A/N: Why is it that my stories seem to get out of hand? Jeez.
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I crouched down, waiting for the end, when I heard the telltale sign of Summers's optic lasers. Dust floated around me, and I glanced at him, but he was busy untying everyone. I joined him and soon everyone was free.
"We have to get outside!" Someone shouted.
"How?!" Another voice replied. I found it to be my own.
"Kurt, how many can you teleport at once?" The first voice said. I think it was Jean's.
"Two at most!" He responded, dodging pieces of falling ceiling.
"I can phase some people down!" Kitty said.
"I can get everyone else! Now we need to get to a door or window!" Jean shouted.
"One door, coming up!" I focused my power on the wall at the end of the hallway. I saw it tremble, then break away. A headache was pounding around in my head, but I ignored it. I helped everyone to the "door". Jean floated herself and the Prof out first, Logan jumped since any injury would heal itself almost instantly, Kurt teleported himself, Evan, and Todd out. Pietro ran down the side of the building with Rogue in tow. Storm floated herself out, which left only me and Summers. "You first!" I told him. I didn't give him a chance to argue. I pushed him off the edge, and watched as he was floated down by Jean.
"Lance, c'mon!" Todd yelled up to me. I glanced back to the house.
"Get out of here!" I shouted to them. I ran back down the hallway, to the top of the stairs. Magneto was hovering in the air, letting his fury overcome his entire body. The house shook with violence. "MAGNETO!"
He turned to me. I felt the floor beneath me bend and twist. Some more of the ceiling broke away. I dodged the pieces as best as I could, but one hit my arm, leaving a deep gash. I fell to my knees, but only for a second.
"STOP IT! YOU'RE GONNA KILL US BOTH!" I shouted to him. He made no response, just turned the violent rumbling up a notch. "Fine. Time to fight fire with fire!"
I held nothing back. I tore open the earth below us. The entire front half of the floor fell into the dark abyss. I increased my focus to the rest of it. I drew forth every ounce of strength I had. I ripped the hole even bigger. I felt the entire house being swallowed up by the earth. And that's the last thing I remember.
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"NO!!!!" Kitty cried out as the ground rose up and covered the mansion. It pushed it down into itself, in the end, leaving nothing but a flat field. Kitty dropped down and began crying as an eerie silence echoed over the land.
Everyone stood there, stunned. No one spoke a single word. Even the Professor could not believe what he had just seen. Then, slowly, everyone began walking over to where the mansion had stood. There was not a sign left that the mansion had ever been there.
"He's.... He's.... He's gone, isn't he?" Fred asked, to no one in particular.
"Yes." Pietro said, so quietly and slowly that it was hard to believe he said it. "He did it to save us."
"No! He can't be gone! He's alive! I know it! He's alive!" Kitty kept crying. Storm comforted her. He couldn't be alive. It was impossible. No one could survive that.
Everyone bowed their heads in grief. Lance had done the ultimate sacrifice for them. He was truly a hero. Then, just as Kitty's sobs were subsiding, Rogue heard a small noise. It sounded like it was coming from below them.
"Ya'll here that?" She asked.
"Rogue, don't." Jean said.
"But I hear it! Listen!" Everyone listened, and found that they heard it too. It was steadily growing louder! What was it?
And then, before them all, the ground opened up once again. This time, though, it was small. And up from the ground rose a figure. It was the limp form of Lance. When he was above the ground, the earth closed below him. He fell with a thud. Kitty jumped up and ran to him. She slowly picked up his head and rested it in her lap.
"Lance? Lance wake up. Please wake up!" She begged him. He made no movement. Kitty held him close, and began crying again.
"Kitty... Don't cry...." Kitty looked back to his face, and saw that his eyes were open.
"Lance! You're alive!" She said, pulling him close to her.
"Ow, ow! Yeah, barely...." He said, a small smile on his face. "What... What happened?"
"What happened?!" Pietro yelled. He started talking so fast that no one could understand him.
"Quix, shut up okay? Anybody.... Anybody else care to explain? Preferably slow." Lance was still groggy, and he ached all over.
"You ran back into the mansion, and then the earth literally came up and swallowed it. And you. And..." Scott trailed off.
"Magneto." Todd said. "We thought you were dead. How... How did you survive?"
"Uh....."
"I think that is enough questions for right now. Lance needs his rest, and frankly, so do we." The Professor said. "But I don't know-"
"Ya'll can come to our house." Freddy said, subtle as usual.
"There's no where else to go." Kurt said. Evan agreed.
"He's right ya know." The Professor nodded.
"Alright. Let us go."
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I opened my eyes to some bright light, which didn't help the headache I had any. I quickly shut my eyes and rolled over, falling onto the floor. Confused as hell, I picked myself up as best as I could.
"You're awake." Someone said. I sat down on the couch (it was what I had fallen off of) and saw Kitty sitting on the chair across from me. She stood up and walked over, sitting down beside me. "Like, how do ya feel?"
"Like a mansion crashed down on me." I said, my memories blurring together. "Wait... That happened...." Kitty laughed.
"Yeah, it did. And, like, it was you who did it. But you, like, saved us. All of us." She looked at me, a grateful look on her face. "You're a hero Lance."
"Me?" I said, disbelief in my voice. "But I ain't--" Kitty's mouth on my own stopped me. I gladly responded. When we broke I looked at her and smiled.
"Ah, ain't it sweet." A voice said. A voice I knew. My shoulders fell. Without turning around I replied.
"Don't you ever go away and just stay away?"
"Are you kidding? Miss all the fun, which I did! I don't think so. You're stuck with me, Rocky." Tabby said.
"Rocky?" Kitty said, confused.
"Looooong story." I told her. "When did you get back Boom Boom?"
"Few days ago. Wolvie and Storm came and got me. The Prof. found me a few hours from here in an abandoned warehouse."
"Wait, a few days ago?"
"Yeah, like, you've been out for almost a week and a half. You were, like, barely alive when we got you here." Kitty told me.
"A week and a half?! Holy shit." I said.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Tabby said.
"Where is everyone?" I asked them.
"Well, the Professor, Logan, Scott, and Jean are at the, uh, old site planning a new mansion, where all, and like, I mean all of us, are going to live. Evan, Rogue, Kurt, Storm, Fred, Pietro, and Todd are, like, shopping for new clothes and things." She explained.
"Somebody's shopping and you're not there, Tabby? Call Ripley's Kitty, a miracle has happened."
"Remember what happened last time?"
"Right. Scratch that." Tabby and I laughed, Kitty giving both of us a strange look. "Another story. Hey, ya know, if you need some construction workers, I know where you can get some. And if you pay them half-decent, they'll keep their mouths shut about whatever you want them to. Trust me, I know. I'm one of them."
"Oh, so, like, that's where you got all those rippling muscles?" I flexed them for her. Tabby pretended to gag herself.
"I think I'll go to the mall and see how the others are doing." She got up and started to leave. She then turned and grinned. "Try not to get her, okay?"
"Oh you are dead! Do you hear me?! You're gonna clean the house for a month!" She just laughed and walked away. If we, and by that I mean the X-Men and us, didn't kill each other it would be a miracle.
"Get me? What does she mean by that?" I looked at Kitty and started laughing. Then it dawned on her.
"Where is she! I'm gonna kill you Tabitha!" Kitty got up and followed her out the door. I stretched out on the couch, laughing.
I stopped after a while and laid there, staring at the ceiling. Strange how things came full circle in just a matter of months. I remembered telling Pietro that I was a screw-up. I wasn't. I was just a kid trying to do everything. Then, when a chance for me to back down from my responsibility came, I grabbed at it without a second thought. And it nearly destroyed me and the others. In that one moment when I knew what to do, I knew more than I had ever before in my life. I knew that I was leader, and that there was responsibility that came with it. But I also knew that I wasn't alone in my responsibility. I had my friends. And that was more important to me than anything else. That was why I stood up to Magneto. I knew that if I continued to do what I was doing, I would be just like him. And I didn't want that. I didn't want anyone to ever experience that feeling. That was why I ran back down the hall. That was why I brought the mansion down. To destroy the cause of all the pain, suffering, and anger that I had felt. I didn't want him to do that to anyone else. I couldn't let him.
And now, here I am, together with my former enemies. Then again, they were only my enemies because of Magneto made us do. Magneto and... MYSTIQUE! No one had mentioned her! Did she die with Magneto? She wasn't in the mansion when I unleashed my power, I was sure of it! Then what happened to her? She must've escaped somehow! I stood up and went over to a window that faced the back. She was out there... somewhere.... Waiting. Waiting for something to happen. I could feel it in my bones. But what? And when?
Whatever and whenever that was, I would be ready. We all would. I'd make sure of that. It seems that my responsibility still weighed heavily on me. But this time... This time I had friends to help bear that burden. And I knew they would. But I would be damned if their half out weighed mine. I would rise up to it, and deal with it. Because life wasn't going to get any easier. If anything it would get harder. But I was ready for it. I smiled.
Bring it on life. Bring it on.
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I crouched down, waiting for the end, when I heard the telltale sign of Summers's optic lasers. Dust floated around me, and I glanced at him, but he was busy untying everyone. I joined him and soon everyone was free.
"We have to get outside!" Someone shouted.
"How?!" Another voice replied. I found it to be my own.
"Kurt, how many can you teleport at once?" The first voice said. I think it was Jean's.
"Two at most!" He responded, dodging pieces of falling ceiling.
"I can phase some people down!" Kitty said.
"I can get everyone else! Now we need to get to a door or window!" Jean shouted.
"One door, coming up!" I focused my power on the wall at the end of the hallway. I saw it tremble, then break away. A headache was pounding around in my head, but I ignored it. I helped everyone to the "door". Jean floated herself and the Prof out first, Logan jumped since any injury would heal itself almost instantly, Kurt teleported himself, Evan, and Todd out. Pietro ran down the side of the building with Rogue in tow. Storm floated herself out, which left only me and Summers. "You first!" I told him. I didn't give him a chance to argue. I pushed him off the edge, and watched as he was floated down by Jean.
"Lance, c'mon!" Todd yelled up to me. I glanced back to the house.
"Get out of here!" I shouted to them. I ran back down the hallway, to the top of the stairs. Magneto was hovering in the air, letting his fury overcome his entire body. The house shook with violence. "MAGNETO!"
He turned to me. I felt the floor beneath me bend and twist. Some more of the ceiling broke away. I dodged the pieces as best as I could, but one hit my arm, leaving a deep gash. I fell to my knees, but only for a second.
"STOP IT! YOU'RE GONNA KILL US BOTH!" I shouted to him. He made no response, just turned the violent rumbling up a notch. "Fine. Time to fight fire with fire!"
I held nothing back. I tore open the earth below us. The entire front half of the floor fell into the dark abyss. I increased my focus to the rest of it. I drew forth every ounce of strength I had. I ripped the hole even bigger. I felt the entire house being swallowed up by the earth. And that's the last thing I remember.
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"NO!!!!" Kitty cried out as the ground rose up and covered the mansion. It pushed it down into itself, in the end, leaving nothing but a flat field. Kitty dropped down and began crying as an eerie silence echoed over the land.
Everyone stood there, stunned. No one spoke a single word. Even the Professor could not believe what he had just seen. Then, slowly, everyone began walking over to where the mansion had stood. There was not a sign left that the mansion had ever been there.
"He's.... He's.... He's gone, isn't he?" Fred asked, to no one in particular.
"Yes." Pietro said, so quietly and slowly that it was hard to believe he said it. "He did it to save us."
"No! He can't be gone! He's alive! I know it! He's alive!" Kitty kept crying. Storm comforted her. He couldn't be alive. It was impossible. No one could survive that.
Everyone bowed their heads in grief. Lance had done the ultimate sacrifice for them. He was truly a hero. Then, just as Kitty's sobs were subsiding, Rogue heard a small noise. It sounded like it was coming from below them.
"Ya'll here that?" She asked.
"Rogue, don't." Jean said.
"But I hear it! Listen!" Everyone listened, and found that they heard it too. It was steadily growing louder! What was it?
And then, before them all, the ground opened up once again. This time, though, it was small. And up from the ground rose a figure. It was the limp form of Lance. When he was above the ground, the earth closed below him. He fell with a thud. Kitty jumped up and ran to him. She slowly picked up his head and rested it in her lap.
"Lance? Lance wake up. Please wake up!" She begged him. He made no movement. Kitty held him close, and began crying again.
"Kitty... Don't cry...." Kitty looked back to his face, and saw that his eyes were open.
"Lance! You're alive!" She said, pulling him close to her.
"Ow, ow! Yeah, barely...." He said, a small smile on his face. "What... What happened?"
"What happened?!" Pietro yelled. He started talking so fast that no one could understand him.
"Quix, shut up okay? Anybody.... Anybody else care to explain? Preferably slow." Lance was still groggy, and he ached all over.
"You ran back into the mansion, and then the earth literally came up and swallowed it. And you. And..." Scott trailed off.
"Magneto." Todd said. "We thought you were dead. How... How did you survive?"
"Uh....."
"I think that is enough questions for right now. Lance needs his rest, and frankly, so do we." The Professor said. "But I don't know-"
"Ya'll can come to our house." Freddy said, subtle as usual.
"There's no where else to go." Kurt said. Evan agreed.
"He's right ya know." The Professor nodded.
"Alright. Let us go."
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I opened my eyes to some bright light, which didn't help the headache I had any. I quickly shut my eyes and rolled over, falling onto the floor. Confused as hell, I picked myself up as best as I could.
"You're awake." Someone said. I sat down on the couch (it was what I had fallen off of) and saw Kitty sitting on the chair across from me. She stood up and walked over, sitting down beside me. "Like, how do ya feel?"
"Like a mansion crashed down on me." I said, my memories blurring together. "Wait... That happened...." Kitty laughed.
"Yeah, it did. And, like, it was you who did it. But you, like, saved us. All of us." She looked at me, a grateful look on her face. "You're a hero Lance."
"Me?" I said, disbelief in my voice. "But I ain't--" Kitty's mouth on my own stopped me. I gladly responded. When we broke I looked at her and smiled.
"Ah, ain't it sweet." A voice said. A voice I knew. My shoulders fell. Without turning around I replied.
"Don't you ever go away and just stay away?"
"Are you kidding? Miss all the fun, which I did! I don't think so. You're stuck with me, Rocky." Tabby said.
"Rocky?" Kitty said, confused.
"Looooong story." I told her. "When did you get back Boom Boom?"
"Few days ago. Wolvie and Storm came and got me. The Prof. found me a few hours from here in an abandoned warehouse."
"Wait, a few days ago?"
"Yeah, like, you've been out for almost a week and a half. You were, like, barely alive when we got you here." Kitty told me.
"A week and a half?! Holy shit." I said.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Tabby said.
"Where is everyone?" I asked them.
"Well, the Professor, Logan, Scott, and Jean are at the, uh, old site planning a new mansion, where all, and like, I mean all of us, are going to live. Evan, Rogue, Kurt, Storm, Fred, Pietro, and Todd are, like, shopping for new clothes and things." She explained.
"Somebody's shopping and you're not there, Tabby? Call Ripley's Kitty, a miracle has happened."
"Remember what happened last time?"
"Right. Scratch that." Tabby and I laughed, Kitty giving both of us a strange look. "Another story. Hey, ya know, if you need some construction workers, I know where you can get some. And if you pay them half-decent, they'll keep their mouths shut about whatever you want them to. Trust me, I know. I'm one of them."
"Oh, so, like, that's where you got all those rippling muscles?" I flexed them for her. Tabby pretended to gag herself.
"I think I'll go to the mall and see how the others are doing." She got up and started to leave. She then turned and grinned. "Try not to get her, okay?"
"Oh you are dead! Do you hear me?! You're gonna clean the house for a month!" She just laughed and walked away. If we, and by that I mean the X-Men and us, didn't kill each other it would be a miracle.
"Get me? What does she mean by that?" I looked at Kitty and started laughing. Then it dawned on her.
"Where is she! I'm gonna kill you Tabitha!" Kitty got up and followed her out the door. I stretched out on the couch, laughing.
I stopped after a while and laid there, staring at the ceiling. Strange how things came full circle in just a matter of months. I remembered telling Pietro that I was a screw-up. I wasn't. I was just a kid trying to do everything. Then, when a chance for me to back down from my responsibility came, I grabbed at it without a second thought. And it nearly destroyed me and the others. In that one moment when I knew what to do, I knew more than I had ever before in my life. I knew that I was leader, and that there was responsibility that came with it. But I also knew that I wasn't alone in my responsibility. I had my friends. And that was more important to me than anything else. That was why I stood up to Magneto. I knew that if I continued to do what I was doing, I would be just like him. And I didn't want that. I didn't want anyone to ever experience that feeling. That was why I ran back down the hall. That was why I brought the mansion down. To destroy the cause of all the pain, suffering, and anger that I had felt. I didn't want him to do that to anyone else. I couldn't let him.
And now, here I am, together with my former enemies. Then again, they were only my enemies because of Magneto made us do. Magneto and... MYSTIQUE! No one had mentioned her! Did she die with Magneto? She wasn't in the mansion when I unleashed my power, I was sure of it! Then what happened to her? She must've escaped somehow! I stood up and went over to a window that faced the back. She was out there... somewhere.... Waiting. Waiting for something to happen. I could feel it in my bones. But what? And when?
Whatever and whenever that was, I would be ready. We all would. I'd make sure of that. It seems that my responsibility still weighed heavily on me. But this time... This time I had friends to help bear that burden. And I knew they would. But I would be damned if their half out weighed mine. I would rise up to it, and deal with it. Because life wasn't going to get any easier. If anything it would get harder. But I was ready for it. I smiled.
Bring it on life. Bring it on.
