Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.
Okay, before I re-wrote 'All's Fair in Love and War' - in which Pietro admits to his girlfriend that he thought he was in love with Kitty at one point - one of my reviewers asked if I could write a oneshot in which Pietro tells Kitty that. And this was born. You don't have to have read All's Fair to get this, you just need to know that Pietro was possessed during 'Day of Reckoning' and 'The Stuff of Villains'.
The general tone of this story is unrequited Kietro with Lancitty undertones, so if you don't support either of these pairings, you might want to hit the back button.
I Told You So
The first thing Kitty noticed when she phased through the door of the Boarding House was that it was unnaturally quiet. The second was that it was unusually loud.
Now, one might wonder how exactly it could be both.
Well, maybe quiet wasn't the right word for it. Maybe calm or tranquil.
Either way, Pietro wasn't causing his normal amount of chaos.
And this, she decided, was why it was unusually loud.
Once she'd come to this conclusion, she stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply, causing everyone to stop talking and look at her.
"You have got to teach me how to do that." Lance told her, holding an ice-pack to his head.
"I will." Kitty told him. "Where's Quicksilver?"
"He's missing." Wanda answered, checking something off on a list. "We were telling him everything that happened through the possession, got to the point where he left you dangling from a cliff and he freaked out and disappeared."
"Wait, you haven't seen him, have you?" Tabby asked.
Kitty rolled her eyes. "If I'd seen him, why would I ask where he is?"
"Oh yeah." Tabby grinned sheepishly.
Kitty thought for a second. "I think I know where he could be. Lance, can I get a lift?"
"Sure." Lance grabbed his keys. "Keep looking, guys; I call if we find him." He opened his jeep door for her and jogged round to the other side. "Where to?"
"The mountain road." Kitty answered. "You know, where that happened. I think it's something to do with the cliff."
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that." Lance admitted, pulling out onto the road. "But I can't see why. I mean, Pietro doesn't hate you, but he doesn't exactly like you either."
"No one said it was anything to do with me." Kitty reminded him. "He left someone dangling off the edge of a cliff; no matter who it was, he could have killed someone. Namely me."
"Okay." Lance pulled up at the photo spot. "That's odd. I could have sworn it took longer to get here last time."
"That's because you came the other way." Kitty told him. "Right. Stay here; I'll go and find him."
"Are you sure?" Lance asked. "Like I said, you're not his favourite person."
"Trust me." Kitty kissed him quickly and phased out of her seatbelt and through the door.
Having searched through the maze of boulders and yielded no results, Kitty stood still for a moment, thinking over her options. It was a cold December day and she shifted her feet to keep warm, seeing her breath form mist in the cold air.
She fancied herself a pretty good judge of character and, from what she knew about Pietro, he wasn't one to leave a conversation like that unless something had really gotten to him. Normally, she knew from little things Lance had let slip, it was something to do with Evan or his sister. Now, apparently, it was something to do with her. She had been certain he'd be here.
Then it hit her.
There was a cave down the side of the cliff. It was difficult to get to for most people, but Pietro's powers would navigate the steep path and sheer drop easily. And her powers …
Kitty walked further away from the car, until she was near the edge of the cliff where she had almost fallen. Closing her eyes, she let herself fall through the floor; her breathing was restricted for a second, then oxygen reappeared and she landed easily on her feet.
"Who's there?"
"It's me." Kitty blinked a few times, letting her eyes become accustomed to the light … or lack thereof.
"Pryde, what are you doing here?" Pietro asked.
"Looking for you." Kitty answered. "What on earth are you doing down here? Lance said that he told you what happened when you were nearly arrested and you disappeared."
"I nearly killed you." Pietro muttered. "Why do you care?"
"X-Men." Kitty reminded him. "Never leave a man behind and all that." She paused. "You know the last time I saw someone this bad, Jean was hysterical because she'd nearly killed Scott while she was possessed by Mesmero." She paused again. "Except you're not really hysterical. And you're not in love with me." She frowned slightly. "Are you?"
Pietro didn't respond and it didn't take a genius to realise what that meant.
"Oh, this is awkward." Kitty sat down next to him. "Look…"
"Don't." Pietro cut in tiredly. "I know. I don't want to hear it. Besides, I don't even know if I am in love with you. I'm still hoping that I just want what you and Lance have. With someone who's not you."
"You will have that." Kitty told him. "Provided you deflate your ego a bit."
Pietro smiled weakly. "Thanks. Sorry for leaving you dangling from the edge of a cliff."
Kitty shrugged it off. "Forget about it. I nearly broke Lance's jaw when I was possessed, remember?"
Pietro sniggered. "As I remember it, you did break his jaw."
Kitty laughed and nudged him lightly. "Come on; get up. Otherwise Lance is likely to think that I've killed you and am currently hiding the evidence."
"Kitty, can I ask you for a favour?" Pietro asked.
Kitty turned to face him from where she'd been studying the cave entrance. "That depends. What sort of favour?"
"If I'm crossing the line here, we'll pretend this part of the conversation never happened." Pietro told her, no trace of humour on his face. "Can I kiss you? Just once?"
Kitty hesitated. On the one hand, her boyfriend was waiting for them. On the other hand, she had no romantic feelings for Pietro at all. That's not cheating, right? Besides, I think he needs the closure. "On one condition. We never mention this again."
Pietro nodded. "I swear." Crossing the ground to where she stood, he cupped her face gently and pressed his lips to hers.
As kisses go, it was soft and sweet. If it was a movie, it would be enough to make the audience go "Aww!" But there were no fireworks, no angels singing, no one thousands spectators doing the Mexican Wave. And she knew that he didn't feel it either.
Gently breaking the kiss, Kitty smiled up at him, vaguely wondering how she ended up in his arms. "You don't love me. You idealise me."
Pietro laughed. "You know, I think you're right."
Kitty kissed his cheek and moved away. "Come on, Casanova. One day, you're going to find a fantastic girl and she is going to be the luckiest girl in the world. Bar me."
"I'll hold you to that." Pietro told her.
It was several years later, in a New York hotel, that they stood together again, at the front of a hall packed with people. Lance stood to Pietro's right, both of them dressed in smart suits, and Kitty was wearing a beautiful gown, a baby boy in her arms. As the music changed, the onlookers got to their feet and the three glanced back to see a young woman making her way down the aisle towards them, a veil over her face.
Kitty smiled at Pietro over her godson's head and mouthed four words.
"I told you so."
AN: Up to you who the bride is. Review please!