And now…A little bit of romantic fluff.

Respite

"Wow! Look at this place!" Kitty looked around. They were in a secluded grove in the park. Several kinds of flowers bloomed in vibrant colors giving off a sweet smelling perfume. Nearby a small stream snaked past, the gentle sounds of traveling water were soothing.

"How did you ever find this place?" Kitty asked.

"I found it a while back," Lance explained. "I was trying to hide from the Moron Brigade and I came across this place. I come here every now and then to think. Sometimes it even helps with my headaches."

"It's beautiful," Kitty looked around.

"I figured you'd like it," Lance smiled. "Hey I got some snacks!" He pulled out some candy bars and soda from his backpack. "Want some?"

"Okay!" Kitty said energetically. They sat down in the shade of one of the trees and ate them. They talked about school for a bit and laughed. Then they relaxed. Kitty lay back in Lance's arms, her back to his chest. "Lance?" She asked.

"Yeah?" He asked stroking her hair.

"Why can't you come back to the X-Men?" She asked him. Lance replied with a sigh. "Why? You can't tell me you prefer to stay with Mystique and Magneto!"

"Kitty I can't go with you back to the X-Men," Lance told her. "I tried that before, remember? I'll never be accepted there."

"But…"

"You remember how ready they were to blame me for everything that went wrong? They never wanted me there. Besides, I can't leave the Brotherhood. Especially after what happened to Toad. They need me there. The X-Men don't. It's that simple. So I guess we still have to sneak around."

"This stinks," Kitty fumed. "I hate this!"

"So do I," Lance hugged her. "But we have to stay strong. Who knows? The X-Men and the Brotherhood have worked together before. Maybe in the future we will unite."

"I don't Mystique is going to like that very much," Kitty sighed.

"Well let's just say she's kinda out of commission since Blob went on his little rampage," Lance smirked. "She's been screaming murder from her bed ever since. Don't worry. Magneto told us it's what she deserved for going against his orders."

"Lance he's the one who…" Kitty was about to contradict him when she saw the look in his eyes. She realized that it wouldn't do any good. "Never mind." She decided to talk about that with the professor later.

"Let's not talk any more about this huh?" Lance asked. "I came here to get away from it all!"

"Okay," Kitty sat back in his arms. They sat in silence for a while.

Lance sighed. "You know what I wish? I wish we could both take off somewhere. Leave everything behind, Bayville, the Brotherhood, and the X-Men. Everything and start over."

"Lance we can't do that," Kitty told him. "What about school? Our lives? Where would we go?"

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "I guess there's not too many havens for people like us. Especially now. Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Kitty…I'm scared. I never realized how badly people would react to us. Have you seen the faces of people whenever anyone mentions the word 'mutant' nowadays? It's like we're some horrible disease that has to be exterminated. I knew we have to fight humans to survive. But I had no idea how many we'd have to fight."

"Why do we have to fight them at all?" Kitty asked.

"Because they want to kill us that's why!" Lance said incredulously.

"Not all of them," Kitty shook her head. "I can't believe that. There has to be another way of reaching them. Besides, people are just scared because they don't know about us yet. Maybe once they learn more about us, they'll probably back off. Not everybody's like that Trask guy you know!"

"That's what I love about you Kitty," Lance said. "You're able to see the good in people. I hope you're right. For all our sakes."

"School's out already," Kitty groaned as she looked at her watch. "I have to go back."

"Me too," Lance sighed. "Her Royal Highness awaits. Well at least we were together for a little while." He kissed her.

"Yeah," Kitty smiled as she kissed him back. "We should do this again sometime."

"Really?"

"Really."

Lance drove Kitty back to the Institute. He parked the car a block away and let her out. Kitty went into the mansion, hoping she could just phase through to her room. However Scott spotted her. "Hey Kitty where were you?" He asked. "I wanted to ask you about something in study hall."

Before she could reply Rogue came out. "Scott didn't I tell you that she had to go to the nurse."

"What for?" Scott asked. He got a glare in response. "Uh let me guess, girl stuff?"

"It's called a period Scott," Rogue snapped. "I mean it's not a big deal! All it means is a bunch of blood…"

"Okaylookatthetimegottago!" Scott ran off down the hall.

"It's so easy sometimes I almost feel sorry for 'em," Rogue smirked. "Let me guess, you and Lance had some alone time?"

"Yeah," Kitty blushed and looked around nervously.

"Don't worry I won't tell," Rogue said. "Provided of course you do something for me."