kurt had discovered this was the easiest way to keep track of everything since himself and another person plus the luggage was a lot to teleport with. The two of them stood over their bags, as close together as they could. Kurt focused on the horizon.

There was a loud crack that seemed to come almost from within their ears, and they were standing about a mile from where they started.

"It looks like I've got room to do a couple more," Kurt said, looking at the landscape of gently rolling hills ahead of them. Obediently Stephani leaned in, putting his arms around Kurt's shoulders.

"You're the first person I've met who isn't bothered by this," Kurt said.

"Well, you're ugly, but we are brothers. I don't mind giving you a hug once and a while," Stephani quipped with a grin.

"No, I'm serious," Kurt said, "Everyone else gets sick, especially if they've never done it. And the one time I took Wolfgang twice in a row, he passed out."

Stephani shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "It's weird, but it doesn't really bother me all that much. It's like being momentarily car sick and then it goes away."

Kurt stepped back and scratched his head. "I don't get it."

"Well, don't knock it. Think about how long it would be taking us to walk all this way," Stephani said.

"True. But, doesn't it seem strange to you? I mean, everybody else…"

"I don't know why, Kurt," Stephani interrupted him irritably. "It just doesn't bother me. We're not going to figure it out standing here anyway. The person you want to ask is mom anyway; she knows about all this supernatural stuff."

Kurt nodded. "I guess you're right," he said. He stepped back into position over their packs and put his arms around Stephani's shoulders as Stephani did the same to him. "Ready? We're almost there now."

Stephani nodded. "Let's go home," he said and suddenly in front of them, the lights of St. Stephen's Chapel could be seen on its tiny hill, just a short distance ahead. Below it, spread out over the open field that the circus had rented so many times was a small city of tents and trailers.

It did look like home.

Stephani stopped. "My God, it hasn't changed," he said. "It's exactly like I remember it."

"It hasn't been that long," Kurt said.

"It's been long enough," Stephani. "Long enough that it looks good to be back."

Shouldering their packs, the two of them started down the hill, both ready for the journey to be over.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Father Dietrich sat in the cramped interior of St. Stephen's confessional booth with his hands folded in his lap. He normally waited out in the nave when he wasn't needed, but that morning he had been listening to a steady stream of confessions in Romanian, Russian, and German so he didn't bother to leave his seat. Listening to confessions in such a variety of languages was always a signal to him that the circus was indeed, in town.

The Wollecks, the Circus Gehlhaar's tightwire troupe, were all Roman Catholic, Romania's second largest religious affiliation and by far the largest single family unit in the circus. They seemed to be getting even larger as well since every year or two they produced a baby for him to baptize. Father Dietrich had been quite pleased when the Wolleck's joined Circus Gehlhaar because it at last allowed Kurt to live in a community of Catholics, something that had been missing from his life until then.

The other sign that the circus was in town was, of course, a visit from Kurt and so it seemed strange that that hadn't happened yet. Then again he had his meeting with Margali to ponder over. Father Dietrich still wasn't quite sure what she was trying to tell him. He didn't feel right dismissing her ideas as heretical as he had always respected her as a friend and as a good mother to her children, but it bothered him somewhat that it seemed that Kurt had become involved in activities that that could only be described as occult. It bothered him even more that Margali seemed to condone and possibly could have encouraged these activities.

Father Dietrich frowned. He wished he could just talk to Kurt. He wanted to understand what Margali meant by, "Kurt's permanent record needed to be changed. His lines weren't valid anymore." They had spoken for almost an hour after she'd made this baffling pronouncement and he still didn't feel like he was any closer to understanding what was going on. Actually he was rather horrified by what Margali had told him. She'd tried to present it as a sort of "coming of age ritual", but to Father Dietrich it sounded like Margali's sister had held Kurt captive in the woods and forced him to mutilate himself under the pretense that it would hide his fate from the supernatural. And what was worse, it seemed that Kurt had volunteered.

It was a mortal sin, breaking the first commandment, not to mention practicing what sounded to him like witchcraft. Surely he'd taught Kurt better than that. And yet it seemed he clearly hadn't. Father Dietrich shut his eyes against the tears that threatened to break free and slide down his cheeks. It broke his heart just thinking about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Brin stood before the mirror, her arms at her sides, not saying a word, her face inscrutable. She turned around, looking at the back and shifted the fabric a bit, watching the layers fall back around her tiny feet. Then she shifted the dress from side to side a bit as though testing its fit before finally attempting a full spin to watch the petal like layers of satin flare out evenly. She stopped and looked straight on in the mirror again.

"It's…" James started to say, but both Maria and Lysette shushed him in unison.

Brin went through the whole sequence twice more before finally turning around, grinning.

"I love it." She announced.

James let out the breath he'd been holding and Maria grabbed his arm just incase he went down.

"I love it! I love it! I love it!" Brin said running over to hug James, smothering him with kisses. "How did you know? How did you know it would be exactly what I wanted? I was so afraid it would look like Kurt's clothes."

Lysette scoffed. "I make Kurt his clothes from scrap box. You think I make wedding dress from scrap? I go to couture sewing school in Paris after I leave circus. Work at atelier. I know what looks beautiful on pretty girls." she said dismissively, waving an arm at Brin.

Brin laughed. "I was so worried," she said breathlessly.

"Me too," James said.

"So we have a happy ending then?" Maria asked. She sounded ready to move onto the next crisis.

Brin's face fell comically. "Not yet. We still have to get married," she said.



Kurt and Stephani had reached, as it were, a crossroads. In one direction lay the neat rows of trailers and tents that was their living quarters and in the opposite, the front door of St. Stephens.

"I'm going to go in," Kurt said, "to the church." He nodded in its direction.

Stephani smiled, nodded in understanding and turned, re-shouldering his pack for the last leg of journey to the living quarters below them.

The interior of the church was dark, cool, and familiar. Kurt could smell centuries of incense smoke that had settled indelibly to every tapestry, the wood of the pews, and even the stone itself. He genuflected towards the tabernacle and then considered what to do next.

Kurt normally climbed the narrow spiral staircase into the choir loft above, but when the church was empty, he might even sit in the nave. A murmured voice told Kurt the church was not empty however and he pulled his hood up quickly. The sound had come from the direction of the tiny wooden confessional in the far corner and Kurt saw the light was on above it.

So. This was his chance. His chance to explain everything to Father Dietrich – the reason he'd left so abruptly, the results of his journey with Azazel through … well, he still wasn't sure where he'd walked through, not to mention his idiotic behavior on the last night of their show. Kurt sighed. Not only would he be here for hours, he wasn't sure if everything he'd done necessarily warranted absolution. It seemed suddenly that world might be more complex than simply sins and forgiveness.

Still, he had to at least try.

Silent as a cat, Kurt padded across the floor, set down his rucksack and knelt opposite the priest's enclosure. If he was lucky, this was one of the days when one of the other local parish priests came to St. Stephen's to hear confessions. It would be so much easier if what he had to tell just came across as the mindless and varied wanderings of a deluded young man instead of how they would have sounded to Father Dietrich, who had been there.

"Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been …" He wasn't sure. Months. Months at least since he'd last confessed. Kurt took a deep breath, "too long since my last confession."

Then Kurt didn’t wait. He launched into it quickly, too afraid he'd lose his nerve.

"I've sinned in both word and deed," he began. "First, I committed violence and then I ran away from the circus without telling anyone. And I stole passage on a train, but only because I didn't have any money and even if I did I don't think I could have bought a ticket. Also, I broke into a library in the middle of the night. And also my brother's apartment, but I didn't steal anything." Kurt paused. Those were the easy ones. Taking another moment to collect his thoughts, he began again, this time with the much more difficult aspect of what he had to confess, "And before that I … Before that I left … uh," Kurt faltered.

Now that he was trying to say it all aloud, it was more awkward than he thought it would be. Did he explain about Azazel? About learning he could teleport? Or did he jump right into the really juicy sins of self mutilation and participating in occult magic? Would they be any less sinful if he claimed a reason for it?

Then again, wasn't what he had done rooted in his desire to seek God and be free of evil influences? Had not Martruska's magic involved the various choirs of God's own Angels? Azazel was certainly no Michael or Gabriel, but wasn't he still technically, an angel? Was there a way that it could be explained not as an act of defiance, but an act of faith?

He was still deliberating these finer points when a voice came from the other side of the screen.

"Kurt?" It was Father Dietrich's voice.

"Yes?" Kurt cringed inwardly. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted and was suddenly glad for the screen.

Despite his momentary revelation that maybe all this had not been in vain, Kurt had never so much felt like a freak as he did right now, sitting in the church where he'd been baptized, his face decorated with magical symbols that he'd … put there. It seemed to defy explanation and for the first time it occurred to him. 'Was this grounds for excommunication?' Kurt wished he'd thought of that before he agreed to Martuska's plan.

"Where have you been?" Father Dietrich sounded angry on the other side of the screen; speaking as though he was scolding a small child.

"I've …" Kurt wasn't expecting this. He'd never been interrupted during a confession before. Before he could try to explain, he was interrupted again.

"Do you have any idea how worried everyone is?"

"Well, I …" Kurt hadn't really considered that when he'd left. At the time it seemed that he wasn't exactly wanted or needed and that leaving without telling anyone, while an inconvenience, wouldn't be looked upon with concern.

"Not to mention how concerned I've been," Father Dietrich continued, "They way you left last summer… Everybody stopping by asking where you are… And what's this Margali has been telling me about you dabbling in black magic?"

"I wasn't …" Kurt started to say.

"I want you to go to the rectory and wait there. I'll meet you in a few minutes, as soon as lock up in here."

Kurt jumped. This wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. "But… Father, my confession!"

"The confession is over until I have an explanation." Kurt jumped back in surprise as the panel on the other side of the screen slammed shut. He sat for a moment pondering what to do and then finally, without a word, he gathered up his things and left the church.
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Dämon »

:shakeno Oh my, this isn't going to turn out very well is it? THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!! Yay! I'm away for a while, but I hope to see an update when I return! Oh, and "Best fan fic"? Pfft! Hands down, mate!
"I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know." -J.R.R. Tolkein
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Elfdame »

Best in my opinion, okay? On the other hand, I am known in my writers' club as "The one who enjoys Grisham and comics," so you are now officially protected from getting a swelled head. :whistle

Interesting about Stephani. I am now rabidly curious as to what this infers about Stephani's parentage. Or something. I'll be staying tuned, b/c I have questions about this in my own fanfic.

Thanks, Em, for posting more of the saga. You rock, er, RAWK in the realm of Crawlerfic. I stand ready to have my heart broken by further developments.
"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton." From Chapter 9 of _Brother Odd_ by Dean Koontz / from Chapter 10: "Life you can evade; death you cannot."

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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Saint Kurt »

There is a whole 'nuther ... Volume? Book? Tome? outlined after Until Death Do Us Part that is called Ceremony of Innocence. Just like nothing happened in the first story without being resolved, nothing happens in this one without resolution. And all of the unresolved threads from the first and second stories are resolved in the third.

So, Stephani IS important. As are all the other characters. :)

Thanks for reading.
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Pledged to Victory

Post by Saint Kurt »

" I will never hide again."


Kurt sat in the little garden looking at the flowers he'd helped plant. It seemed like he spent more time in this garden in moonlight than he did in sunlight. Yet that seemed appropriate somehow; the smooth alabaster stone of the Virgin Mary statue taking on a pale bluish hue while the plants surrounding her took on an aura of shadowed mystery. It recalled the garden at Gesthemene, except he wasn't alone; the Virgin Mother was there, keeping watch over him and her flowers. Kurt pulled his rosary from his pocket, running the beads through his fingers thoughtfully.

So he had returned, but to what end? He couldn't even tell his friends from his foes anymore. He had gone to Paris with questions and he had come back with even more of them. He was so tired of hiding, especially when he no longer knew who to hide from.

Kurt had not gone to the rectory as Father Dietrich had told him to. He hadn't even bothered to drop his rucksack off at the family's caravan. It was clear he had misjudged everything and everyone. He had returned, only to find things just as confusing as they had been when he had left. So now he sat, having arrived, but not truly having returned.

Kurt sighed and then brought his rosary to his forehead, making the sign of the cross and then beginning the Apostle's Creed.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth. And in …"

Then he paused. There was a strange light in the distance, a tiny point of light bouncing in the darkness. It was too bright to be a flashlight and the way it was moving was like nothing he had ever seen. Kurt frowned. It seemed to be getting closer but it was hard to tell.

"…And in Jesus Christ, His only son, Our Lord. Who was conceived by the power of the Holy …"

It was getting closer.

Kurt stood up, kissing the rosary quickly before shoving it back in his pocket. He could pray later. He watched the light come closer and closer, spreading out into a wide cone illuminating the grass as it bounced and hopped towards him. Not sure whether he wanted to face whatever it was that was coming, Kurt went to crouch behind the statue. He held his breath squinting his eyes as he tried to make out what it could be.

Then, like a picture coming into focus, Kurt understood what it was. He stood up and waved.

"Christian!"

The cyclist swerved and altered his path at the sound of Kurt's voice. A moment or two later he was skidding to a stop in front of him. Kurt was so happy to see Christian that for a moment he forgot that the last time they had seen each other was on the path on that horrible night before he had left. Remembering it, he wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"Well, I decided to come back," Christian said, shaking bangs that were damp with sweat out of his eyes.

Kurt was confused. He wasn't aware that Christian had left. He stared at the ground and swallowed hard.

"Oh, did you leave because of what I… Because I was…" he began awkwardly but he couldn't say it. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what happened… to…" But then Kurt realized he didn't even know their names.

To Kurt's surprise Christian started laughing.

"That's not why I left," he said, "I left because I thought I could get a better gig, you know, maybe go back to the states. It didn't work out." Christian shifted back and forth on the pedals for a moment and Kurt realized that he was feeling equally awkward.

Kurt smiled too, relieved that he wasn't the cause of Christian's unexpected departure along with all the other trouble he'd caused. He nodded. "Why not?" He asked.

Christian hopped off the bike and waved the question away. "Dude, you don't even want to know. All I know is I was in Berlin and I missed you guys."

"Did you bike here from Berlin?" Kurt asked incredulously.

"No way could I have done that, dude. That so would have sucked. I took the train and biked from the station."

Kurt laughed, realizing how much he'd missed the little things about the circus, like hearing Chris' weird American slang translated into German. "I missed you too," he said, "and I really am sorry about what happened before, to your friends I mean."

Christian dropped his bike and grabbed Kurt in a sweaty hug, mussing up his hair with one hand. "Totally don't worry about it". He let Kurt go and looked around. "They turned out to be less fun than I remembered. What are you doing out here all alone anyway?" he asked.

Kurt sighed. "Got an hour?" he asked. "It's a long story."

Christian shrugged and sat down at the edge of the garden, offering Kurt a Power Bar and a bottle of water.

Kurt shook his head and sat down, understanding that the offering meant that Christian had as long as it was going to take. So he began telling Christian about his trip, about visiting the museum, and finding Stephani and their trip to the library together. But most of all he told Christian about the reasons he went to Paris, because he knew that Christian, maybe more than most understood what had happened in Brighton. That the most frightening part hadn't been being attacked, it had been all the things that had happened afterwards. He told Christian all the things he was afraid to tell Father Dietrich. To his surprise, Christian remained silent the whole time, listening intently and not cracking a single joke.

"I'm so tired of hiding," Kurt said when he was done, "of not knowing who to hide from, of everybody trying to protect me all the time, but from what? I'm so tired of always having questions."

"So, did going to Paris help?" Christian asked, still chewing on the last of the Power Bar.

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm even more confused than before." He didn't even want to tell Christian what he and Stephani had found on the train; that just made things worse, especially after the way Wolfgang had behaved the night he left. Kurt could feel his eyes welling up with tears. He shut them and turned away from Christian, wiping them hard with the back of his hand.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore," Kurt said. "As long as I'm performing, I'm safe, but then what? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to live?" He stared at Christian questioningly.

Christian was silent for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know," he said at last, "I didn't even want to take German. I wanted to take Spanish."

Kurt said nothing. He was not even sure what Christian meant or how this statement had anything to do with his trip to Paris, his situation now, or anything else for that matter. He wondered for a moment if Christian was even the right person to talk about this with. He had listened, but now it was very possible that he would just turn it into one of his jokes and that would be it. He'd be left with the same questions.

"In high school, all my friends were in Spanish class, but my freshman year they did the class registration in reverse alphabetical order so I went last and Spanish was full." Christian explained matter-of-factly, as though Kurt dealt with the minutiae of the California public school system every day.

"I had to take a language if I wanted to get into college. So I could take French or German, but French sounds so feminine. All that 'Bonjour Mademoiselle!' stuff. I didn't want to sound like a girl. But German, German sounds so tough you know? I didn't know I'd be good at it. I didn't know I'd do all that foreign exchange, and study abroad stuff. I had no idea I was going to live in Berlin or join a circus. I just didn't want to take French in high school!"

Kurt was baffled. He'd never thought of German as particularly tough or French as a female language. He'd grown up with both and … they were just languages. He opened his mouth to speak, not sure what he was going to say, but fairly certain he was supposed to say something. Thankfully, Christian was speaking again before Kurt could make a sound.

"And do you know why I ended up in Berlin?" Christian asked, "Do you know why I ended up as a street performer?"

Kurt shook his head.

"I couldn't win any contests on my bike. I trained as hard as everyone else, harder even. And I'd get out there," Christian paused, looking off into an imaginary distance, as though he was watching a film of himself from the past. "I'd get out there," and then shaking his head as though it still baffled him, he said, "and I just wouldn't win. I'd pull all sorts of sick moves, catch major airtime and … the points just didn't rack up. There was always someone else standing on the podium with the prize money, you know?"

Kurt was fairly sure he didn't, but he nodded his head anyway.

"So then my sponsorships started getting pulled and I couldn't scrape together the cash to enter." Christian sighed. "After a while I had to quit."

"So what did you do then?" Kurt asked.

"That's when I came to Germany," Christian said. "At first I tried to compete here, but the competition circuit was so small it wasn't worth it. Yeah I won, but there was no money in it, no sponsorships, nothing. So I was stuck with working as a translator or as a tour guide or something. I tried the tour guide thing, dragging American tourists around Berlin and interpreting for them, but most Germans speak such good English it was hardly necessary. So one day I called in sick and rode my bike around in a public square." Christian's eyes lit up as he remembered it. "And it was so great. Germans hadn't really been exposed to BMX stuff yet, not like the Americans had at least. It was completely new to everyone. I had a huge audience and I made more in tips that day than I normally made in a week. So I quit my job the next day."

"Were you happy when Wolfgang asked you to join us then? Because it was less work than riding around on the street?" Kurt asked, remembering his morning performing in the park in Paris.

Christian opened his mouth to speak and then shut it. He was silent, as though considering what he wanted to say. It was something Kurt wasn't used to seeing. Christian was always the one with the quick one liner, he wasn't known for his contemplative nature, but right now he wasn't joking.

"I made more money as a street performer than I do performing with Circus Gehlhaar," Christian said at last.

"You did? Why didn't you go back then?"

Christian sighed again, pausing and considering. "It's complicated," he said at last, "I didn't go because I wanted to be in the circus, I went because I wanted to be with Wolfgang."

Kurt was confused. "Wolfgang?"

Christian nodded. "When Wolfgang approached me in Berlin, I … I wanted to go be with him," he said.

"What do you mean, 'be with him'?" Kurt asked. It was looking like he wasn't the only one with complications even if he couldn't understand quite what Christian was talking about.

Christian rolled his eyes and suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Look," he said, "I thought he was gay. And I was… and I'm gay. So I thought maybe me and Wolfgang could you know…" Christian trailed off, scanning Kurt's face for a reaction. There wasn't one, just stunned silence.

"It's not bad is it?" Christian asked, "You know because of all the stuff you believe in," He nodded his head towards the church.

Kurt jumped to life realizing that what Christian had just done was confess something to him that hadn't been easy. It wasn't right to just sit there staring no matter how surprising the news. "No," he said quickly, "of course not. But Wolfgang…"

"Has Maria. I know." Christian said with a resigned nod. "But by the time I realized there was no possible way, I was here and I liked it. I liked riding my bike in a circus. I liked YOUR circus." He shrugged. "So I stayed."

"But Amanda?" Kurt said. He was absolutely flabbergasted. He had thought they were a couple. Amanda was always staring at Christian. Talking to him. Dancing with him at the Les Chansons wrap party…

Christian shrugged. "We're friends," he said.

"But I thought the two of you were …", Kurt trailed off. Together? Dating? What? It took him a moment to realize that Christian had NOT danced with Amanda at the party. Kurt hadn't gone to the party. He had imagined them together and now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure what it had looked like to him other than the fact that Amanda paid a lot more attention to Christian than he did to her.

In light of this realization, Kurt couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching up into a small smile when he thought of how Amanda had washed his hair the day he'd returned to the circus in France.

"But why didn't you tell us? No one would have cared."

"Oh." Christian laughed sounding a lot happier than he had a moment ago. "I don't know. I guess… Well, extreme sports is so heterosexual and well, I could tell that whole story about losing all my competitions again only leaving in the part where I got caught in the back of a van with another competitor. Neither of us ever won another contest again. I guess I got used to hiding it."

Kurt laughed. "I know that feeling," he said. It was strange to think that all this time Christian had been hiding too and he'd never known it. It suddenly seemed that disguises came in all forms. "I guess… I guess that's why I'm sitting here instead of with everybody else."

Christian turned away, looking down the hill at the cluster of trailers; at their friends and family who, at this moment were oblivious to their presence.

"So this is it then," Christian said, turning back and straightening after a moment of silent consideration.

"This is what?"

"This is it. We have to make the pledge." Christian held up one hand and gestured for Kurt to do the same. Confused, Kurt slowly raised his hand to mimic Christian's gesture.

"What pledge?" Kurt started to ask, but Christian shushed him and cleared his throat importantly.

Standing like a soldier at attention he began in an authoritative voice, "From this day on," and then paused. Kurt sat there with his mouth open. What were they doing?

"Repeat it," he prompted when Kurt remained silent.

"Repeat?"

"Repeat the pledge," Christian said, rolling his eyes. "From this day on,"

"From this day on," Kurt said.

"I promise never to deny my true nature from those I love and trust."

Kurt laughed, grinning. "I promise never to deny my true nature from those I love and trust."

"I will be true to myself above all else."

"I will be true to myself above all else," Kurt repeated.

"I will never hide again."

"I will never hide again."

Christian laughed as though he couldn't help but relieve the pressure from being so serious for such a long time. "It's done now, Jesus' mom is our witness, we have to do what we promised," he said.

Kurt looked over at the statue of the Blessed Virgin, looking serenely down at her flowerbed, her arms opened as though welcoming them into the tiny garden and it did seem like she had been their witness. Kurt nodded, grinning even wider.

"I can't think of a better one to hold us to our promise," he said and stood up, brushing himself off. "I have some people I need to talk to."

Christian stood as well and brushed himself off. "I could go and unpack," he said. "Is my bunk still open?"

They started walking towards the tiny lit city of trailers and tents, Christian rolling his bike easily along side them.

"I think so," Kurt said.

"Then it's good to be home," Christian said.

Kurt grinned. "Yeah, it is."
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Rowena »

This story is so deeply awesome. I am really happy you've been updating it!!! Thank you! :D
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot

"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.

Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Swizz the Wolf »

I wonder if it's innapropriate for my first post to be the revival of this old thread...but it is such an awesome story. Saint Kurt, I stand in awe of your amazing skills. I hope you update sometime soon. :)
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Dedicatedfollower467 »

SQUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE SEQUEL IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, will come back and comment when I read it....
~Def.
"A dedicated follower of nothing." -- graffitit artist in Brick Lane, London, England.
Right across the lane from the demon and just down the wall from Wolverine.
RIP Kurt Wagner. You were the character who brought in me into comics, who introduced me and inspired me. Now your death has sent me away again. Wherever you are in the Marvel Universe, I hope its someplace pleasant.
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Trigger »

I'd completely forgotten about this story!!! Thanks for dragging it up, I'll very much enjoy re-reading it.
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Dedicatedfollower467 »

Wha??? This story has been here for FOUR YEARS and I never found it?

I need to brush up on my "rooting through the old fanfics" skills!

Still... awesome, awesome job, SK. I loved EAHS.... can't believe that there is a sequel and it's just as good as the original! I am forever in the debt of whoever dragged this up again... this is one of my favorite fan fictions I have ever read, and definitely the best portrayal of movieverse Kurt I have EVER seen. I love the story... have you written any more? Are you planning on writing more any time soon?

And just in case you don't... thanks for the awesome writing. It's truly incredible.

(P.S. What's all this about 'buying our love?' You don't need to buy our love! We love your story! No commenting on our stuff necessary!)
~Def.
"A dedicated follower of nothing." -- graffitit artist in Brick Lane, London, England.
Right across the lane from the demon and just down the wall from Wolverine.
RIP Kurt Wagner. You were the character who brought in me into comics, who introduced me and inspired me. Now your death has sent me away again. Wherever you are in the Marvel Universe, I hope its someplace pleasant.
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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Elfdame »

Have you read "California Dreaming" at fanfiction.net?
"Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton." From Chapter 9 of _Brother Odd_ by Dean Koontz / from Chapter 10: "Life you can evade; death you cannot."

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Until Death Do Us Part -- sequel to Even Angels Have Scars

Post by Dedicatedfollower467 »

No I haven't. But if you're recomending it, it's good, so....

(Heads off to fanfiction.net)

Edit:

Can't get to the story. Stupid Parental Controls.

[Edited on 9/26/09 by Dedicatedfollower467]
~Def.
"A dedicated follower of nothing." -- graffitit artist in Brick Lane, London, England.
Right across the lane from the demon and just down the wall from Wolverine.
RIP Kurt Wagner. You were the character who brought in me into comics, who introduced me and inspired me. Now your death has sent me away again. Wherever you are in the Marvel Universe, I hope its someplace pleasant.
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