"Hi!" a small voice entered Lance's thoughts. He was still sitting in the room in the institute, letting his shoulder heal. He had been lost in thought about everything that had happened from the past six or so years on. He looked up, wondering if the voice had been in his head. He smiled when he noticed the small boy peaking his head through the door.
"Al, buddy!" Lance called waving him over. The boy bounded in to the room and immediately climbed up on the bed. Lance ruffled his hair.
"Are you hurt?" Al asked pointing to his shoulder.
"It's nothing," Lance tried to play it off as he saw Al's worried face. "Really. No worries."
"So you can come play with me?" Al smiled wide.
"Al, he needs his rest," Lance turned to see Kitty leaning against the door. She must have brought Al and quietly slipped in.
"It's fine. I'd like to," Lance hugged Al to him even though it hurt.
"So… what do I call you?" Al asked after Lance released him. Lance and Kitty shared a look.
"Uh… Lance," he answered after a bit. "My name is Lance."
"Al, sweetie," Kitty moved towards the bed. She started to sit on the bed and then stopped and quickly moved to the chair on the side instead. "I think we need to talk. See, you know how some of your friends have both mommies and daddies? Well, you have me, of course, and everyone here, but you also have a daddy."
"I'm your daddy," Lance thought as he looked at Al. He hoped this wouldn't be too much for such a small kid. Al looked at Kitty curiously. Kitty smiled back at Al sweetly and held his small hands in hers. They all sat quietly for a while. Lance and Kitty stared at Al who looked back and forth between the two of them.
"Al, honey," Kitty finally started. "This is your daddy."
"Really?" Al grinned.
"So, you're okay with this?" Lance put his hand on Al's tiny shoulder.
"It's awesome!" Al hugged Lance. Lance couldn't believe how well this was going. Then again, Al was not quite even five years old, so he must not be really getting what was going on.
"We'll explain it when he gets older," Lance thought as he gave Kitty a look of relief. She still look worried though.
"Hey, Al?" Lance looked down at his little boy. "Why don't I come color with you in a minute?"
"Okay! Let's go!" Al jumped off the bed.
"Just let me talk to your mom for a second?" he looked at Kitty to confirm that this would be okay. She stared at the floor. Lance looked to Al who nodded and ran out of the room.
"So," Lance took a deep breath. He wanted to ask her about what had happened before his shoulder got a beating, but from her anxious expression he decided against it. "Would you be okay with working out some kind of schedule?"
"Schedule?" Kitty looked at him like he was speaking a different language.
"Well, yeah. With Al. I mean, I'll be working soon, and then I can take the time to get a place and get out of the hotel. Maybe one with a room for Al, if that'd be okay with you. I mean obviously I'd work around your schedules, you and Al," Lance rambled on trying to avoid making Kitty feel uncomfortable.
"Oh, right. Of course. We'll work something out," Kitty nodded and smiled. Her eyes moved to Lance's bandaged shoulder.
"It's fine," Lance moved his head to catch her eyes. "Xavier said I'll make a full recovery and everything."
"I'm so sorry," Kitty's eyes filled with tears. She let her head fall into her hands.
"I'm the one who's sorry, Kitty Cat," Lance cupped her chin with his hand and lifted it gently so their eyes met. "I never should have left." Lance couldn't believe he'd just admitted it, but it felt good. Kitty was looking at him with a mix of anger and sadness, but maybe a little something else too.
"No, you shouldn't have," Kitty moved from her chair and carefully perched on the bed. Lance smirked, wanting to tell her she wouldn't hurt him. But before he could get a word out, her mouth was on his. Lance's mind reeled at first, wondering if it could possibly be true. He gave in to the kiss quickly though and stopped caring about all the hows and whys. Kitty pushed herself away from Lance, mouthing an apology when he groaned at the pain in his shoulder.
"So…" he started to say like he had any clue what to say.
"Why," Kitty paused as if she was trying to decide which question to ask, "did you decide to come back?"
"Well… I could give you the reasons I told myself when I packed up to come back here, but," Lance sighed not knowing whether or not he was doing the right thing, "you."
"Oh," Kitty looked down at her hands. Lance reached his hand out to her, but she shifted back from him slightly.
"You said you'd come color!" Al ran into the room and jumped up and down at the end of the bed.
"Sure, bud," Lance gathered his strength and stumbled out of the bed. He took one of Al's hands in his. "Lead the way."
"Isn't that what ya've been wantin' all these years? For Lance to crawl back to town and tell ya he was wrong to leave? To be a family with the lil' one?" Kitty noticed that Rogue's twang seemed to emphasize her annoyance or maybe her concern.
"Well, sure, at first," Kitty leaned back on the bed. She was still sitting on the bed Lance had been staying in when Rogue had found her. "But, things happened. Things changed."
"So, ya don't want Lance here wantin' ya. That's why ya keep kissin' him?" Rogue raised her eyebrows.
"Wow. Helpful. You're so helpful," Kitty rolled her eyes.
"Could be worse. I could be adding more problems," Rogue sighed looking to the window.
"You? Problems? I don't think you've met a problem you couldn't get out of with one of those sayings of yours," Kitty teased. Rogue nodded with a weak smile.
"Uh… I'm just here to get my stuff," Lance entered the room shyly. He avoided Kitty and Rogue's eyes as he came over and started to gather his things, some clothes and drawings among other things that Tabitha had dropped off for him earlier.
"Hi Lance," Rogue offered.
"Rogue," Lance still wouldn't look up.
"We should probably work out a schedule for Al," Kitty hoped that would make him look up.
"Sure. Maybe I can come get him for a little while tomorrow," Lance turned towards the door and started to make his way out.
"Hey, Lance?" Rogue called after him and the two walked out of the room together. Kitty fell back against the bed.
"Well I guess now there's two guys that can't stand to look at me," Kitty moaned.
"I'm not really in the mood for this Rogue, so can we make it short?" Lance said after they had walked down the hallway in silence.
"I'm worried," she responded.
"Of course you are. Look, I… I'm not leaving again, but I'm not here to make things difficult," Lance turned to look Kitty's best friend in the eyes.
"Well, good to know," Rogue crossed her arms, "but not what I was talkin' 'bout."
"I will be a part of Al's life, so you're going to have to deal with that," Lance shrugged.
"Great, but that's not the problem," she countered.
"What, Rogue? What do you want from me? I'm here for my son! I don't want to cause any problems!" Lance erupted. "I'm not the one… I didn't… she kissed me. Twice."
"I know. Ya okay?" Rogue patted him on the shoulder. Lance gave her a curious look, but when he realized she was genuinely concerned, he relaxed.
"I just… keep laying everything out… and… I don't even know… I mean… one second she's… I'm a father and… it's just nothing… nothing like I thought… like I hoped," Lance ran his hands through his hair.
"She's just as lost, ya know? Give her a lil' time," Rogue smiled.
"Yeah," Lance mumbled. Rogue gave him an awkward hug and turned to let him walk the rest of the way out. "Uh, Rogue?
"Lance?" she turned back.
"Tell Gambit I say hi," he watched as her jaw dropped and her already pale face turned even whiter. He turned and walked out of the grounds. As Lance started up the engine to his jeep, he looked back at the mansion. With a sigh, he drove off towards the brotherhood.
Author's Note: A pretty fluffy chapter. I hope you are enjoying the recent updates, though. Don't get used to it.
