Heartbreak Warfare

He couldn't believe that she was still avoiding him, but then again he could. While he did come to her rescue in Mexico, he'd also tried to get her and her friends expelled, attacked her friends, and slammed the door in her face when she first asked for his help. It had been a month since Apocalypse's attack and she still refused to talk to him. It was the worst month of his life.

It was fate that brought them both together today as they both were taking walks to think over things. So consumed in thought they'd almost passed each other by, but he'd bumped into her. He quickly turned his head to tell the person to watch where they were going when he saw her blue eyes widen; he felt his do the same.

Before she could react he grabbed her wrist, not intending to let her go anytime soon. She could have easily phased through his hand but when she didn't he spoke. "Kitty."

"Lance," she said avoiding meeting his gaze.

They stood there for a moment as he tried to compose his thoughts into words. "Why are you avoiding me?" was all that he managed to get out, though he had so much more to say. When she didn't answer he grew angry. "Kitty, answer me! Or am I not good enough to answer? Am I too much of a hood to associate with, huh? I save your life and this is the thanks I get?"

At this she finally looked up at him through a harsh glare. "My life might not have been in danger if you hadn't, like, slammed the door in my face when I first asked for your help! Why did you save me anyway? Huh? Why did you like even care? I'm just another X-Geek!" she yelled as she phased her wrist through his.

"Kitty you know I don't think of you like that. I don't see you as my enemy."

"Oh, really? `Cause you coulda fooled me when you attacked us at the board meeting! L Honestly Lance, I thought I, like, meant more than that to you."

"You do mean more to me than that!" Lance yelled back.

"You have a funny way of showing it," she said dropping her eyes to the ground.

Lance lowered his voice, "Kitty, we're supposed to be enemies, what do you expe--"

"So you do see me as am enemy!" her voice began rising again. "And you honestly think I wouldn't talk to you if I thought I was better than you? Which I don't! Lance I thought you like knew me better than that."

"And I thought you knew me well enough to know that I'm not just some hood!"

Kitty turned away from him. "I thought I did too Lance." A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "I thought I knew other things too, but I guess I was wrong."

Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. Didn't she know him better than that? "What else do you think you know?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged. "I don't know… I thought you, like, had feelings for me or something. Whatever it's like stupid, I know. I gotta go."

He was stunned. She doubted his feelings for her? Really? After everything she doubted that he loved her? That hurt more than being called a hood. She really didn't think she knew him at all. "Kitty, wait…"

"I can't, Scott expects me home soon," she explained as she glanced at the setting sun, the view slightly obstructed by a few clouds.

At this Lance let out a growl. "Screw Summers!"

She murmured a good-bye then walked away. He stood there for a few minutes trying to let everything sink in. After he regained his composure he made his way back to the Brotherhood house. Opening the door he walked straight into his room and tried to sleep, but failed.

Lance simply lay there staring at the ceiling, thinking. Had she been avoiding him because he'd refused her? That's stupid considering he also saved her. Was she hurt because she believed that he had no feelings for her? Even stupider, but he knew this was indeed the reason why, and he knew she didn't really truly believe this. You either had to be blind or be Summers to be stupid enough to think that he had no genuine feelings for the young little mutant.

'Kitten, why are you forcing yourself to believe that I don't care? I might not be the most affectionate guy, but… you should know that I care.' It pained him thinking that she could even think something so utterly wrong. It hurt knowing that she had avoided him in fear of being hurt when she was wounding him. He knew her well enough to know that was exactly what was going through her head.

Her looked outside his window and saw the cluster of clouds that were there during sunset had gotten bigger. He let out a small sigh, dragged himself out of bed, grabbed his keys and guitar and walked outside knowing exactly what he needed to do.

She'd been laying on her bed watching as the minutes on her digital alarm clock slowly drifted by. Kitty had been thinking of him. She'd missed him this past month, but she couldn't face him. Not when she loved him so much and she meant nothing to him. She thought avoiding him was the only thing that could be done, but now that she'd seen him she wanted nothing more. She needed to see him, to talk to him, anything. But she either meant nothing to him, or he wanted her to think she meant nothing to him. She assumed it was the former. But she wasn't going to let him hurt her, no. She'd avoid him, she'd let him think she thought he was a hood, if that kept him away; if that kept him from hurting her. 'All this time… I thought he really, like, cared…'

The wind howled and she thought she heard something a noise at the window. 'Just a stick or something being blown around in the summer storm.' But then she heard it three consecutive times. She finally gets up to go check. Opening the window she sees the very object of her thoughts.

Lance standing outside her window with his guitar, in the rain that is slowly starting to come down harder. Before Kitty could scold him for being out in a storm he began singing.

"Lighting strike

Inside my chest to keep me up at night

Dream of ways

To make you understand my pain"

As if to add truth to his words lightning and thunder stuck.

"Clouds of sulfur in the air

Bombs are falling everywhere

It's heartbreak warfare

Once you want it to begin

No one really ever winsIn heartbreak warfare"

'Is this a war?' Kitty asked herself.

"If you want more love why don't you say so

If you want more love why don't you say so"

'Wait what does he mean?'

"Drop his name

Push it in and twist the knife again

Watch my face

As I pretend to feel no pain"

She thought back to his reaction when she mentioned Scott earlier. They never really got along; in fact, they hated each other. With a passion. 'I guess mentioning Scott wasn't exactly the best thing to do…'

Speak of the devil… "Kitty, what are you doing?" He asked joining her by the window. Alvers get out of here!"

"Scott shut up," Kitty muttered.

"Clouds of sulfur in the air

Bombs are falling everywhere

It's heartbreak warfare

Once you want it to begin

No one really ever winsIn heartbreak warfare"

She thought about how she'd been avoiding him. Avoiding the battle that took place today.

"If you want more love

Why don't you say so

If you want more love

Why don't you say soJust say so"

"'You have a funny way of showing it.'" Her own words from earlier rang through her head.

"How come the only way to know how high you get me

Is to see how far I fall

God only knows how much I'd love you if you'd let me

But I can't break free at all"

'He really does love me?'

It's heart, heartbreak"

'Has his heart been hurting like as much as mine?'

''I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight

Let's just fix this whole thing now

I swear to God we're going to get it right

If you put your weapon down'

"Alvers go home!" Scott yelled again. Kitty elbowed him in the gut.

"Red wine and Ambien

You're talking shit again

It's heartbreak warfare"

'I can't believe I actually called him a hood…'

"Good to know it's all a game

Disappointment has a name:

It's heartbreak warfare

It's heartbreak warfare

It's heartbreak warfare"

She watched as he stood there breathing hard. She phased out of her room and into the rain. He lay his guitar on the ground beside him. She walked up to him, and looked at him in the eyes.

"I surrender," he whispered.

"How about a truce?" she asked. He lifted her chin and she brought his head down to her.

Scott's angry threats could be heard in the background.