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November 11th

10:46 PM CST

The music was mind-numbingly loud. The lights flashed so much they could have given anyone a seizure. The room was crowded and smelled so heavily of marijuana, any passerby would have obtained an instant contact high. The only thing that kept it from being raided was the location; a few miles from the nearest house, putting it slightly out of the sight of the police.

The house was no larger than a condo, but people continued to come by the minute. They were stuffed like sardines in a can, yet there seemed to be enough room for several dance circles to form.

Kitty stood in a corner near the front window and watched as Kurt stole center stage in one of the many dance circles. She silently smiled to herself; Kurt couldn't dance. He had no rhythm, but with everyone hyping him up, he sure was trying. As she kept to herself, she could feel the regret welling up inside her. She had been really excited to go to this party. She had hoped her and Lance could finally cover some ground in their relationship. But once he had arrived with his delinquent friends, she knew there was no chance of that happening. She had tried to talk, but the group stuck to each other like stink on trash, and she refused to talk to him when he acted street to impress his friends.

Sure she had had fun in the beginning. If she wasn't going to talk to Lance, there were plenty of other guys she could talk to. And she did, talked and danced until someone brought in the beer and liquor and it all went downhill from there. Every guy was now trying to hit on her. She was ready to go, but didn't want to be a downer. Her friends, Scott, Jean, and especially Kurt, looked to be having a good time, she couldn't ruin it for them. So now she was content with standing in the corner until her friends were ready. She should have listened to Rogue. Now she was asking herself what was she doing here.

The guy who had landed next to her in this flood of people had begun to yell in her ear for some random friend over the already loud music. Another on her left, was throwing up, apparently to lightweight to hold his liquor.

"Eww," she said, backing away from him in hopes not to get any on her. She had barely caught the surroundings when some other drunk partygoer had run into her, spilling his drink on her shoes and pants.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you. I swear someone pushed me," he began.

Kitty stared down at her clothes and sighed. "It's alright I guess. I was gonna have to throw these clothes out if I wanted to stay out of trouble anyway."

He continued to stand next to her, staring at her up and down. Whatever he was thinking she was not for it.

"Um, I don't know what you're after, but I don't need a boyfriend."

He chuckled. It wasn't a sinister laugh, but a light hearted sound that threw her off guard.

"Just like these North gals. I ain't try'na hit on you. I'm just being friendly. You'd think it plum rude if I didn't say nothing. I'm just try'na start a conversation is all. Right?"

"Yeah? Looks to me like you're just another drunk guy trying to see what he can get."

He just smiled this time. Kitty had to admit, he was charming.

"This?" He raised his glass. "This is ginger ale. I just put it in a glass like this so my friends would get off my back about drinking. I'm not too much into hard drinks anyway. That and I'm supposed to be the designated driver."

They just stood in silence for a while, before the tall stranger broke the silence again.

"So, that your friend in the circle?" He motioned to the dance circle in front that still contained Kurt as the center of attention.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"He can't really dance can he?'

"No, but don't tell him that. He'll swear up and down he has rhythm."

"Maybe you should show him some of your moves."

"Mine? No, I just… I mean… I don't really dance."

"No? Then what were you doing cuttin' a rug like you was earlier?"

"You were watching me?"

"I was looking around and I saw you in the middle of the circle a few times. And if I might add, if you ain't looking for a boyfriend, you sure could've fooled me. There was a different guy with you every second."

"Hey, hey, hey. They came to me. I only danced with them to be-"

"Friendly?" He had a slick look on his face, playful yet sarcastic.

Another silence fell between them, Kitty breaking it this time.

"Look, I know I seem indifferent and uninterested, and I'd hate for that attitude to ruin your good time, so you can go back. Please enjoy your party. I'll just be here."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy. Now, my ma always told me to respect a lady's wishes, and well you tell me to back off again, you'll never see me again. But, you came to this party to have fun, and frankly so did I. And to me it doesn't look like whoever threw this party is reaching their objective, 'cause it looks like you're waiting on your friends to go to be polite and not bother 'em from their good time. But I think you should have one too. So I be much obliged if you would dance with me."

"I told you I don't dance."

He quickly rebuttelled. "Just one dance. I just want to return the friendliness you was givin' out."

He was flashing that charming smile again, making it rather hard to resist. "Just one dance?" she asked. He nodded.

She sighed with a smile, finally conceding. "Fine." She stuck out her hand as the mystery man escorted her to the floor, weaving through the crowd.

He sat his glass down and they began vibing to the beat of the song. Once again, Kitty could feel herself loosening up. She didn't know how, but this guy she had just met under a minute ago had made her feel comfortable. It was just something about the way he presented himself, confident, but not cocky. Charming, but not doggish. He seemed like a really great guy, not to mention he could dance pretty well too.

"You didn't say you could dance?" She yelled over the music.

"You never asked. 'Sides, I wouldn't be out here if I couldn't."

They continued for another minute or so simply enjoying each other's company. She would have much rather it had been Lance, but this was a nice change of pace from the up and down she was experiencing with him. Her partner's next question brought her out of her thoughts.

"So you gotta a name?"

"Maybe. Tell me yours first."

"I would, but then I'd have to kill ya."

"Uh, dramatic much? Well at least tell me where you're from."

"Yeah? What makes you think I'm not from here?" He did his best to cover his accent.

"Well, you don't exactly sound like you're from around here. And you called me a 'North gal'. Like, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Alright, alright. I'm from down south, way down south. So deep in the south that they still call sushi bait."

She started to laugh. "That far, huh?"

"Yeah, now I kept my word. What's your name?

"Alright. My friends call me Kitty. Kitty Pryde."

His face scrunched up.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"'Kitty'? You want people to call you that? Now I've heard some far out names from where I'm from, but-"

"It's just a nickname. Jeez."

"Well then what's your real name?"

"Katherine, but I like Kitty better."

"Well then if I call you Katherine, then you'll know it's me. I like it better anyway. It makes you sound older, more distinguished.

"I guess so. So spill it. What's your name?"

"Why don't you guess."

"Are you, like, in trouble with the law? I've never had to work this hard for a name."

"Fine. Samuel Michael Worthington the Third at your service. Friends call me Michael or Mike."

"Well, nice to meet you Michael."

They hadn't even gotten back into a good groove when her dance partner was suddenly ripped from the dance circle. Lance and his friends, Toad, Blob, and Quicksilver, gathered around him.

"You dancing with my girl?"

Michael was unphased. He looked back and forth before answering. "I don't see any livestock around. So I guess not."

Lance got a hit to the gut before Michael could react. He winced at the contact, but he didn't go down. Kitty immediately stepped in.

"Lance, what are you doing? Two hours ago you could care less about me. Now you're beating up Michael because you missed your chance? This is so typical. You're nothing but a hood."

"You don't have any problem with me any other time. Now you get a few people to rub against you and you think you can do better than me?"

"At least they care enough to try something."

"You've known this guy for two minutes and you rather dance with him than me?"

"If I may?" Michael threw his hand up to interject.

Lance looked back and forth between the new comer and Kitty. His face twisted into a snarl. He pushed past Kitty.

"This is all your fault."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Look pal. We're just dancin'. I'm not tryin' to take no one from nobody. But be careful, 'cause you're really startin' to grease my chassis. Now I'm gonna let y'all go on a warning. You really don't want to mess with me."

Lance threw another punch, but this time Michael dodged it, grabbing Lance's arm and twisting it so he couldn't move it. He released him after a few seconds of his squirming and pushed him away.

"Now, respect Katherine's wish and get to steppin'." He walked slowly away backwards to keep his eye on them in case they pulled something. But it didn't matter. Pietro was too fast for him to see regardless. He wrapped his hands behind his back and pushed him back towards the posse.

This time he was greeted with a kick to the gut, sending Michael down to his knees. Fred Dukes picked him off the ground and proceeded to hold him back, keeping him in place as the others took turns handing out punches. Kitty tried her best to pry them off her new friend, but they simply shoved her out the way. All she could do was watch in horror.

After a heavy round of hits to the stomach and a few to the face, Fred let go of their punching bag. He crumpled on the floor. As they all snickered.

"Guess he wasn't as quick as he thought," Pietro retorted, dusting his shoulder.

"Let's see him recover from that," Toad taunted.

"Yeah, looks like you can dance with the floor now," Blob chimed.

Lance crouched down to get eye level with Michael. And began mocking him.

"Now I'm gonna let y'all go on a warning. Stay away from my girl and don't mess with me Corn Pone." As he turned, Kitty stood right in front of him, white fury in her eyes. He ignored her and walked off, he and his entourage moving to the kitchen no doubt to cause more trouble.

She grabbed a nearby chair and helped Michael off the ground and into it. He took in a deep sigh before speaking.

"Trust me, I look a lot better when I'm not tryin' to put donkeys in the stable, if you catch my drift." He said as he checked his jaw.

Kitty slightly smiled. "I'm so sorry about them. Lance can be a total jerk some… all the time."

"Don't worry about it. Look at it this way, now we're even. I spilled ginger ale on your outfit, you get a couple guys to rough me up. It's all good."

She couldn't believe this guy. He had just been jumped by three mutants and he was making jokes about it. She had never met anyone like him before. And though she couldn't count this as "falling in love," he was definitely someone she wanted to keep around, especially if tonight was any indication of how her future with Lance was going to be.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Maybe a beer."

"I thought you didn't drink alcohol? And what happened to being the designated driver?"

"I think I need something a little stronger than ginger ale to take this pain down. My friends were pressuring me to drink anyway. They must've had a plan on how to get us home. 'Sides, if worse comes to worse, we'll foot a couple miles and maybe get a… a… Guber?"

"An Uber?"

"Yeah that. Hey, give me a break, I just took a couple of hits to the head."

"I'll get you that beer."

She walked away to the kitchen. He studied her as she did. He had only started talking to her because he had run into her, but she had begun to pique his interest. He wasn't "in love", but she was definitely someone he hoped he would run into again.

As he sat back in the chair. He felt a pain in his chest. A sharp feeling that he hadn't felt before, it was way past uncomfortable. He had taken a few hits before, and never hurt like this. He even had a branch stuck inside his shoulder before, and at this point, he would have much rather had the branch. Boy, that had been some night.

Kitty returned shortly after she had left. She noticed the pained expression on his face.

"Are you alright?"

He looked up as if he hadn't seen her walk up. "Yeah, yeah. In fine fettle. You have the beer?" He nearly snatched from her as she handed it to him. He chugged it down. She watched him intently as he did. As he put the bottle down, he noticed her hard glare.

"Something wrong?"

"Why did you jump in? It had nothing to do with you."

He set the nearly empty bottle on the floor. His eyes became serious. "My ma always told me to stand up for what you believe in. I believe the fellow was mistreatin' you. I was hoping to get him to show you some respect. I couldn't sit around and let him dog you like he was."

"Then why didn't you fight back?"

"The suckers got the drop on me. Trust me. This won't happen again. But I've had worse. It was a rite of passage in my house seemed like. My pa didn't believe in raising no wimps. Believe me. I ain't no stranger to pain."

Michael gave her a weak smile as the pain in his chest shot down to his abdomen and began to spread to his back. While he was no stranger to pain, this was something beyond pain. With each passing second, it seemed to intensify ten fold. The loud music and flashing lights made his head feel as if it were going to explode. He could no longer distinguish between Kitty's voice and the others around them. He earnestly groped for something to grab onto, as to relieve himself of some of this pain, but he found nothing sending him sprawling to the floor.

He began clutching his chest when he heard Kitty's voice again.

"Michael! We have to get you to a hospital. What's wrong?"

"I… I… I don't know. Everything is in…" He couldn't finish his statement as he yelled out. The pain becoming unbearable.

The room suddenly became quiet. Kitty had seen the projectile barreling at her, but the sheer misbelief had left her brain with no time to react. By the time she had realized what was happening, several pieces of what felt like glass had pierced her body, one directly in the chest, piercing a lung.

She took a couple steps back before she dropped to her knees. Her brain immediately told her to phase the extra 'shrapnel' from her body. It took all her strength to allow the small fragments of material to flow through her to the ground. But the damage had already been done.

Despite all the people, none had seemed to notice the dilemma that was unfolding next to them. They were doomed to the apathetic nature of their peers. Michael raised his head, still throbbing from the noise, and glanced over to Kitty. He saw her grasping her chest, red spilling into the gaps of her fingers.

He rushed over to her.

"Kitty. Come on. Stay with me."

That's when another wave hit of pain and nausea hit him. This one a thousand times stronger than the first.

He moved away from the body, grabbing onto the chair he had been sitting in earlier. It felt as if the pain was crawling all throughout his frame. It steadily built until it was unbearably overwhelming. It felt as if his skin was being ripped apart. He looked up in time to observe the fragments of material escaping his body. His back, his stomach, his arms, his legs. They continued firing in waves as he cried out in pain.

Several people had been hit in his vicinity, but it wasn't until the beer he had been drinking caught on fire from the spark of a stray broken bulb from above had people started to notice. The fire quickly spread, everyone leaving, only caring for their own safety.

The smoke was thicker than the marijuana that had occupied the space earlier. Michael looked over at Kitty's small, motionless frame. This was his fault, and he had to get her out. Despite his pain, he moved over to her and delicately picked her up, bride style. He moved as fast as he could to an exit of any kind. The last piece of luck he had led him safely to the front door.

When they finally broke through the threshold of the house into the fresh night air, he searched for the guy who had been in the dance circle, Kurt, she said his name was.

His voice was hoarse as he began to yell. "Kurt! Kurt!"

As he turned around, the kid appeared out of nowhere. Michael didn't have time to analyze how that had been possible. He wrote it off to his buzz.

"What happened?" Kurt asked in utter shock.

"She needs help. You're her friend right? Get her to a hospital."

Kurt nodded. "Follow me."

They walked swiftly to Scott and Jean, who took on a face of shock as soon as they laid eyes on Kitty. They both immediately went to action as Scott put her gently in the back of his car. Jean sat next to her, using her telekinesis to clot the blood until they reached the mansion. Scott jumped in the driver's seat.

"Thank you." Kurt placed his hand on the stranger's shoulder before moving to get into the car.

Another burst of pain sent the fractals of material throughout his body again. As he clutched his chest, his legs gave out. Several of the pieces embedded in the side of Scott's car. Scott jumped out and knelt by the boy on the ground. He looked tired and broken.

"You're a mutant?"

"Help me. Please."

Scott helped him off the ground and guided him slowly to his car, sitting him on the opposite side of Jean. He started the engine and drove off.

Michael tried to stay awake, to see where they were going, but his body was calling him to sleep. Despite his best efforts, he was out before they reached the city. A fire truck and police car passing them as they made their way to the city limits.