FicWad

X-men: Evolution of the Heart
Chapter 25: The Beast of Bayville

*************************************************

It had been a month since the near fatal attack on Scott Summers. He had faced death and survived and was now better than ever, which bought great relief to his friends. By now he had healed from his wounds and only had a few lingering scars. As for Duncan Matthews, there was no amount of money that could save him from the law this time. Less then a week after the attack, he was arrested on charges of assault and attempted murder. Now he faced no less than 10 years behind bars. Along with surviving the whole ordeal, Scott and Jean finally started to go out as a couple, but that didn't surprise any of his friends in the slightest. They all had seen it coming a mile away and were generally happy that they had finally gotten together. They still acted a lot like they always did, which was never far from being a couple in the first place, but now they did other things like hold hands and kiss. It could honestly be said that they had never been happier. However, the near fatal ordeal that Scott went through did bring more ominous feelings to others as time went on.

It was a Thursday afternoon in Bayville High and Kurt Wagner was in the midst of Chemistry class. It was being taught by one of the best teachers in the minds of the students, Hank McCoy. He was also a close friend to Professor Xavier and unknown to the rest of the world he was a mutant. But that wasn't what was going through Kurt's head. He was barely registering what Mr. McCoy was saying, but it sounded like some joke about weak chemical bonds and the school football team's offensive line. Kurt was too busy lost in his own thoughts.

"Kurt...Hey Kurt," said Evan as he nudged his friend with his elbow, trying to snap him back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Dude, pay attention or you're gonna get in trouble again," whispered Evan as Mr. McCoy was doing a demonstration.

"Oh...Sorry mien friend. Just distracted I guess," said Kurt sheepishly.

"Yeah...Again," replied Evan.

Kurt tried to listen, but it didn't take long for his thoughts to wonder again. Luckily, before anyone could notice the bell rang and everybody began to get up and leave.

"Okay people, remember to read chapter 4. We will have a test sometime next week so be ready for it!" said Hank McCoy as his students left. "Oh, and Kurt can I see you for a moment?"

Evan left the room and waited for him outside the door, while Kurt wearily awaited what Mr. McCoy had to say. He didn't seem angry or irritated at all, but he did look concerned.

"Is something wrong Mr. McCoy?" asked Kurt after the last person left.

"No, but tell me...Is everything is going okay back at the institute?"

"Uh, yeah it's going fine. Vhy?"

"I see..." said Hank skeptically, for Kurt was never a very good liar.

"Vhat? They are! Vhat's this about?" asked Kurt getting a little anxious.

"Calm down Kurt," assured Hank, "It's just that you've been spacing out a lot within the last few weeks. Now, I don't want to pry, but you've made it pretty obvious that something's bothering you."

"Oh..." said Kurt sheepishly. "It's nothing really, just a lot has happened in the last month. I'm sure you heard about vhat happened to Scott."

"Yes, I heard about that, but it seems you've been the one most hung up about it. Is there something else about it that's troubling you?" asked Mr. McCoy.

Kurt shifted uncomfortably, for he really didn't want to talk about this any more. It had been prevalent in his thoughts for the last three weeks and while he trusted Mr. McCoy, he didn't want to reveal what he had been bothering him just yet.

"Vell, nothing I vant to talk about at the moment. I appreciate your concern Mr. McCoy, but...I just have a lot on my mind, that's all," said Kurt.

"Okay, I won't pry, but my door's always open if you need any help," assured Hank with a smile.

"Thanks. Vell, I'll see you later then."

After that, Kurt left and met up with Evan who had been waiting for him.

"What was that all about man?" asked Evan as soon as Kurt walked out the door.

"Nothing...He just vanted to know if anything vas wrong," replied Kurt.

"Well..."

"Vell what?"

"Is there something wrong?" asked Evan, who seemed to get why Mr. McCoy had wanted to talk to him in the first place.

Kurt just sighed, for he was exasperated that everyone was bothering about something he didn't want to talk about.

"Come on Evan, I don't vant to talk about it just yet."

"Fine man...Suit yourself," said Evan as they headed off to meet up with Scott and Jean.

'Man, have I really been that obvious?' thought Kurt as they made their way out of the school.

Indeed, he had been troubled in the aftermath of Scott's near fatal experience. It was the closest that he had ever come to losing one of his friends. They were all like family to him and he could never contemplate losing any of them. Through that whole experience, the one thing that played out the most in his head was Scott and Jean finally coming together in the end. Seeing them finally realize the deep love they had for each other, made Kurt truly realize the love he had for his own girl, Kitty. It took a near tragedy for Scott and Jean to tell each other how they felt, and the mental strain it had caused was something Kurt didn't want to have repeated. While things between him and Kitty were still better than they had been, the thought of actually telling Kitty she was something that had been plaguing his mind for quite some time now. Either way, Kurt was not willing to wait for something terrible to happen in order for him to find the strength to tell Kitty Pryde how he really felt.

*************************************************

After Kurt had left, Hank McCoy prepared to clean up some of the mess that a day of teaching with teenagers had inevitably left. Just as he was about to start, he keeled over in pain as an all too familiar feeling surged through his head.

"No...Not now...Why now?" said Hank as he grasped his head.

He stumbled throughout his classroom, knocking over lab equipment in the process. He started to say lines from a Shakespeare play in an attempt to calm himself down. It did helped a little, but he could still feel it...The beast from within trying to take control. Finally, after a good ten minutes of struggling, Hank finally regained control of himself and took a deep breath. This little 'episode' had lasted a lot longer than any others had before it had and he knew it would only get worse at this rate. For years it had been brewing inside him, the beast of his mutation trying to manifest itself in his body and mind. However, with the help of the Professor he had been largely able to contain it over the years and after that he had been relying on a special serum he had formulated. But that serum had been losing it's effectiveness lately, and if he didn't do something about it soon, somebody was likely to get hurt.

*************************************************

Kitty Pryde closed her locker for they day as she prepared to meet up with her friends. But just as she was getting ready to leave, she saw Lance through the corner of her eye and he was coming her way.

"Oh no, not today," moaned Kitty, for things between her and Lance had been very strained lately.

Desperate, Kitty waited until nobody was looking and phased in to her locker and the wall behind her in order to avoid Lance's all too familiar scrutiny. Safely concealed, she watched as Lance stood in front of her locker for a while. He seemed to be waiting for her, but Kitty didn't come out. She just waited until Lance lost his patience. Fortunately, that didn't take very long.

"Damn!" she heard him say as Lance walked off back towards the front doors.

Kitty sighed in relief as she phased out of the wall. Lance had just been too difficult to be around lately. He had gone from a charming wannabe, to an angry wannabe. Every time she talked to Lance it ended in either argument or disagreement. They were a very poor match for each other, but Lance didn't seem to care. He just kept trying to make her match up with him when he didn't realize that you couldn't change somebody to make them like you no matter how demanding you are. As Kitty walked down the halls towards the front door, she passed the room of one of her favorite teachers, Mr. McCoy. However, something was not right in his room.

Kitty kept hearing something strange in the room. It sounded like lab equipment breaking or fists being slammed on a desk. She also began to hear Mr. McCoy yelling something out loud at nobody in particular. Kitty wearily phased through the locked door to see if he was okay.

"Mr. McCoy..." said Kitty as she approached him from behind while he was clutching his head.

Suddenly, he turned around and faced Kitty with a furious, animal-like face. Kitty fell back in shock, but then Hank shook his head and seemed to snap out of it.

"Oh...Kitty. I'm sorry I...Don't know what came over me," said Mr. McCoy as he helped her back up to her feet.

"Are you okay Mr. McCoy? You sounded...Strange," said Kitty curiously.

"Yeah well...Sometimes I get a little carried away with the whole Shakespeare thing. It's really nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?" asked Kitty.

"Positive, now you better get going. I bet your friends are waiting for you," said Mr. McCoy sounding like his old self again.

"Okay...Well, I'll see you around Mr. McCoy," said Kitty as she left.

After she was gone, Hank McCoy sat back in his chair and started to take deep breaths. He was luck he gained control when he did or something bad might have happened. He had to get some help...And soon. He might not be so lucky next time.

When Kitty finally met up with her friends, she was the last one to arrive.

"Hey Kitty, what took you so long?" asked Jean as she got in.

"Nothing...Just had to stop by Mr. McCoy's room. He was acting kind of strange."

"Strange how?" asked Scott curiously as they started to drive off.

"I don't know...I walked in and he looked like he was angry or something. He had this weird growl and furious look that was almost...Inhuman," said Kitty as she tried to describe what she saw.

"That sure doesn't sound like Mr. McCoy," said Jean.

"Yeah, he's gotta be the coolest teacher in school. I don't think I've ever even seen him angry," added Evan who also had Mr. McCoy for science related classes.

"Well, in all fairness, he wasn't acting like himself for some reason," said Kitty knowing full well what her friends meant.

As this conversation continued, Kitty noticed Kurt was still not saying anything. This was rare, especially for Kurt. He would always add his own little mix of humor and opinion to a conversation, but for some reason he stayed quiet. And it wasn't just today, for he had been acting a little reclusive for weeks now. Kitty knew Kurt well enough to know when something was bothering him. They had known each other since childhood and this was definitely something that worried Kitty. She had noticed the change in his behavior since the incident with Scott and it was definitely something to worry about. However, she knew that Kurt would always talk to her when he was ready, so she didn't pry right then and there. Seeing Kurt like this tore her up inside more than she could have admitted, because he looked as though he was upset about something. And over the years she had found that whenever one of them was upset, the other would soon follow. They had always been very close in that respect and she desperately wanted to help him. However, he didn't look like he wanted to talk about it right now...Not right here in front of everybody. She would wait till later that night to talk to him, she only hoped he was okay.

*************************************************

"It's been happening again Charles. And now it's worse than ever," said Hank McCoy as he paced restlessly before Professor Xavier in the privacy of the institute library.

"Calm down Hank, I'm sure what happened earlier today happened for a reason," said the Professor.

"It doesn't matter Charles! It got so bad today that I nearly hurt somebody!" replied Hank anxiously.

"But you didn't hurt them," reassured the Professor.

"I know...But I may not be so lucky next time. Charles it just won't stop growing...The monster within me just won't stop. You helped me contain it all those years ago and I thank you for that. But now I think I need help again, I just don't want to become what I'm turning in to," said Hank as he collapsed in to a nearby chair exasperated.

"I understand your fears Hank, but I don't think you can stop yourself from changing anymore than other mutants can."

"But I can't let it change me! If it did my teaching days are over!" exclaimed Hank as he got all the more restless.

"Don't worry about that just yet old friend. Why don't you let me see what I can find? Maybe I can determine why it's been getting to strong lately," suggested the Professor.

"It's worth a shot I guess," sighed Hank as he let himself relax in to the chair.

Xavier then wheeled himself over and place his hands upon the sides of his head. He closed his eyes and began to look within Hank McCoy's mind for the latent mutation that had been kept dormant all these years. There was some interference as he got closer, but the Professor pressed on. Then, in a dark area in the deep recesses of his mind, he heard an animal-like growl. Slowly, an image formed before him of a blue-haired beast. Then, the Professor knew he needed to go no further. He let out a gasp as he opened his eyes again and took in what he had just seen.

"Well...What did you see?" asked Hank anxiously.

"You were right about one thing...It is getting stronger, a lot stronger in fact," said the Professor.

"It's just as I feared. I've been able to keep it dormant all these years with the serum I formulated, but each time it loses more of it's effectiveness. If the beast is getting stronger and the serum is getting weaker then there will be no stopping it!"

The Professor thought about this for a moment as he listened to his friend.

"Maybe that's why it's been getting so strong lately. I remember when you first came to me, you were suppressing it by sheer will power, but since you've relied on the serum that will power has been weakening allowing the beast within you grow," explained Xavier.

"But I need the serum! I wouldn't have been able to keep myself from changing without it!"

"You've come to believe that over the years and I think that's why you've been unable to control it. You must learn to use your mind again if you are to overcome it again."

Hank just sighed in admittance.

"You're probably right Charles. You do tend to know the right thing before me. I guess I just can't hide from what I am anymore, but I still want keep it dormant. I just don't want anything to keep me from teaching," said Hank as he got up from the chair he had been sitting in.

"And I'll use whatever power I have to help you old friend," said the Professor reassuringly.

"Thanks Charles, I owe you one," replied Hank as he began to leave, but then he remembered something else he wanted to talk to the Professor about. "Oh, and there's something else I wanted to talk to you about Charles."

"What might that be?" asked Xavier.

"I've been noticing lately that one of your students, Kurt Wagner, has been looking quite troubled lately. I tried to talk to him about it today, but he said he just wasn't willing to at the moment. Do you know if something's wrong with him?"

The Professor sighed, for Hank had not been the only one to notice it.

"I've noticed it too Hank, but he's just as unwilling to talk about it with me as he is with you," said the Professor.

"Well, have you been able to sense anything around him lately? After all, you are the psychic here."

"I'm afraid not. You see my students guard their thoughts and secrets with a tonicity that rivals even that of Magneto. You saw what they looked like when they first got here and you can probably guess how that might have left a few lingering mental scars."

"Oh...I see," said Hank as he began to understand what the Professor was getting at.

"But don't concern yourself too much with it old friend. Kurt will talk when he's ready...I hope."

*************************************************

Kitty walked down the halls of the institute leading from her room. Lance had tried to call again earlier that night, but she pretended that she wasn't home. It was a weak excuse, but she just didn't feel like talking to Lance about how she was feeling right now. She knew he probably wouldn't understand and since it involved Kurt he probably wouldn't care. She and Lance just weren't cut out for each other; there was no more denying that. When she first met him she was simply too enticed with his bad boy charm to see Lance for who he really was. Lately, she had avoided him at all cost, but she did it for a reason. He was just becoming too possessive and lashed out if she saw or talked about any other boy. Whenever she was around Kurt, Lance was usually at his worst. She hadn't missed the threatening looks he was sending her best friend and she didn't like it in the slightest. It reminded her too much of what happened with Duncan and Scott. That nearly cost Scott his life, and Kitty was determined to not let that happen with Kurt.

"Kurt? Kurt are you still awake?" asked Kitty as she knocked on his bedroom door.

"Ja, come in Kitty," responded Kurt.

She opened to door to see Kurt hunched over his desk, going over one of his textbooks from school.

"What cha reading?" asked Kitty casually, trying to lighten the mood.

"Just history," replied Kurt as he turned towards his best friend.

Kitty noticed dark areas under his eyes. It definitely looked like Kurt hadn't been sleeping well lately. It didn't surprise her from what she had been noticing over the weeks, but she didn't say anything because she knew he probably wouldn't want to talk about it. However, now Kitty felt that this was something she couldn't ignore.

"Well, don't stay up too late. It looks like you haven't been getting enough sleep," remarked Kitty as she sat on his bed.

Kurt just sighed as he closed his book and sat down next to her. He had a feeling she would know something was bothering him. They had been friends for so long that now it was almost second nature when it came to reading if something was wrong.

"Vhat gave it away?" asked Kurt as he yawned tiredly.

"Come on Kurt, I know you better than anybody. You can't hide from me when something's bothering you."

"Ja, I guess I can't," sighed Kurt defeated in his attempts to hide it, "But I really don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" asked Kitty, still eager to know what was wrong with her friend.

"It's...Complicated. That's all. I'll tell you vhen I'm ready. And rest assured, you vill be the first one I tell."

"Thanks Kurt...But you know I'm going to hold you to that," said Kitty with a smirk.

"I had feeling," replied Kurt, managing to smile back ever so briefly.

"Well, I hope you get some sleep. It looks like you really need it."

"Easier said than done," muttered Kurt.

Kitty didn't like seeing her best friend like this. He looked so tired, so exhausted for reasons he wasn't willing to share just yet. She couldn't force him to talk to her, but she could always comfort him. Just then, an idea popped in to her head.

"Kurt...I could stay with you tonight if it will help you sleep," said Kitty trying not to blush.

Kurt looked back at her with a mixture of surprise and weariness. The thought of her sleeping in the same room with him made him anxious to no end. Even though it was nothing new, for years before they had arrived at the institute it had not been rare that they stayed together in the same room and slept by each other's side. But this was mainly in times where they both struggled with their day to day existence. Now, things were different. They were 'normal' teenagers now...That is, as normal as two mutants could be. They hadn't had a need to sleep in the same room for quite a while, but now it seemed that Kurt needed something to put his mind to rest.

"Are you sure about that Kitty? I mean...Vhat if...Vhat vould the Professor say?" asked Kurt as many conflicting thoughts went through his head.

"Kurt...I really don't care about that right now. I'm your friend, I trust you, and we've done this before."

"I know but I..." Kurt couldn't find any more words, he was just too tired at this point.

"Come on Kurt. You're going get some sleep if it's the last thing I do," said Kitty with a smile.

Kurt sighed in defeat, but he didn't feel too bad about it.

"Okay Kitty, you vin," said Kurt with a smile.

After putting away his things, Kurt crawled in to his bed. Kitty soon followed after changing in to her sleeping cloths. Both teens had a lot of anxiety about this, but they tried to put it aside as they lay down and try to rest their weary minds. As they lay next to each other, they felt a new sense of calm come over them as their troubles that had been plaguing them seemed to melt away. Kurt finally felt as if he could sleep again. Soon they both settled in and sleep was soon to take over, but not before Kurt turned to his side and wrapped his arms around Kitty and held her close. She looked so peaceful to him, and it warmed him to know that she trusted him like this. He knew Kitty would never trust another man to hold her close...Not after all the painful memories of her father and the sick, terrible things he did to her. As she slept, Kurt placed a single kiss on her forehead before falling asleep.

"Good night Kitty...Sleep tight."

*************************************************

The next morning, Jean walked groggily down the halls. It was Friday and it had been a tiring week with midterms and all. But as she walked by Kitty's room she noticed something...She wasn't there. Peeking in, it looked like the bed hadn't been slept in. Jean's attention then turned towards the door next to Kitty's which was Kurt's room. She was about knock on his door and ask him if he knew where she was, but then she sensed something inside and stopped. Just then, Scott came up behind and gave her a good morning kiss on the cheek.

"Morning Red. Where's Kitty?" said Scott as he noticed her empty room.

Jean just looked at Kurt's door and a hint of understanding came over Scott.

"Oh..." he said with a smile.

"Come on Slim, let's go get some breakfast," said Jean as she casually linked arms with him and led him downstairs.

To them, they already had a good idea what had happened and it wasn't something that worried them terribly. In actuality, it relieved them greatly to know that maybe Kurt and Kitty were finally getting their acts together the same way they had.

*************************************************

Kurt and Kitty didn't talk to anybody about the other night, but it was hard for Kurt to hide the smile on his face. For the first time in weeks, Kurt didn't look or feel sleepy. Even though the others did have their suspicions, Kurt didn't say anything. Kitty did the same as the day went by more smoothly for the both of them. At the moment, Kitty was in gym class with Hank McCoy teaching. She and most of the other girls, including Jean, were playing a game of roller hockey.

"Come on ladies, try to stay balanced! I want to see more goals than falls this time!" said Hank to the girls as he saw a handful of them starting to wobble on their feet.

Just then, one of the younger freshmen girls was shoved out of bounds towards Hank. Suddenly, McCoy began to feel it again...The beast within him trying to get out. He felt it roar from inside him as he grabbed on to his head and tried to block it out.

"No...Not here...Not now..." said Hank as struggled to subdue the beast.

Then, the girl that was careening towards him was stopped when Hank put up his arms before she crashed in to him. He had a strange look on his face that almost seemed inhuman to the girl as she started to worry that she had angered him. But then...It seemed Mr. McCoy finally came to his senses as he found the strength to subdue the beast.

"Sorry about that...Just, don't know what came over me," said Hank quickly as he rushed out of the gym, leaving most of the girls confused about what had happened.

"What was that all about?" asked Jean as she sensed some of the strange feelings that Hank was feeling.

"I don't know, but I hope it's nothing serious," replied Kitty.

In the boy's bathroom nearest to the gym, Hank furiously splashed water on his face while mumbling some lines of Shakespeare. He had nearly lost it again and this time he had almost taken it out on an innocent student. This was getting to be too much for him. He could no longer fight what he was becoming, but Hank McCoy desperately wanted to stop it.

"That's it," he said to himself, "I can't keep doing this. I have to do something before I hurt somebody."

*************************************************

"Come on Kurt! Tell me man," said Evan as he stood next to Kurt at his locker.

"Evan, there's nothing to tell," said Kurt for what seemed like the tenth time.

Evan had been pestering him about what had happened last night with him and Kitty all day. Kurt insisted that nothing had happened, but Evan knew him well enough to know that he was lying.

"Come on Kurt, I can tell something else had to have happened."

"Nothing happened okay! Kitty just came by, we talked, she helped put my fears to rest, and that's it," insisted Kurt, but Evan still looked like he wasn't buying it.

"Whatever man," sighed Evan, knowing that that was probably all he was going to get out of his friend. "I still don't believe you, just to let you know. But don't think I can't see anything, because I know you dude. I'll see you later."

And with that, Evan walked away leaving Kurt utterly relieved. He still felt a little guilty that he had made it seem that he took Evan for an idiot when he was actually right in the end. Kurt simply sighed, knowing that he just wasn't ready to discuss his feelings for Kitty with anybody just yet. He still had a lot to sort out, but he hoped that he would be able to tell her soon.

Unknown to Kurt, somebody else was watching him from afar...Somebody who had developed a thorough distaste of Kurt from day one. It was Lance Alvers; Kitty's one time interest turned annoying enemy. He had overheard most of the conversation between Kurt and Evan and didn't like a word of it. He had been sitting back for the last few weeks while Kitty seemed to spend more and more time with Kurt. It was time that she used to spend with him and now it was all coming to a head. Lance never took that kind of shit from anybody before and he sure wasn't about to start now. Angrily, Lance stormed off away from the area, for it was time to confront Kitty.

*************************************************

"Hey Kitty, wait up!" said Lance as he ran up to Kitty while she was closing her locker.

Kitty immediately dreaded the sound of Lance's voice, for this time she couldn't hide. After all these weeks of avoiding him and his phone calls, she knew she had to confront him sooner or later. She just wanted it to be later.

"Oh, hey Lance," said Kitty trying not to show any of the anxiety she felt.

"Hey nothing, where have you been lately?" he demanded. "I've been calling you and trying to talk to you and you've been blowing me off for weeks!"

"Well I'm sorry, but I've just been busy that's all," lied Kitty knowing he probably wouldn't buy it.

"Come on Kitty, I'm not THAT stupid! What's been going on with you, huh? Why won't you talk to me?" said Lance.

Kitty didn't know how to respond. It was never easy to communicate with Lance because they were just so different from one another. Kitty feared that her response would simply set off another argument that would grow out of hand because unlike their arguments over the phone, she couldn't hang up on this one.

"Lance...I've had a lot on my mind the past month and well...I just don't want to talk about it now okay?" said Kitty, hoping he would drop it.

Lance just sighed in frustration, for that was not the answer he was looking for.

"Kitty, you've been blowing me off for weeks and you say it's because you've had a lot on your mind. That's not an excuse and you know it!" bellowed Lance who was letting his temper get the best of him again, "How am I suppose to help you if you won't tell me?"

"Lance calm down!" said Kitty hoping nobody would hear this ever-growing argument. "Look, my problems don't concern you. I need to deal with them myself."

Kitty tried to sound truthful, but in reality Lance was actually a major part of what had been troubling her for the last few weeks. She wanted this to end right now and she desperately wanted to walk away or have somebody step in and stop this. And when she thought somebody, she knew she meant Kurt.

"Like hell they don't. Kitty I've told you before, I'm NOT stupid!" replied Lance.

"I never said you were!" retorted Kitty as the conversation was now an all out argument.

"Then stop acting like it! There's something you're not telling me and I have a right to know what it is!" yelled Lance who no longer had any patience for this.

"Lance..." said Kitty trying to calm down, "I don't think we should talk about this any more."

"Why not?" said Lance in an exasperated tone.

"It's just going to get out of hand and you know it. Look, we'll talk later, but for now I think it's best if we just avoid each other."

Kitty started to walk away, for she did not want to hear Lance's response. He already looked infuriated by her words because it sounded like an all out break-up to him. He wouldn't let her walk away from this one, so he reached over and forcibly grabbed her arm. Kitty tried to pull away, but his hold was tight and rough. Immediately she felt her heart rate go up and anxiety level soar. The look on Lance's face all too resembled of her angry father. For years now she had tried to put the memories of all the horrible things he did to her behind her. But that always proved difficult and it was something she still had nightmares about to this day. Only now she felt as if that nightmare was coming to life.

"Kitty we're not done with this yet!" said Lance as he squeezed her arm even tighter. She tried to get away, but Lance only forced her back. "I'm sick of you acting so high and mighty! Just because you think you're some goody little princess doesn't mean you can make yourself out to be better than me!"

That did it. Kitty couldn't fight her feelings of anger anymore. The way he had been talking to her and the way he had grabbed her bought back too many painful memories to deal with.

With anger apparent in her eyes she phased through Lance's grip and forcibly punch him in the stomach as hard as she could. Lance, too shocked to respond, fell back in pain as he was surprised by little-miss-perfect Kitty's angry reaction.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" yelled Kitty as Lance staggered back up to his feet.

"Kitty, what the..." began Lance but Kitty cut him off.

"I SAID DON'T EVER FUCKING TOUCH ME LIKE THAT! GOT IT!?" yelled Kitty with a mixture of anger and tears.

Lance didn't say anything after that. He had never seen Kitty so angry before. He knew she never liked to be too close to somebody, but Lance never could have imagined her to act like this.

"You think I'm some wannabe princess?! You think I'm some peppy little snob?! Well if you think that then you don't know me AT ALL!" yelled Kitty.

Lance tried to regain his composure through Kitty's little tantrum. "Well why do you act like it then?! Huh? It's not like we can all have pretty little lives and live in a mansion..."

"You think my life has been pretty?!" exclaimed Kitty with tears welling up in her eyes. "My life has been a living HELL! My mom is dead! My father use to beat the shit out of me! And I was all alone! Nobody was ever there for me except my friends!"

"Hey don't talk to me about having a hard life! I grew up in an orphanage you know!" retorted Lance.

"Oh please, you've already told me those stories of how you grew up being top dog at that place because everybody feared you! You had a roof over your head and warm food to eat while I had to live like a fucking street rat! Do you have any idea what it's like to go so hungry that you eat out of dumpsters!? Do you have any idea what it's like for total strangers to just up and try to kill you just because you're a worthless waste of flesh?! Do you have any idea what it's like wondering whether or not you're actually going to wake up the next day?! DO YOU?!" yelled Kitty who had tears forming in her eyes.

Lance didn't know how to respond. He was too taken aback by Kitty's outrage to say anything. In being so smitten with her earlier, he had forgotten how he and the rest of the Brotherhood had first found her in that warehouse around five months ago. Kitty never talked about it and he never wanted to know. Now, he knew whether he liked it or not.

"Kitty I..." but he was already too late.

Kitty couldn't take this anymore. She had to leave.

"Don't ever talk to me again," said Kitty plainly as she stormed off with tears still in her eyes.

Lance was left in a state of total confusion. Kitty had just bore secrets that she had always kept locked up inside. Soon, Lance's confusion turned to anger as he could blame only one person for this...Kurt.

*************************************************

AN: I'll leave it right there for now. I know I updated sooner than last time, but I had some time last weekend to finish sooner than I thought. I'll do my best to update twice a week now, but that may be difficult with final exams coming up. But I promise that I will do my best to update more because I know how hard it is to wait sometimes. Just remember, some of these chapters are very hard to write and this one was no exception. So what's going to happen between Lance and Kurt? And let's not forget Mr. McCoy! Stay tuned to see the Lance/Kitty/Kurt love triangle come to ahead! Don't forget to review though! Send them to me at slickboy444@aol.com or post them on fanfiction.net. Thanks for reading and best wishes to you all!

COME ON! PLEASE REVIEW!