The young speed demon's eyes were squeezed shut, as Kitty stood there in shock.
"Wh-what?" she stammered.
"The doctors say he doesn't have long to live." There was a strange catch to Pietro's voice, and Kitty dimly had the impression that the young speed demon was on the verge of tears. And for the first time since she'd met Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver all those years ago, her heart went out to the silver haired young man. Through her own tears, Kitty peered up at Pietro, and truly wondered what all he'd had to put up with in his young life. *It's so hard to look at him as a college freshman*, she thought sadly. *It's so hard not to look at Pietro and still see him as the annoying egotistical sophomore that he was...* Kitty sighed. Am I *really* a senior now? Pietro... Kitty looked at him now with newfound respect. He'd been through so much... too much... His father being the mega-jerk Magneto that her teammates had fought for so long; having to relive his memories of his childhood when his sister Wanda had appeared in town a couple of years ago; and now, having to witness his best friend dying. Kitty swallowed, then turned toward the intensive care ward. She was ready. *I hope,* she thought.
Upon entering the hospital, the two teens were struck by how quiet and eerily silent it was. Kitty shivered involuntarily, the world suddenly going in swirls around her.
"Kitty?" Pietro looked down at the younger girl with concern in his voice. She looked like she was about to faint. "You okay?"
Kitty straightened herself, then blinked to clear her vision. "Yeah, I'm-I'm fine," she lied. But that was so a lie. She was not okay. She was never going to be okay. Pietro's voice kept coming back into her head, refusing to stop playing like a tape over and over and over and over.... Dying... few hours to live... wants to see you... She *had* to close her eyes to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Lance Alvers... dying? *Don't think death... don't think death... he's going to make it... he always makes it... he was the one who told you 'once you own it, nothing can own you' remember?* Kitty nearly choked on her tears as that memory came swirling back into her mind, like a dream in a cloud.
"What? Are you like, reading my mind too?"
"No way! I just want to talk. I won't shake things up, I promise. My name's Lance...You're making it yours Kitty. Once you own it, nothing can own you..."
That was what Lance had said to Kitty three and a half years ago, and yet, it was still stuck in her mind. *Oh Lance,* she thought. *I wanted to believe you. But you are wrong... so wrong... that it cost you your life... You had control over earthquakes, but in the end, something still owned you, and claimed you. Bigotry of people... death..."
"Kitty?" Pietro's voice interrupted her thoughts, and Kitty started, and blinked. "We should really get to Lance's room," he said quietly.
*I'm not ready*, she wanted to whisper, or shout to the world, or do both at the same time. But what came out was a tiny "Okay, let's go."
Taking the elevator up to the third floor in silence, the two got off and walked to a door at the end of the corridor. Room 314. Pietro and Kitty glanced nervously at each other, then taking a deep breath, Kitty slowly reached for the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door open. They stood at the doorway for a second, both afraid to move, both afraid that by one taking the step into the room, they would be the first to realize that Avalanche was dead. Neither of them wanted to face that nightmare, so for a second, there was silence. Then Kitty sighed, and took a timid step forward.
"Lance?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
A/N: Okay, I know what ya'll are thinking: "Argh! Lance can't die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Right? ^.^ Way more to this story to come! Hehe... mwahahaha! Only I know the ending to this story!! I know, I know, I'm so mean, hehe... :p Check back for more very VERY soon!!!!! As always, R&R! And oh yeah, no, Kitty, Lance, Pietro, and CO. are not mine, and never will be...unless I have 500 million in cash to give to Xmen Evolution to borrow their characters. I have no money whatsoever...whatever money I have left is in the bank. The characters belongs to WB/Evolution, and I guess, also to Marvel. Pietro Maximoff owns me, hehehe! :) I own nobody.
"Wh-what?" she stammered.
"The doctors say he doesn't have long to live." There was a strange catch to Pietro's voice, and Kitty dimly had the impression that the young speed demon was on the verge of tears. And for the first time since she'd met Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver all those years ago, her heart went out to the silver haired young man. Through her own tears, Kitty peered up at Pietro, and truly wondered what all he'd had to put up with in his young life. *It's so hard to look at him as a college freshman*, she thought sadly. *It's so hard not to look at Pietro and still see him as the annoying egotistical sophomore that he was...* Kitty sighed. Am I *really* a senior now? Pietro... Kitty looked at him now with newfound respect. He'd been through so much... too much... His father being the mega-jerk Magneto that her teammates had fought for so long; having to relive his memories of his childhood when his sister Wanda had appeared in town a couple of years ago; and now, having to witness his best friend dying. Kitty swallowed, then turned toward the intensive care ward. She was ready. *I hope,* she thought.
Upon entering the hospital, the two teens were struck by how quiet and eerily silent it was. Kitty shivered involuntarily, the world suddenly going in swirls around her.
"Kitty?" Pietro looked down at the younger girl with concern in his voice. She looked like she was about to faint. "You okay?"
Kitty straightened herself, then blinked to clear her vision. "Yeah, I'm-I'm fine," she lied. But that was so a lie. She was not okay. She was never going to be okay. Pietro's voice kept coming back into her head, refusing to stop playing like a tape over and over and over and over.... Dying... few hours to live... wants to see you... She *had* to close her eyes to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Lance Alvers... dying? *Don't think death... don't think death... he's going to make it... he always makes it... he was the one who told you 'once you own it, nothing can own you' remember?* Kitty nearly choked on her tears as that memory came swirling back into her mind, like a dream in a cloud.
"What? Are you like, reading my mind too?"
"No way! I just want to talk. I won't shake things up, I promise. My name's Lance...You're making it yours Kitty. Once you own it, nothing can own you..."
That was what Lance had said to Kitty three and a half years ago, and yet, it was still stuck in her mind. *Oh Lance,* she thought. *I wanted to believe you. But you are wrong... so wrong... that it cost you your life... You had control over earthquakes, but in the end, something still owned you, and claimed you. Bigotry of people... death..."
"Kitty?" Pietro's voice interrupted her thoughts, and Kitty started, and blinked. "We should really get to Lance's room," he said quietly.
*I'm not ready*, she wanted to whisper, or shout to the world, or do both at the same time. But what came out was a tiny "Okay, let's go."
Taking the elevator up to the third floor in silence, the two got off and walked to a door at the end of the corridor. Room 314. Pietro and Kitty glanced nervously at each other, then taking a deep breath, Kitty slowly reached for the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door open. They stood at the doorway for a second, both afraid to move, both afraid that by one taking the step into the room, they would be the first to realize that Avalanche was dead. Neither of them wanted to face that nightmare, so for a second, there was silence. Then Kitty sighed, and took a timid step forward.
"Lance?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
A/N: Okay, I know what ya'll are thinking: "Argh! Lance can't die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Right? ^.^ Way more to this story to come! Hehe... mwahahaha! Only I know the ending to this story!! I know, I know, I'm so mean, hehe... :p Check back for more very VERY soon!!!!! As always, R&R! And oh yeah, no, Kitty, Lance, Pietro, and CO. are not mine, and never will be...unless I have 500 million in cash to give to Xmen Evolution to borrow their characters. I have no money whatsoever...whatever money I have left is in the bank. The characters belongs to WB/Evolution, and I guess, also to Marvel. Pietro Maximoff owns me, hehehe! :) I own nobody.